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| Join Jenny on the Friday Mix when she talks to Landscape Designer, Shirley Wallington, about all things horticultural. |
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GARDENING WITH SHIRLEY WALLINGTON for 27 August 2010 |
Well here we are at the end of another August with Spring just around the corner (in fact, days away!!) I long for the smell of the first rain mingled with dust and the clearing of the smoke filled skies.......................bliss!
There is a lot happening this weekend.
The SANDSPRUIT RIVER PROJECT sounds like a real win. You can walk along this pristinely clean and well maintained river, behind palisade fencing which is being overseen by a member of the community along with a team of workers. It is about a 4 km walk with loads of things to see including lots of ducks and birds. You could take a picnic along or just buy from the Rotary Anne's who will be selling hotdogs, etc.
Contact Lyn Ludolf – 082 689 0930 or 011 706-5534
Tomorrow and Sunday – 10 a.m. To 5 p.m.
Margaret Roberts has a Lavender Festival tomorrow at the Herbal Centre in De Hoop.
Margaret will be giving a talk at 12 p.m.
The price for the talk is R50.00
Talk and Tea R75.00
Talk and lunch R100.00
Daughter Sandy will have her 'kitchen' open for healthy lunches so anyone interested should call 012 504 1729 or visit the website for directions: www.margaretroberts.co.za 8.30 to 4pm
Next month on the 18th we have our annual garden sale where we raise money for Child Welfare. Keep your diary open as this is where you find the most fascinating of plants that have been nurtured by members for years and they share these by potting up and selling them. There are rare and unusual plants not found in nurseries.
Johannesburg garden Club
18th September – 9 Bryanston Drive. Bryanston
Such excitement in the garden now.
Jasmine has come into it's own and flowering abundantly.
Poppies are a bright happy show.
Wisteria's and Petrea about to burst.
The best Orchids I have ever had have been flowering non stop for about 6 weeks.
The Cape May will burst into sheets of white in about a week or two.
Datura's are a heady perfume in the late afternoon.
I have been sorting out my pots and filled them with lots of colour. Have gone the pink, blues, yellows and whites. Hope this all lasts till December.
Then I will probably fill up with some of the new 'Dragon Wing' Begonias.
There are some super Arum Lilies available in bulb form or plants at the Nursery, which can be such fun if you combine the different colours with well matched plants and striking colours.
Those wanting to do up their pots or small areas in the garden can play with some wonderful combinations of colour.
Remember that you must be sure that you choose the right plants for sun or shade. Please check at the Nurseries.
Bigger plants for containers could be Azaleas (in acid compost), Acers or Olive Trees. As you all know, I love things like Paw-Paws or Peppadews in pots. Chillies or Peppers also make a wonderful pot plant.
Next week I am going to talk about throwing seed directly into the garden and having a wonderful summer show of colour on a small budget.
Happy Gardening!!
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GARDENING WITH SHIRLEY WALLINGTON for 13 August 2010 |
Well the countdown has begun now as we await such an exciting time in our year. Out of the dreary dullness of winter the bright spring colours are starting to emerge. Daffodils, poppies, stocks, primula and so much more, starting to brighten gardens. Funny how one bright flower can look just so magical in a frosted winter garden. Things can only get better from here.
We did have another cold week and frost in many places so it is worthwhile hanging in there a bit longer.
Must say the temptation to start cutting back and cleaning up has got the better of many of us, including myself, so have started to gently clean away the frosted leaves. The lawn looks good mowed and tidied up so now we have to get into the beds and starting tidying them up.
I think we should start thinking of all the good resolutions we are going to make this year in the garden. These are a few of my resolutions and would love to hear what other listeners plan to do in their gardens this season.
1. Use water sparingly and wisely.
2. Keep leaves in the beds as a mulch.
3. Consider the neighbours when cutting back boundary plants.
4. Re-cycle all household goodies and keep veggie peals, egg shells, etc for the compost or wormery.
5. Get a bird feeder and attract more birds to your garden.
6. Plant seeds directly into beds and have a fun with lots of colour.
7. Share plants with friends and others.
8. Spend more time outdoors than indoors behind computers or in front of TV’s.
9. Encourage children to garden.
10. Compliment garden staff more and encourage them.
11. Buy packets of seeds, wrap them up and have them ready as gifts for friends.
12. Buy packets of seeds, wrap them up and have them ready as gifts for friends.
13. Finally, have a picnic in your own garden.
Remember fruit trees are starting to blossom and you want to keep the fruit flies away so get your bait traps up.
