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Summer Newsletter 2002
Welcome to our monthly delve into the gardening world. In this months issue we tickle your taste buds with some easy to grow vegetables and herbs. Some colourful rose bushes which will flower non-stop through the year and still remain disease free, composting tips and ideas, container gardening and some easy to grow shrubs for any gardens. The excellent weather in spring has been very welcomed. Trees, shrubs and roses are bursting forward with new growth. The weather has been ideal for sowing new lawns and feeding existing established lawns.
Early summer is now the ideal time to look at summer colour through bedding plants, basket plants and summer roses.Disease Free Roses!
Flower Carpet roses - the choice for disease free roses.
Flower Carpet roses have been specially bred to give long lasting flower colour with unprecedented disease resistance. Since their recent introduction to the Irish market the Flower Carpet roses have proved very popular among us gardeners who would like roses in the garden but don’t have time to continually spray against blackspot, rust and all those other traditional rose problems.
Flower carpet roses are available in a spectacular choice of traditional colours.
Red Velvet: A startling colour - red with a bright yellow ‘eye’. This new Flower Carpet variety was introduced over the past year and has been well received by North West gardeners. The single disc-like flowers are borne in profusion in early summer and are repeated throughout the year until past Christmas!.Flower Carpet Pink:
This ‘original’ Flower Carpet variety is the most popular by far. The bright pink flowers are again borne in profusion during summer till winter. A very hardy variety suited to all gardens.
White Silk: This classically coloured rose is ideal for all gardens and again. A profusion of flowers from summer till winter. A lovely variety to add a touch of ‘clasical’ white to the garden.
Sunshine: A very bright yellow variety with gorgeous disc-like flowers which are highly scented. Sunchine is ideal for mass or group planting - 3’,5’,7’s etc.
All Flower Carpet roses are ideal for mass or group planting- 3,5,7’s etc for covering beds and banks to create a blanket of weed suppressing evergreen foliage. No special pruning is required for your Flower carpets roses; just prune to shape.
For something a little different try planting your Flower Carpet in tubs and hanging baskets for an amazing effect, which will last many years. Easy but highly effective.
Horky's tip:
Use plantex weed block to help prevent weed growth amongst newly planted roses and shrubs. Cover the plantex with a dressing of wood bark or ornamental gravel.
Flower carpet roses benefit from a rich soil when planting so incorporate lots of Horkans Nursery Stock compost into the container or bed when planting - to create the ideal growing conditions and simply feed in spring and summer with Rose clear.Carrot & Cabbage Root Fly Spray
Protect your young developing carrot and cabbage plants with a root fly treatment. In mid may and early july apply a dressing of the spray to the developing root structure. All developing carrot and cabbage root fly larvae will be killed leaving the young plants to grow on uninterrupted.
Root fly spray is now available and is easy to apply.Kill caterpillars now on Vegetables
Early summer is the ideal time to kill caterpillars on vegetables and fruit - keep an eye out for caterpillars on gooseberries, nasturiums, shrubs and trees.
Where caterpillars are present apply caterpillar spray now and again in mid summer.
SUMMER LONG COLOUR
Well, we certainly have been graced with some fine weather during spring, the sky really seemed to shine blue for most of the week, and with the extended evenings it really was a joy to get out into the garden with the shorts and tee-shirts on. Maybe you had a barbecue during last week, I know I did.
Like the rest of Ireland I have been busy planting up my baskets and containers for the house, and we’ve been planting up loads for customers in the centres, and one thing I notice is that gardeners are looking for ‘different’ plants for the baskets and tubs - people are yearning from a change from the norm of allysum and lobelia. A bit like our diets, we all like a change now and again, so why not try this with your hanging baskets and try something different.
What’s good for window boxes and hanging baskets?
There are lots of plants out there waiting to be planted into your baskets. For superior trailing try some Tapiens. Tapiens, or Trailing Verbena as their sometimes called, provide a real splash of colour and a mass of flowers, which will trail up to 4-5ft down from the basket. Tapiens are available in a wide assortment of colour (to suite all tastes!) from startling red to soft lilacs and brash purples. An excellent plant to compliment your Tapiens is Helichrysum - this gorgeous plant with its ghostly-silver coloured foliage provides a super colour contrast with strong coloured trailing plants like Tapiens and surfinias. Another plant for interesting foliage is Nepeta, this is another very vigorous trailing plant - well able to trail up to 8ft from your basket, it is something I always include in any baskets I do up for myself and also any baskets we plant up for people, as it creates a cracking waterfall of foliage pouring from the basket.
