FEATURE: GREENHOUSES & OUTDOOR BUILDINGS


MAKE SMALL SPACES AN OASIS OF COLOUR GROW THE BRIGHTEST OF FLOWERS IN THE SMALLEST OF GREENHOUSES


Greenhouse manufacturer Hartley Botanic provides some greenhouse growing insight for some of the brightest of flowers.


I


n the summer months,


a small


greenhouse can be used to grow any of the traditional larger


greenhouse


plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, or herbs and start off seedlings, which can later be transferred outdoors. During colder months, a mini-greenhouse can also be used to plant more temperature- sensitive crops. Growing cut flowers in a small greenhouse can also provide a concentrated pop of colour to brighten up a small garden, patio or even balcony.


Time for blooms


Pick your plants with their flowering schedule in mind to keep blooms coming month after month. To get spring flowers as early as February and March, just pot up a few primulas and put them in your greenhouse. And while you’re planning a flowering schedule, don’t forget about bulbs, such as amaryllis and paperwhites. Simply plant the bulbs in pots about six to eight weeks before you want the


blooms. Also, for those in-between times, African violets (Saintpaulia) and cape primroses (Streptocarpus) can be in bloom in a greenhouse virtually all winter long.


Orchids Orchids


are extremely popular


greenhouse flowers. Among the easiest to grow are phalaenopsis (or moth) orchids, which are sold virtually everywhere in a wide variety of colours. When the blooms eventually fade, just snip off the flower stem and let the plant rest for a few months while keeping the soil moist. As soon as a new flower stalk emerges, fertilize the plant and put it in a warm place until it flowers again.


Dahlias There are dahlias in almost every colour save blue with an almost extravagant series of sizes and sorts such as cactus, pompon, peony and ball flowered. Not particular as to soil or compost as long as this is moist, but well drained, then they will flower quite prolifically. Grown under cover a variety will start


flowering earlier, to be followed later by plants moved or planted outdoors. Left on the plants any fading blooms need dead-heading if you wish new flowers to keep coming but otherwise they require no special treatment. Dahlias like most plants will respond to


regular watering and feeding


though they also cope with neglect quite well. You can grow dahlias from seed though not of the very choicest varieties which can be cultivated by planting ‘tubers’ out. Of course, for very choice varieties you can also buy an initial plant and then from then on you can keep the strain going for decades - each plant multiplies every year.


Geraniums (Pelargoniums) You can grow many sorts of pelargoniums from seed with little difficulty and almost all can be propagated by cuttings.


Contrary to common belief most


pelargoniums don’t need poor soil but reasonably rich ones, and to be lightly fed as well. However too much feed, especially nitrogen, causes lusher growth and loses the desired colouring and patterning.


Watering is another misconception, although pelargoniums can endure drought for long, they flower and look better with an adequate regular supply. Naturally this is


reduced


to minimum from autumn through winter as growth slows and slowly increasing again in spring. Pelargoniums generally prefer warmth and light but do not need to be baked and parched as if in their native desert. Such severe conditions may encourage red spider mite. It’s better to keep them well ventilated even a tad humid during the summer. In winter aridity is safer as its mould not cold that kills. Scrupulous tidying of dead leaves etc helps keep them safe. Otherwise they’re seldom any trouble, indeed just too easy.


For more tips and insight, Hartley Botanic’s online magazine provides a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. Visit: https://hartley-botanic.co.uk/ magazine


GARDEN IMPROVEMENTS THAT NOW ADD MOST VALUE


New research from the find-a-tradesperson platform, Rated People shows a year of lockdowns and reduced social contact has meant outdoor space for entertaining is now more valuable than ever to homebuyers.


Summerhouses, outdoor entertaining areas, external lighting, children’s treehouses, and pizza ovens are now among the most value-adding garden improvements, adding almost £20,000 to the value of your home. Other garden add-ons that have gained in popularity over the last year, like a garden home office and a garden gym, could add another £10,000 on top. The findings are taken from this year’s Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report, where potential homebuyers revealed how much extra they’d pay for different garden improvements - with things like garden offices, garden gyms and outdoor entertaining areas now adding more value to a home than classic additions like a lawned garden, a paved patio, and mature trees and plants. Almost two-thirds (64%) of UK residents now say they wouldn’t buy a property if it didn’t have an outdoor area. A third (29%) of the UK say they’re


www.diyweek.net


looking to move to a property with more outdoor space in the next 12 months, and nearly one in three (30%) went on to say a home’s outside space is actually more important to them than what’s on offer inside.


The study also reveals how much outside space has helped our mental health over the past year. Well over half (57%) of the UK say having a garden helped them to get through the pandemic, and 44% admitted that without their outdoor area, there was no way they would have been able to see their family or friends. Well over a third (39%) of the UK say they got


more interested in gardening during the pandemic and this year, almost half the nation (47%) plan to transform their gardens in some way. Adrienne Minster, CEO at Rated People comments: “Our gardens and outside spaces have been a lifeline over the past year. For many of us, outside spaces have gone from being somewhere


we might spend a bit of time when the weather is nice, to an important extension of our homes which have allowed us to see friends and family when it might not otherwise have been possible. It’s easy to see why homeowners and homebuyers now place more value on outdoor spaces.


For the full Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report, visit: https://www.ratedpeople. com/blog/home-improvement-trends-report


JULY 2021 DIY WEEK 21


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