Take a plastic coke bottle, make tiny holes with a hot needle big enough for fruit flies but too small for bees, around the top half of the bottle, put some sugar water with molasses (really sweet fermenting liquid) and hang in your trees on both sides. Change this about every 10 days and you should prevent the fruit flies stinging your fruit.
Ask the Nursery nearest you to get you a packet of seed potatoes and grow your own this year. They taste ten times better than the bought ones.
Especially the small new potatoes. Or let your potatoes go to seed and then plant them in the garden.
My Jasmine is looking glorious and have some in the home............... lovely!
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GARDENING WITH SHIRLEY WALLINGTON for 06 August 2010 |
One of the healthiest ways to gamble is with a spade and a package of garden seeds. – Dan Bennett 1960
Picked my first sprig of Jasmine and have it in a vase next to my bed. Quite heavenly. So many things are rapidly growing with the gentle warm days we have had these past two weeks.
Will it last?? No wind, warmer days.
I worry that spring will come in too quickly and summer will be upon us before we have had time to enjoy this glorious time.
Pruning should be over now and nourished your plants with a ‘delicious’ selection of food, then covered with a thick blanket of mulch. Now just to water, watch and see how quickly they come into leaf.
Make sure your garden (especially the sunny areas) is getting enough water. The warmer weather will start to dry the soil out so check and make sure. It is still too early to change the irrigation times and I would still not water in the afternoons, just in case we get another cold spell. Wait till the end of this month.
I am always amused at how differently men and woman see gardening. More and more today, we see both husband and wife interested in the garden and this can prove quite stressful.
These are a few of my observations over the years.
Men love LAWN. The more Lawn there is the better. Try to sneak a few inches of the edges and you could get into serious trouble. This lawn has to be mowed, fertilised, levelled, weeded, and so much more. Of course this is where the children first learn to become soccer players, golfers or cricketers.
The ladies see lawn as a place to park on with a lounger to sunbathe and they don’t notice if there are a few lumps or bumps.
Men love EXOTIC plants like Orchids, Alpines, Palms and bigger leafed varieties.
Girls like smaller leafed pretty plants like roses, delphiniums, hollyhocks, daisies and irises.
Men love STRUCTURE. You will notice when a couple arrive together in a garden. He will be seeing the whole structure and sizing it up for survey whereas she will be looking down into the flower beds to see the colour and variety.
The best example of this division of labour was the Luytens/Jekyll partnership. A good one because he worked on the buildings and she made the gardens that complimented these buildings.
Women are less obsessive in the garden and far more adventurous. They will cheerfully admit to being slapdash about planting and even disregard cardinal rules about positioning plants. There is a definite up side to the woman’s touch in the garden as there seems to be more freedom and less.
COLOUR plays a big part. Men love yellow and brighter colours. Whereas the girls go for gentler pastel colours and play with colour combinations that make the garden just a little more romantic.
I am sure there are many more differences between us and that is why I always encourage men and woman to have their own areas in the garden. I say men should have the pool and surrounds (including braai) and the girls should have the rose garden and herbaceous borders. Makes sense!!
Have seen the swallows in Joburg but not here at the farm..................they surely must arrive this weekend. Already nearly a month late!!!
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GARDENING WITH SHIRLEY WALLINGTON for 30 July 2010 |
I know it is very early but can you feel that summer is on it’s way? The weather is ever so slightly warming up, the days are getting longer, the birds have been getting themselves organised and the blossoms are now evident on some plants.
A busy busy time ahead. For those that did winter planting, lots of new goodies are starting to perk up and perform now. Things like, pansies, primulas, Virginia stocks, African Daisies, etc. Very noticeably, spring is only a month away.
Some of the chores in the garden are:
•Fertilise seedlings and bulbs so that the show in spring will really be worthwhile. Foliar feed with Nitrosol, Multifeed p, or Seagrow.
•Dead head pansies, primulas and poppies for a long lasting show. If you leave the dead heads on, the plant will go to seed much quicker.
•Scarify the lawn, level off any dips, fertilise and water.
•Seedlings to sow in trays – marigold, dianthus, amaranthus, salvia, impatiens and begonia. I have also got some seeds of Hollyhocks, Foxgloves, Salvia and some gorgeous specials that I am hoping will all come through and prove a win. Still protect these seeds at night with a sheet of glass or frost cloth..
