Gardening Tips

I know lots of gardeners love the idea of jiffy peat pots which reduce the effects of transplant shock and whilst these peat pots aren’t all that expensive to buy, I’ve thought up a cheaper alternative that’s worked well for me and want to share it with you. I’ve read of how people use egg cartons as alternatives but I find that they are a tad too shallow for my liking and after lots of experimenting, have come up with a feasible (and cheap - pretty much free) alternative which has worked well for me.

Starting materials : a cardboard roll - this one’s from the center of paper towels and 1 sheet of newspaper (Not the huge papers but the smaller sections ie 16″X11.5″)

Starting with the cardboard roll on 1 end and just under 1/2 way the width of the newspaper. Roll up the newspaper over the carboard roll till you reach the end

This is what you should end up with - I’ve started to push the free end into the tube of the cardboard roll

Keep pushing the rest of the newspaper into the hole and make sure none of it is sticking out - this is what you should end up with. Now pull the newspaper pot out from the cardboard roll and voila - home-made ‘jiffy’ pot!

This is the newspaper alternative to the jiffy peat pot all planted up - here with a camellia cutting I’ve just done with starter mix in the ‘pot’.

They are remarkably sturdy and what’s more, use a marker pen and pen the name of the seed/cutting/date and you have easy labelling! Initially I thought they would collapse after weeks of watering and damp required to kickstart the cutting but they didn’t, and when time came to plant out, I would just dig a hole and plonk the lot into the soil. Sometimes if I feel that the newspaper hasn’t disintegrated enough to allow the roots out into the soil, I plant it into the soil then use a pair of scissors to snip through the pot to ensure the roots are freed. This way of planting ensures that the new babies experience less transplant shock and you don’t have to touch the tender root system when planting out.

Flower filled windows of Roman villas are great examples of creating a garden in miniature when space is a premium in your humble abode. Window boxes can serve to smarten up the house facade or add character. For cooks who use herbs, window boxes outside the kitchen window or just by the backdoor have a functional as well as an aesthetic purpose. And for those who adhere to the FengShui theme of things, vibrant window boxes are just the ticket to energise the home and encourage flow of ‘chi’ through the home.

Spring is the perfect time for adding these delights to your windows. With a wide variety of plant choices and ideal planting conditions as the weather warms up, with a little care and attention, you will be rewarded with brilliant spring color that you can wake up to and come home to.

Window boxes are essentially long, narrow troughs that can be supported by hangers on your window or shelf brackets underneath. There’s a large variety of materials which you can choose from - ranging from terra-cotta, wood, metal or resin. It’s usually best to pick a material that suits the style of your house. Remember that if you’re opting to have trailing plants and the like in your window box, then picking a trough with intricate detail may be a waste of money as it’s likely to be hidden from view by the plants. Some open type window planters like wrought iron types require some sort of coir matting to keep the potting mix in place. Some people opt to buy cheap styrofoam window boxes and hide them inside these open type window planters . Others opt to use coir matting because they can cut holes in them and insert plants into these holes to create a fuller look in the window box.

Attaching a window box

Always check the weight-bearing capacity of your shelf brackets before you buy - terra-cotta and wrought iron window boxes weigh a considerable amount more than the resin variety. Window boxes are very exposed and often endure more heat than most container plants on the ground - the reflected heat from bricks and the windows, plus the wind factor can make it harder on your plants. If you are using brackets to secure your window boxes, ensure they are 100-150mm (4-6 inches) from each end and have one every 600mm (2ft). It’s also important to use the correct fasteners - you’ll need masonry anchors for brick and use galvanized fasteners for weather resistance.

Don’t set the window box right up against the window, the moisture may cause the wood to rot. Angle the window box slightly so that it drains from the drainage holes away from the window. Note that if you’re living in an apartment, you’re not going to impress your downstairs neighbors if you have soil laden water dripping onto their balcony constantly. Opt for a self watering window planter or have a drip tray underneath the box to catch spills.

Potting mix for window boxes

Don’t skimp on potting mix. Buy a premium brand and add water holding crystals (window box plants are exposed to the elements and will need the extra babying to bloom well) - that and also because in most window boxes, you’d be cramming in plants more closely than you ever would in a garden bed.

Planting window boxes

Plant in a zig-zag fashion rather than in neat little rows with taller plants in the back and shorter ones in the front. If you are planting trailing plants, they should go closer to the front as well. Pick flower colors to match your house for added effect.

Window box care

To ensure you get the best results from your window boxes, maintenance is critical. You need to ensure that you have easy access to these window boxes - the easier the access, the more likely you are to maintain them well. In Europe, most houses don’t have fly screens and access via the inside of the house is easy and therefore maintenance isn’t such a chore. There’s nothing worse than a window box that isn’t well cared for - you might as well not have one there - it’s just plain ugly with a few drooping plants and straggly half dead flowers - depressing.

Watering window boxes regularly is critical - often window boxes live under eaves and they don’t rain. Water storage crystals are a must. If you can attach drip watering systems that’s even better. Otherwise work out a way you can water (with a watering can or hose) easily and on a regular basis to ensure optimum results for your window boxes.

Regular feeding is also necessary as most window boxes are crammed full of plants and they will be hungrier than most. A slow release fertilizer added at the point of planting and then regular feeding weekly will ensure that your window boxes flourish.

See the range of window box planters available.

I adore succulents. Their startling shapes, unique forms and endless varieties are just to die for. It allows me to pick and choose what I want to add and they are dead easy to look after. In fact, most thrive on neglect and in our hectic lifestyles, that’s got to be a bonus! I like potting up succulents and using them as gifts to friends. As you can see from the photo, the ‘look’ is achieved using a taller succulent (Aeonium in my case) and then smaller ones (eg Echiverium) surrounding it to create a nice effect. The different colors only add to the charm of succulents. I usually use a terra-cotta flower pot if only because succulents prefer free draining soils and the rustic look just makes it the ideal flower pot for them. I find that you need to pot them up pretty high otherwise they just don’t look right. I tried on a few occasions to pot them lower (skimping on succulent potting mix - which by the way you can probably get away with mixing 1/2 sand and 1/2 regular potting mix) and they just looked wrong. Then add little pebbles or gravel to the top and voila - you have a wonderful personalized gift that is perfect as a house-warming gift.

Here’s a great idea submitted by Mariah. Doesn’t it look great! She calls it ‘magic pots’ if only because the flower pots look like they are floating in the air! All you do is put a piece of rebar in the ground and then slide the flower pots through the drainage hole down the middle of the flower pots on the rebar. Angel the flower pots up diagonally. As you slide each flower pot in, you fill with dirt and plant away! Then slide the next pot on etc…and it looks like the pots are standing up magically! Ingenuity at work.