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February 2004
Tokely’s Topical Tips 

Andrew Tokely.Andrew Tokely joins Lesley Dolphin for Tokely's tips between 8.30 and 9.00 on Sunday mornings on her Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Suffolk.

Take a look at his Topical Tips for 8th February.

SEE ALSO

Tokely's Topical Tips - 2004

Tokely's Topical Tips - 2003

Tokely's Topical Tips - 2002


Planet Suffolk

Today in Your Garden

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Topical Tips: Week commencing 08/02/04
Eccremocarpus
Eccremocarpus
1. If you have a fence, trellis, pergola or archway that you wish to cover with colour this summer then I may have the answer. Now is the time some of those attractive annual climbers. I like to sow some Eccremocarpus (Chilean Glory Vine) or Rhodochiton (Purple Bell Vine) at this time of year.

Rhodochiton
Rhodochiton
They need a long growing period, hence they are sown now, to ensure they are in flower early in the summer right through until the autumn. Eccremocarpus and Rhodochiton make attractive annual climbers with there decorative tubular flowers.

2. To keep the heated propagator full you can sow many other half-hardy annuals as well now. I like to sow at this time of year antirrhinums, coleus, pansies, violas and wahlenbergia.

Antirrhinum Braun-Blanquetii
Antirrhinum Braun-Blanquetii

3. If you like peppers added to salads and other culinary dishes why not grow your own, they are not as difficult as you may think. Peppers need sowing at this time of year in a heated propagator, at a minimum temperature of 20C (70F). Sow the seeds on the surface of moist multipurpose compost and lightly cover them with fine grade vermiculite. Once sown place in the propagator, and the seeds will germinate in 14-21 days.

Begonia Royal Picotee
Begonia Royal Picotee

4. If you saved your begonia corms from last year's plants, and have had them stored in a frost-free place, now is the time to start them back into growth again. Place your corms in seed trays of multipurpose composts. Begonia tubers should be gently pushed into the compost so they are almost level with the top of the compost. Some gardeners find it difficult to determine which is the top or the bottom of the tuber. This is easily sorted out, as the top has a concave in it, where as the bottom of the corm is round. Once trays are full of corms, place them in a warm place or in a heated propagator.

Potato Kestrel
Potato Kestrel

5. Continue to check all your fruit that is in store, and remove any damaged or rotting fruits. Also check stored potatoes and carrots, to make sure any damaged or diseased tubers or roots are removed before they infect the rest of your stored crop.

6. As seed potatoes are delivered, or if you have purchased them from garden centres, unpack them immediately. Lay the tubers out in seed trays, in a light frost free place, so they start to produce small green shoots, before they are ready for planting in March/April.

Broccoli White Sprouting
Broccoli White Sprouting
7. It won't be long before we will be enjoying the first new peas and potatoes from the vegetable plot. Well I like to add a sprig of fresh mint to mine when cooking. So why not lift a few roots from your mint bed and pot them up now and then stand them in a warm glasshouse to grow on. This will force them to start shooting new growth earlier than normal. Giving you some fresh young mint shoots to add to your dishes early in the season.

Spring Cabbage
Spring Cabbage

8. Spring cabbages and sprouting broccoli plants that have been standing out on the plot all winter will benefit from a booster feed. Sprinkle some Growmore fertiliser or chicken pellets around the plants and work it into the soil. This feed will help replace any nutrients that have been leached out of the soil during the winter rains.

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comments
 

e.g. Tom, Ipswich
hi can anyone tell me when should i plant my lilys i brought from the gfs

e.g. Tom, Ipswich
Please can you let me know what mimulus looks likeThanksJulie

Annette Kent
Should I dead head my anemone de caen? If so where do I cut the stem and how do I care for them?

david nottingham
how do i split begonia corms that have large growth

Beryl Kent
when should I plant my impatiens in the ground

gina burnley
please can you advise best way to hang flower pouches

chris, spain
whats the best way for growing corinander

PW Clacton
I want to put two small hardy plants,shrubs, on my parents Grave. What should I buy please?

leni norfolk
is it too late to plant grass seed

dawn george sevenoaks
do i need to protect my dipladenia plants from frost

Vimi Spain
Can you give me tips on how to care for Dipladenias, some say pinch out new shoots and some say don't.

tony sunbury
do i have to nip out the tops of my dianthus cuttings ?

