gardening info-I FIGure

One of the 5 figs starting to grow at home on our fig tree growing side by side with a grape vine,growing figs in pots really helps the plant to produce fruit as it restricts the root growth making the plant produce fruit earlier than it would in the open ground.

gardening info-hiding dessert

One way of hiding dessert from inqusiitive slugs is to grow the dessert(strawberries) in mid-air i.e in a hanging basket as shown(courtesy of hippie gardener)

gardening info-move over big fella

Talk about not giving the little guys a look in,Woodie photographed at 7 am this morning having an early breakfast well he had everybodies breakfast,give the sparrows a chance eh big fella

gardening info-Newt(on) brothers

Issac and Lossac turned up today although very shy,they usually shun publicity,but took this opportunity to show what fauna is about in the NWC if you know where to look

gardening info-Silene dioica or is it?

Silene dioica (Red Campion) shown here in a very unusual form with variagated leaves,compare it with usual coloured plant.The second part of Red Campions botanical name is dioica meaning "two houses"and refers to the fact that each Red Campion plant has flowers of one sex only,so that two plants are needed to make seed.There isn't another variagated plant on site at the NWC so botanists,people in the know enlighten me.

gardening info-cross pollination

Cowslips in flower in the National Wildflower Centre,but on the edge of this display is a clump of plants which have cross pollinated (cowslip with primrose) giving us a false oxlip.

gardening info-Artogeia rapae (Pieris rapae)

Veg growers take note the Small White butterfly first appearance of this growing season,this one taking in the rays on Nettle Leaf Bellflower and obligingly stayed for a photo shoot.First brood caterpillars solitary feeding on rape,hedge mustard,second brood feeds mainly on species of cabbage.

gardening info- hitching a ride?

Packaging plants this morning Icame across this little character trying to hitch a ride on the prmroses,a white tailed bumblebee one of the Bombus family,did it go with the plants.............................no it was a scouse bee and decided to stay

gardening info- Herb Bed

Check out the herb bed at home (courtesy of hippie gardener (wife) ) visible in the picture is wild garlic,wild sunflower,bay,garlic chives,lemon balm,get your herb bed going now,start on a window sill and then progress,until it becomes an obsession and feel the benefit of home grown herbs

gardening info-companions

Weird combination of companion planting,Cowslips with a Gooseberry bush but it works in number of ways,as a mulch,spring interest while the gooseberry is growing,attracting predator insects to keep gooseberry pests at bay.Not one for the purists but it works

gardening info-plants to enjoy

A couple of nice plants to spot at the N.W.C.,worth a look. An Oxlip I kid you not,no it's not a false oxlip,or a cowslip or primrose gone it's the real deal,and secondly Cuckoo flower (in flower) a sure sign that spring/summerand my holidays are round the corner.If you can't spot these plants you could ask the nice gardener where they are failing that please make do with these photos

gardening info- composts

What compost do you use,happy with it.At work we use Coir which is okay but can be a pain in the winter as it doesn't drain as quick as I'd like,as well as that compost I'm also trialling green waste,first impressions not good as the plant leaves are turning yellow not much nutrient content in this compost then,time will tell.Anybody make their own,give it a go it isn't as hard to do as the books make out

gardening info-primroses

Primroses looking at their best at the moment,when they've finished flowering sow the seed when the seed is green,on the top of a tray of compost lightly covering seed wih compost.Failing that you can divide plants in the autumn

Friend in the tunnel

A new friend joined me in the polytunnel on thursday(31 March)a newly emerged peacock butterfly warming itself........REMEMBER IF THINGS DIDN'T CHANGE THERE WOULD BE NO BUTTERFLIES

gardening info-slug update

Hopefully you can now see picture of previous blog mentioned slug poo,these pellets form a mat keeping slugs away from plants,whilst nourishing the soil through out the growing season,but don't take just my word for it,see for yourself at the N,W,C in Court Hey park merseyside