Blog – Garden Plants Online

Five reasons to own a lemon tree

1. All the Vitamin C
Lemons are naturally high in vitamin C, which can have many health benefits, from improving skin tone, to helping boosting your immune system, and even reducing the chances of developing asthma.

2. The fruit is anti-bacterial
Lemons contain pectin fibre, which is a natural anti-bacterial. Have hot water mixed with honey and lemon if you have a cold or sore throat.

3. Easy to grow
Lemons are some of the easiest plants to grow, as theyre happy either in the garden or as houseplants. All you need to do is keep them warm enough, (around 21ºC in the day and not below 13ºC at night), and give them space to spread out!

4. Unlimited cooking potential
You can use either the zest or the juice of a lemon in anything from your roast chicken, to a slice in your favourite drink, to a drizzle cake. We love this simple recipe from BBC Good Food: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4942/lemon-drizzle-cake

5. Theyre simply beautiful
Not only do they bear tasty fruit, are easy to grow, and good for you, the plant itself is surprisingly beautiful. Lemon trees produce small white flowers before fruiting, which also have a gorgeous scent, perfect for lazy summer afternoons spent in your garden.

Cherry Tree Harvests

July is the month for harvesting your cherry trees!

How to harvest your berries will depend on whether you have sour or sweet fruit. Sour cherries should come off their stems of their own accord when they are fully ripe, whereas the sweet variety will need to be tasted. Its a tough job, but someone has to check the delicious fruit!

An important thing to note is that cherries do not continue to ripen once they have been picked, so as difficult as it may be, you need to be patient in picking. Once they are ripe however, be prepared to pick a lot of fruit, as a mature tree can produce up to 50 quarts (about 55kg!) of fruit in a year. You should also keep a close eye on the weather once youre cherries have ripened, as rain can cause them to split.

You can harvest your cherries with the stems if you dont plan on using them straight away, (or if you havent worked your way through the first crop yet!), but be careful not to tear the fruit spur with it. If youre planning on cooking or canning your cherries, just leave the stems behind on the tree.

To keep your cherries at their best, keep them in pierced plastic bags in your fridge.

Plants care needs: What makes them grow?

We meet plants at least once every day in our lives, but do we know what makes plants grow and how they grow? In order to grow a plant needs water, air, light, space, time, temperature and nutrients.

Air & Soil

Clean, fresh air and healthy soil can really help a plant flourish. By surrounding a plant with polluted air caused by smoke and gases, it limits the plants ability to soak up the Carbon Dioxide provided in the air to assist in photosynthesis (the making of food) and preventing the full exposure to sunlight which is mandatory for healthy growth.

Another must is, healthy soil which has the upmost importance when it comes to supporting the plants growth with nutrients. It also acts as an anchor to the root of the plants.

Space & Time

In order for a plant to flourish, it needs enough room to spread it roots and leaves. Without this, the plant could be prevented from reaching its maximum growth potential. Another factor when deciding where to place your plants is disease. When plants are placed to close together and become overcrowded, this reduces the amount of airflow that reaches each plant, which can be very hazardous to the plants health.

As you know, plants cant and dont grow overnight (as much as we would want them to!) With patience, time and nurturing plants can reach their full potential, whether that is growing taller and taller or producing fruit and flowers.

Water & Nutrients

Plants need water and food to survive, just like us! Nutrients are usually given to plants when being watered. 3 of the most important nutrients needed for a plants growth are phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. Phosphorus is used for making the roots strong and the flowers that flourish big, potassium is used to help fend of diseases that could harm the plant and nitrogen is used to make and keep the leaves green.

Most, if not all plants use the water given to transfer nutrients and moisture between the leaves and the roots. This is usually soaked up through the roots of the plant. Because of this, it is absolutely necessary to water soil when it gets dry.

Please remember: Too much or too little nutrients and water can be harmful to the growth of your plant.

Light & Temperature

Not only are the above factors important, the plant would not be able to survive without light and adequate temperature. In order for a plant to grow and flourish as expected, it needs sunlight. This is what provides the plant with the energy to make its food (photosynthesis). If light is not given to the plant, it can turn weak and droopy looking, also reducing the amount of flowers and fruits that would grow.

Last but not least, plants have a temperature clock just like us. In the night time they like cooler temperatures and in the day time warmer temperatures. If they become too cold, they will freeze and too hot and they will burn.

If you need any care advice for a specific plant, please do not hesitate to contact one of our helpful staff via Live Chat or email on customerservice@gardenplantsonline.co.uk

Students going green in Colorado!

Do you know where the food in your canteen or cafeteria comes from? No? Well the students at Sopris Elementary School in Colorado do. Do you want to know how? They grow it themselves!

Some final year students, from the school, invited the local Mayor, Bruce Christensen, to lunch in a bid to make school lunches healthier. Christensen granted their request and joined the students in a passionate discussion, at their school cafeteria. We talked about the importance of fresh food and thats how it all got started, he says.

