Henbane

The Snowdrop is an example of the way in which living organisms generate internal heat. This is one of the plants which, like the Broad Hellebore, may be found growing in clumps in small, clear hollows in the snow. It is the warmth generated by the plants which thaws the surrounding snow.

It contains a number of toxic substances – chiefly the alkaloids hyoscyamine, scopolamine and atropine – which stimulate the nervous system, in particular the brain. The plant is characterized by its smell and is avoided by farm animals; thus Henbane poisoning in livestock is fairly rare.

Not so with humans, however, where the effects of Henbane poisoning can be bizarre: in the old days children who had eaten the plant were thought to have been possessed by evil spirits.

Henbane, a robust plant up to 80 cm high, is an annual or more often biennial herb, forming only a ground rosette of leaves the first year. The ornamental flowers (1) grow from the axils of the upper stem leaves. The fruit of Henbane is a capsule enclosed in a calyx with joined sepals and with a lid that bursts open when ripe. Inside are thousands of tiny seeds which are hard to distinguish from poppy seeds with the naked eye. Only on magnification do Henbane seeds show up as brownish, kidney-shaped, and pitted. They are light and fall out readily in a breeze.

Henbane is a plant of barren places, abandoned fields, waste ground, and roadsides and a weed of field crops, particularly in warmer regions. It is a frequent and unwelcome intruder, for instance, in poppy fields.

It dislikes cold (which is probably why it does not flowers until late summer) and is rarely seen in the foothills. Henbane is distributed in Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia.

Yellow-rattle

Yellow-rattle, like the pernicious field weed Red Bartsia, obtains its nourishment by semi-parasitic means. The young germinating plant is particularly energetic in its efforts to find a host, sometimes even attaching itself to the roots of another sprouting plant of its own kind.

Once it finds a host – more usually a cereal grass – it absorbs mineral substances from this source. Organic substances it obtains for itself by photosynthesis in the leaves, just like other green plants. The calyx of the Yellow-rattle increases in size as the plant grows. By the time the seeds are ripe it is almost spherical and strikingly inflated. The ripe seeds drop out from open fruits into the swollen calyx as it dries and when the wind blows a mass of these plants makes an audible rattling sound, which is what gives the plant its name.

Field Fennel also features in the language of flowers: the sending of a bunch of these flowers to a lover symbolizes rejection of love. Or, where this plant is known as St Catherine’s Flower, it is because the structure of the flower and bracts resembles the wheel on which prisoners, such as St Catherine, were tortured.

Black Nightshade is found practically throughout the world, in fields (particularly in root crops), field compost heaps, and waste places , although it once grew only in southern Europe. It tolerates long periods of drought, is generally restricted to warmer regions, but is occasionally seen in mountains, and will survive the first mild frosts of autumn.

Black Nightshade is an annual herb multiplying by means of seeds – as many as 40,000 to a plant. The seeds germinate the year after ripening but not until the onset of summer weather, when the ground is warmed through. The plant grows to a height of 20-50 cm. The stem is angular, erect, and broadly branched.

However, this species of Rhinanthus does not occur in Britain. This is a plant 10-50 cm high which prefers a moist situation, particularly in spring. As it requires a great deal of light it is suppressed by a tall stand of grain.

Growing Dahlias

As with the thinning out, the degree of disbudding must vary a great deal, consideration being given to the classification of the particular variety, its potential size in the group and to the specific purpose for which it is grown.

Pre-supposing that the plants are destined to produce blooms of exhibition quality, on the giant varieties all side shoots should be removed, except two which should be retained low down on each branch to act as replacements when the bloom is cut. Disbudding should be done gradually over a period as there is a tendency, if too many side shoots are removed at any one time, for the buds to be misshapen, or in extreme cases completely blind, due to the sudden concentration of sap flow into the one bud.

If possible the whole plot should be covered several inches deep. It may not be possible to do this if only compost or manure is used, but a bale or two of straw or bracken can be used to eke out the more valuable material to give the required depth.

The advantage of disbudding is clear. For garden decoration, or as cut flowers for the house, the blooms, although somewhat reduced in numbers, will look more effective and be of better formation on longer stems, holding themselves well above the foliage to receive the admiration which is their rightful due. For the exhibitor it is an essential part of his or her routine culture.

