Making hanging baskets

Every spring new baskets need to be made up for the new seasons hanging baskets for the Begonia House. We use wire baskets packed with Sphagnum moss to retain moisture.

Here's how to make them...

Get a small handful of moss strands and poke it into and
over the top wire. Keep doing this and pack it it really
tight, squeezing the moss into shape to form a
firm rim.

When then rim is finished pack the base and side of the
basket from the inside with moss. Make sure there are no
gaps for soils to fall through. Give the moss a light trim
to neaten it up.

Start to add soil forming a bowl shape - this will help
when watering so that it doesn't run off. Use your fist to firm
the soil into the sides.

Add the hanging arms and make sure they are secure.

Put in the plants around the edges of the baskets, leaning
them out slightly to encourage them to drape over the sides.
Water them in and leave to grow on until ready for display.

Air layering !!! :)

This propagation technique is awesome! - Although I've yet to see if it actually works, but the theory is pretty cool. Air layering is essentially getting a plant to form roots from its branch so that it can be cut off and become a separate plant. The new plant with its roots is still attached to the donor plant so it continues to receive water and nutrients as normal whilst growing roots from an injured and light restricted area.

The benefits of doing this rather than taking cuttings is that you can get a larger section of growth (bigger new plant), and an artificial environment (nursery) doesn't need to be provided for the cuttings.

How to do it...

Select a section of previous or current seasons growth (depending on plant)
with healthy growth and vegetative buds.

Make a slit to the center of the stem (don't cut all the way
 through) about 1.5cm long with a sharp knife.
The roots will grow from this wound.

Wedge the cut apart slightly with a bit of moss so that
it doesn't seal closed. Then wrapped the whole
section of stem in wet sphagnum moss.

To keep the moisture in wrap in black plastic and tie in
place

It can take about 5-6 months for the roots to grow enough to sustain the new plant once it is removed from the donor tree. So be patient! the best time of year to do air layering is in early spring when the sap starts to flow for the new seasons growth.

Crytpolaemus breeding

As part of the integrated pest management (IPM) programme that we use at the Botanic Gardens, we use predator insects to control the populations of some common greenhouse pests. 

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Mealybug Ladybird) is a predator insect of Mealybug, native to Queensland, Australia. Cryptos lay their eggs in the white cottony mass that the Mealybug produce and their larvae look very much like mealybug. The larvae and adult feed on the youngest bugs and their eggs. The average lifespan is 3 months.

Cryptolaemus larvae and adult

In the nursery Cindy breeds a small number of Cryptolaemus mainly for educational purposes. A larger population is harder to sustain because there isn't enough Mealybug to feed on. To keep the small number of Crypto growing we have to breed Mealybugs to provide a constant source of food.

When we find a plant with a large infestation of Mealybug
some of the leaves are collected

The leaves are then placed on sprouting potatoes which
act as a good constant food source for the bugs

When the sprouting potatoes have a good infestation we can
then feed these to the Cryptos

The Cryptolaemus are kept in a ventilated box with
a thin mesh cloth to keep them contained

The infested potatoes are added to the box as food

There is a lot of good info about using Cryptolaemus on this website https://greenmethods.com/cryptolaemus/

Design for Contemplation

http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/city-parks-design-calming-brain

Just read this article about how the design of garden spaces has an influence over entering a contemplative state.

Of three urban spaces evaluated the common elements included:
- Panoramic vistas with long-distance views (more than 400 meters).
- Large empty spaces
- Natural asymmetry
- Clearings and stimulation to look at the sky.

The least contemplative settings, by contrast, usually lacked these features, and instead had characteristics such as paths and enclosed spaces (as in small pocket gardens).

-
I find the psychology of garden spaces interesting and important to how we shape our environment. Having a contemplative space is important for those times when relaxing and taking time out is essential. However, a varied amount of stimulation is needed for other times. A garden can also make you feel invigorated if surrounded by colour, or adventurous by exploring hidden areas and discovering little gems. Each space can bring a different emotion, and you want different spaces for each mood. Like listening to music, sometimes classical music is needed to sooth, when other times heavy rock is perfect for an adrenaline rush. Having a contemplative space should be just one of the many moods of the garden.

Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star'

My 'yum plant' of the week. Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star'. I'm always on the lookout for interesting evergreen plants and I love this one. It would work particularly well in a white garden... ;)

Some stats:

Slow growing

Max height 1m

Full sun

Water - adaptable, can take wet or dry conditions

Clump forming

Single seeds from blue cones.

And yes, I took cuttings :)

Camellia cutting experiment

A large old Camellia outside the cottage was cut down. It was starting to look tired and past it's prime so Cindy made the decision to remove it and make way for something fresh and new.
However, before the plant remains were taken away we took some cuttings... :)

Apparently Camellia's grow well from cuttings with good success rates, so I thought i'd try a little experiment to see what conditions the cuttings will grow best in.
One sample I put on the heated bench in glass house 1 with the misters,
and the second sample I put in Shade House 6, with no heating and manual watering.
The race is on!

I'll report my findings when they have rooted. I spoke to Karl and he said that Camellia cuttings either grow straight away or they callous over and don't initially do anything, but if you cut off the callous and re-pot the cutting they will grow. So I will try this when my two batches are ready to pot up.

Random fungus

Random fungus I saw growing on a tree in the fernery. No idea what it's called but I thought it looked awesome! It almost looks like a leather shoe. I prodded it (as you do) to see what it felt like and it was hard and solid although it looks soft.

Setting begonia tubers

It's mid-winter and the begonia tubers have already been taken out of last seasons pots, cleaned and sterilized. They were separated into different containers according to their future use;

'General' for display in the Begonia House, 

'Baskets', for hanging baskets, 

'Pollinators' those with good characteristics worth breeding,

'Seedlings' last years seeds that will be too small for display this year. 

Not forgetting 'Cindy's special reds'!! A gorgeous big, deep red flower that Cindy bred last year :)

Each begonia tuber was bagged individually so that the label
did not get separated from it's tuber during the sterilizing process.

I forgot to take photos of the process. Basically, line a tray
with 2 sheets of newspaper, then fill with begonia mix
(60:40 peat:pumice). Press in the tubers so that they are flush
with the soil level, stick the label behind each.
Sprinkle with enough soil to slightly cover, then water
in well so that the top layer of soil washing off exposing
the top of the tuber but sealing in round the edges.

Leave in a warm greenhouse (indirect light) and after a
few weeks we have sprouts!