Pruning When and Bluebells

DESIGN ELEMENTS

When To Prune

Pruning is one of those jobs that eventually every gardener that grows anything will undertake.

Now that you’re committed to pruning that tree or shrub or hedge, what is the most important consideration do you think?
Do you know the name of the species of plant?
Some gardeners would have the ubiquitous plants like murraya, Viburnum tinus, star jasmine and Japanese box.
Others may be more adventurous and have Chinese fringe flower,(Loropetalum chinense), Bower vine (Pandorea jasminoides), or even a trumpet vine (Beaumontia grandiflora).

Do you know when it’s about to flower or set fruit?
So when should you prune it?
Well, today it’s about when’s the best time to prune.
Let’s find out.

I'm talking with Jason Cornish from www.urbanmeadows.com.au
Jason's tip is to wait until after flowering before commencing pruning as a general rule.
Pruning hedges is different because the flowers are not the feature, but the neatness is.
Depending on what the plant species is, for hedging, pruning occurs 2-3 times a year.
fore example, viburnum hedges.
For vigorous hedges such as Plumbago, you will need to prune 4-5 times per year.

• TIP:If you don’t know what shrub or tree that you’ve got, the best advice is to wait until it flowers or sets fruit, and then prune after that.
• Jason's General Rule Nr 2 : Jason’s strategy is lightly and often.

If you have any questions for me or for Jason, please write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

TALKING FLOWERS

Bluebells

There are English (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) and spanish bluebells. (Hyacinthoides hispanica).

• Family: Asparagaceae

Flowering in Spring, the bluebell is blue.  but, there are also bluebells that have a creamy colour or an off white hue and even pink.

It might not look like it but bluebells has six petals.  These petals are all fused up together forming a narrow bell shape.

The main differences between a Spanish bluebell and  English bluebell 

English bluebells flower on one side, Spanish bluebells flower on both sides of the stem.

English bluebell is stronger scented. Spanish bluebell has only a very slight scent.

Spanish bluebell grows well in full sun but English bluebells prefers at least partial shade.

Spanish bluebell flowers lift their heads towards the sun. English bluebells never do.

• Superstitions:

Bluebells is a tool used for calling fairies.

“Ring” the bluebells like you would a normal bell and the fairies would come. But the downside is - if you actually hear it ring, it’s a superstition that someone that holds dear to your heart will die.

•  In a vase.

Cut the bluebell stem straight across the base and place in shallow water in the vase. Any more water and the stems will soften and fall over.

Replace the water in the vase daily.
I'm talking with florist Mercedes Sarmini of www.floralgossip.com.au

Video was recorded live during broadcast of Real World Gardener on 13th November 2019

To Prune or Not to Prune

DESIGN ELEMENTS

• Series: Pruning 101

Pruning is one of those jobs that eventually every gardener that grows anything will undertake.
Except of course if you’ve only got a lawn and nothing else, but those gardeners are probably not listening to the radio show or reading this blog.

So over the next 4 weeks, Jason and I will be talking about various pruning jobs and methods.
Today it’s an introduction into what pruning is and different levels of pruning.
Let’s find out.
I'm talking with Jason Cornish from www.urbanmeadows.com.au

• There's several types of pruning.

Tip pruning: removing just the tip of the branches or stems to encourage bushy growth. Using your thumb and middle finger, it's easy to nip out the top couple of leaves at a point just above the next set of leaves lower down. This will stimulate two pairs of leaves to grow from that point.

Light pruning: to remove just the outer leaves without cutting into the semi hardwood or hardwood.

Medium pruning: not a hard prune, but somewhere between  a light prune and removing 30% of growth.

Hard prune: chopping the shrub or tree almost to the ground. A risky undertaking and may result in death of the plant. Some plants such as callistemons and lilly pillies will reshoot from being pruned in this way.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Rock Isotoma: Isotoma axillaris
Family: Lobeliaceae
Fancy a shrubby ground cover plant with purple starry flowers that’s a real standout?
Of course, we all want those in our garden because they fit into any bare spot.
Let’s find out why we should grow it.

Isotoma axillaris

I'm talking with Adrian O’Malley, horticulturist and native plant expert.

Rock isotoma is a flowering perennial that grow up to 40cm high x 40cm wide.

Upright stems are often a purplish colour and covered with short, soft hairs quickly becoming smooth.

The leaves are about 1.5–15 cm long and 0.5–5 mm wide with deep, toothed, linear lobes sharply pointed at the apex.
Rock Isotoma grows naturally in sandstone rock crevices in bushland, but don’t let that stop you from growing it in your garden.
Treat it as a biennial plant, but as it self seeds that’s not really a problem.
You may see if for sale in your local nursery Isotoma ‘Blue Star’
It’s a terrific plant with multibranched stems, that grows into a great mound of lilac-coloured, star-like flowers
If you have any questions either for me or Adrian, why not write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com