This lack is quickly made up on the death of the bacteria, when the nitrogen they have absorbed is once again made available, and ultimately the balance is restored, in fact enhanced.

There is also a difference in the respective times at which the blooms appear, according to whether the central or side buds are used. The central bud will open earlier than the side buds, and even these will vary slightly from each other. Of the two sick buds one is usually held on a bare peduncle arising directly from the terminal pair of leaves on the main stem, whilst the other has an additional pair of leaves. For comparative purposes it can be assumed that the side bud without leaves will reach maturity three to four days later than the central bud, whilst the bud with an additional pair of leaves will bloom three to four days later still. The value of this variation can easily be seen. By careful selection of buds one is almost certain of producing a bloom by a specific date.

Speedwells

Coltsfoot is both an important medicinal plant and a weed of loamy and clay soils, found growing in ditches alongside field paths and in freshly dug excavations.

Although difficult to eradicate it is a welcome plant in that it is one of the earliest to flower in spring. What makes eradication of Coltsfoot difficult is its extensive root system. The rhizomes, the foodstore of the plant, spread horizontally below the surface of the soil at depths ranging from 20-250 cm, with the greatest concentration found 1 m down. From this, shoots rise to form new rooting plants on the surface, and in autumn, several flower buds form below the surface, close under the leaves, in readiness for the following spring.

The flowerheads and leaves are collected and dried for the drug market. They contain viscous juices, essential oils, insulin, bitter principles, and other substances. The drug obtained is an expectorant and is used in the treatment of coughs. Preparations from Coltsfoot also assist in the healing of wounds, and when the fresh leaves are applied as a compress, they reduce the pain of rheumatism and gout.

The stems of Wall Speedwell are covered with leaves that decrease in size from the ground upwards. The flowers form a terminal raceme; the flower stalks are erect or slanting outwards at an angle and the stems are covered with short downy hair. The stem leaves of the other two species are constant in size. Their flowers are borne singly in the axils of the leaves and the stalks curve downwards after the flowers fade.

Ivy Speedwell has leaves which are heart- to kidney-shaped, with several lobes resembling the leaves of ivy, whereas Buxbaum’s Speedwell has ovate leaves with a slightly heart-shaped base and a finely-toothed margin.

These are arranged in a ground rosette, with an effect as of white felt on the underside. This is due to hair-like outgrowths, composed of one row of cells, the last of which is several times longer than the rest and often curled in a spiral round the base of the hair.

Red Dead-nettle

Dead-nettle or Urtica mortua (the name by which it was often known in mediaeval Latin) is a hardy plant. The temperature only has to rise slightly above freezing and it comes to life. It is one of the overwintering weeds of field and fallow land, though it also grows in large numbers in gardens, waste places, and along field paths.

It is exceptionally resistant to low temperatures so that on warm winter days it is not unusual to find it flowering even in a furrow partly covered with snow. In thick stands, where it is crowded by other growths such as field crops, the Field Pansy is erect with few branching stems; populations growing after the harvest, when the competition is less, are richly branched and form large clumps.

Some authorities consider the Wild Pansy or Heartsease (V tricolor) and the Field Pansy two races of the same species. Both were once used as home remedies and the Wild Pansy in particular became the subject of many folk legends. Its corolla, the whorl of leaves forming the inner envelope of the flowers, was the symbol of the Holy Trinity. Later the Wild Pansy came to symbolize faithfulness.

Although originally native only to Europe, North Africa, and temperate regions of Asia, Groundsel has been introduced to South Africa, North America, and Australia. Today, this short-lived little flower has a cosmopolitan distribution and is found in both lowland and mountain areas.

It is for this reason (plus its resistence to low temperatures) that Red Dead-nettle wins out over the winter grain in any field where it takes up residence.

The flowering period is from April to October. Shortly after the flowers have faded they are followed by splitting capsules containing tiny seeds.

Mulching Dahlias

It is also an advantage to apply a deep mulch to the ground, if the material is available. A great many growers do not incorporate any manure in the ground at digging, preferring to reserve all.

Cow manure is excellent. It is probably best to mix a certain amount of straw with this as it is rather heavy and cold, and might on these accounts be slightly deleterious on a heavy clay soil in a wet, cold summer if applied unmixed. Compost is also good, preferably reasonably well broken down before application.

