Clue: it’s not a gathering involving shouting catchy phrases like “yee-haw”! A Hoedown is what I called my Garden Consultation Service, purely because ‘Garden Consultation’ sounds so boring! If you want to yell “yee-haw” at the end I’ll be more than pleased!
It’s usually an hour (but can be more) spent standing in your garden with you talking through anything garden related! Someone called it Garden Therapy as they were feeling so stressed and overwhelmed by their garden and not enjoying it all! Others have found it really helpful at different times: perhaps you’ve recently moved in, about to put your house on the market or have just built an extension and now can see your garden more. In the past I’ve covered:
Identifying what plants are what
What to prune and when
How to prune
What to do after an extension has been built or after a garage has been pulled down
How to make fences and walls look better
What shape borders or beds to make
Ideas on what plants to use in different places
Lawn care
What materials would work in a small courtyard
What plants wouldn’t mind living in pots
Making decisions about taking out shrubs or moving them
Where it’s best to put waterbutts and raised beds for veggies
Pests and diseases
What’s a weed
Where to put the trampoline!
My objective pair of eyes and ears can be really helpful to solve problems, be a sounding board or come up with ideas. After our hour I write up our discussion including any links I’ve promised and email it to you so you have a record of our discussion and signposted places to go to to take action (or delegate the actions!).
Here’s what Claire had to say following our Hoedown:
“I spent a lovely hour in my back garden with Renée having a Hoedown. She is so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I feel very inspired now and, most importantly, confident that I can change my garden to suit my family. Renée listened to what I hoped to achieve and asked all the right questions. I can’t wait to get started and thanks to Renée’s follow-up email with links and reminders of what we talked about it didn’t matter that I forgot most of the plant names we talked about! Thank you.”
The cost of a Hoedown is 1 hour of your time, 1 cup of tea for me and £75 (Monday to Friday) or £95 (weekends and evenings) within 5 miles radius of Redhill. I’m more than happy to travel further afield but will need to agree additional expenses to cover mileage.
The seeds of Annuals can be bought in the supermarket, garden centre or high street homeware store for a couple of pounds a packet and they literally can provide hundreds of colourful flowers in just 1 packet! Buy in May to sow outside straight away. You’ll need to read the back of the packet to make sure you have the right ones but they include:
Love-In-A-Mist
Pot Marigold
Nasturtium
Poppy
Zinnia
Annuals are plants that complete their life cycle in 1 year. Summer annuals grown from seed will produce flowers within 6-8 weeks of sowing, flower all summer and then the plant will usually die with the first frosts in the Autumn. They are a great gap filler between shrubs and perennials; working really hard for you during the Summer putting on a great display. They then do you a great favour! Once the flowers fade they set seed which drops to the soil creating plants and flowers for you again next year!
It’s all in the preparation . . .
Weed the area that you are going to sow to taking out anything you don’t want however big or small (it might not be that easy to weed for a few weeks as all seedling tend to lo the same!)
If your soil is quite dry water it now so you don’t wash away the seeds when watering after sowing.
Then rake over the area to break up the soil particles and give you a level area
If you’re sowing several different types of seed, consider mixing them up to sow a random selection. Look at the expected heights to help you gauge. I tend to mix two blends according to height and sow the taller plants at the back of the border and the smaller plants towards the front.
There are 2 different sowing techniques:
1 is very random: you liberally sprinkle the seeds over your area with your fingers. Once sown gently rake the soil again to cover up the seeds. It will be hard to distinguish your seedlings from weeds when they grow so this may not suit everyone!
2 is more controlled: draw a line in the soil with your finger or a bamboo cane and sprinkle the seed along the groove you have made. This could be a straight line or a curved one. Rake the soil back over the groove when sown. When the seedlings appear you will see the line and know they are plants as opposed to weeds!
If it doesn’t rain you will need to water your seedlings in the coming weeks. They should poke their heads out of the ground within a couple of weeks – if they are bunched up together in places thin them out by snipping the emerging stems off with scissors. This gives the others more room to grow and doesn’t disturb their root growth.
You should see plants and flowers in 6- 8 weeks after sowing. Deadhead the flowers with scissors or by pinching them off with your fingers throughout the summer to encourage the plant to flower some more. Leave the flowers in place as we get to September though so you get your free seeds for next year!
Just have a go – it’s dead easy and kids love sowing seeds too and they also love seeing all the different sizes and shapes of seeds. You can see a video of me showing the 2 sowing techniques here:
There is cheap and easy way to get some colour this Summer in your garden by sowing seeds indoors this February – April. All they need is soil, water and warmth to get growing and there is a huge selection of flowers that you can choose from.