•Throw some seeds directly into the ground e.g. linaria, alyssum, lobelia, cleome, cosmos and lace flower, especially around bulbs that might be going down as this will assist in not taking the old leaves off the bulbs too early and will still be pretty for quite a while. My first Daffodil is peeping through and I know within the week a few others will be up.
•Veggie seeds to plant now – bringals, cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, swiss chard, peppers, chillies. Get another sowing of Lettuce in as they really do not like the hot days of summer so if it is 'Iceberg Lettuce” you like, then get them in now. Make sure they are protected at night because the nights are still cold. Still too early for direct sowing.
•Prune roses, water, fertilise and mulch. Check if roses have got scale and then paint on a solution of Ludwig’s insect killer, Meths or Oleum and drench the stems to kill off the scale. You could use Lime Sulphur and then repeat in two weeks time before the new shoots start.
•Divide and transplant Canna’s into soil enriched with well rotted manure as they are avid feeders. Some lovely varieties available and they always make a good show.
•Select your blossom trees from the Nurseries now as you can see the appealing colours as they come into flower.
Choose Wisteria now when you see the flowers because there a several shades of lilac/purple and white.
•Visit Nurseries and see the new varieties of plants coming in now so that you can plan your summer garden or even top up in scraggly areas for a stunning show in spring.
•Don’t forget to stake trees, shrubs and std. roses.
Don’t do any shrub pruning or cutting back frosted bits, as we could still have some cold and only start working on these plants in about mid August.
Enjoy the Jasmine coming into flower.
My swallows are late and I am worried about them...............
My swallows are late and I am worried about them......................will they come home soon??
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GARDENING WITH SHIRLEY WALLINGTON for 16 July 2010 |
Exciting days ahead in the garden. Those of you that are impatient enough can start pruning now, Follow up with fertilising, spraying and mulching all the roses, fruit trees and selective shrubs.
TRANSPLANTING SHRUBS AND TREES
This is the right time to transplant shrubs or trees. Depending on the type and size. Generally speaking, deciduous trees or shrubs are the easiest and will move quite well. It is the evergreen plants that battle.
If there is a plant that has been in the wrong spot such as too much shade, then this is the right time to transplant.
Firstly find the correct position for this plant and prepare a large hole that is
bigger than the root ball. After making a generous hole, fill this with water as this is a good indication of how good the drainage is.
When the water has disappeared put some good compost (a bag full), bone meal and super phosphate in the hole (a handful each). Go back to the plant and get as big a root ball as you can. Wrap this with shade netting or Hessian so that the soil does not fall off. Sometimes it is even better to leave the Hessian or netting on and just cut some holes in it so that the roots can grow through. This all helps for the tree to survive the transplant. Once the plant is in the hole, make sure it is at the same level in the ground as it was in the other position. This is crucial as you do not want any soil on the trunk of the plant. You could ‘ring bark’ it. Water well and then make sure it is damp for a good two weeks. Not standing in water!!
Generally, it is better to place the plant slightly higher in the hole so that it can drop down into position.
To do :
1. Citrus trees need a good watering and a dressing of magnesium sulphate (Epson salts).
2. All fruit trees need to be fertilised and well watered.
3. Stake all your standard roses or other delicate plants before the August winds set in. I use old panty hose because these stretch and move gently against the plant without damaging. Make a figure eight when securing.
4. Decide which of the summer bulbs you wish to purchase and start preparing these areas. E.g. liliums, eucomis
5. Sow your summer flowers, veggies and herbs (in trays in a warm place).
6. Compost and general fertiliser on all trees and shrubs.
Get some inspiration by visiting the Nurseries as they will start getting all the new season plants in now so this really is a good time to take a walk around with a notebook and make notes of all the ‘special’ plants that you would like to buy. Go home and then decide where you are going to plant these plants.
If a water-wise or indigenous garden is planned then do a bit of research and find out about the plants that you like because many people do not understand how big (lifespan) these plants will be.
Some beautiful trees and plants flowering now...................Magnolias, Camelias, Azaleas, Daffodils just starting, Helleborus, Arums and so many more. How lucky we are to see and enjoy such variety.
Happy Birthday Madiba!!
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GARDENING WITH SHIRLEY WALLINGTON for 09 July 2010 |
My swallows have not arrived but I know they are almost home.
