Two Hour Gardening Project: Stage 5 – Herbaceous Border, Dahlias, and Lawn Start

Three major tasks: plant petunias (flower of fortnight), start herbaceous/perennial border with Korean chrysanthemum root clump, add pom-pom dahlia (Stage 9 flower). Tubers frost-tender: lift before frost, store dry, replant spring. First look at lawn.

Needs: 6 petunia transplants; 7 dahlia tubers; 5 chrysanthemum plants; 1 pkt lawn food; 1 pkt bone meal. Time: 4 hours in 2 weeks. Early June: longest days, rapid growth. Clear sunny skies, devastating thunderstorms. Storm water pans soil—mulch with peat/compost.

Flower of the Fortnight: Petunia

Subtropical American native. Fantastically colorful, floppy trumpet blooms in almost every color. Striped forms most effective; or white clumps among colored. Don't grow from seed—buy transplants. Two tips: dig bonfire ash into soil before planting. Planting: trowel hole big enough for all roots, firm, water. Full sun, never dry out. Watch for slugs/bugs.

Groundwork

Compost bin: vegetable waste showing decomposition. Every 15 cm waste, add 2.5 cm soil. Short of soil? Use moss peat, leaf-mould, farmyard manure, bonfire ash, or night soil (remote areas). Measure 15 cm layers: paint red stripes on bin back—1 cm thick, 15 cm apart. Compost never too wet/hot. Beat winter wet/storms with heavy plastic sheeting. Never let dry out. Dry/hot: sprinkle lightly. Temperature: fanatics use thermometer; nose works—ammonia = too hot (fork to aerate); garbage smell = too cool (add activator—urine free/effective). Never put weed-killed plants in bin.

Project Work: Herbaceous Border; Beautiful Lawn

Perennials = most reliable color, year after year, better with time. Buy dormant from center. Overnight in bucket of water, wrapped. Dawn: dig bed per Stage 2 (remove stones/roots, add peat/bone meal). Individual hole per plant: spade depth/width. Scatter soil on bed. Make hill at hole bottom. Dahlia tuber top 10 cm below soil—build hill with soilless mix to correct level. Level off with more mix. Firm, saucer depression. Soak. Chrysanthemums same but higher hill so sprouting tops above soil. Spread roots, infill, firm, soak. Soak both twice, rake surplus soil over depression.

Lawns: essential—shows off flowers like polished shoes show suit. Begin regular feeding/mowing—improves fast. Dig small weeds (daisies) with daisy fork; larger with trowel, fill with soilless mix, firm hard.