GET VALUE FOR MONEY FROM YOUR SPRING PLANT BUYS By Clodagh and Dick Handscombe productive gardeners, authors and broadcasters gardening in Spain for over twenty years.
April is here. That means Spring the time of year to buy and plant most varieties of plants and trees for the garden. The exception being tender plants that could still be caught by a late air frost. Things planted now have a chance to spread their roots sideways and downwards before the hot drying summer suns. But two other things are also important to successful plantings.
Firstly do ensure that you improve the soil before all plantings whether planting an entirely new part of the garden, infill or replacement plants or isolated specimen architectural trees. Improvement means adding composts and well rotted manures – sacks of dried manure are not expensive of you can’t obtain manure direct from a local farm or riding school – to improve the fertility and water retaining properties of the soil and sand to ensure that the soil drains and does not become waterlogged. TerraCottem is also a useful soil additive. Look it up on the internet there is an English translation.
Secondly ensure you buy good plants. What we regard as good is explained below.
12 TIPS FOR BUYING NEW PLANTS1.Check that there are no signs of frost/wind damage, insect attacks of fungal diseases.
2. Ensure that the roots are in proportion to the size of the growth above the soil. A four metre high tree in a twenty centimetre diameter pot is less likely to quickly establish its self or even survive the first summer compared to a one metre high tree of the same variety in the same sized pot.
3. If possible avoid plants in full flower but ensure that a few buds are open to check the colour. If you buy in full flower the garden centre rather than your garden has benefited from the early display of flowers and the plants are probably from a hothouse.
4. If plants are hothouse reared ensure you harden them off for a week or more in a sheltered part of the garden before planting out.
5. Buy well shaped plants and trees.
6. When purchasing citrus fruit trees check whether the orange and mandarin varieties on sale are early , mid or late season varieties. Unfortunately many labels only say ‘Orange/ Naranja’ for instance so ask to make sure you get what you want. By careful buying you will be able to harvest ripe mandarins from October until June!
7. If buying a lemon tree buy a perpetual flowering/fruiting variety such as ‘lunar’ or ‘Eureka’.
8. When buying climbers and trees check that the temporary supports have not cut into the bark.
9.Most importantly buy plants suitable for the microclimate of your garden. The descriptions of some 400 plants shrubs and trees in ‘Your Garden in Spain’ will help you in this respect.
10. Where possible support local nurseries that grow there own plants and trees. Firstly they will be hardened off to climate of your area and secondly they are often less expensive as they have not been trucked half way round Europe of flown in half way round the world.
11. Having said that there are some specialist and plant nurseries in the UK that are worth considering especially if you are travelling back to the UK by car or know of someone who does a monthly van run to and from the UK. We have just received the seed and plant catalogue of Jungle Seeds and Gardens. Some of their subtropical/tropical exotics would add special effects to sheltered gardens. Have a look on
www.junglegardens.co.uk.
12. With the price of many plants going up each year it’s worth considering growing more of your own plants from cuttings of your favourite plants already in the garden or from seed. Catalogues of companies like Jungle Seeds, Chiltern Seeds and even Thompson and Morgan and Sutton Seeds include varieties that would do well in Spain but are rarely if ever seen in the local nurseries. © Clodagh and Dick Handscombe April 2009.
If you are not experienced in growing your own plants there are long chapters in ‘Your Garden in Spain – From planning to planting and maintenance’ on both growing from seed and from cuttings. Look out for them in bookshops, on internet book sites or phone 952-485838 if more convenient. If you are in the UK a call to the freephone 0845-260-4505 of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Bookshop is a convenient way of ordering.
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