Colleen Reading
Have grown yellow Verbascom from seed. When's the best time to plant out in the shubbery?

pete west mids
do i remove all stems & leaves on my newly planted rhubarb

Meryl Nottingham
what is the best compost to use when repotting hostas and when best time to repot

Diana O'Donnell, Hythe
I am disabled and unable to get to a garden centre. Where can I get a grease band on line please?

creina Spain
My arum lillies are not lasting very long before wilting and the foliage is going yellow. Am I watering too much. It has`been quite warm and they are on the irrigation line at 3 minutes per day. We have a very heavy clay soil which holds the moisture

Shaun, Oswestry
I have strawberry plants which have started to develop bblack patches and drying out leaves. Can you tell me what this is, and am I ok to use dithane fungicide on the plants?

karen Lincolnshire
how large do seedlings have to be to repot to a larger pot prior to going into the greenhouse and potting out after frosts? Very new to this, any advice would help! Have various seeds carnations, daisys etc just not sure how tall the seedlings should be?

diana chester
whn can i plant my nastertiums outside

Liz somerset
Can I put moss on my compost heap after I have scarified my lawn

graham, chester
our rubber plant is about 8 feet tall, we need to cut it back.Can we,if so when, by how much should we cut it down. Any advice would be very much appreciated. Regards Graham Futcher

Allan Derby
i am having trouble finding onion Beacon F1 seed?

Jenny, Peterborough
I am only a beginner gardener. I had some geraniums and begonias outside in pots, and on the advice of my garden centre brought them indoors when we started to get some frost. They are in the house as I don't have a greenhouse. They seemed to be OK until we turned the central heating on. I think I may have over-watered them to compensate. Very few flowers are left,just on one begonia, a lot of the geranium leaves have dries up, and several of the stalks have gone "mushy". Advice please - I was hoping they would look nice in the house through the winter, and I could put them out again in the Spring.

caroline ipswich
i have got a yellow zantedeschia in my back lounge at the moment and i have noticed just recently that a couple of the leaves are gone yellow please tell what to do,have i over watered it.

Mike N Wales
My rubber plant has grown long air roots, can I cut them off?

e.g. Tom, Ipswich
How do I look after banana plants

bethany leicester
is it possible to get seeds from trailing geranium plants if so, how?

Kate, Solihull
I have strawberry plants in pots, the leaves are growing too big, do I need to cut the old leaves off to make way for the new ones and do I need to do anything special to them over the winter. It is now autumn. Thanks.

Stan ,Manchester
My Hydrangea has very large blooms , but they are hidden inside masses of leaves

Helen, Surrey.
I planted two dwarf banana plants back in may and now need to move them. whats the best wat yo do it and at what time of the year?Thanks H

M Shaw Dorset
Arum lillies -should the dead flowers and seed heads be cut off

e.g. denise hampshire
do i have to trim the leaves from my courgettte plant there seems to be more leaf than fruit

Dianne - Co Durham
Most of my fuschias have leaves which have turned yellow and dropped, but a new set of buds are now ready to open. what could be the problem please?

Gordon----Plymouth
I have some pots 10"dia and 16" tall,i want to grow individual celery plants in each one, have you any advice please.

John - Antrim
When the flower heads on Arum lillies die back what should I do?

kirkbyken
any answers to these questions

Stewart /Wiltshire
Leaf Curl on Asters how do I treat

chrissie South Yorkshire
Im trying to save some overgrown shrubs either by cutting back or taking cuttings have found your site brilliant thanks!!!!

e.g. Tom, Ipswich
Can I cut the leaves off courgette plants

jack london
how do I get rid of japanese anemones?

connie london
i planted arum lily this year but so far nothing is showing. have i done the correct method

Nora, Cairneyhill
Should I dead head my anemone de caen? If so where do I cut the stem and how do I care for them?

e.g. Tom, Ipswich
Blackcurrant bush with red blistering on leaves nnd stunted growth. I. D. and treatment, please.

jo leicester
how do i get rid of black fly on nasturtiums? please help

Angie Cheshire
I have trasplanted a rhubarb crown (sept 2006) can I harvest the fruit this year?

sammy worcester
How do you get a wisteria tree ?

e.g. gabby, cheshire
can I use moss from the lawn in my compost bin? will it make good compost?

terry hull
i need to paint wooden garden furniture i have tried the shed and fence paint but was no good advise please

LAKOOKARACHA
Tell me if birds are affected by music.

george cambridge
Were can I get icarus sprout seeds?

Jane, Shropshire
I Googled for advice on how to treat chrysanthemum stools over the winter and found your advice most helpful, thanks :O)

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