Well those of you who would like to prune your roses can start to do so from now on. I never do mine until August because I still pick roses for the house every Friday and so give myself an extra month of roses. If I prune now or later, the roses will still only bloom in early October.
Having got all your pruning tools washed with soapy water and sharpened, you are now ready. A really good pair of gloves and even elbow length ones should be worn or you’ll be ripped to pieces.
Please DO NOT prune anything other than roses, fruit trees, or grape vines. Still too early to prune the plants that were damaged by the frost.
I start off my pruning by removing half of the rose bush right across the middle. Go right through all the bushes then go back to the beginning and tidy up each bush by removing and cleaning out the middle. You should be left with a nice bowl shape with 3 to 5 main strong stems. Try to keep all stems away from each other so that there will ne no rubbing against each other. Cut above the outside eyes so that your bush continues to grow outwards.
No need to seal the ends.
This is what I give each one of my roses when we have done with the pruning.
1. 1 cup of Epsom Salts
2. Handful of Bone meal
3. Handful of super phosphate
4. Handful of Vigerosa – 5:1:5
5. Cover the roots with good compost and dig in well. This is the only time when roses do not mind any digging around their roots.
6. Water thoroughly
7. Use mulch like Peanut shells, dry grass/thatching or leaf mould a good 6 inches thick.
8. If your plants have scale or you have had many other bugs, this is the time to spray with Lime Sulphur. Drench the plant and then again in about 10 days before there are too many leaves otherwise you’ll burn them.
Many people do not use Lime sulphur anymore but use Ludwigs Insecticide which is basically canola oil and garlic (organic).
Standard Roses need to have their supports checked and renewed if they are a bit wonky. Don’t just keep adding another support. This is the time to do it properly. Get some really good steel droppers and secure it down well into the soil so that a heavy wind won’t blow it over. Then take panty hose and tie the rose in 3 places (under neck, middle and below) in a figure eight with the fabric between stem and dropper. Then wrap the whole thing from neck to feet in hessian. This will last the whole summer and you will have well protected roses.
Climbers also need to be secured well and start from the bottom with them. Never allow the stems to grow through your pergola or trellis as it is a mission to prune this. Always tie the canes down on the support and this will make life so much easier. Remember, to have maximum roses on a climber you need to bend the canes so that a rose will come through at each ‘eye’. Growing straight upright will only give you a rose at the tip.
This is also a good time to prune HYDRANGEAS and CLEMATIS.
Happy pruning!!
Watch out for the swallows...........................
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GARDENING WITH SHIRLEY WALLINGTON for 02 July 2010 |
I have been watching the heavens because the swallows must be arriving soon. The sky is cloudly but I just know that they are about............. So many other birds are busy beavering about in their pairs so they must also know something is in the air.
Have seen several peach trees in full blossom. Wow!! Folks summer cannot be far away.
I know there will be lots of wind and cold but I'm feeling the 'itch' in my fingers and legs to get going now and prepare for pruning and spring.
Remember to get your pruning shears and loppers sharpened and cleaned before you start. Working with good tools makes such a difference to the pruning experience.
Also get your lawnmowers prepared for summer and get the blades 'levelled' and sharpened so that you will be ready to sping into action by the end of the month.
Next week will let you have my recipe for fertilising roses after pruning.
It is this time of the year that I so enjoy designing new areas in my own garden or assisting others with design. I never see a garden as a problem but as a challenge and these are some basic rules to follow which I would love to share with you.
• Never work from the boundary of the property. Always work with the lines from the house. The idea is to loose the boundary. Take your measurements in a grid pattern off the house and you will be able to do your garden design so much easier. Ignore boundaries!!
• Read as much as you can to improve your knowledge and ask as many questions as you can. There is so much to learn in gardening and most people will share this knowledge. If they don't, then they cannot be gardening people.
• Research is so important because gardening is expensive and you need to know about the plants you are going to buy. Read about them or 'google' to find out exactly what their requirements are. Nothing more annoying than spending a lot of money on a plant and the first frosts kill them or several years later you find this plant was total unsuitable.
• Don't bend nature to suit, rather work with nature.
• Take your inspiration from many sources and not always other gardens.
• Approaching design with sustainability in mind is so important.
Choose your plants, especially trees, carefully and consider water management. The most important factor in our gardens is water, be it irrigation or rain water.
Be a 'natural' gardener and avoid the chemicals at all costs. It truly is worthwhile and easy to do.
