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Kiran Narain gives tips to prolong the blaze of colour in your garden when winter comes to an end
Winter flowering bulbs, annuals as well as roses are at their best these days, adding colour to the garden. More and more people spend time outdoors basking in the warmth of the winter sun, enjoying the garden at its prime. "Flowers are the sweetest things that God ever made and forgot to put a soul into", wrote Henry Ward Beecher. With a few tips, these blossoms can be made to last longer. Proper feeding and care as well as removal of fading flowers can prolong the splash of colour offered by the winter garden. Application of liquid manure to the plants at the bud development stage will enhance the beauty and form, giving outstanding results. The liquid manure can be prepared by dissolving one kilo of fresh cow dung, half kilo of mustard or neem cake (neem khali) and one tablespoon of urea, along with a handful of sterameal, in about 30 litres of water. The mixture should be kept covered and allowed to ferment for a week, stirring it everyday. It should then be strained through Hessian cloth or agronet. This concentrated mixture has to be diluted further till it is the colour of beer or weak tea. This liquid manure should be applied around the plants, avoiding the leaves, at monthly intervals. Water the plants thoroughly after each application. Roses require regular feeding, hoeing and protection from pests as well as constant removal of suckers. Established rose bushes should be fed at fortnightly intervals with liquid manure and rose mix at alternate days for best results. Foliar fertilisers can be sprayed on the well-developed leaves and if any diseases or pests are noticed, a few drops of Rogor and a quarter teaspoon of Bevastin can be mixed into a litre of the foliar feed which will then take care of both the problems. The foliar feed can be either bought or made at home by mixing urea and potassium sulphate in a 2:1 ratio. 15 gms of this mixture is diluted in 4 litres of water. Staking of taller varieties of annuals like African marigold, antirrhinum, clarkia, dahlias, larkspurs, stocks and sweet peas etc will keep them upright and tidy as well as protect them from the battering chilly winds. Dahlia tubers and gladioli do better when staked at the time of planting and later on cutting the stakes down to the required size. The spreading and cascading types of annuals grown in pots need staking in a circular manner all around the plants where small sized stakes are used close to the rim of the pot, held together in position with a strong string or sutli. Since the life cycle of annuals gets completed as soon as they seed, it is advisable to pluck off faded blooms off and on to prolong their flowering season. Watering the winter annuals will primarily depend on how much it rains but since we do not have adequate rainfall in winters, irrigating them properly would be of prime importance to enhance their flowering period. Whereas light watering of ground grown seedlings may suffice for two to three days, as the plants grow in stature flower beds need a generous soaking so that they do not develop a tendency for their roots to grow near the surface. Normally, watering will need to be repeated as soon as the top two inches of soil dry out. However, care should be taken neither to make the beds wet, nor worn dry. With a little care, your winter garden can virtually grow on till the summer heat lashes it down.
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