Make sure plants for gifts are sound and disease free
It’s that time of year again – stores that have absolutely no knowledge of selling or looking after plants are full of them – is there any wonder so many of them die after being given as gifts at Christmas?
Everywhere from Lidl (with houseplants being stored outside in single digit temperatures) to Marks & Spencer has Amaryllis, Poinsettia and anything they can chuck glitter on, usually in gift box form.
This is a bad thing – you can’t see what you’re buying and the extra (unneccessary) packaging is costing you money.
In the case of Amaryllis bulbs, you need to buy the biggest bulbs you can afford and make sure they are sound and disease free – no rot.
My best advice on buying Amaryllis (or Hippeastrum if you want the correct name) is to support your local garden centre and buy bulbs loose from there or from a mail order specialist.
I usually buy from Harrogate Autumn Flower Show, as there is a wealth of experts selling bulbs you’ll struggle to find elsewhere at good prices.
This September, I splashed out on a giant Amaryllis bulb, an absolutely huge Orange Sovereign, from Harts Nursery of Congleton –www.hartsnursery.co.uk
It’s crammed into its pot and has been started into growth, along with last year’s five bulbs.
In the case of Poinsettia, a Mexican native, don’t buy from an outdoor stall or where the plant is going to be subject to a massive temperature change, such as next to automatic doors in a supermarket.
Shop managers place them there, hoping you’ll be tempted on your way in – this is the worst possible place for them, being subjected to icy draughts every few seconds. Would you like it? My advice is to buy from a reputable seller (see above) and make sure the store wraps the plant up well before leaving, shielding it with newspaper or similar to minimise temperature change. talnewsandmore,logontowww. mandycanudigit.com (now smart- phonefriendly),followmeonTwitter @MandyCanUDigIt or you can like meonnyFacebookpageatMandycanudigit