WE HAVE been on holiday in foreign parts – Cambodia, to be precise. As I reported to my Doric tutor on return, it wis afa het and mochy. The reason for choosing the location was to visit family who are working there.
A quick geography lesson: Cambodia lies on the Gulf of Siam (Thailand) and its neighbours to the north are Thailand and Laos, and to the east, Vietnam. While we are at latitude 56N; Cambodia is at 12N, getting close to the equator.
When we were away, you had that deluge which caused so much of a problem – the folks in large swaths of Cambodia live with the problems daily. Just before we arrived, the local beach at Sihanoukville, where we stayed most of the time, was swept away in the wake of the last tsunami, which hit the Philippines, further south.
Horticulturally, it was an extremely quick learning curve for me. Many of the plants were completely new, while a few were recognisable as some of the exotic indoor plants we grow here, including stunning orchids. The hinterland near our holiday location was mainly devoted to rice growing and some of the agriculture came to town now and again – as my picture shows.
We did spend a couple of days in the north of the country visiting the ancient temples near the city of Siem Reap, notably Ankhor Wot. The whole area is like our designated national parks and the forest authorities there manage the trees extremely well, many specimens being labelled.
One of the “must-see” sites was featured in the film, Tomb Raider (apparently), where the jungle is taking over, with massive Kapok trees steadily colonising the ruins. The area attracts something like 1.6million visitors per year.
We are back tae auld claes and parritch, with a significant dip in the ambient temperatures being felt over the first few days. We have had our first meeting of the Beechgrove team to plan next year’s series – and, of course, this is the time for gardeners to be mapping out the season ahead.
Just before we left, there were newspaper articles emerging about some of our seed companies not being too careful with the quality control of the seeds in the packet. The information was gleaned from a report issued by the Consumer Association’s arm, Gardening Which? showing that in one or two isolated cases, all the seeds in a packet were dead.
In theory, there is a legal guarantee about the germination rate covering every packet of seed sold and, to be fair, the same report does quote levels of more than 90% viability in many cases.
Unless every one is 100%, however, that leaves room for some fairly shocking findings. My point is that some seeds are quite difficult to germinate even when you have good seeds and excellent facilities, so these findings are disturbing. Species such as begonia and geranium are in that category, and these were among the examples quoted.
So what about the packets of seed knocking about in your shed somewhere, some unopened, perhaps, others with a dribble of seed still remaining? What chance of them germinating next spring?
The fact is that, with foil packing, some seeds will remain viable for a few years. This is particularly the case with brassicas, (except turnips).
Although the price of seed has risen significantly over the years – and some would say the number of seeds in the packet has gone down at the same time – fresh seed should be used if possible because, apart from the financial aspect, what you lose if you do have poor germination, or none at all, is something you can’t get back – and that is time.
By the time you realise there is a mini-disaster about to happen, you may be two or three weeks further into the growing season, and you can’t get that back. OK, it won’t lead to total failure, but the harvest results may be less impressive. My advice, therefore, is to use new seed each spring.
We had an interesting and timely question on Potting Shed last Sunday about the maintenance of containers through the winter – specifically those planted up with specimen shrubs. The lead question was: should they be watered?
It allowed me to reiterate an important point about this form of cultivation.
The roots of woody and herbaceous perennials, be they rhododendrons or hostas, are insulated from significant changes in moisture levels and temperature when planted in the ground. The same cannot be said when they are stuck in a pot above ground.
Regular or dramatic fluctuations of this type are not going to do the plants a lot of good, even though they are in a dormant state. As long as you are aware of these points, you can take remedial action if and when necessary.
I note that many folk move the containers to a sheltered spot, preferably against a house wall and in good light, where a bit of winter sun is very welcome.
I often go on about making sure that the containers are well drained because waterlogging can be fatal – as can a state of permafrost. You have been warned.
Hardy plants will take a fair bit of frost, but if you have any doubts about some of your pots, wrap them temporarily in several layers of fleece, or even bubble-wrap polythene.