Watering a Potted Rose Without Leaving a Wet Saucer
A saucer makes it easy to see when water has run through a pot. It also makes it easy to leave the roots above a pool of water long after the watering is finished. Check…
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A Rose Flowering Date Is a Guide, Not an Appointment
A rose described as flowering in a particular month may behave differently in another garden. Variety, climate and the season's weather matter more than a date copied from a general care page. First find out…
A Rose Photo Looks Perfect: Check the Plant Behind the Bloom
A rose can be photographed so closely that its growing habit disappears. Before buying from a flower photograph, ask to see a mature plant and confirm the named cultivar. A climber, a spreading shrub and…
Buying a Chinese Orchid When the English Label Is Vague
A label reading simply 'Chinese orchid' leaves too much unanswered. It does not establish the species, flowering habit or growing conditions of the plant in front of you. Ask for the botanical name or the…
Photographing an Orchid So Its Form Is Easy to Compare
One close-up rarely records an orchid well enough for later comparison. Take a picture of the whole plant, a front view of an open flower and a side view showing the flower's shape. Keep the…
Cornflowers Leaning Over: Check Crowding Before Adding Stakes
A leaning cornflower may need support, but first look at how it was grown. Closely packed plants compete for light, and a pot that looked attractively full when young can become difficult to manage later.…
Thin-Snow Sedum Is Stretching: Judge the New Growth
A stretched sedum does not become compact again simply because the pot has been moved. The useful question is whether the growth produced after the change is closer and sturdier. Check the plant's actual light…
Gardenia Buds Are Forming: Avoid Changing Everything at Once
A gardenia carrying buds is a tempting plant to fuss over. More feeding, a larger pot and a move to a better view may all seem helpful, but doing them together makes any resulting problem…
Single or Double Peonies: Choosing Beyond Flower Colour
A single peony and a densely double one can share almost the same colour but look very different in a planting. Look at the entire open flower rather than judging from a tightly cropped photograph.…
Keeping Rainwater Out of a Peony's Decorative Outer Pot
A decorative outer pot can hide a drainage problem. After rain, water may collect around the nursery container even though the inner pot has perfectly good holes. Lift the inner pot and check the bottom…
Lantana Has Plenty of Leaves but Few Flowers
A leafy lantana is not necessarily short of food. Before changing fertiliser, look at the light reaching the plant and the growth you are asking it to support. A shrub tucked behind other plants may…
Choosing Marigolds for a Narrow Border: Read the Height First
Two trays of marigolds can look almost identical while they are small and still make very different plants in a border. Read the expected mature height and spread before choosing by flower colour. A compact…