One of my favourite little plants (I say favourite a lot I know, but it’s true!) Ceropegia woodii, or commonly known as ‘String of Hearts’ which describes it perfectly!
This plant is fairly easy to look after, keep the soil a bit moist and give it plenty of light, but not direct midday sun as you will frazzle the delicate tendrils.
I love to use Ceropegia in my wedding work because of the romantic heart-shaped leaves…
…A mantle of purple and gold !
(No purple or gold need the Manxman e’er lack
While there’s heather and gorse on old Bradda’s broad back)…
(Excerpt from ‘A Book of Manx Poetry)
This morning I left the shop to do my deliveries in absolute torrential rain. Grey, damp, cold…. not my idea of a great way to start the week I can tell you!
By the time I was driving back over the Sloc to St Johns, the clouds were parting, the rain had stopped and an eerie mist was rising from the trees.
The beautiful landscape of our Island never fails to take my breath away and I love September, because the hillsides turn into a patchwork of yellow gorse and purple heather, separated by the stitching of the grey stone walls.
(Image courtesy of IOM Gov Image Library)
So, in honour of our pretty patchwork landscape, our Plant of the Month for September is the lovely heather. We have two different types in the Garden Centre at the moment, Calluna, which is ‘Common Heather’ and Erica which is also known as ‘Bell Heather’.
All heathers prefer a slightly acidic soil, and most varieties are a pink to mauve colour although we also have a small quantity of white and red plants.
And what better plant to incorporate into a late Summer or Autumn wedding? Pots of heather can be used as table centres, and why not use it in your bouquet or buttonholes? I made this one this morning and tied it with a little Manx Tartan bow.
For more Heather Wedding Inspiration, you have to check out this Blog – The Brass Paperclip Project a wonderful world full of beautiful ideas for eco-friendly, yet stylish living!
.. a proverb from around the world somewhere, can’t remember which country, but the words always stick in my head.
I am happy when I am gardening, even when it rains, because I know that the raindrops are like my Friday night Gin & Tonic to plants that have been baking in the sun.. cool and refreshing!
My favourite style of garden is the natural prettiness of a cottage garden. I grew up in a cottage with a garden that had apple trees, a pond and little secluded areas where the cats used to curl up in the sun. Then I worked for the National Trust for Scotland in a garden that I still dream of returning to one day at Kellie Castle.
The walled garden at Kellie Castle had huge herbaceaous beds, mixed in with neat rows of vegetables, areas of lawn and pathways separated with trellises that were covered in Clematis and climbing roses. This is a garden I truly fell head over heels in love with!
If I had a garden (I only have a little yard) it would be a mini version of Kellie, but saying that, you don’t need a massive walled garden to create a little piece of this herbaceous heaven.
Anyone coming down to Tynwald Mills, do pop into the Garden Centre and see our little ‘Mini-Garden’, created to show you what sort of plants work best in a cottage garden and a few tips of how to get the look.
Principles of a cottage garden:
The thing I love most about any garden, is how it naturally evolves each year. Herbaceous plants can be divided at the end of the year and replanted in new locations, or given to friends for their gardens, and the weather always plays a part in how well your favourite Rose bush or apple tree is going to perform.
So what are you waiting for? The weather forecast for the next couple of days is sunny (on the Isle of Man anyway), so get your shorts and suncream on and get out in your garden!
This is the first part in a series of posts which aims to show you how to care for your rose plants. Some of my customers are put off buying rose plants because they believe they are difficult and time-consuming to look after, but the reality is not so. If you want to spend hours pruning and training your rose, then you can, but they perform just as beautifully if left to their own devices to ramble through a hedge or around an old tree stump!
This year we have been honoured to stock the stunning David Austin ® Rose plants and they have been selling so quickly we can hardly keep up with the demand. For those of you that haven’t seen (or smelt!) a David Austin ® Rose, come and visit us down here at Tynwald Mills, because the plants we have down here are just bursting in to bloom and the flowers are absolutely gorgeous!
So, with the help of McVitie, we have put together this guide, starting with the planting of your rose…
Hello again, McVitie here!
Did you all have a good weekend? I got my walk on Ramsey Beach as promised and then slept for most of the day, despite Heidi’s cats pestering me and sleeping in MY bed!
It is a miserable rainy Monday here at Tynwald Mills, but I have a comfy cushion and steady stream of cuddles and attention from The Flower Studio customers (and the Postman, who always has biscuits in his pocket!!).
A lot of people have been buying Phalaenopsis orchids from the shop today, so I thought I would let Heidi share some of the top care tips that we give our customers… I would tell you myself, but I have a Jumbone to finish…
Don’t overwater them! Orchids hate their roots to be standing in water and this is the top killer of these beautiful plants, as people tend to water them the same as they do their other houseplants. The best way, so I’ve found, to water an orchid is to fill a large bowl with tepid water (and orchid food if you have it) and dunk the plastic pot under the water for a couple of minutes. Then leave the plant to drain before putting it back in its decorative pot. Let the roots dry out slightly between watering.
They love Sun… but not directly. An East or West facing window is perfect. The orchid leaves should be firm and green… if they become floppy, the plant is getting too little (or too much) sunshine. I discovered this after moving from a second floor apartment to a basement flat… my orchids were not impressed!
They will re-flower! And it is so satisfying when they do! When the current stem has finished flowering, cut it back to just above one of the joints (nodes) in the stem. With any luck, a new shoot will come from this. If is doesn’t, don’t worry.. cut the stem right back down to the base of the plant, and it should send up a brand new one.
Cool nights are best. An orchid will thrive when there is a tempreature difference of 8 – 10 degrees between day time and night time. Putting the plant in an unheated room, such as a consevatory or bathroom is usually enough, but never subject the plant to a cold draught or warm blasts of air.
To re-pot or not? Phalaenopsis orchids actually like to be pot bound, and their flowering performance is better if the roots are slightly constricted. However, if you have had your orchid for a few years, it might benefit from some fresh bark and a spring clean! Gently remove the orchid from the pot and shake off any bark from the roots. Check the roots and cut off any that are brown, or have signs of mould. Never plant orchids into soil… it is too moist… most large garden centres should stock Orchid Bark. Place the orchid back into a clean pot, and start gently packing the roots with bark until the plant sits firm in the pot and doesn’t wobble. Leave the orchid somewhere cool and out of the sun for a couple of days and then move back to its usual place.
What to look for when you buy a Phalaenopsis orchid….
That is all for today from us… we will see you tomorrow!
