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Comment by Zephonith Serpent Woman on March 2, 2012 at 4:43am

Lovely! Rosehip preserve - mmmm :)

This is a favourite of mine because it is very close to the original wild rose, or Briar. Vigorous, hardy, needs too much cutting back if you don't know that it has a spread of around 30ft - actually unlimited - so it is really suited to be a totally foolproof hedge - it has wicked thorns which are incurved and plays living host to many wild creatues. Bees love it, and it blooms profusely.

The scientific name is Rosa Bracteata "Mermaid" - truly beautiful to behold, but if there is no respect, a very painful lesson due to the sharp thorns.

The flower has a gorgeous lemony fragrance. 

Comment by Zephonith Serpent Woman on March 2, 2012 at 1:00am

There are three main plant food ingredients that every plant needs - Phosphate, Nitrogen and Potassium. Nitrogen for green growth, Phosphate for roots and flowers, and Potassium for flowers. Its not necessary to use chemical fertilizers, as these do not really help the soil - rather use plenty of manure and compost to enrich the soil. Organic fertilizers are the way to go.:)

Comment by Zephonith Serpent Woman on March 2, 2012 at 12:40am

Hi!

Gardening is so satisfying in many ways, isn't it? 

I was a professional landscaper and now I am happy working on my own garden, though it is mainly maintenance work as everything has grown up now and needs cutting back all the time.

I do have some open bedding areas which I like to fill in with seasonal annuals like alyssum, poppies - I adore Californian poppies - salvia, chrysanthemuim, bulbs of all kinds , Iris etc which livens up the garden and highlights or draws attention to the other feature plants.

I don't have the space for berries, except for some gooseberries which have just gone ahead andseeded themselves wherever they wish! Tasty and they make really nice jam.

It must be so cool to have a stream flowing through the garden, Debbie - having a natural water feature like that must be like a peaceful haven after a day's work.

When my wife and I first moved in, there were only a couple of Thorn trees on the property and little else, so I just added and added my favourite plants until it has now reached the point where I can't add any more! So much fun.

My all time favourite rose is the White Iceberg, and i also love this one - the Mermaid rose :)

Thanks for sharing and , happy gardening!

Comment by Debbie on March 1, 2012 at 1:33pm

Hi Xena:  Here is a picture of the white and pink flowers I put together in  coffee glass ;} ,, they were just budding as you can see,,I've tried growing the calif poppy with little lucky! I think I might be planting it too deep & watering it too much ;},,,,,  Yes " Leila"  I've thought about growing berries,,,, because there are berries that grow by the creek in the back of the property,, I don't know that I took pictures of them, hugh foliage/plant,,growing wild ;} 

  

My mom had roses like this,, I want to grow some too ;} ;} 

Leila, in this picture you can see the berry leaves just a bit "sorry it's blurred ;}

Comment by Leila Raven on March 1, 2012 at 12:36pm

Thanks for all the wonderful info, we're a family of very novice gardeners, learning as we go.. now I'm inspired to plant geraniums & thinking of indigenous plants made me think right away of salal berries. They grow everywhere here in the west coast forests & I love the berries, similar to a blue berry. I'm all about edibles, it has a lovely foliage too, looks nice as a backdrop for cut flowers. So those two are on my to add list. Getting a few native ferns in wouldn't be unwelcome either. I think a little hike in the woods with a spade & some bags might be in my husbands future..

Comment by Zephonith Serpent Woman on March 1, 2012 at 8:59am

Oh yes, Leila I forgot to mention that Jasmine will sacrifice some flowers for quick growth when feeding with the Nitrogen-rich organic fertilizers. For more flowers , add some organic bonemeal to the root area as it is high in phosphates which encourage blooming as well as root growth. Maybe alternate the schedule so that every two weeks, the plant gets all of the best supplementary feeding that we can provide. :) 

Comment by Zephonith Serpent Woman on March 1, 2012 at 8:39am

Hi, Debbie

 The flowers of the Cactii and Aloe plants, as well as many other succulents, are some of the most stunning in the Plant Kingdom in my opinion. And, they are ideal for low-rainfall areas and poor, sandy soils. Many of the groundcover species are used extensively to stabilize dunes or other steep slopes where nothing else will grow.

I often visualise a desert moonscape, filled with the otherwordly shapes and spines of the Cactii and the scent of the night-blooming Cereus peruvianum, or Queen of the Night.

A succulent /cactus/Aloe garden is waterwise and low-maintenance. Personally, I find that after planting, it shows off well if one lays down a layer of thick plastic with small drainage holes in it, over the surface of the ground. Then, add a thick layer of river sand or fine gravel and top this with river pebbles or even crystals such as rose quartz, with a few feature rocks placed at strategic positions to provide a finishing touch to the new landscape.

The Queen of the Night - Cereus peruvianum

Comment by Debbie on March 1, 2012 at 6:59am

Hi  Xena Phobea,, yes very true,, less attention,, more flowers,, they seem to like the dryer soil too,,, I took a red and a white and planted them in same container,, came out as pinkish- white ,,pretty;} I'm always trying something different,, just to see what comes of it,,, ;}my cacti has a very pretty white flower only once a year ,,only one day ;}    

Comment by Zephonith Serpent Woman on March 1, 2012 at 4:47am

A stunning Geranium! They are just so easy to grow, and ideal in a container. They are like Bougainvilleas - the less attention given the better! Which is ideal for those lazy days when gardening takes a back seat to just relaxing .

Jasmine really enjoys regular feeding with a trace element - rich natural plant food, I use fish extract liquid fertilizer and, alternate this with seaweed - based liquid food every two weeks in growing season - for Jasmine, as soon as the first pink buds appear. The liquid fertilizer is diluted in water to half the recommended strength as per the instructions on the bottle and then the root ball is soaked after a good watering.

This boosts the growth rate and allows the creeper to do it's flowering in abundance. A plant always tells you when it's happy!

For Hummingbirds, try leaving out a shallow dish filled with honey or sugar. The bees will be attracted to the dish, and it will then it will be in no time at all that the birds will be attracted to the feeder.

I believe that the plants in a garden should comprise of at least 50% indigenous, preferably endemic species - by doing this, we are actually re-establishing the natural plant life, which will in turn attract the indigenous wildlife to your garden .

A suggestion may be to study up the endemic plant types that have always grown in your area , especially taking note of the flowers and perhaps if the info is available, which animals they support. Then one can design and plant out or revamp if necessary, concentrating these flowering plants in the vicinity of the regular bird feeder.

It's so much fun, and so rewarding, to watch them arrive every day to feed. :)

Comment by Debbie on February 29, 2012 at 8:45pm

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