Chicken and rabbit manure, although rather dangerous stuff to use because of its comparatively high ammonia content, if well mixed with straw and composted down for a time makes an excellent mulch, but in this case it is probably best to apply an additional layer of straw on top of the manure as it is seldom possible to obtain sufficient to make a really deep mulch.

Whatever animal manure is used it should be at least partially decomposed, that is it should be stacked for a short while before using, if possible, to take away the fierceness. Many growers do use manure straight from the stable and yard as a mulch and get good results, but it cannot be recommended as a safe or ideal practice. Failing any of the above, spent hops, bracken, shoddy, bark fibre, sewerage sludge, in fact almost any organic material, may be used.

Straw makes an extremely good substitute. It is cheap, clean and very springy, and it is most effective in preventing the ground compacting under pressure. It is an excellent practice to put an additional layer of loose straw along the pathways for this one reason.

Also, particularly when good manure or compost is used, the feeder roots will obtain a certain amount of nourishment from the mineral salts made available in the material by soil bacteria, or by leaching when rain falls or water is given. And, quite as important, the springy nature of the mulch will partially prevent the ground from becoming hard under constant treading when carrying out routine cultivation.

Choice of Container for Dahlia Flower Arrangement

As far as colour is concerned, the general colour scheme of the house will have a great bearing on the choice of material; rather dull coloured rooms, for instance, are an ideal setting for the scarlet hued varieties and the brilliant yellow and orange shades, while pink and salmon shades look exceptionally well in the light modern rooms in which the decorations are of a neutral tone or consist of pale greens and fawns and so on.

Deep bronze containers, for example, are beautiful vehicles for the golden and autumn shaded varieties, whilst the delicate shades of an old piece of china may suggest the coolness of the pale lavenders and mauves. However a direct contrast is more effective in the majority of cases. Vases are best used for arrangements which face in one direction only; generally speaking a circular arrangement in which the stems radiate from the centre, that is the lip of the vase, is the most effective. It is considered that the height of the flowers in such arrangements should be one and a half times the height of the vase to give an ideal balance; this applies whether the container is a true vase, or a chalice on some sort of pedestal.

Bowls can be used for all round arrangements for the centre of a table and for the very effective “line” arrangements which are so popular today. The term “bowl” must be interpreted very loosely, because it may vary from a deep soup plate to a hollow log of wood with a water container inserted, as well as covering a wide range of diverse articles capable of holding water.

Whatever the type of arrangement, remember that the deeper shades tend to attract the eye more than the paler shades, except that white, being a blend of all colours, can be termed a dominant colour also. Usually, therefore, one or more blooms of the deepest shade, or white, are placed low in the arrangement, to act as the focal point, with the paling shades radiating away from this to encourage the eye to take in the arrangement as a harmonious whole. It is as well to allow at least one of the flowers to cut across the lip of the container to break the hard line; this is of particular importance when a vase is used. White can be used, sparingly, to separate colours which might otherwise clash, and to create a feeling of lightness.

The choice of container is also very important, in fact the colour and shape of the bowl or vase will often dictate the colour and style of the arrangement. Deep bronze containers, for example, are beautiful vehicles for the golden and autumn shaded varieties, whilst the delicate shades of an old piece of china may suggest the coolness of the pale lavenders and mauves.

Both the pin holder and wire grid can be held in place with plasticine. Chicken wire is also helpful when using vases or comparatively narrow necked bowls, but in this case the wire mesh should be crumpled lightly before pressing it into position.

Dahlia Flower Color Loss

For one thing the beauty of the garden is somewhat spoiled, as many of the choicest blooms are hidden beneath a variety of shading materials. But the chief deterrent is a general loss of colour in a number of varieties. Whites- and yellows are completely unaffected, reds relatively little, but most of the true pinks and lavender tints lose quite a considerable amount of colour under shades, particularly if these are completely opaque.

Each half circle of material should be bent round to form a cone approximately 18 in. in diameter at the base, and secured by stitching together at the point of overlap. Two lengths of wire should then be placed side by side, twisted together for the last 4 in. at each end, and then pulled out to form a circle; the two twisted tails should be bent down at right angles from the diameter at the same time. Finally the cones should be stitched on to the wire to form the completed shade, with two wire tails projecting from the base.

