Africanaussie

One of the best ways to propagate ginger plants is by the layering method.  My pink ginger was acquired from a  friend who popped one of her flowers into a pot, and now I am doing the same.   One I put into a pot, and the other I put straight into the ground.  Both were held down with wire pegs so that there is firm connection with the soil.  as you can see the original branch is dying as it gives  life to the new plant.  Isn't that awesome? A  lot of plants can be propagated in this way - here you can see that the flower is already putting out new leaves, and as soon as it is pegged down into the earth or a pot it will begin to grow roots and a new plant. Sometimes gardening just amazes me.

I really enjoyed the times that MrFothergills sent me some seed tape to try out.  It was great for the grandkids to plant, and I had nice neat rows of plants.  It is an expensive way to plant though, so I decided to try and make my own. You are going to need: a flat board to work on, toilet paper, a little pot and paintbrush, flour, and seeds. Take your little pot and add about a tablespoon of flour mixed with about a tablespoon of water. This is your glue..  Measure the toilet paper into strips as long as the board you are using, and cut in half lengthwise. Lay one half on the board, and mark down the end of the remaining half the name of the seeds you will be using.  Dab some glue onto the toilet paper - it doesnt have to be totally covered,  then place your seeds in a line down the center.  Cover with the remaining half of your paper with the name of the seeds.  At this stage I lightly sprayed the paper with some water to ensure everythin...

I have mentioned before how comfrey is a hugely important part of my little garden.  In some areas I understand that you cannot get rid of comfrey, but I ofen lose plants during the wet season, so always have some that I keep in a pot and then I can add plants in areas that have died off.  I like growing it against this fence behind the herb spiral. Because of its long root system it mines minerals from deep in the earth and stores all this goodness in its leaves.   I keep cutting the long side leaves off and add them to the compost, the inlet to my wicking bed and then also into my comfrey fertilizer factory.  I dont like to soak the comfrey leaves in water as they get very smelly and then my hubby and my neighbour give me strange looks and wont come near me for days. What I do is make a concentrate, and this can be diluted down and used as a (non smelly) foliar spray. I use the 2 litre empty milk bottles, but you could use whatever size you want.  You wil...