What about plants for containers?
A very interesting plant to try in your tubs and containers is Brachycombe. This semi-trailing annual will fill out your pots superbly, as the sheer weight of flowers weighs it down it creates a riotous display of cottage-garden blue flowers from the top of your pot right down to ground level. A must to mix with fuschias and solanums to create that idyllic cottage garden look in your pots. Another nice plant to include in your pots is the BRAND NEW SWEET PEA ‘OLD FASHIONED’ this very strongly perfumed sweet pea is new to North West gardeners this year and with its ability to just grow and grow this is a great plant to include in your displays so that the colour spills out onto your patio or driveway. A number of excellent outdoor patio plants were introduced by Horkans last summer including Impatiens fiesta large double flowers covered this busy lizzie all summer, despite the wet season.
Contact Horky:
Remember...for all your gardening queries and question you can contact Horky or any of the award winning team at Horkans Garden Centre, Sligo and Castlebar 7 days a week on our GARDENING HELPLINE: 071 38870 0r 094 26997
Ask for Gareth or Mick....or email us on info@gardencentre.ie and we’ll be happy to help. We look forward to hearing from you.Summer star buys from Horkans Garden Centre in Castlebar and Sligo.
Garotta compost activator.
Early summer is the ideal time to start a compost bin in your garden. Grass clippings, vegetable and fruit peelings, light garden weeds, household kitchen waste and newspaper can all be used to get your compost heap going. Always use garotta activator which will get the compost breaking down into usable garden compost.
Call us now on our gardening fact sheet number 094 27649 leave you name and address and we will pop the composting fact sheet in the post.
Log Rolls.
For edging beds or rockeries use the pressure treated log rolls which are ideal for raising the soil level and creating a nice raised border.
Log roll is available in 6ft and 8ft lengths.
Special offer this month - Buy 5 rolls ( 180 cm long ) for only €30 euro.
Plantex.
Control weeds with plantex weed control.
Buy a large landscaping roll for only €139.00 - 1.5 metres x 100 metres.
Bell Pots.
Bell pots ideal for patio colour.
Buy 3 low bell pots 37cm in frost proof terracotta for only €20 Euro
Spreader.
Ideal for spreading lawn fertiliser and mosskiller €63 Euro.
And what else would provide lots of colour from now till late Autumn?
Petunia million bells.
Trailing petunias are always popular but a neater and more useful plant is million bells. As the name suggests this plant produces an abundance of small flowers from June to November. Million bells is more suitable for mixed plantings and window boxes as it is less vigorous and is less competition for other patio plants. Available in a wide range of colours million bells can be highly recommended for many uses.
Petunia surfinia.
Trailing petunias were introduced to the Irish market six years ago and have grown in popularity every year. The colour range has been improved every year and now includes, purple, pink, light blue, navy, white, and striped. Trailing petunias are easy to grow and are resistant to light frosts. Planted in hanging baskets, window boxes and patio planters they will flower from June to late November and can be held over to flower the following season.
Horky's Tip:
Plant five trailing petunias into a 14” basket to create a ball of colour.
Look out this year for petunia million bells, which has smaller flowers but makes up for its size with the abundance of flowers it produces. Ideal for window boxes and patio tubs.How do you create that ‘show garden’ look in hanging baskets?
Planting a hanging basket Plants in a hanging basket will flourish if they are properly planted and maintained. You will need a firm base or holder (such as an empty pot or bucket), a quality basket liner, tablets of Feed-All Slow Release fertiliser, water retaining Swell-Gel crystals, and Westland Tub and Basket compost. Select your plants carefully, ensuring that you include something to add height in the centre. The final rule is to always take your time.
- Firmly place the basket on an empty pot, and then place a hanging basket liner inside- cut slits on the liner where indicated on the sides.
- Insert the trailing plants first. Working up from the bottom, push them through the holes from the inside.
- Use the tallest vertical plant, for example your geranium, top centre, with trailers around. The finished compost level should be 1” below the rim.
- Water well during hot days, mix Algoflash in with each water to ensure continual bloom production and enjoy!
Horkans Outdoor Quality Furniture in Teak and Iroka Timbers.
