December '09 - A wonderful opportunity to arrange a colourful flowering display of plants around your entrance, consider poinsettias, cyclamens, azaleas, violas, hyacinthus and kalanchoas. Be adventureous and add Buxus Semperviren (Suffruticosa) and Euphorbia Characias and finally splash out with solar lighting to really give the display a warm Christmas glow. Buxus Semperviren, Common Box, is a Mediterranean shrub which can be situated in full sun or part shade and is drought tolerant. this is a hardy evergreen shrub with green/white flowers in Spring. This plant is ideal for low hedging and when planning such garden designs . If a
dwarf variety is needed then use the glossy green leaf Suffruticosa, brilliant for shaping and therefore well worth considering for your display.
Euphorbia Characias has been a favourite of mine for many years,  the flower heads are perfect for adding to floral arrangements. This is a succulent evergreen perennial which prefers part shade and occasional summer watering. The narrow leaves are blue-green growing densely on the branches and even if your plant isn't flowering it is extremely worthy as a contrast to the other flowering plants.
How about planting the plants into large decorative pots or at a time when we are all trying to save a little, buy tester size paints and give an old pot a new look. Make sure you fill pots and containers with a compost that is water retaining but also well drained. A little water absorbing gel added to the bottom third of the compost before
planting is advisable. So have fun with your display, and be proud when your visitors call for their warm mince pies.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas.

More tips next month from Rosie or email: rosie@thesentinellamalaga.com

November 09 - Complete the autumn planting of perennials, shrubs, deciduous trees and spring bulbs in the garden.  The winds can be very strong on the coast line so give extra care to the ties on trees and shrubs to avoid damage.  Make sure the ties are not cutting through the plants as they grow, also hard or sharp ties can act like saws in the wind and cut into the trunks, stems and branches. Go into your garden this month and examine all your climbers, you may be surprised at how many wires are already cutting in, replace these immediately, ties must be loosened or replaced as the plant grows to avoid strangulation.  If you purchase a plant with plastic strips held firmly to a cane by metal staples, remove both the cane and strips as soon as planted, insert a new stake with ties, the cane should be pushed into the ground for 30 centimetres.
To add interest to rockeries, dry walls or border edges consider planting succulents. Most of these are drought resistant, easy to propagate, have interesting long lasting flowers and need little care.  AEONIUM ARBOREUM (Aeonium) - A branching evergreen perennial succulent which is extremely drought tolerant with bright green rosettes of leaves carried on the end of the stems. This is stunning in springtime with its domes of yellow star-shaped flowers, especially grown in masses.  The rosettes shrink back during the summer months when dormant but regain their size with the first rains. This is an easy plant to grow which can be planted in full sun or part shade.

October 09 - October brings cooler days and time to give the gardens an autumn tidy avoiding major pruning.
As the temperature continues to drop, reduce the irrigation water and when the October rains have fallen consider the planting of new perennials, shrubs, fruit trees and trees.  Take special care to pots and containers; complete a good tidy checking for plants which may have become root bound and possibly take out the summer annuals and re plant with pansies, kalanchoas or carnations.

Another idea for pots is planting Christmas bulbs, maybe Hyacinthus in many colours, wonderfully scented and ideal for conservatories. Almost fill an 8cm pot with moist bulb fibre and then push a bulb in gently to half its depth. Put pots into a cool, dark place for about ten weeks to allow the the roots to grow. Check bulbs regularly and water if the compost feels dry. When the shoots appear, wait until they are about 5cm high and arrange in 18cm bowls. Fill the gaps with more bulb fibre and place in a light spot to flower.

Transfer last year’s cyclamens into a north facing porch and start to water and feed.  Cyclamen Hederifolium (Spanish, Ciclamen Silvestre) is a beautiful hardy, small, tuberous plant growing in open woodland and rock gardens.  The shiny heart shaped leaves are often marbled and mottled in silver and the flowers stand proudly above the leaves. Propagation can be from seed and the plant can be prone to black root rot. Try to avoid over watering during the winter months.