We have been spoilt for choice with all the sport to watch on TV so we are spending more time indoors. What about a couple of nice indoor plants to put around the house and cheer the room up. My favourites are, Dracena, Aspidistra, Palms, Ficus, and Orchids.
How lucky can we be.................if not gardening then there is Soccer, Tennis, Golf and Rugby to watch.
Keep an eye open for the returning swallows!!
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GARDENING WITH SHIRLEY WALLINGTON for 18 June 2010 |
Pheew!! what a cold week this has been. Our gardens look like cooked spinach right now and the most important thing to remember is DO NOT cut anything back. Just leave everything alone. Also, DO NOT water the garden until the cold snap is past.
Guess no one wants to really think about gardening right now. I thought I might collect a whole bunch of vuvuzela's after the world cup and make a garden arrangement out of them. All at different heights and plant them up. Could be quite fun to design a parterre using them...............we'll see. At least the noise will be gone but I'll be able to remember the happiness we all experienced in 2010!!
Buds are already fattening up of the Magnolia, English Holly Berries, Mahonia, Camelia and Azaleas. I hope this cold snap does not do too much damage to them. The Aloe flowers have just started but they will not make it through with this severe black frost we have had.
I t will be mid winter this coming week and then count 15 days afterwards before you start pruning anything. If you have grape vines then you could prune them after the cold snap and spray with fresh lime sulphur.
Don’t forget to keep feeding your seedlings every two weeks with all the right goodies. I prefer Multifeed (there are various) Nitrosol or Seagrow.
Like us, plants also like variety so alternate with the different ones.
PLEASE those with conifers, watch out for the Cyprus (Italian) Aphid, spray as instructed and use systemic granules around the tree. If the tree is too big then call an expert in to spray for you. Treeworks, Arbor Africa or Urban Forest. Best to be safe than sorry.
This is also a time to look at your smaller trees and shrubs and make sure they are carefully supported as we have had quite a bit of wind and there is a lot of wind in the next few months. Remember to make a figure eight when attaching a support for the tree. Pantyhose works well or buy the ‘Buckle Tree Ties’ as these allow for expansion and you can release them as the tree grows. If the tree is in lawn, make sure the base is protected from ‘edge trimmers’ and lawn mowers. Cut a length of pipe (about 200cm) – slit it down the side and wrap around the tree. As the tree grows this will expand and when really tight fitting, remove and replace with a larger one but usually the tree can manage to stand on it's own by then. Young Acacia's are particularly sensitive so look after them.
So everyone get all your gardening (watering, etc) cooking, shopping, etc done so that you can settle down for the weekend with your friends and family and have a wonderful time enjoying the soccer games and let's hold serious thumbs for our boys...............go Bafana, Bafana!!
We are already proud of you.
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GARDENING WITH SHIRLEY WALLINGTON for 04 June 2010 |
Winter has started.......................saw my first frost yesterday and walked on the crunchy lawn. In less than three weeks it will be mid-winter. I think we truly have the best weather.
Make sure that all your plants are protected now so go out and get yourself a 'frost blanket' for the more sensitive plants. Remember, mulching protects the plant roots so keep them covered.
At last there are signs that our country is beginning to ban some of the dreadful poisons available to the public through nurseries and supermarkets.
CHLORPIRIFOS 480 EC which is based on organo-phosphate nerve poison has finally been banned. Mind you this poison was banned in 2001 and yet we still see it available so hopefully some long overdue laws will be put in place now and enforced by heavy fines.
This is truly a dreadful poison and not only will it kill your invader but a small sip taken by yourself will kill you, let alone a child that should get hold of it.
As most of you already know by now, I am a 'natural' gardener and do not use any artificial chemicals and absolutely will not poison anything. The environment needs to be considered at all times and each one of us should play our part as best we can.
People rush out and buy these poisons to kill any variety of creatures be they ants, slugs/snails, beetles, fruitfly, rats and many others. What is never done, is to read the labels on these products right down to the fine print which is often so fine that it is hard to read. This is where the problem starts because not only do you kill the dreaded invader but you also put yours and your families lives at risk by using some of these products.
In garden centres throughout the country you will find a colourful assortment of all these dreadful and dangerous 'poisons'.
This poison is used to kill anything and everything that you find as a problem in the garden. It works well but if a few drops fall into the bird bath or dogs/cats water bowl, it will kill them as well. Also think of the times you work with these chemicals and don't use gloves or a mask??
