Water gardens and water plants Since the introduction of fibreglass pools tremendous interest has been shown in medium-sized garden pools. Siting the pool Before constructing any pool careful thought should be given to the siting. To create a successful bog […]

Because the roots continue to crop for up to ten years after planting, special attention should be given to choosing a suitable site for rhubarb and preparing it well. The bed should not be shaded and should be dug deeply. […]

Mustard and Cress This is a practical, easy-to-grow salad crop which may be grown throughout the year provided that a temperature of 50-60°F (10-16°C) is given. Cress takes a little longer to germinate than mustard, so cress seeds must be […]

Parsnip Cultivation It is essential if you expect to produce good-sized specimens to trench the soil deeply so that the desirable, long, straight, unforked roots are produced. The large seeds are sown in 2.5cm (1 in) deep drills in small […]

Lettuces fall into three groups—cabbage, cos, and loose-leaf. The cabbage kinds are subdivided into crispheads and butterheads. Those sold by the grocery stores are almost always butterheads because crispheads do not travel well and wilt rather quickly after harvesting. The […]

This is the measure used to indicate the active acidity of the soil. The term is based on the balance between the hydrogen ions and the hydroxyl ions, and it is essential to remember that a low pH figure indicates acid soil, […]

How to Grow Sidalcea Sidalcea (sid-al-see-a) A compound of two related genera, Sida and Alcea. The former comes from an ancient Greek name used by Theophrastus for the water-lily, the latter from Althaea, the generic name for hollyhock (Malvaceae). These […]

From the Latin saxum, rock or stone, and frango, to break, alluding either to its ancient medicinal use for ‘breaking’ stones in the bladder or to the supposed ability of the roots to penetrate and assist the breakdown of rocks (Saxifragaceae). Saxifrage, rockfoil. A genus […]

How to Grow Romneya Romneya (rom-nee-a) Named in honour of the Rev T. Romney Robinson (1792-1882), an Irish astronomer who discovered Romneya coulteri (Papaveraceae). A genus of two species of handsome, semi-shrubby perennials from southwestern California with extremely attractive poppy-like […]