Harvest next year, the beauty of your flower garden next summer largely depends on the quality of those plants that you buy today. So, we choose seedlings.
October 5 2015
Fruit, berry and ornamental plants can be sold with open and closed root systems. Saplings of currants and gooseberries 1–2 years old should have at least 3–5 skeletal roots up to 15–20 cm long in a lignified state, as well as a developed fibrous system. Aboveground part may consist of 3-4 shoots 20-40 cm long, extending from the base. Wood of living roots is pure white, dried and diseased – yellowish-gray, dead – brown or black. The exception is barberries, their living wood on the roots is bright yellow. When checking seedlings with a closed root system, try with the seller’s permission to carefully remove the container. If the earthy clod is braided with roots, everything is fine. The earth is crumbling from a coma – it means that the plant was recently transplanted. If you buy a seedling in the fall, this is not a big deal for the plant. Thus, you are simply trying to sell it at a higher price. And if you are faced with such manipulations in the summer, the plant most likely will not survive. Pay attention to the leaves – they must be elastic, not wilted. When transporting seedlings, the roots must be wrapped with a damp cloth, and put on a plastic wrap on top.
In shops and garden centers, bulbs, tubers, rhizomes of flowers are sold packed in transparent bags with wood chips or peat. On the label there is a picture of a flower and a description of the variety. It is impossible to determine by eye whether the content matches the picture. Therefore, buy planting materials only in trusted places. At markets and fairs, planting material is often sold in bulk. You can buy such a product if you are sure that the seller is professionally cultivating flowers and has established himself as a reliable supplier. Choose bulbs without spots, cuts, and putrefactive smell. Before planting, etch them in a solution of fungicide or potassium permanganate. This will prevent the development of diseases. Buy rhizomes of flowers only with healthy, strong roots and always with a small sprout.
If you are a novice florist, do not strive to immediately acquire new expensive varieties and exotic species. Practice on proven, well-proven plants. If things go well, the collection can be expanded next year. When buying lily bulbs, look on the label to see which hybrid group they belong to. In regions with a temperate climate, Asian and LA hybrids winter well. Oriental and tubular lilies can be planted, but they require increased maintenance. Among other bulbs, the easiest to grow are tulips and crocuses, a little more capricious are daffodils, decorative bows, hazel grouses, and it is better to take on experienced flower growers to grow hyacinths.
And remember. Too low price for varietal specimens and rare types of flowers should be alarming. If expensive seedlings are offered three to four times cheaper, then they are trying to slip you a fake