This year in particular, I have been concentrating my gardening efforts on outdoor container plants, specifically because I have limited space and the garden itself does not belong to me, so planting anything permanent would be a problem. When I grow plants, I become very attached to each and every one of them, and can often be found chatting away to them when no-one is looking or within hearing distance. Like Prince Charles, I am a great believer in talking to my plants, encouraging them to become the best that they can be, quietly celebrating new growth and gently chiding those that seem to want to do nothing more than sulk in their pots. Even David Attenborough has stated that we don’t engage with plants enough, which is more than good enough for me. And who could forget the movie “On a Clear Day” in which Barbra Streisand played a young woman who made plants grow like magic by talking and singing to them? There’s got to be some truth in there somewhere …
Don’t sit back and dream your garden – make it happen in real life!
Gardens make the home, in my opinion. It’s no good having a wonderful, inviting interior if your garden and outdoor relaxation/entertainment areas are an eyesore – uncared for, allowed to run wild, uncontrolled and little more than a sand patch and weeds where there should be grass. Nope, not on MY watch! But developing and maintaining a garden is an expensive and time-consuming exercise, which many people are not willing to take on themselves. They might have the ideas and visions of a wonderful paradise-like garden, but, sadly, that is where the planning and effort ends. It’s great if you can find a good gardener who can share your gardening vision and has the skills, knowledge and experience to bring it into existence and then maintain it with the loving care it deserves. Not an easy task, and you still need to be constantly intimately involved in overseeing the work being done. As a perfectionist myself, I always feel that no-one will do the job properly or exactly to my standards, which can cause a great deal of friction and frustration, and that is not what gardening is about. It should be a calming, meditative experience, bringing with it the joys of creating and nurturing new life.
Can’t afford plants from a nursery? Grow them yourself from cuttings
Buying plants from nurseries has become so expensive now that it is very difficult for the budding (pun intended!) gardener to buy established, healthy plants and shrubs. But all is not lost. In my constant quest for expansion of my container garden, I have turned to different means of obtaining plants without bankrupting myself. I am now propagating my own cuttings and seeds and only visiting the plant nurseries for compost, potting soil and fertilizer. If there is a particular plant that a friend has in their garden which I would like to add to my collection, I ask for a stem cutting, take my new treasure home and get to work preparing and planting it as quickly as possible.
If you’ve got the knowledge and the patience, very few plants will be out of your reach
Many stem cuttings are not particularly difficult to grow successfully, and I have recently discovered that one of my favourite plants, the beautiful and tropical Bougainvillea, can also – with care and time and by following a specific routine – be grown from cuttings from the main plant. To grow cuttings successfully, however, you need to follow specific procedures to increase your success rate. One of the first requirements is a growth hormone or similar growing aid which is applied to the end of the cutting that is to form the new root system. Google has been amazing here, as I have found out that there are many natural and inexpensive ways of kickstarting this root growth that do not involve costly outlays on rooting hormone powders. You could try some of the following natural alternatives :
- Apple Cider Vinegar. Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to 1.2 – 1.4 litres of water. Dip the rooting side of the cutting into the solution and then plant.
- Honey. Add 1 tablespoon of honey to 2 cups of boiling water, mix and cool to room temperature. Dip the cuttings into the mixture and plant.
- Cinnamon Powder. This is said to be as useful as any commercial hormone rooting powder. Root growth in almost every variety of plant will be stimulated by even a single application to the stem. Simply put a spoonful onto a paper towel, dampen the stem ends and roll them in the powder.
- Aloe Vera gel. Simply scrape the gel from a thick leaf and blitz with a little water to form a thick slurry. Use this for rooting or cloning your cuttings.
- Everyday aspirin tablets. Dissolve a tablet in just under 4 litres of warm water and use this as a bath for cuttings as you clip them. Simply put the fresh cuttings into the aspirin water for a few hours before planting. A diluted solution of aspirin water is also useful in providing accelerated germination (of seeds) and a level of resistance to disease and pests. What is more, it has also proven useful in vegetable gardens, where it increases plant size and yield.
There are even more natural rooting and plant sprays which can be made from everyday household staples. Internet searches will provide all the information you need.
Don’t let the thought of a beautiful garden remain just a vision. Even if you are cash-strapped, a container garden of bright and beautiful blooms will brighten anyone’s day, and it can be done without raising a mortgage to pay for it. It doesn’t matter if you live in the middle of a bustling city and only have a small balcony, you can still be in close contact with nature whilst nourishing your own life through your container plants.
