April 27, 2020, by Maartje

A dry garden, that's how you deal with it

Conscious, Outdoor, Handy
April 27, 2020, by Maartje

A dry garden, that's how you deal with it

Have you noticed that since we've been at home, we've had a few hours of rain on exactly 1 day? Good for us, less good for our plants. Dry, that is the ground. Of course no one can do anything about that, but Mothers wouldn't be Mothers if she didn't have some tips for saving water!

Prevention is better than cure

Prevention is better than cure

Prevention is better than cure: do not plant flowers or plants that droop their heads after a day of sunshine, such as the Hydrangea. On the other hand, there are many beautiful plants that can withstand drought well, such as lavender, a Mexican daisy, wallflower, Agapanthus, herbs and the summer geranium,

Then make sure that as little black soil as possible is visible. Sprinkle compost over the soil or bentonite (which is a type of clay), but a combination of the two is even better! It works like a kind of sponge. The combination absorbs water when there is enough of it and releases it when it is needed. You can also spread your grass clippings on black soil; all helps.

And a no brainer perhaps, but you just have to remember: put buckets, barrels and containers when it rains so that you can use the water for your garden when necessary. And when you are going to cook, wash your vegetables in a bucket of water (and not in the sink) so that you can add that water to the plants.

You also have to do a lot of weeding around this time. I usually do that by hand. If you have already planted summer plants, you have to be careful that they do not freeze, because the nights are still cold! 

Oh, and this one: take out the paving stone, put in the plant. Otherwise, the rainwater will drain too quickly through the sewer system.

Behind the geraniums

Behind the geraniums

There are two types of geranium: the summer geranium that you plant in the spring and which blooms all summer. He dies in the autumn. And there is the hardy geranium. It is called Pelargonium (stork's bill). It blooms from a few weeks to a few months. In winter it goes underground or remains above ground and green. There are many different types and most of them smell very nice. They are often used as border plantings or as ground cover plants. I prune them back when they have finished flowering to just above the ground. They then shoot out nice and fresh again and some bloom for the second time or even for the third time in one season.

This geranium almost always blooms with round flowers. If you combine them with elongated flowers (adderroot, purple loosestrife, lamp cleaner, mallow or licorice plant) you get beautiful combinations. Pay attention to the flowering time of the plant!

I think beautiful types of cranesbill are Rozanne (lilac), Endressii Wargrave pink, Dreamland, Magnificum, Ann Thompson (purple/red), Daily blue, Derrick Cook (white with a hint of pink).

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