Molluscs

Pin It

So what do I do when it is wet, wet wet?

Much client work can still be done as long is it does not involve lawns and I have also planted up a long border because I can (sort of) guarantee that the plants will settle in very nicely.

Today is a day of heavy rain and short dry spells, so I can catch up with a few essential jobs in my own garden.


First up picking fruit and veg. The first peas are wonderful. The strawberries and raspberries are ripening and they are surprisingly tasty. All the rain has swelled the fruits to a good size and the bits of sun have helped to sweeten their taste.

I have also collected seeds from summer flowering annuals. I use Cerinthe major 'Purparescens' in a few gardens and my own. It self seeds in a nice way but if we have a hard frost, I am rather hedging my bets and collect some seeds for spring sowing. 

As it was damp when I collected them, I let them dry off on some paper napkins for a few days before they get shoved in an labelled envelope and stored in a tin. Cerinthe seeds are a doddle to collect as they are rather chunky, even when pictured next to a big strawberry.


I have also taken cuttings. Tip cuttings of penstemons taken now should root within a few months and can be potted on long before it gets to winter. They are my insurance against harsh winters and if the mother plants survive then I have plants that can be used in a client planting scheme next year or offered at a plant fair. I cover my cuttings in a ziplock bag to keep moisture levels high for a few weeks; I usually don't have to water them much. They are ready to pot on when the first roots appear at the bittom of the pot.

Unlike my penstomen cuttings (which will flower next summer), the root cuttings taken from oriental poppies will need two seasons before I can hope for rewards. I don't dig up the mother plant instead I use a spade to lift a corner of the plant and expose the roots. They remind me of brown udon noodles....


I tend to have pot with compost ready  when I do this and then take cuttings with the plant still in the soil. By cutting a piece at the time and potting it up immediately there is no risk of confusing top and bottom of the root section, this is the only bit that can go wrong. If you don't pot up straightaway, make sure the top end of the severed root is cut straight across and the bottom at an angle. Otherwise it really does not matter as long as the orientation is right, simples.


I have not mentioned the slugs and snails of the title, have I? Well, they are of course everywhere but with a bit of judicious use of slug pellets I have got away without too much damage. The basil has suffered the most but I will gloss over that....