These seeds can be bought from the Garden Centre, or on the High Street from supermarkets, Wilkinsons or Robert Dyas. Pick what colours you like – don’t worry about what might go together just pick what you like the look of. This year I’ve chosen favourites such as Poppies, Cosmos and Sweet Peasand Sunflowers but added Bergamot, Rudbeckia and Clary to try this year. All you need to get going is:
Seed compost
Potting Compost (the normal stuff you would buy for pots)
20cm wide pots that are 20cm tall with drainage holes, seed trays or cardboard toilet rolls for the Sweetpeas
Clear plastic bottles to cover (acting like a greenhouse), clear polythene or glass
Pencil
Fill the pot or tray with seed compost, shake then firm down the soil. If the seeds are tiny sprinkle them across the surface of the pot or tray and then cover lightly with a fine layer of compost and firm gently again. For Sunflowers or Sweetpeas use the pencil to make a hole in the soil about 3cm deep, drop your seed in and then using the pencil cover it up with the compost. A 20cm pot can take 3-5 seeds and a toilet roll can take 2 seeds. The seeds should be about 2cm apart.
Label your pot or tray and then water. Keep the soil damp throughout, not soggy or boggy though!
Take a clear plastic bottle and cut in half. You then have 2 halves you can put on top of your pot to act as a mini-greenhouse. Clear plastic bags or glass works just as well over pots or over trays (you can buy plastic lids for seed trays to turn them into proper looking greenhouses!) Keep your seeds in a light place but not in direct sunlight.
Within 2 weeks you should see green stems appearing. Once you do remove the plastic or glass.
When your seedlings are big enough to handle (with 3-5 sets of leaves) carefully tease them out of the pot or tray with a pencil and transplant them into bigger pots or trays of potting compost 5cm apart. Keep them indoors or in a greenhouse until the frosts have passed in May. 1 week before planting move the seedlings to a sheltered spot outside to get them used to the outside temperature.
Just have a go – it’s dead easy, kids love sowing seeds too and they begin to appear pretty quickly so it feels like they are growing in front of your eyes! If you have any questions just leave them below or share with me your seeds growing!
They are hard to resist when you see them piled high in the Supermarket but so many times they have wilted and died before Christmas Day and you’ve been left wondering what you did wrong! Here’s some tips to keep your Poinsettia blooming until Christmas is over:
When you buy choose plants from a loving environment! They hate the cold and draughts so if you find them in your local supermarket by the automatic doors I would avoid them! Also make sure the pot is well wrapped in plastic or paper to take it home!
Once home place them in a bright position but not in a draught or in direct sunlight, windowsills are often too cold and avoid porches or by doors. Changes in temperature is often a houseplants worst enemy, especially in Winter as we whack the heating up during the day so don’t place your Poinsettia on top of a radiator either.
Don’t over-water or let it dry out completely. Feel the compost and only water when it is beginning to dry out. They quite like a bit of humidity but avoid spraying or misting the leaves. You can achieve this by sitting the pot on a tray of pebbles or gravel that is covered in water.
They are beautiful and most people throw them away after Christmas but you can get them to bloom again in their 2nd year with this advice from The RHS:
Prune back the plants hard in April, to about 10cm
Repot them, growing them in a light, cool place over summer
Flowering and bract colouring is initiated by short winter day-length, occurring naturally in December and January. So from November onwards, plants should be put in a dark room after twelve hours of daylight and protected from artificial light sources
Plants need a constant temperature of around 18°C (55°F) to colour up well, so make sure they do not get too cold
Did You know?
Poinsettias are from Mexico
The red or coloured parts of the plants are often thought to be flowers but are actually bracts or modified leaves
The sap of the Poinsettia is toxic but not deadly
The plant’s association with Christmas began in 16th-century Mexico, where legend tells of a girl who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus’ birthday and was inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar. Crimson blossoms sprouted from the weeds and became Poinsettias.
So I’ve reached the end of my #52Garlands Challenge! And here is Garland Number 52 just in time for Christmas which brings me full circle! It contains Conifer, Pine, Star Jasmine, Ivy and Holly with Teasels and Cones.
2 years ago I made a Christmas Wreath for my front door from cuttings and prunings from mine and others’ gardens! In mid January it was still up and looking good and I was reluctant to take it down as I loved having something on my front door.So #52Garlands was born. I thought I would try and have an ever-changing Garland on my door show-casing the plants and flowers of interest at that point. 10 weeks in I realised I’d set a steep challenge!
