Dede Sophie

Calla lilies are a beautiful addition to any garden but to get the most out of your plants try to avoid these five mistakes when planting them. By following these tips you will ensure greater success and earlier flowering.  Calla lilies can bring an amazing tropical look to the garden and despite being able to survive a mild winter here in the UK, they will not be able to cope with an extended period of freezing conditions. Of course the garden retailers like to have Calla lily bulbs out for sale as early as February but do not be tempted to plant them outside yet as the chances are that they will rot in the ground before the weather warms up! So check out this video above to avoid wasting your money. If you would like to see more content like this then consider subscribing to our YouTube channel ‘Walking Talking Gardeners’. It is absolutely free and you can unsubscribe instantly at any time.

Germinating tomato seeds can always go wrong so check out these five (5) easy mistakes to avoid when growing tomatoes from seed. Get them wrong and you could lose a batch of seedlings, however these techniques are not just for salad crops these principles are relevant to the majority of seed grown plants. Timing is extremely important, because if you leave sowing your tomatoes too late then you risk not having enough of the growing season left to allow the plant to produced ripened fruit. Sow then too early and you risk having your seedlings damaged or even killed by late frosts! But it doesn’t stop there as the importance of having sterilized equipment and compost cannot be underestimated as you can easily lose a batch of seedlings to fungal infection. For more content like this why not consider subscribing to our YouTube gardening channel ‘Walking Talking Gardeners’. It is free to subscribe and you can unsubscribe at any time!

The wonderful Star Magnolia – Magnolia stellata is arguably the best of the early, small ornamental flowering trees in the business. Native to the stream-sides and moist, boggy areas of Japan largest island, Honshū, Magnolia stellata is one of the smallest of the magnolia species and is a great addition for the suburban garden. However its most noticeable and ornamental feature are its blooms. It flowers very early on in the spring making it one of the first trees to break flower bud, the flowers are large and conspicuous and it produces its blooms before the leaves break bud which all together make for a very striking show – hence its ongoing popularity. Although not from the Ericaceae family it will require acidic to neutral soil conditions so plant in a deep hole backfilled with ericaceous compost. Plant it in a sheltered position so that the blooms are protected from freezing wind and rain which can damage the petals. The soil will need to be regular damp but well-drained. If you w

Who doesn’t love Amaryllis and wouldn’t want to grow them indoors from bulbs? Well if you don’t then this video is not for you. Monstrous bulbs combined with massive architectural blooms is a heady mix and I for one absolutely love them. So to find out how easy it is to grow them indoors from a bulb I have asked Lorna to share her wisdom. Her secret? The airing cupboard! If you would like to see more content like this then why not consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel ‘Walking Talking Gardeners’. It is absolutely free and you can unsubscribe at any time. You can find the link to our homepage: https://www.youtube.com/@walkingtalkinggardeners/videos

Welcome to the wonderful tropical greenhouse at Birmingham Botanic gardens with your horticultural hosts Lorna and Zoe. This tropical greenhouse is wonderful surprise housed in the Midlands, making the delights of quality horticulture more accessible to Brummie, like-minded gardeners who would otherwise have to rough it with southern posh-os in that there London! So enjoy this walkround where Lorna and Zoe point out anything that catch their interest. If you would like to see more content like this then why not consider subscribing to our YouTube channel ‘Walking Talking Gardeners’. It is absolutely free and you can unsubscribe instantly at any time.  

Oh my goodness, my orchid cacti have been absolutely fine wintering outside for the past 6 years, then this year they have been absolutely smashed!  If you didn’t know before, Orchid cactus – Disocactus ackermannii is an species of epiphytic cactus that occurs in the cloud forests of Veracruz and Oaxaca, in Mexico. It is a gorgeous, evergreen plant with an arching trailing habit and produces dark green, long, flattened leaves which are only 2-3 inches wide but up to 36 inches long! Usually tough as old boots I like to grow it outside hanging from my trees. This year however a polar vortex descended on the garden and stayed for a couple of weeks, just long enough to kill a lot of my ‘on-the-edge’ hardy plants. Even the back up plan cacti in the greenhouse were frozen to mush! Luckily it wasn’t a complete disaster as you will find out in this video.

The hanging of mistletoe at Christmas to steal a kiss from a maiden may be considered sexual violence in today’s society but please don’t blame the mistletoe. Mistletoe is having a hard enough time! With the ever-dwindling UK apple industry meaning less and less host plants from which to grow on and steal nutrients and water from without giving anything back. So mistletoe are desperate for a helping hand! With this in mind why not consider growing your own mistletoe from seed – assuming you have a suitable host tree and a pair of organic disposable gloves? The best time of year for this is February/March and you should be able to get hold of viable seeds from on-like retailers. If you would like to see more content like this then why not subscribe to our YouTube channel ;Walking Talking Gardeners’? It is absolutely free and you can unsubscribe at any time.