Gardening: Good luck in your hunt for naked ladies... | Brian Kidd

The ground was clear of weeds and then the rain fell as if there was no tomorrow and the weeds just smothered the soil.

Bear in mind these weeds absorb nitrogen in the soil and if they are hoed off before they flower they make an excellent layer in the compost bin. Keep sprinkling on one part urine to seven parts water and sprinkle not pour on the layers in the compost heap.

SEE ALSO: Your gardening problems solved by Brian Kidd

It’s been difficult to find colchicum bulbs this year, perhaps because people bought them as soon as they arrived at garden centres. If you would like to give a child a nice surprise. Here’s what to do…

Buy a colchicum bulb as soon as possible and put it in an egg cup on the child’s bedroom windowsill without any water. It needs to be in the light indoors. Children like things to happen quickly and after a short while your phone will ring and a little voice will say: ‘Grandma, you know the bulb you put on my windowsill? Well it’s got a lovely flower like a water lily.’ Things like this make my day and I expect you feel the same.

The children will enjoy more flowers and after flowering plant the bulbs out in the garden and make sure you label them because in spring the leaves will appear and look a bit like the leaves of the dreaded dock weed. You wouldn’t be the first person to dig them out and then realise it was colchicum.

If you like quick results, plant a group of three colchicums in a light, sheltered (they are often ruined by strong winds) place.

Prepare the soil by forking over to a depth of six inches. Scatter on a tablespoon of blood fish and bone over an area of a square foot and plant the bulbs so the tops are just above the surface. Plant the bulbs about five inches apart in a circle and wait for the lovely surprise. If you are like me, you will look every morning to see if the blooms have emerged. Depending on the size of bulb, there will be three to nine on each one.

During the summer the leaves become larger and produce sugar which is passed down into the bulb. The bulb swells and produces a daughter bulb alongside the original and during the autumn both the original bulb and the daughter bulb come into flower. There are no leaves, they have all died down, that’s why they are commonly called naked ladies.

Returning to weeds; there is a large patch of bindweed growing from a neglected part of the garden next door.

Next week I shall ask Kevin to carefully pull down the climbing stems, making sure they are not detached from the roots, gather up the branches and stuff them in carrier bags.

He will then spray the inside of the bags with a generous amount of Roundup and put a brick on each bag to stop it blowing away.

The leaves will absorb the Roundup , it will translocate all through the climbers and eventually kill the underground stems and roots.

THIS WEEK’S TOP TIP

If you have a veg patch, you’ll be reaping the rewards of harvest. Start planting spring-flowering bulbs for next year and you can also collect seeds for next summer’s colour. Make the most of the remaining warmth while you can.