Happy Gardening…Rosie

September '09 - September is a good time to carry out a strategic garden review and decide on projects and changes for the coming months. Few gardeners are ever totally satisfied with their gardens. Check area by area, for as the garden matures, they look so different to when first planted.

Divide the garden into manageable areas, for instance the front garden, pool area and side gardens, reflect on each area and ask the following questions -
What has been the greatest achievement seasonally in each area, throughout the year?
Did we have continuous flowering from last September?
Has there been adequate contrast between the various colours, textures, heights and shapes of the various plants and trees?
Are all the plants healthy and strong?
What were the watering costs of specimen plants?
What have been the biggest disappointments during the year?
Can the successes be achieved in other areas?
What changes need to be made immediately?
And finally what changes need to be made during the autumn and winter period?

If possible, visit your local garden centre; consider drought resistance perennials and flowering shrubs.
Callistemon Viminalis (The Bottle Bush) - An evergreen drought tolerant shrub which is ideal for full sun planting, grows to some 7 x 5 meters and flowers spring, summer and autumn. This attractive shrub is mainly grown for its dramatic red bottle brush flower, which is the primary reason for its popularity. The weight of the flowers tending to make the branches weep and look very pretty. The new growth is pinky-bronze and matures to a dark green. Very little care is needed to this shrub, prune out any wayward branches and dead wood. Semi ripe cuttings can be taken during the summer for propagation.
There are few limitations to growing Bottle brush. It prefers sun for most of the day and it's tolerant of most soils except heavy, poorly drained sites. Expect a moderate rate of growth...not too fast and not too slow. There are no significant pest problems. In addition the Bottle brush can withstand considerable drought and salt spray.
Have fun, .... Rosie

August '09 - Long hot days do not make it an ideal month for gardening in Spain, so fix those alarms for an early start.
Lilies and gladioli should now have finished flowering so cut back all greenery to encourage healthy flowering for next year. Keep cutting annuals like Zinnias to prolong flowering and cut sunflowers and hang to dry for winter colour.  Lantanas berried ends need to be cut off before they drop and squash on terraces and paths. Trim climbers to keep them neat and under control and cut out water shoots on Bougainvilleas.
Check that no plants show signs of completely drying out, watering is required to replace moisture lost by evaporation, to cool the earth and support the cellular growth of strong healthy plants. Water needs not only to reach shallow roots but more importantly to the larger and deeper tap roots. Many plants will survive drought for a long time but they will rarely become the best plants in the garden. Watering can be time consuming and expensive so take note of the following requirements.
Ensure all new plants are planted in Autumn and not later than March, keep pots and containers in the semi shade rather than full sun. Water non flowering plants to just keep them alive in August, huge amounts of water won’t bring them back to flower until a drop of temperatures in September and October. Don't water mature plants unnecessarily. Install an automatic time controlled watering system with an adjustable drip feed to each plant needing water.

Sunflowers can be excellent fun to grow. Given the right conditions they can grow quickly and provide excellent height and flower and are considered easy to grow and are often considered to be a good plant for children. However, to get the best out of sunflowers requires a few careful points.

Proper Staking. Preventing sunflowers from falling over is one of the great challenges of growing them. Individually, you need a strong cane well dug into the soil. If you grow sunflowers in blocks it will be easier to provide staking for the group; they will give each other support as they grow.
Feeding. Sunflowers enjoy a rich well fed soil. If going for height, use a nitrogen based fertiliser, switching to potash (tomato food) as the buds begin to appear.
Watering. Sunflowers don’t like drying out and they can soon start to wither. Make sure they are well watered; each watering should aim to reach its roots, rather than just touching the surface.
Starting in pots. To get the best start for sunflowers sow 2cm deep just covering with soil and place in a 3 inch pot. When big enough you can plant out, hardening off if necessary.
Best Location. Sunflowers like a sunny position and preferably not too windy.

Happy growing!!!