Akebia quinata flower

Akebia quinata

Common name: Chocolate Vine (5 leaflets)

A fast growing semi-evergreen twining woody vine, with lovely, lush green rounded leaves with 5 leaflets, underside of leaves blue-green colour, tinged purple in winter.

Produces clusters of small trailing chocolate purple coloured spicy, vanilla fragrant flowers. The small three petaled flowers bloom from March to April.

Akebia quinata seed pods

 After a long hot summer the 5 inch – 9cm long purple-violet sausage shaped edible fruits split open when ripe in early autumn.

Akebia quinata splitting seed pod

 Two varieties of Akebia must be planted in order to obtain fruits.

An unusual and delightful climbing plant.

Fully hardy can withstand temp down to -15°C

Akebia quinata seeds

 Lightly cover the seeds with a mixture of loamy soil and coarse sand.

Keep lightly moist.  May take 1 – 3 months to gernminate.

Fast growing.  Full sun or partial sun. Hardy to 24 degrees.

* Common name: Chocolate Vine.

* Position: Sun or partial shade.

* Soil: Moist yet well drained, fertile soil.

* Hardiness: Hardy. Akebia quinata is semi-evergreen and will drop its leaves in a cold winter.

* Flowering Period: April – May.

* Rate of Growth: Vigorous.

* Habit: Large climbing plant which requires support as it will not self-cling. Height: 8 – 10 m (26 – 32 ft) Spread: 2 m (6 ft)

* Notes: Akebia quinata is ideal for climbing up trellis or supporting wires on a wall or fence.

For more planting advice please see www.complete-gardens.co.uk

In order to get the best seeds you’ll need to collect from ripe, healthy tomato fruits.

Unripe tomatoes won’t have had enough time to produce mature seeds.
Cut or squash the tomatoes to extract the seeds.
Discard the flesh of the tomatoes, saving only the seeds.

Tomato seeds have a protective 'seed coat' which neds to be removed

The seeds will be surrounded by a jelly-like ’seed coat’ which needs to be removed

To remove the protective seed coat, place the seeds in water

The best way to get rid of the seed coat is to soak the seeds in water for 7-10 days.

Tomato seeds in water. Day 1

The protective coat is disolved after 10 days in water

After this period most if not all the jelly will have rotted in the water leaving just the seeds.

Seive the seeds through a strainer

Pour the seeds in to a seive and rinse with clean running water. A gentle rub with your fingers will seperate any remaining jelly.

Shake the seive to remove as much water as possible before tipping the seeds on to a piece of tissue paper. Seperate the seeds so that they are not touching each other and leave to dry for a further few days.

When dry the seeds can be stored in a dry paper bag

When completely dry place the seeds in a sealed paper bag and keep cool and dry, or you can use a sealed plastic bag and keep the seeds in a fridge (not the freezer).
Remember to lable the seeds.

Properly stored, the seeds can stay viable for a number of years.

Tomato advice is just one of the thousands of plant advice on the Complete Gardens CD-ROM

Once you’ve dug up your potatoes the best way I’ve found to store potatoes is to use a polystyrene box. A polystyrene box will keep the contents cool yet keep the frost out and the potatoes in the dark.

Put a layer of sand in to a polystyrene box

Fill the box with sand

Place damage free potatoes in the sand but not touching each other

Place the potatoes in the sand, but not touching each other. It’s a good idea to select the good ones and avoid storing potatoes that are damaged by slugs or cuts or bruises.

Add more layers of sand and potatoes

Cover the potatoes with sand and add another layer of potatoes and cover them with sand.

Close the lid to keep frost, rain, light and vermin out.

Close the lid to protect from vermin, frost, rain and light.

More information about finding advice plants and advice see Complete Garden garden plant advice CD-ROM.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold winning garden designer Cleve West has written a review in the Independent Newspaper.  Saturday 25th October 2008

Cleve has written a review about the Complete Garden plant advice and pruning guide encyclopaedia CD-ROM.

Being featured in a National Newspaper and written by such a respected Garden Designer will be a big boost in raising the interactive, visual plant database CD-ROM profile.

Cleve West Independent review http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st…ow-969471.html

The only information missing from his glowing review are the contact details where to buy the Complete Gardens CD-ROM and that the software is both PC & MAC compatible.

Many people will be unaware that such a product exists, so Cleve’s review will be a great help.

A CD-ROM is disc that you insert in to your computer. The CD-ROM allows the user to request information that appears within seconds by a simple a click of a button.

