Decorative garden: Dyeing plants in the garden
Before the development of science made it possible to chemically synthesize dyes, people usedsubstances of plant origin . Some color plants can also be grown in the garden.
In the past, fabrics were given a blue color using Isatis tinctoria extract.The dyefrom the leaves of a biennial plant, with shoots growing up to 120 cm high, was rinsed with alcohol and s alt. The wet material first turned yellow-brown in color.It only turned blue when exposed to the sun and oxygen when it was dried in the open air. The dark blue shade gives the fabrics indigo obtained from the African Indigofera tinctoria, a pink-flowering shrub with feathery leaves that can withstand even light frosts.
Violet shades have been obtained for centuries fromelderberry juice , blueberry and currant. The yellowish Reseda luteola dyed the fabrics of the rezeda yellow, doing well even in barren soil. The garden sickle Serratula tinctoria can also grow in the garden.
Red dye, the so-called Turkish red, can be obtained from the roots of Rubia tinctorum, a climbing plant with yellow flowers and coarse-haired stems, as well as carrot and red beet roots.
Balconies and terraces: Strong pruning as a new flowering solution
In order forbalcony plantsnot to lose their flowering force, remove faded flowers from them on a regular basis.As a result, the plants do not lose their energy producing seeds, but put all their energy into creating new flower buds. At the osteospermum, the fadedshootsare pruned so that they can still sprout. In lobelia, all shoots are shortened by 1/3 of their length after flowering.
A similar procedure is also performed with smagliczka and nemesis. Decorative tobacco blooms again after a strong shortening of flowering shoots at the end of July. Immediately after cutting, plants should be supplied withliquid full-ingredient fertilizer , it is also necessary to ensure that the substrate maintains a constant, moderate level of humidity. In the case of a nutrient deficiency, second flowering may not be possible. We will have to wait a while for the satisfactory re-flowering effect.
Orchard: X-ray the trees
More serious crown correction cuts (including rejuvenating cuts) are made in late winter, but now we have the best time fortranslucent cutting .
In places where the shoots and leaves are too dense, too little light reaches the fruit, and the fruit does not fully mature. Hence the necessity to remove these shoots, especially water shoots (the so-called wolves), which are knocking out in the upper parts of the branches, grow vertically upwards and do not bear fruit.Summer cuthas the advantage that wounds heal quickly (trees are in a growing phase) and do not give off much sap. Another big advantage is that the shoots regrow more slowly after the summer pruning than after the winter pruning.
Vegetable: Fragrant herbal discount
A lot of changes are taking place in herb gardens nowadays. Many herbs, incl. sage, lemon balm, mugwort, are ripe for harvesting. Others are still maturing. In order for them to develop successfully, the soil must be loose. Such a substrate absorbs water better and retains moisture for longer.
A padding of cut grass gives the roots even better protection. The herbal bed should be planted with a lowhedgelow-growingoreganoorsavory Apart from the decorative value, it also has the advantage that it prevents creeping species, such asthymefrom overgrowing on the path. The collected herbs can be used fresh or dried.
