14 March 2025
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Ruth ‘cleanses’ a weed-infested dwarf red hot poker
While we all set up time aside for the ‘ big ’ gardening labor such as planting , pruning , mowing and harvesting , it ’s the minuscule everyday tasks that flux to create the magnificent whole that is our full plot of ground . I attempt to do a spot of weed every day , even if it ’s simply pulling a few undesirable seedlings out of the bring up beds as I overstep . But sometimes a more thorough approach is postulate if a precious plant life is to survive .
A dwarf ruby hot fire hook ( Kniphofia pauciflora ) at the front of one of the bed had become engulfed by couch grass , dope and a self - seeded foxglove seedling . The rogue plants had inveigled their way into the rootball of the salamander and assay as I might I was unable to fork them out . The only solution was to snarf the whole plant and do it by hired hand .
It is a comparatively comfortable task , but it does ask a routine of all right finger - work to protect the flora ’s roots and keep top growth intact . In this case , I was proud of to see that theKniphofiahad a healthy rootball , and it was relatively comfortable to work my fingertips in among it to tease out the roots of the couch grass . The young foxglove also came away easily and I replanted it in a fly-by-night country where , being a biennial , it will hopefully bloom next year .
Kniphofias are attractive plants with a long blossoming time of year . Native to South Africa , their spires of ardent blooms are a stunning addition to ‘ hot ’ borders alongside plants of a similar chromaticity and prairie gardens where their strappy leaves accent ornamental grasses and their flowers work well with genus Echinacea , rudbeckia andVerbena bonariensis .
They also thrive in coastal gardens and look cool and elegant in gravel garden .
Kniphofias like a cheery site that is shelter , with devoid - debilitate ground . After flowering , cut stems right back and mulch the root sphere well in winter . In outpouring , take out old , tattered foliage to make room for new growth and divide plant if they have grow too big for their spot or are starting to flower less .
remove weeds and replanting
1 . wind the plant from the layer , keeping soil around the rootage .
2 . Carefully tease all the dope and their root from the recurrent ’s rootball .
3 . Once they have been separated , replant the fair perennial at the same depth as before , firming down the soil .
4 . pee well and add mulch . Keep an oculus out for any miss weeds and remove as soon as you see them .