So over 100 weeks later I have reached the final Garland (not curtain – that’s something else entirely!) I’ve fallen back in love with shrubs as they have been the stalwart of my Garlands, the variety of the their foliage is astounding and they have helped me create some of the most simplistic and elegant garlands or the most OTT Garlands! I’ve taken to looking at (and in) hedgerows, and I mean really looking! I’ve slowed down and focused in on the beautiful detail of leaves, seeds, berries and petals and realised the most intricate details that I have never noticed before. I’ve reconnected with the Seasons; Spring has always been a favourite time of year for me, but the colours of Autumn and the decay that happens in Winter have both opened my eyes to what is truly beautiful.
Favourite plants that have featured include Hawthorn, Buddleia, Ivy, Cornflower, Mock Orange and trees such as Field Maple and Oak.
And then who would have guessed that others have loved my Garlands too, loved seeing them and have been inspired to make their own. And then even more surprisingly my Garlands have spawned a new sideline for me! Last Christmas I taught 71 people to make their own Christmas Garlands and this year that number is looking closer to 130! I’ve loved meeting people and helping making their own, some of whom haven’t made anything since School, who claim to not be creative and who end up creating something beautiful in their own style and way and something homemade for Christmas. How lucky am I?
And so feeling very blessed I decided that I couldn’t let Garland 52 go without a trace! So this Sunday: 3rd December I am putting Garland 52 up for Auction on my Facebook Page to raise fund for Us in a Bus, a local Charity who are very dear to my heart.
AUCTION RULES
The Auction will take place on my Facebook Page. At 9pm on Sunday 3rd December I will make a post of the Garland and you have until 9pm on Monday 4th December to make your bid. You bid by making a comment on the thread below my post of an amount in £ and you can bid more than once. The Winner is the person who makes the highest bid and I will then contact that person to arrange payment and collection. I will deliver the Garland to any address within a 5 mile radius of Redhill otherwise the Winner does need to arrange collection.
You can see all my Garlands at #52Garlands on Pinterest.
One of the quickest and easiest ways to get some colour in your garden is also one of the cheapest! Packets of Annual seeds can be bought in the supermarket, garden centre or high street homeware store for a couple of pounds a packet and they literally can provide hundreds of colourful flowers in just 1 packet! And if you sow some now you will get early colour next Spring through to the Autumn!
What is an Annual?
Annuals are plants that complete their life cycle in 1 year. Summer annuals grown from seed will flower all summer and then the plant will usually die with the first frosts in the Autumn. They are a great gap filler between shrubs and perennials; working really hard for you during the Summer putting on a great display. They then do you a great favour! Once the flowers fade they set seed which drops to the soil creating plants and flowers for you again next year! And it’s this seed dropping we are mimicking by sowing seeds in the Autumn!
It’s all in the preparation . . .
1st weed the area that you are going to sow to taking out anything you don’t want however big or small (it might not be that easy to weed for a few weeks as all seedling tend to lo the same!)
If your soil is quite dry water it now so you don’t wash away the seeds when watering after sowing.
Then rake over the area to break up the soil particles and give you a level area
If you’re sowing several different types of seed, consider mixing them up to sow a random selection. Look at the expected heights to help you gauge. I tend to mix two blends according to height and sow the taller plants at the back of the border and the smaller plants towards the front.
There are 2 different sowing techniques depending on how neat and tidy you like to be!:
No. 1 is very random: you liberally sprinkle the seeds over your area with your fingers. Once sown gently rake the soil again to cover up the seeds. It will be hard to distinguish your seedlings from weeds when they grow so this may not suit everyone!
No. 2 is more controlled: draw a line in the soil with your finger or a bamboo cane and sprinkle the seed along the groove you have made. This could be a straight line or a curved one. Rake the soil back over the groove when sown. When the seedlings appear you will see the line and know they are plants as opposed to weeds!
If it doesn’t rain you will need to water your seedlings in the coming weeks. They may began to poke their heads out of the ground within a couple of weeks, but as it’s colder at this time of the year it may well take a bit longer. If they are bunched up together in places thin them out by snipping the emerging stems off with scissors. This gives the others more room to grow and doesn’t disturb their root growth.
You should see plants and flowers in late Spring to early Summer. By then you should be able to distinguish the plants you want from the weeds! Deadhead the flowers with scissors or by pinching them off with your fingers throughout the summer to encourage the plant to flower some more. Leave the flowers in place as we get to September though so you get your free seeds for next year!
Just have a go – it’s dead easy and kids love sowing seeds too and they also love seeing all the different sizes and shapes of seeds.
Here’s a video of me demonstrating the 2 sowing techniques!