Christensen, an Executive Director or Mountain Valley Developmental Services (MVDS) located next door to the school, invited the students to use part of their greenhouse for their own growth of vegetables and fruit.

The schools final year Teacher, Mark Browning, helped create a plan for the use of the greenhouse (including cost!) spreading the word to local banks and businesses. The FDSD (Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development) provided the school with a loan and an additional $5,000 for the plan.

Present day, the school greenhouse project is booming. Solar-heating systems have been installed to keep the plant beds warm and toasty during the winter months. Over 400 students work in the greenhouse 2 to 3 times a week.

Not only is the greenhouse providing healthy food items for the cafeteria, it is also providing vital materials for students in the Science class. Vegetable scraps from the cafeteria are taken to the greenhouse for the worms to break down and create fresh soil for the vegetables and fruits.

Because of this project, the teachers and students feel inspired to plant their very own gardens at home. Niamone, a final year student says, The project taught us that with a little hard work, you can make a healthier choice. You just have to take the first step!

Has this inspired you?

January fundamental tasks for your Garden Plants

January is a very cold month as we are on the middle of the winter. For all of us January is the month to start a new period of life with a lot of new objectives.

Why not start the 2016 taking more care about your garden and cultive a beautiful Garden Plants on it?

We understand the last thing that you are thinking to do is going outside a normal day snowing with a temperature minus 0 and with the darkness of the short days it can be very hard. If you want to take pleasure in your garden and enjoy the rest of the year you must do this effort. It will be more easy stay at home lying on the couch with a blanket and watching a movie. But remember if you want to achieve your goals and our garden produce beautiful results in spring you have to be consistent and work hard.

Basically January tasks you should not neglect are those of maintenance, such as pruning and planting new plants.

General information

If it not freezes you must irrigate regularly fences especially this one’s with evergreens.

After a huge snowing is recommendable take out the snow of bushes, especially of the conifers to avoid that branches will break.

The month of January is ideal to put on anti-pest on trees and with that avoid pests.

Avoid and remove the leaves of Autumn around plants of early flower.

The most important start to think what you want to plant to your garden and how you want that looks like next season. January you can plant trees and deciduous shrubs but as long as the ground is not cold or wet. You can also plant seasonal flowering plants.

In the areas of cold weather January is typically good for pruned not miss do it if you have roses, deciduous shrubs, fruit trees.

We should never prune plants that bloom in winter, flower production could be affected and it is always recommendable to prune after flowering.

In very cold areas, where there are frequent frosts, it is recommended to postpone pruning until winter is over, as wetness could penetrate and damage the plant.

Compost the yew-tree, boxwood, holly.

Is recommendable put a little bit more of turf on hydrangeas.

It is time to plan our plantings for the arrival of the spring that is the season that flowers start to flourish. Remember it is the ideal time to plant fruit trees and roses.

The cold causes hardening of the substrate, is important keep fluff and padding with pine bark to prevent is compacted.

Remember the first month of the year is very important to make your garden look perfect when spring arrives.

An old proverb says: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now.”

Some Ideas to Design Small Garden

The most important and essential to create a wonderful garden is to have harmony and concordance on it, arrive to create a place to relax, calm or have an enjoyable meal with your friends. Try that your garden has unique and miscellaneous style, be different!

If you want to design a comfortable garden you must choose plants and spaces that require a minimum maintenance. Use conifers that are easy to take care only these ones that need pruning once a year instead of every month. Informal trees are beautiful as well and you have the advantage that can give some fruits and flowers.

It’s a good idea to have in the garden a hidden corner for contemplation, relax, sleep, meditate and forget about everything. Ornaments in the garden have an important role you can add some sculptures to decorate the space and achieving an unimaginable space that will seem that you are in another planet.

Moreover you can install a small pond, a waterfall or fountain creating a refreshing atmosphere and the sound of water it produces serenity and relaxation.

The outdoor furniture for our small garden must be simple, convenient and practical, so that we feel as well as within inside our home.

Is convenient changing the plants according to the season and weather, you must know the color of the flowers and when the plants are more beauteous.

Also you can take advantage of the imaginary skills of your children helping us to choose the best flowers, Garden Plants according with the style of your home, at the same time you can expend a wonderful weekend on family. You can use a corner in the garden to introduce to them in the world of the gardening. They can plant sunflower seeds or other varieties.

An essential element that will help us get spaciousness effect is lighting. You can put some lighting in the garden to illuminate your artwork overnight.

Study all the areas of your garden if they are sun or shade to decide what to plant in each place. Normally flowers need six hours of sunshine per day study the need of each to decide which one is more convenient for your garden.

Aromatic plants are easy to take care of, are beautiful with pleasant odors and you can use for your cooking.

