Mary Rose Quigg - 1,001 Gardening Tips & Tricks

Copyright 2021 by Mary Rose Quigg

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Daniel Brount

Cover image by Shutterstock

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-6223-7

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-6410-1

Printed in China

I would like to dedicate this book to my husband, Joe, as he is the real gardener around our house. My thanks to Karen, Arleen, Orla, Cathal, and Brenda for their encouragement and support.

Contents

Introduction

There is a great pleasure in working in the soil, apart from the ownership of it.

The man who has planted a garden feels that he has done something for the good of the world.

Unknown

Gardening for some is a way of life, and for others is a nice hobby to keep them occupied. Regardless of the purpose of your garden, this collection of valuable hints and tips should help to make day-to-day tasks easier.

In this environmentally friendly age it is important to use natural products when appropriate, which youll find is a theme throughout this book.

All aspects of gardening are covered, from flowers and houseplants to planting shrubs, vegetables, herbs, and trees. The garden pests and tools chapters give very useful tips while healthy gardening should assist in avoiding all those aches and pains. The poems and proverbs included always give me great delight and I hope they make the book more enjoyable.

I have had great pleasure in compiling this practical book from hints and tips that I have acquired over the years. I hope that there is something of interest for you in it and that you find it helpful, interesting, and entertaining. Most of all let it be useful to you in the pursuit of a perfect garden.

MARY ROSE QUIGG

Say It with Flowers

In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends.

Kozuko Okakura

LEGENDS & LORE

Some species of flowers are considered unlucky in many parts of the world, particularly when brought into the house.

In the UK, honeysuckle, if brought into the house, brought bad luck in Wales but foretold a wedding in Somerset, England.

The wild foxglove is a fairy plant in folk tradition. The Irish believe that foxgloves in the house are unlucky. It should never be taken aboard a ship. To pick the foxglove offends the fairies that live within the flowers and will bring bad luck, even death, to the picker and his family. Foxgloves are very poisonous.

In the west of England, if snowdrops are brought into the house before the first chickens are hatched, all the eggs will be addled.

In Surrey, to take the first primrose into the house meant sickness and sorrow.

In Norfolk, lilac was considered unlucky.

In the last century in England, a bunch of violets worn around the neck or in the lapel protected against drunkenness.

Red and white flowers in the same vase were unlucky, and even today some nurses will not have these flowers in the same vase on a ward.

Blue and orange flowers were welcome in homes and hospitals as these colors calm the nerves.

The name iris is the Greek word for rainbow. They were planted on womens graves.

Lavender has a long reputation as an anaphrodisiac, although some say lavenders relaxing properties may increase sexual desire.

I think the sweet pea is a frivolous flower and leads a butterflys life, it wanders anywhere, and clings to anything, and has not any definite aim or ideal.

Helen Milman

The rose is known as the queen of flowers. The white rose represents simplicity or happy love; the white rose is for innocence and purity; the yellow rose means perfect achievement and sometimes jealousy; and the red rose signifies passion and sensual desire or shame and occasionally blood and sacrifice.

CUT FLOWERS

Pick garden flowers in the cool of the morning or in the evening. If it has been raining and the flowers are wet, shake them gently to remove the excess water.

Choose half-open blooms or buds with a little color showing. If picked too tightly in bud, they may never open. This is especially true of tulips and roses.

The green pointed sepals around the base of the rose should be starting to turn downward. Irises and daffodils should be half open.

Gladioli should be picked when the bottom three or four florets are open and the top florets are still in bud.

Carnations, dahlias, marigolds, hydrangeas, camellias, and chrysanthemums should be picked when they are fully opened.

Take a bucket of warm water into the garden when cutting flowers. Use a sharp pair of pruning clippers and cut the flower stems at an anglea slanted cut allows a better intake of water.

Remove all foliage from the lower portion of the stems standing under the waterline as foliage left on stems below the waterline will rot and pollute the water. Place the flowers immediately in the water.

Never overcrowd flowers. Allow enough air to circulate between each flower. Too many flowers crowded together in a bucket may cause the petals to become squashed and bruised. Place the bucket in a cool, dark place and allow the flowers to have a long drink before being arranged.

If purchased, flowers cannot be placed in water for several hours; the best way to keep them fresh is to place them in a strong plastic bag with some water in the bottom. Secure the bag with a rubber band. Another method is to wrap flowers in damp newspaper. If traveling by car, place the flowers in the coolest spot.

Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them.

Chinese proverb

Flowers with woody stems such as roses or chrysanthemums should have the ends of the stems crushed with a heavy object, or slit the stems 1" (2.5 cm) up before arranging.

Before putting the flowers in water, snip off the end of each stem. When flowers are first cut, the sap in the stalk congeals and seals the cut end, preventing it from absorbing water.

When buying cut flowers such as chrysanthemums or daisy types, always look at their center. Green is freshly cut and yellow means they have been cut for some time.

If roses are wilting, cut " off the stem, wrap in paper, plunge stems into boiling water for approximately ten seconds, then put into a vase filled with cold water.