Erica darleyensis contains two essential varieties for me - George Rendall and Arthur Johnson, both with long spikes of pink flowers.

Fergus sylvatica cristata has spent the last 14 years in one corner of my garden and it seems firmly determined to grow only a modest half inch each summer. The deeply lobed leaves bear little resemblance to those of the common beech but appear to be the result of a misalliance with a hawthorn.

Erica vagans, the Cornish Heath, makes a dwarf shrublet which is in colour during the period July - October. Of the varieties available kevernensis is rose pink; Lyonesse, a splendid white flower with protruding brown anthers: and Mrs D. F. Maxwell, a favourite of mine. with deep cerise blooms.

Fugus sylvaticalastigiata , the Dawyck Beech, is very erect in habit and occupies little space. To me, however, the branches are so ill placed as to appear haphazardly stuck on with glue.

All ericas, Eucryphias are better grown in a neutral to acid soil which is moist yet well drained. In August every shoot is burdened down with white flowers like that of the dog rose, but with the conspicuous boss of stamens.

I learned where to obtain information I need so badly for my miniature rose. I have tended it from bare twigs (stems) as I received it through mail order. It is so full of leaves and fresh stems but when the buds get as far as showing color they just dry off.

After waiting so long and eventually seeing it bud and then the disappointment of losing them is quite discouraging. If you would at your earliest convenience send me the much needed care advice, I would so appreciate your kindness.

H. Ringel Long Island, N. Y.

Trying to decide what could be wrong with miniature rose plants and their growth via mail can be a great deal like prescribing for a human beings illness at long range. Nevertheless, your description “it is so full of leaves and fresh stems, but when the buds get as far as showing color, they just dry off,” graphically describes and fits a very common trouble found in growing miniature roses in the home.

It can be discouraging to want to start your own garden when you don’t have the yard space or the land to do so. The hard work and time required to maintain your own garden may also be less than appealing even though you love the taste of homegrown fruits and vegetables. There are other ways to still enjoy the benefits of your own harvest that require about half of the time, energy and most importantly, space.

The Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter is one of those alternatives that might be considered. This is a wonderful and unique way to garden while still being able to enjoy the benefits with about half of the work. Best of all, you don’t need a yard or much room at all for that matter. The most difficult decision that comes with the Topsy Turvy Planter is deciding where you are going to hang it.

The Topsy Turvy Planter requires watering, fertilization and sunlight, so it’ll need to be in an area that you’ll have easy access to and gets good light. Next you’ll want to decide what kind of tomato plants you prefer and pick up some topsoil. After you get your plants hung, you’re on your way to having a beautiful little garden.

I will never forget the face of the ironmonger in Exeter when I went in many years ago to ask for a suckering iron. I had never heard of such a tool, and yet at that time it was possible to buy them from ironmongers in Maidstone, Kent, without any difficulty at all.

There are occasions, however, when it is impossible to get the bow in between the branches, and then it is preferable to use the Grecian pruning saw with its curved blade. Once again, it can be bought in three sizes: the 12 inch, 14 inch and 16 inch-the 14 inch being the most popular.

If suckering irons are impossible to obtain, the best thing to do is to use a well-worn shiny spade and sharpen its edge.

The curved end is then hooked over the branch with the knife-blade full open and the handle up. The handle is then pulled down, the knife-blade passed through the branch, cutting it sharply and ends up in the slot provided for it in the hook. The branch thus falls to the ground, having been cut off neatly at the desired spot.

Every homeowner aspires to have a great looking lawn and tries everything that he or she can do to attain such a lawn. Many people wrongly assume that only professional help can result in a gorgeous garden. This is not true at all. Hiring a professional will definitely ease your work, but you can have a beautiful lawn without the help of a professional, as well.

Even though there is no dearth of lawn care equipment, there are some that are absolutely vital for the upkeep of your lawn. Without these tools, any kind of lawn care would become impossible. Some of these crucial tools are lawnmowers, rakes, aerators and shears.

Aerators are very important tools for lawn care since they create cavities or holes on the upper most layer of the soil. This enables the soil to move better. In other words, it is because of aeration that water and nutrients penetrate the soil and reach the roots. Not only this, it also enhances the levels of oxygen in the soil, and therefore helps the roots to prosper and flourish.

If you have never tried cooking in parchment packets, also known as papillotes, you have to give it a try. The food retains its moistness and the natural sugars in the food are enhanced by the steam cooking that takes place within the pouch. They are fun, too. During cooking, the packets puff up like little pillows. Diners do not know what is inside until they open the packets, releasing a waft of delicious aroma.