Several other poisons to avoid at all costs:
LEBACID – also organo-phosphate based poison. Active ingredient, fenthion. This has been used extensively by farmers to kill of the Quelea bird that moves in large flocks over grain products. Also used to kill the fruitfly in orchards.
Then : KARBASPRAY – a high concentration of carbamate powder made up of 85% active ingredient carbaryl. Less than 2 teaspoonsful will kill an adult of 65 kgs. ½ teaspoonful will kill a child and this is easily reached on the shelves by a child. So STOP using this to kill those caterpillars on your Crinums and Clivia.
Here's a really frightening fact:
On the cleaning products shelves in the supermarkets you will find MX-19 brand caustic soda. Less than a metre from the floor!!!!
A single crystal held on slightly moist skin will burn a hole in you.
Caustic Soda crystals, when ingested, corrode the mouth and food pipe, leading to horrific injuries that can result in victims having to be fed by stomach-tubes for the rest of their lives.
What about DRAIN and OVEN CLEANERS???
Of course, I have not forgotten the creature/invader that everyone hates.
RATS.
The product bought so easily in supermarkets and garden centres to 'nail' these chaps is : FINALE with active ingredient, difethialone.
Because of difethialone's high secondary poisoning potential, it has been banned in San Francisco and many other cities are following suit. Buying it on a supermarket shelf is unheard of but we are still able to so in our country.
Finally, PLEASE try and encourage your favourite Nursery or Supermarket to be careful with these products, and in fact, start encouraging them (whilst they can) have them in safe places (away from our food and the pets food).
Hopefully it will not be long before they are all banned completely.
Not much to do in the garden now as this is quite a slow time. You do not fertilise now as most plants are dormant and need this time to prefer for the next season so don't overfeed.
Water moderately and use water cautiously. Turn irrigation systems to early in the morning and water the garden about 2/3 times a week.
Mow the lawn every second week, if only just to clean up.
Look after your winter veg. If you used a slow release fertiliser to plant then you should not have to worry too much about fertilising. Cover with frost blankets to keep warm at night.
Have a wonderful weekend in the warm sun................................
Good luck to Bafana Bafana!!
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GARDENING WITH SHIRLEY WALLINGTON for 30 April 2010 |
Hello World
Hello Trees
Hello Birds
Hello Sun................................. where are you??
Such a lovely day yesterday, crisp and fresh and lots of sun but today we seem to be back to miserable grey skys.
Don't forget to go out and get your 'frost blankets' or 'thatching' and start covering your more precious plants. I am going to try and use the frost blankets on lawns that really get severely hit by frost and cold. I want to see if I can prevent them taking so long to recover in spring. Should be an interesting exercise?
If you are not going to plant up this season then cover the soil really well with some thatching grass or mulch. This will let the soil lie fallow and then by spring this mulching would have created a wonderful friable soil ready for summer planting.
One of the old fashioned plants that many people have in their gardens is SAMBUCUS nigra (Elderberry). Very popular plant in nurseries and this is the time when they produce their shiny little black fruit. Found in North Africa, South West Asia and Europe.
You should not eat the fruit raw as they have a cloying and bitter astringy and cooking will destroy these toxins. Elderberries make delicious cordials, jams, jellies and even wine.
It makes a lovely shrub (filler) in a garden and can be pruned back harshly if need be. Pretty complimentary foliage.
Some facts about Elderberries:
• It was considered bad luck to cut them down as it is believed that Elderberries protect you from witches.
• Elderberries were used from medieval times to make a blue dye called 'tumsole' and also used for colouring food, paintings and manuscript s.
• The her 16th century recipe book Lady Fettiplace suggested flavouring vinegar and published and early recipe for elderberry wine.
• Elderberries are high in Vitamin C and were used in a syrup to relieve winter illnesses.
• Elderberries were the base of the first ketchup called Poulac.
• It is believed that the fairies spend their days under the Elberberry to make their clothes and keep watch over you. It is also said that you should plant a Silver Birch near your bedroom as the fairies sleep there and protect you at night.
Just remember Elderberries can stain your clothing so use gloves when harvesting and don't use your best container to collect.
Have fun and make some jam or even wine. If you don't have enough Elderberries then use beetroot to make up the quantities. Also Strawberries or other berries. Enjoy!
If you there are plants in your garden that have suffered with all the rain and are looking a bit too yellow then give them a good dose of Epsom Salts now.
Feed Camelias, Azaleas, Rhodendrons, Magnolias now!!
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