More in flower.

March 17, 2017universeofplants Leave a comment

Walk by a bed of these briefly flowering native Primulas and the air is filled with the sweetest fragrance reminiscent of confectionery. Before over picking there were carpets of these on woodland floors, taking the opportunity of no leaf canopy to flower and pollinate in the warming spring sun. They easily set seed and spread with plantlets. They have a panacea of herbal properties and the leaves and flowers are edible. As with all plants allergies and misidentification can lead to serious ill health. Further interesting facts can be found here. http://wightdruids.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109&Itemid=126

The lesser periwinkle, flowers prolifically along our hedgerows now and throughout the year. It’s blue violet flowers last for ages and it can be left to it’s own devices, for more on periwinkle go to our plant index.

Forsythia, is always first to put on a show in the spring garden

Don’t forget to prune after flowering as it flowers on last year’s growth. Bring in a few branches in a vase to light up the room.

Ferns

October 28, 2016October 29, 2016universeofplants Leave a comment

Hiding in the shadows where would we be without them? For they are mostly responsible for our fossil fuels. Dominating the plant kingdom 350 million years ago, their decay on the forest floor piled up many miles thick and super compressed over millions of years storing their captured carbon which now wreaks havoc on our climate.

Ferns are widespread throughout many habitats, from tropical rainforest to arctic alpine situations, desert scrub lands to coastal niches, they like a shady moist spot, and are prized for their architectural foliage adding an exotic jungle feel to any garden.

They also vary in size, from tiny 1-2mm plants to giant tree ferns over 30 metres in height, there are over 9000 species, most are found in the tropics. Some are edible

And many have medicinal properties, their generic names reflecting the area of the body they acted on i.e. Asplenium the spleen, Maidenhair for baldness. Therapeutic properties range from antiworming-vermifuge, antiarthritic, cough remedies and topically such as an ointment made from the fronds of Harts tongue fern for burns and scalds, always consult a medical herbalist to try any of these.

Ash derived from burning bracken is a very rich source of potash, although avoid inhaling the spores by using a fire bin to first dry the green fronds which are the richest source and avoiding introducing it into your garden. This abundant resource could be commercially harvested and processed, thereby controlling this rampant weed.

I think no garden should be without one of our 45 native species, creating a great backdrop for herbaceous plants such as Solomon’s seal or bleeding hearts.

Glory Bush, Tibouchina

September 21, 2016September 21, 2016universeofplants Leave a comment

Any one who sees this exotic from Brazil in bloom will instantly adore it, the delicate vivid purple flowers always impress, they are usually abundant from late summer onwards in the U.K. as light levels fall, and attract many butterflies. The leaves are soft and velvity, tinged with red on the edges.

It has a vine like growth pattern and can be trained up a trellis on a sunny wall, it can grow to about 5 metres, but can also be pruned into a more compact shape. Water freely in spring sparingly in winter, but don’t let it stand in water, and it needs frost protection.

Treat as a House plant in colder climates and if it does die back due to cold or drought do not despair just water and usually new tiny shoots appear on the cinnamon coloured stems. It loves a rich fertile soil but will tolerate most soil types. It is an essential for the Tropical or subtropical garden.

The wonderful world of Cacti

September 13, 2016October 28, 2016universeofplants Leave a comment

Most cacti are native to the Americas, and have highly evolved to tolerate hot and dry conditions, even the Atacama desert where some parts have not seen rain for more than 20 years! Their leaves have been replaced by spines in many cases, which helps conserve water and protects against predators, water is stored in the thick fleshy trunk of the plant, which also serves as the area for photosynthesis.

The only native cactus also found outside the Americas is the Mistletoe cactus which may have been carried by Ancient traders or birds to Africa and Sri Lanka.

: Rhipsalis baccifera

Cacti range in size from over 20 metres to just over 1 cm, and many offer a spectacular display of flowers, to attract birds and insects in the brief periods of pollination usually after heavy rains. They absorb a great deal of water during these times into their fluted stems and store it for dry spells. A large Saguaro cactus can store over 200 gallons in one go!

The ground dwelling types usually have superficial roots that stay near the surface to absorb the brief downpours, before the water quickly evaporates in the hot desert, the very tall columnar varieties produce very deep tap roots to stop it falling over. Cacti can be easily propagated by seed or cuttings in species such as epiphytes

Epiphyte cactus flowering

Cacti like a 50/50 mix of loam and grit and fed with a dilute organic seaweed fertilizer during the growing season every 2 weeks with rain water if possible. Some cactus fruits are edible, the prickly pear is one example, some can be fermented into alcoholic drinks as with the syrup from the enormous Saguaro. Some species have long been known to be psychoactive containing the chemical Mescaline such as the North American Peyote and South American san pedro cactus

Peyote cactus.

more about these psychoactive plants will be revealed on our Plant Magic pages soon.

Goji berry

September 5, 2016September 9, 2016universeofplants Leave a comment

This vigorous herbaceous perennial native to the Himalayan regions of China Mongolia and Tibet, is very easy to grow and very hardy, also known as wolf berry, it is a member of the night shade family along with potatoes, tomato and deadly nightshade, it has beautiful purplish flowers strung along it’s thorny long branches it doesn’t mind neglect, and enjoys full sun. Plant out in well manured well drained soil to establish. It will tolerate sea spray so is good for coastal gardens. Fruiting starts after 4-5 years on previous years wood, so prune lightly in early spring. Feed with a potash rich feed in spring, trained up against a wall will increase yield, harvest only when berries are fully ripe by shaking onto a sheet of paper. You can eat them fresh, cooked or dried. They are very rich in Iron and vit C, aswell as all the essential amino acids, with abundant antioxidants and the most protein of any fruit. Well worth growing a few bushes.