Plant Gardens 101

A glimpse of the rising stars that will appear at a nursery near you. In August, I was asked to judge the 2009 New Varieties Showcase at the Farwest trade show in Portland, Oregon. Thirty-nine annuals, perennials, grasses, shrubs and trees were up for consideration. We three judges, clipboards in hand, represented various gardening perspectives. Dave Etchepare is a manager from Dennis’ Seven Dees Landscaping & Garden Centers in Portland and The Garden Doctor on KEX radio. Roger Mille, Homescaper LLC, looks at design considerations. I’m both a garden journalist and a home gardener. Our task was to choose a best plant in four categories, plus one overall winner for Best in Show. Using the criteria of landscape usefulness, uniqueness and retail appeal, we spread out to inspect the professionally designed display garden and make our separate decisions. Then we met to reach consensus.

The trend for colored foliage is still hot—blues, reds, purple-black and chartreuse were the dominating hues in the display—but among plants that didn’t make the final cut, I liked the tiny green leaves of tropical creeping mint, Mentha longifolia Mini Mojito™. In a winter greenhouse, the matting foliage could soften edges, scent the air and get popped in a drink. For descriptions of all thirty-nine entries, go to www.farwestshow.com/nvs. (more…)

With the hottest days of August behind us, this is a great time to plan for cooler times ahead. Particularly at the juncture of two seasons, your greenhouse provides a growing environment sheltered from increasingly unpredicatable weather. Chilly nights? Just close the vents and let the thermostat bring on a little heat. Indian Summer? Re-open the vents and doors.

While outdoor crops are likely to be affected by these seasonal fluctuations—weathering increasingly cool fall temperatures, and eventually, frost—with a little well-timed intervention, your greenhouse plants can continue to flourish. Of course, even inside the greenhouse, summer temperatures won’t necessarily remain for long. And don’t forget to take into account the shortening day length at this time of year. Some crops are better candidates to grow under these conditions than others.

The vegetables best suited to fall and winter greenhouses are those which thrive in relatively cool temperatures– so that you don’t have to crank the heat way up to keep them happy– and that also don’t require maximum light levels. In other words, it’s the perfect time of year for growing greens and herbs. (more…)

Gabriel Ash planthouses and glasshouses can be used as greenhouses, but they can be so much more! A glasshouse is essentially like a larger version of a standard planthouse, but with many more possible variations in design and uses. You can use your glasshouse to house and display exquisite exotic plants the same way you can in a planthouse, but glasshouses can be designed much larger so that they can accommodate seating or even hot tubs or swimming pools. Imagine relaxing in your hot tub on a cold winter’s day or swimming amid a tropical paradise! You could use your glasshouse as an outdoor dining area where you could entertain guests while basking in the splendour of a brilliant sunset. A glasshouse from Gabriel Ash is the perfect setting for an artist’s studio, or simply a place to sit and reflect amongst your beautiful plants. It will allow you to get the most out of your garden by enabling you to spend more time outside during spring and fall when the weather is not always pleasant. Glasshouses can serve the same purposes as greenhouses or planthouses, but they can be built with ample space so that you can use them for so much more!
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All greenhouse owners have experienced it at one time or another, munched on plants, missing leaves, and more. There are more than just bugs in my greenhouse. Over the years I’ve seen a whole menagerie of creatures setting up home in my greenhouse. For years I had a huge warty toad that helped despatch slugs and snails fro the nooks and crannies inside my greenhouse. Sadly he died this summer, but I’ve seen lots of tiny toads crawling about the garden and I’m hoping one or more may take over where he left off.

There’s a comfy chair in my greenhouse, the idea was to occasionally sit and read and escape the phone, but the reality was that one of my cats found it and claimed it as her own. Now I very occasionally get me chair back but to be honest I rarely have time to simply sit in the greenhouse, more’s the pity. (more…)

By September my greenhouse is starting to look a bit tired, well not so much the greenhouse, more the plants inside. I often think that the plants I’ve chosen to grow inside the confines of my wonderful glasshouse are almost forced into productivity, a little bit like battery hens, cooped into a small space to lay egg after egg. The difference is that my plants have plenty of space, the very best diet and very little in the way of pest control. And of course I don’t chuck them into the pot as soon as they have an off day.

Every year I look at what’s done well in the greenhouse and what didn’t really work and each year I come to a different conclusion. Last year by accident I grew runner beans in the greenhouse, it was such a success that I did it deliberately this year. Strangely although I got a reasonable crop, it didn’t compare to last year’s. My tomatoes this year have been better, but now they have succumbed to the dreaded tomato blight and that’s the beginning of the end of them. New gardeners are often put off by crop failures and poor results, but it happens to all gardeners regardless of their experience. Just because something hasn’t grown well this year, it isn’t a reflection on things to come. It may be that the weather has had an adverse effect on things, you could have just been unlucky or it may have been a pest or problem that has affected everyone’s crops. Don’t give up. Try again, but try something new too. That’s how we all learn and progress in gardening and it’s a great way of keeping things interesting. (more…)

Sometimes people are forced to relocate, but just because you leave your current home behind does not mean that your Gabriel Ash greenhouse also must stay.

People are often apprehensive about trying to move a greenhouse, and understandably so, for so much of the greenhouse is constructed from glass that can be easily broken. Moving a greenhouse can be a formidable task, especially for larger greenhouses that are built upon a fixed foundation, but it can be done.

Before you begin dismantling your greenhouse, there a few important points to consider. It may also be wise to consult the greenhouse experts at Gabriel Ash for advice on the best method of successfully relocating your greenhouse. If you prefer, Gabriel Ash can help you with the relocation process to ensure that it is done carefully and professionally. (more…)