Dede Sophie

Orchids are one of the most fascinating and beautiful plants to cultivate. Among the many varieties of orchids, Anggrek, also known as the moth orchid, is highly sought after for its stunning blooms and ease of care. However, successfully growing Anggrek requires a good understanding of the basics, creating the ideal environment, and nurturing the plants with proven techniques. In this article, we will guide you through the essential steps to master the art of orchid cultivation and achieve successful growth of Anggrek. Understanding the Basics: Introduction to Orchid Cultivation Before delving into the specifics of growing Anggrek, it is essential to have a basic understanding of orchid cultivation. Orchids belong to the Orchidaceae family and are renowned for their unique flowers and diverse forms. Unlike traditional potted plants, orchids are epiphytes, meaning they grow on other plants, such as trees, in their natural habitat. Understanding the orchids' natural habitat and...

Hello there and welcome to another video from the ‘Walking Talking Gardeners’. In this video horticulturist Simon will demonstrate how to propagate the Madagascan succulent Bryophyllum from pups. All you need is a modular seed tray, multipurpose compost and a small dibber or pencil. Fortunately, propagating Kalanchoe (Bryophyllum) from pups is super easy but check out the above video for all the information you will need for success. Do forget to subscribe to your YouTube channel so that you won’t miss out on any of out other content.

Welcome back to the ‘Walking talking Gardeners’ YouTube channel. We recently posted Part 1 of our visit to Palheiro Gardens in Madeira. Well hold on to your pants as we have part 2 ready for you. Join English Horticulturists Simon and Lorna as the continue their walk around Palheiro Gardens on the Portuguese island of Madeira. Palheiro gardens is open to the public and is one of the premier garden on the island next to Monte Palace Tropical Gardens and Madeira Botanical gardens. Once a private estate is now house a massive collection of plants from across the world planted in stunning Edwardian pleasure gardens. If you don’t want to miss out on future videos don’t forget to click the like and subscribe buttons.

Stapelia schinzii is a rarely seen (at least it is in the United Kingdom)  clump forming succulent plant grown for its impressively large, ornamental flowers. Native to Namibia, Southwest Africa the roughly star-shaped blooms open to show the largest of all native Stapelia blooms at an impressive 20 cm in diameter! Un the UK the flowering period will be around September Its native habitat is found between 800-2000 meters above sea level yet unlike the majority of cacti tends to be found growing in the shade of other plants. Once established Stapelia shinzii can form a lax clump of approximately 100 cm in diameter. It is difficult to find a specimen to purchase but sometimes propagation material can be found online. Stems should be allowed to callous off for a few days before planting into a good quality, compost. Avoid free draining or specialist cacti composts as these will keep the root system too dry. water regularly over the summer but never leave the compost waterlogged or complet...

Aeoniums are arguably one of our absolute favourite succulents. I think it is because of how the apical rosette of leathery leaves look like exotic blooms. Admittedly under the super-soft environment experienced in the UK the leaf rosettes can become extremely elongated to the point that the stems struggle to support them, but I think that this is a far more favourable ornamental effect that the tight ‘buttons’ of foliage seen in the harsh climate of the southern Mediterranean basin.  Anyway, they keys to the success of Aeoniums is one – how easily the can produce unusual and exciting colour variations. And two – how easy they to propagate vegetatively. So in this video we show you just how easy it is to grow Aeoniums from cuttings and of course that makes them (almost) entirely free! If you would like to watch more content like this then consider subscribing to our YouTube channel ‘Walking Talking Gardeners’. don’t forget to press the ‘Li...

  It is easy, or at least relatively so, to create a cold-hardy, tropical effect garden, but is it still possible to produce a tropical effect garden if you experience extremely cold winters? By that I mean parts of the world where winter temperatures can drop to around – 15 degrees celsius or 5 degrees Fahrenheit in old money! Well the answer is of course yes, however there will be some more cultural work involved with some of the plants in my following selection to give them a helping hand over the finish line of survival. To promote the effect add canna and dahlias which can be lifted and brought in under protection each year. Also consider growing salvias and tobacco plants as cheap annuals for their vibrant colours and architectural effect.  Palms Trachycarpus fortunei ‘Chinese Windmill Palm’ -15 Celsius Bismarck Palm ‘Bismarckia nobilis’ -9 Celsius (my absolute favourite) Mediterranean Fan Palm ‘Chamaerops humilis’ -12 celsius Bamboo  Phyl...

  The giant ornamental onion – Allium giganteum is not only one of my favourite of all the flowering bulbs, it is one of my favourite plants of all! And why wouldn’t it be with its strongly held, large spherical globe-like blooms it is arguably the best of all ‘drumstick’ style flowers. However the bulbs can be difficult to obtain and then difficult to find ones large enough that will flower in the following year. However there is a low cost option to growing plenty of  giant ornamental onions and that is to do so from seed. So why not check out English horticulturist Simon as he explains the very simple method of propagating Allium giganteum. If you would like to see more content like this then consider subscribing to out YouTube channel – ‘Walking Talking Gardeners’. Click on the notification bell and you will be notified of all our future videos