A CD-ROM can hold thousands of images plus data and illustrations which is easily accessable.

In addition you can add your own notes and print them with images plus make plant lists of plants you have and plant you want and the unique calendar lists reminds you which plants will be in flower and remind you which of your plants that need pruning and how.

The CD-ROM is designed to help you find plants for every area of your garden and season.

With this simple yet basic knowledge, the CD-ROM can help garden enthusiasts whatever level of experience find the right plants for the right time and place in order to create a garden with seasonal colour and interest.

Garden plant finder, identifier and pruning advice software for landscape and garden design needs. PC and MAC compatible

 Interactive, 3,500 garden plant identifier database with 9,000 photographs, displays the right plants for the right time and place within seconds. Helps you select the best plants to suit the conditions and create seasonal colour and interest.

 If your looking for advice selecting the right plants for shade or full sun or any garden condition but not sure which plants will survive, then the interactive garden advice, plant identifier and pruning guide database could be a useful plant resource to assist with your landscaping and garden design needs.
The plant database covers 3,500 garden plants from bulbs to trees and illustrated with 9,000 photographs to help with identification and seasonal changes.
To find the right plants to suit your needs, simply select any combination of month or season, colour, height, soil type, aspect or name and click search.
Within seconds the best plants to suit the requiremnts are displayed. Each plant is accompanied with in-depth planting advice, illustrated pruning techniques, pests, diseases and propagation information.

Each plants is accompanied with in-depth description, images, plant care and pruning advice plus pests, diseases and propagation tips

Each plant is accompanied with in-depth description, planting and illustrated pruning advice.
It’s possible to make visual, printable plant lists for personal use or to give to staff or clients.
The Calendar records the plants you have and reminds you when and how to prune the plants.
Add individual notes to plants and print with images.
The Complete gardens plant advice software has been designed for home use, professional gardeners and Garden Designers who want to find the right plants for every growing condition and seasonal need.
A useful plant resource to help with landscaping and garden design.
The Complete Gardens CD-ROM is the brainchild of Emmy Award winning cameraman / photographer Neil Bromhall. The Times have described the images ‘Stunningly lovely photography’ BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine ‘A Useful plant resource’ and Gold winning Garden Designer Chris Beardshaw wrote ‘This CD-ROM is the next best  thing to having your own private gardener‘
The Complete Gardens advice software is PC & MAC compatible
System requirements 256 RAM. PC Pentium 2 and above Windows 2000, XP and Vista. MAC OS 8.6 and above and Leopard compatible
Free helpline and garden forum to share questions and knowledge. If you have any garden problems put them to our members.
British nurseries should check this out, as their is a ‘where to buy’ link from the CD-ROM to recommended plant suppiers.

Garden spiders like this Orb-spider Araneus diadematus can be beneficial if you don’t like wasps.

This one is tucking into a wasp, so spiders can be added to the natural pest control list.

These garden spiders are common around houses and hedges September – October

Tulip and daffodil bulbs have already started to shoot underground.

Tulip and Daffodil bulbs in September

If you’re digging your borders, be careful not to cut into and damage your bulbs.

Gently pull Daffodil bulbs apart

 

Gently pull the bulbs apart

If you haven’t already done so, it’s a good time to split your bulbs by gently prising them apart, beging careful not to damage the delicate roots.

Plant the the bulbs in the ground about three times the length of the bulb and about 10 cm apart.

Narcissus grub infected daffodil bulb

If the daffodils have blackened ends near the roots and the shoot have not begun to grow then check for the narcissus grub. These pests eat the centre of the bulbs. Throw the bulb away as it won’t really recover properly.

Complete Gardens advice CD-ROM

Bulb planting time and depth

Click on the image to enlarge. 

Tulip planting

Narcissus

Wasp killed in trap

Wasps can be a pest, especially if you’re eating or drinking in the garden and the wasps want to join in.

You can make your own bee safe wasp trap without attracting and killing bees in the process.

An empty plastic container makes an excellent wasp trap

Cut the top off to make a funnel

Sweet and sour attractant attracts wasps but not bees

Add a mixture of vinegar, sugar and salt.  The wasps are attracted to the sweet and sour scent yet bees don’t seem to be attracted by this sour mixture whereas a honey mix would be a fatal attractant.

Keep the wasp trap out of the rain as it will quickly fill with rainwater.

The down-side of this wasp trap is it also attracts and traps beneficial insects such as lacewing and hoverflies which are a natural pest control of aphids