Shading must therefore be done with some care. Whites and yellows may be shaded almost from the day when the buds show colour, whereas red varieties are usually shaded when the florets have begun to turn back, but before the sun has bleached any of the full rich colour.

The shade is secured into position by lashing one of the wire short tails to each of the canes, while the bloom is fixed under the shade by tying the stem to a short cane lashed into position between the two uprights, to form an H.

As a complete contrast some of the very hard pinks, Frieda Gaylord is an example, benefit from shading at a much earlier stage as the loss of colour renders the blooms more attractive.

For this purpose the finest shades are cones (dunce’s caps) made from translucent, water resistant material such as lampshade parchment. These are rather expensive in first cost, but as they will last for a considerable period they may be cheapest in the long run. Alternatively, stout cartridge paper may be used or even strong brown paper. The make up of the shades is the same whatever the material.

Securing Dahlia Shade

The basic elements required for plant growth are usually regarded as potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen, and most proprietary brands of balanced fertiliser quote the percentage of these contained. Although these are of special importance all plants require, in addition, fairly considerable quantities of sulphur, calcium and magnesium, lesser, but still appreciable, amounts of iron, manganese, sodium, and minute quantities of other chemicals such as boron, zinc and so on, usually referred to as trace elements.

Alternatively two canes may be used, but in this case it is best to cut away one of the sides of the box and to secure the box to the canes with wire to prevent movement, the open side facing away from the direction of the prevailing wind. As with the other method the blooms are secured into position by tying the stem to a cross piece between the supporting uprights.

If deficient it will cause chlorosis of the leaves, that is, yellowing, particularly noticeable along the veins, and a decrease in size and vigour of the plant.

This may appear to be a contradiction, but actually a plant can only absorb water soluble compounds and, as explained before, the majority of the required elements are present in an insoluble form.

Potassium is the plant tonic, promoting strong healthy growth and improving the quality of flower, as well as building up stocks of sugars and starches for use in storage elements. It helps also to build up the dahlias’ resistance to adverse weather conditions. Potassium would appear to be in some measure complementary to nitrogen in that it helps to combat the effects of excessive nitrogen concentration, and also enables the plant to use the available nitrogen to the best advantage.

If the soil is deficient in potassium, the dahlias will tend to produce rather dwarfed and poor growth, whereas if potassium is contained in excess growth will tend to be extremely hard and the flowers will be produced late. Of the other elements there is sometimes a deficiency of iron, which will cause poor colour in the flowers and yellowing of the leaves, and, much more rarely, an excess which will have much the same effect as excess of potash although to lesser degree.

The Importance of Water to Dahlias

No two dahlia growers ever agree on this subject but assuming that it is considered necessary to feed, and ignoring the type of fertiliser used, the treatment will vary according to whether the fertilisers are applied as a dry top dressing or in liquid form. If applied dry it is as well to apply prior to watering, and to give a thorough soaking immediately afterwards.

Mains water is not deleterious in any way and is completely safe to use on the hottest or the coolest days. In the early stages a fine spray or rose should a great deal of water is required, it seems quite safe to use a completely open end to the hose.

During cool spells it should not be necessary to water more than once every ten days, but during hot spells, particularly on light soils, the plants will require a good soaking at least once a week. It is true that the plants will not require so much water when young as they will later when full grown and producing blooms, but even during July approximately 1 to 3 gallons of water per plant may be required. This should be increased considerably once the plant commences to flower, and even 6 to 8 gallons of water per plant may not he too much in hot spells as the demand seems inexhaustible.

All that is necessary then is to ladle the required dose of the chosen fertiliser into the watering can, fill this by dipping into the tank, and so on to each plant in turn. Give about a quarter of a gallon per plant when young, increasing to half a gallon when full grown.

Failing rotating sprays, spray lines or even a hose pipe, it will be necessary to use a watering can, with a rose in the early stages and without a rose once the plants are in bloom. This may be hard work, but the results achieved will still be worth every hour spent trudging up and down the rows.

Following on as a natural sequence from watering comes the question of supplementary feeding. No two dahlia growers ever agree on this subject but assuming that it is considered necessary to feed, and ignoring the type of fertiliser used as this will be dealt with in a later chapter, the treatment will vary according to whether the fertilisers are applied as a dry top dressing or in liquid form. If applied dry it is as well to apply prior to watering, and to give a thorough soaking immediately afterwards.

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