EARLY SUMMER - THE TIME TO SELECT SOME CLASSY GARDEN HARDWOOD FURNITURE.
Early summer is the perfect time to select some quality garden furniture. Horkans garden centres offer you a wonderful selection of top quality outdoor hardwood garden furniture this season.
Horkans Garden Centre in castlebar and Sligo have teamed up with one of Europe’s leading manufactures of hardwood teak and oraka outdoor garden furniture to bring you’re a wonderful selection of quality garden furniture designed and manufactured to withstand our in climate weather. Maintaining their reputation for the best in quality, style, and comfort Alexander rose and Horkans continue to offer you the very best value for money for their teak and iroka ranges of garden furniture.
This season Horkans Garden Centre have selected a range of hardwood outdoor garden furniture based on quality design and hardwearing qualities. The extensive range can be mixed and matched to give you the perfect combination for your patio or lawn areas.
View horkans selection of hardwood furniture and the beautiful California treated pine from our COX’S range. Selections of both are now on display at both centres or call Horkans now on 094 26997 for your free furniture catalogue.
Great attention to detail is demonstrated by a host of extras not normally found on similarly priced furniture including height adjusters on fixed frame tables, safety locking devices on all folding chairs, cross dowelled mortised and tenon joints where appropriate, solid brass fittings, stricter rails to support legs on all benches and stainless steel screws etc. Horkans Garden Centre in castlebar and Sligo offer you two distinct ranges in the Alexander Rose range.IROKA RANGE.
Quality hardwood outdoor garden furniture of superb quality and comfort with a superb choice of styles in the range. IROKA timber is attractive, hardwearing and very stylish and very affordable. You can mix and match within the range to select the perfect set for your garden. Many of the tables and chairs can be folded for handy storage or moving to new locations. Overall a superb range of quality hardwood garden furniture to last you and your garden a lifetime.
TEAK RANGE.
Another super range of quality hardwood teak furniture designed again with style and comfort and great durability. Teak furniture from Alexander rose is quality garden furniture at its very best from folding table and chairs, Bengal steamer recliners – which are perfect for lazing about on the patio. Alexander rose have built their 20 year reputation on quality and reliability in outdoor garden furniture.
Horkans Garden Centre have a superb selection of garden furniture now on display with all additional accessories including quality parasols, cushions, and parasol bases.Plant your veggies now.
Early summer is the ideal times to plant some tasty garden veggies, the secret to lots of pickings throughout summer is to pick little and often. Plant 12 to 24 plants every two to three week’s from now right up until early autumn, this will ensure plenty of regular vegetables from june to late winter. Growing your own tasty vegetables has been made a little easier this season with the extensive range of f1 vegetable varieties available now in plant plug format. The popular plug plant can be planted directly into prepared soil and will grow on rapidly give you early veggies this season.
All plants are f1 varieties which means a better quality plant which will produce quality veg over a longer season.f1 varieties are generally disease free, provide larger return from a smaller number of plants, and are resistant to running to seed.
The young plants are available from April to early july allowing you to plant a little of each variety throughout the ten week period which guarantees a succession of fresh vegetables throughout the summer.
Horky's Tip:
Remember you can plant young plants and sow vegetable seeds together this will also give you regular picking over the summer.
A wide selection of vegetable varieties are available including sweet corn, summer broccoli, red lettuce, iceberg and salad lettuce, red cabbage, spring onions, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, French beans, sugar peas, and patio potatoes.
The new range of vegetables can be grown in the smallest gardens and are even suitable for container growing in grow bags or larger containers. Remember plant little and often to give you a continuos supply from early summer to late winter. Many of the vegetable varieties are suitable for greenhouse or polythene tunnel culture to give you an earlier crop.
Plants are available now for planting.Helpful hints.
- Prepare the soil well before planting add some garden compost and a little Growmore fertiliser.
- Feed young veg with feed all liquid fertiliser from April to late July.
- Pick your crops earlier and regular including broccoli, peas, beans, cabbage, salad lettuce, patio potato’s.
- Watch for garden pests including green fly, spray with liquid derris which is very safe.
- Grow smaller quantities in grow bags or patio planters and window boxes.
- Plant little and often for longer cropping.
- Where carrot root fly is a problem spray with root fly spray – this kills both carrot root fly and cabbage root fly. Apply in may and june for pest free carrots this summer.