5 Tips On Taking Care of a Lemon Tree

Introduction

Lemon trees are just any beautiful addition to your garden or even in houseplants. Lemon tree is one of the favourite plants from all the plant lovers and it always has a special place in the garden. Lemon tree is liked because of its tasty fruit and also it has nice fragrance if placed inside the house.

Tips for taking Care of Lemon Tree:

Lemon trees (Citrus Trees) are not very big water lovers, so you do not need to water the plant every day. Lemon tree roots has the tendency to get rot if constantly left wet so water the plant when the soil starts to get dry that can be easily judged by the fingers.
Lemon plants need lots of sun so make sure they get plenty amount of direct sunlight and if placed inside put them near to window so that they get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight.
If you are placing your lemon tree inside the house so make sure you pot them into dark pot as lemon trees like to be warm around and a dark pot will attract heat and will keep the roots warm.
Pot the plant in a 2 inches wider pot than its roots, lemon trees do not mind to be root bound. Re-pot the plant when roots are too bound.
Use fertilizers which is rich in Nitrogen and Potassium not with Phosphorus. Use fertilizers which are made for lemon trees as they are usually close to the ideal composition of the 5-1-3. Divide the amount of fertilizers you want to add to your lemon plant into equal and constant diets with water that will help your lemon plant to get proper and regular nutrients.

So by following the above described caring tips you should have your healthy and beautiful lemon tree.

Are you looking for a lemon tree?

View our lemon tree section to view our quality Citrus Limonum trees.

The best time of year to buy and plant conifer trees

If your planting a couple of Conifer trees in a row make sure you space them out, bearing in mind.

When planting a Conifer tree, the best time of year would be in the autumn as its cooler, meaning the soil would be warm, but not hot or cold, trees tend to take to damp wet soil conditions, but Conifers may need to be planted in somewhat special conditions.

Conifer trees are slightly more complicated than other Garden Plants, so picking any old spot just wont do, the tree may grow but will not reach its full potential.

When it comes to planting Conifer trees, make sure you use a good planting soil with good nutrients, water the soil to moisten it up, as Conifers need to be planted in a rich moist soil base to enable the best chance of growth.

Always pick a good area that gets plenty of sunlight, Conifer trees needs the sun to be able to grow to its full height and potential, if you fail to position the tree in the right place you may notice your trees not doing so well and may not reach full maturity.

You can plant conifer trees in the autumn or spring but I would always suggest the autumn, if you plant your Conifer tree in the autumn it has the whole winter season to set its roots in the ground, so by the spring time your Conifer will be fully set in the soil and be ready to start sprouting upwards.

Always make sure the hole you dig and plant your Conifer tree in, are big enough and deep enough to conceal all the roots, the roots should be very moist before you plant the tree as dry roots could lead to your tree not growing to its full height.

View our Conifer Trees

Five Unusual Uses of Lemon Trees

To get started, buy your lemon tree in our online sale and have it delivered at your doorstep, or collect it at your convenience.?

When life throws you lemons, make lemonade goes the famous proverb. So lemons aren’t just meant for just salads and sangria!! While the lovely lemon is a staple kitchen ingredient, lemon trees also have some really unusual uses!

Here are our Top Five fascinating uses of lemon trees:

Natural refreshing scent

Having a lemon tree in your garden is a wonderful way to get some completely natural and energizing fragrance into your immediate environment!
The word lemon conjures up images of vivid green and yellow fruit and a strong, refreshing smell. Research has discovered that the scent is produced by a series of minute oil glands on the rind of lemons!
Eliminate bad odours from garbage, countertops and so on by using lemon peels!
DIY enthusiasts also recommend the use of lemons in boiling water to get rid of strong paint fumes
So why waste money on chemically formulated room sprays when a natural refresher is so easily available?

Home makeover – Add vibrancy and colour

A quick summer home makeover need not necessarily burn a hole in your pocket! Make your home look bright and summery with something unusual how about a bright lemon tree? Add zing to the setting with a few brightly coloured cushions and throws and you are all set to enjoy whatever is left of the English summer! Who knows perhaps the gorgeous green and yellow colours will enhance your spirits even without that drink ;-)!

Reliable in-house doctor and beautician!

Believe it or not, your lemon tree could be your local doctor and beautician! Lemons are known to possess excellent antibacterial properties, aid immunity and help fight infection. Lemon and honey is a famous home remedy for sore throats! In addition, lemons are a bleaching agent that can be used to reduce the effects of a sun tan or even your hair colour!

The Natural Disinfectant

Your lemon tree could provide you with huge supplies of natural disinfectant, cleaner and sanitizer! Apart from eliminating grease from dirty dishes, lemon juice could also be used to destroy harmful weeds, clean home surfaces and more! Lemon juice can be used to spruce up anything right from white clothes to furniture!

Drive cats away!

