Keeping your plants healthy
Robust plants are low-maintenance and cheap!
ONE of the easiest ways of saving money is looking after your plants properly. It sounds obvious, but many people waste time and money, and become disillusioned with gardening, by selecting plants that won’t thrive in their garden.
Always look after your soil, because when it is healthy and nutritious it is the cornerstone of successful gardening. Enrich it in autumn and spring with homemade compost, leaf mould and manure bought from a local farm or stables and you will have rich, freedraining soil that plants thrive in.
Buy plants that you know will suit your soil. Plants that need acidic conditions, such as azaleas and rhododendrons, will fail to thrive in a chalky spot. This is why it is always worth doing a pH soil test in a new property.
Check plants are healthy at purchase, avoiding those that have roots poking out the bottom of their pots, or have moss growing on their compost, as this means they’ve been in there for some time and may be pot bound.
Read the label carefully so you know whether your plant needs sun, shade or a combination of both, and when you put them in the ground, make sure plants have enough room to grow healthily without crowding others
AG letters editor Wendy Humphries has a great tip to remember when buying well-established perennials.
She says: “Get the best value when buying perennials or ground cover by choosing larger specimens that can be split. Remove from the pot and divide to make many more plants.
“Try agapanthus, hardy geranium and hostas to name a few.”
Once your plant is in the ground or in its final container, read up about its needs if you are unsure. Feed and water, keep it weedfree and watch out for pests. Once your plants are established, deadhead them regularly, prune where applicable and take cuttings and divisions, making yet more free plants!