This may not go down well with cat-lovers, but it is believed that strong citrus smell drives cats away. Therefore for those of you who want your neighbours cat to steer clear of your yard, try growing a lemon tree! And if you cant then perhaps try placing lemon peels outside or around your home!

How to get your lemon tree

Growing a lemon tree is really easy, even for a non-gardener! It is low on maintenance and can grow in any temperature as long as it is properly watered.

Our Lemon Trees

Cypress Tree Comes Back From The Dead!

I’ve not known many people that have risen from the dead! Actually not even one. Fascinating then, that
something that was believed to have disappeared 50000 years ago just rose from the dead!!! Yes, this
gorgeous underwater Cypress forest has just been discovered by Scuba divers – apparently they still smell
fresh when cut! Wondering how that is even possible?

Well, brace yourself for some fascinating facts about the Cypress:

Cypress is infact one of the oldest living trees on earth, some live for around 1400 years (and now
ofcourse the Bald Cypress has beaten all records!)

Some fast-growing cypress trees can grow at the rate of 3-4 inches per month, potentially giving you an 8-foot tree in just 2 years!

Cypress is the symbol of Artemis, the Greek God of environment, hunting and fertility

Tolerant to most water and weather conditions, Cupressus can be grown anywhere right from
deserts to marshlands and even right in your back garden

Naturally resists decay, does not require much pruning and is very hardy
Well, now that makes us think that if any tree could survive 50000 years under the sea, it had to be the
Cypress!

The Cypress is a really popular tree in the UK… perhaps people love its beauty and elegance.. or perhaps they just want to leave behind a beautiful gift that their great-grandchildren will someday discover!!

Exotic as it sounds, it is actually very easy to buy and maintain a cypress tree or shrub. It comes in different
beautiful varieties and sizes and costs just around 40. You can have it delivered right at your doorstep.
Fifty thousand years might be tad too long but under normal circumstances it should last you a lifetime!

So what are you waiting for? Click here to buy a gorgeous Cypress.

The wacky guide to hedging

There are many reasons that you may want a hedge and many things will influence the choice of plants or plant that will make up the hedge, it is important to give some thought to this as your choice of plants will have different effects on your garden and on your neighbours garden. There have been many examples of people coming to blows due to inconsiderate planting, however this seems to be confined to the miss use of Leylanddii.

If you are planning a hedge just to mark a boundary you have many options as really you can use a great number of plants, however the use of dwarf conifers would never be of any use as they would not become thick enough. If you intend to have a low hedge Lavender springs to mind with its evergreen habit and fantastic scent you really cannot go wrong.

For a medium height hedge most of the conifers are a good bet also it has to be said that Leylandii is misunderstood rather like an irksome teenager, however if you keep it to the height you require and are mindful of others light then you will get a dense hedge that requires very little work.

Pyracantha also makes a fantastic evergreen hedge that happens to be a great additional deterrent for chavs, as it has lots of tough thorns and in the winter it will be covered with just the most darling little berries.

There are some people that go into bat for the mixed native hedge, there is much to recommend this and it is good for wildlife and for farms, I do however have to question its use in towns and built up areas as it would seem by its very nature not to fit for purpose.

Beech is another fine plant for a hedge and you can choose the copper beech with its dark crimson leaves although not evergreen it will form a dense hedge of up to 3meters in height.

Photinia will make a fantastic hedge and is also evergreen with simply darling red leaves to die for in the spring it is possible that this plant would meet all your requirements and then some.

Autumn Garden Jobs

Autumn Garden Jobs

September has arrived and we all have some time left to enjoy the remaining summer before it officially goes away for almost seven months. As we all have things to do in autumn in the same way our plants and garden also need to prepared for the fall. In the garden there is always something to do whether its is pruning, swoing, tidying or just normal watering and fertilizing.?So here at Garden Plants Online our experts decided to write this guide to educate all gardening lovers about the jobs they need to do in their garden to make sure their plants are ready for the autumn.

Autumn Garden jobs:

In autumn soil is still warm so it is still a good time for you to plant new one, as autumn will bring plenty of rain along. Usually shrubs like Hydrangea Macrophylla Mophead ‘Maman Blue’and bare rooted plants.
If you have a vegetable garden then keep harvesting the vegetables and store them so that they can be used later.
It is also a perfect time to start planting the seeds for your winter plants, so that you have colorful winter garden.
Keep looking for diseases, warm days of summer might have left diseases in your plants like black spots on rose leaves. Pick out the affected leaves quickly and now the weather is not that hot so you do not need to water the plants too much.
Do not forget pot and hanging basket plants, they also need to be prepared for the autumn.

So the above discussed steps are the most important autumn garden to make sure your garden is fully prepared for the winters.

Why not look for a tree to plant in your garden this autumn, have a look at our beautiful range of plants.

Written by Greg Chick