Parchment paper is the traditional material used for this style of cooking, but you can also use brown paper lunch bags if you do not want to learn the simple folding required. To use parchment, fold a large sheet in half. Cut it along the fold, making a large heart, just like on Valentine’s Day. Repeat this as many times as needed to feed each person at your dinner. Open the heart. Place the food in the center of one side of the heart. Add your seasonings and top with any sauces or marinades you may be using. Lemon slices add a nice flavor, too. Seal the packets by folding the other half of the parchment over the food. Beginning at the blunt end, make a small, sharp fold toward the food. Continue making small folds along the edge, refolding the last tuck upon itself many times to make a good seal. Fold it beneath the packet. Move the packets to a baking sheet and follow your recipe for baking time.

Common names are Cauliflower, Broccoli (Eng.); Chou-fleur (Fr.); Coliflor (Sp.); Blumenkohl (Ger.); Bloemkook (Neth.).

The common names are Leaf Mustard, Indian Mustard, Leaf Mustard Cabbage, Mustard Greens, Chinese Mustard, White Mustard (Eng.); Moutarde de Chine (Fr.); Mostaza de la Tierra (Sp.); Kai Choy, Kaai Ts’oi (Mal.); Sesawi (Indon.); Sarson Kaag

Local forms have been selected for specific areas. Synonyms are B. juncea var. rugosa (Roxb.) Tsen and Lee, B. lanceolata Lange, B. cernua Forbes & Hemsley,Synapis juncea L., S. ramosa Roxb.

Local forms have been selected for specific areas. Probably of Mediterranean origin, now distributed throughout many subtropical and tropical regions.

Extensively cultivated in eastern Europe, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, China and Africa (Sierra Leone and Guinea). An important oil-seed crop in India. One of the most pungent of the cultivated mustards, the seeds containing 35% of edible oil. The leaves, which are used as a vegetable, contain a glucoside, sinigrin. An erect, branched, annual up to 75 cm in height. Basal leaves: bright green, stalked, wrinkled, with well-defined veins, spreading, up to 20 cm in length with large, ovate, terminal segment and broad main vein Flowers: inflorescence elongated; petals pale yellow, 7-9 cm long, self-fertile. Fruits: 3-5 cm long, usually 4-angled. Seeds: round; weight of 1000 seeds = 2 g.

There are certain virtues in either method and which is chosen will depend to some extent on the plants selected and the position in which they are to live, and the personal tastes, inclinations and talents of the gardener. But neither process is by any means difficult, even for the least experienced indoor gardener.

Then again, because the entire area of soil will be kept uniformly moist, it is essential that compatible plants be used together.

They are perfectly happy, have made great growth and one of them sent out a six-inch flower spike complete with golden inflorescence during the summer.

Again, plants are of benefit to each other if placed in close proximity, for the moist air transpired from the leaves tends to be wafted in the air over neighbouring plants, to their benefit. Still another benefit is in the saving of time, for where several plants are placed together they can be tended so much more quickly.

Grand Hall has been a leader for over thirty years in the supply and innovation of gas related products, with vertically integrated grills manufactured internationally. The Members Mark Grills sold at Sam’s Club is one such grill designed by Grand Hall.

On the low end, Member’s Mark has a grill that comes with 3 main burners. These put out 18,000 BTUs. But that’s not all, you get another 10,000 BTU’s from an infrared back burner. And did I forget to mention the 12,000 BTU side burners? This grill is simple to put together and you’ll enjoy using it. It does have cast iron burners, so you’ll have to give them the proper care. That’s as simple as cleaning them with a wire brush occasionally and keeping them as dry as possible. The stainless steel models are much more rust resistant.

Consumers find the 32″ Member’s Mark grill to be loaded with features and well constructed. First, it has 640 sq inches of cooking surface, plus another 208 sq inches of secondary surface. And you won’t have much to put together because it comes 95% pre-assembled. It features a 10 watt halogen light in the firebox for easy night-time cooking and you’re getting 4 main burner, an infrared sear burner, a side burner and a rotisserie burner as well.

It is most important to see that the bulk of the fruit is planted in one part of the garden on its own. It is a great mistake to try and grow apples, pears and plums in a vegetable garden. Or, to put it another way-please don’t plant vegetables and salads in between fruit trees.

Furthermore, a wall will shelter the soil for a foot or two at the base of it, from rain, and thus it is necessary to adopt some system to ensure that the roots of trees growing against walls get the moisture they need. Some people for this reason bury 3-inch agricultural drainpipes upright in the soil, 3 feet apart and a foot away from the wall, and then water can be poured into these sometimes so as to wet the soil below.

Much can also be done, of course, by mulching the surface of the ground with well-rotted compost or sedge peat.

I know a garden whose owner insisted on having apples on each wall; and this meant planting on the south wall James Grieve, Lax- ton’s Superb and Cox’s Orange Pippin; on the north wall Beauty of Bath and Tydeman’s Early Worcester; on the east wall Ellison’s Orange, Sunset, and Tydeman’s Late Cox, and on the west wall Fortune, Winston, Pearl and Cox’s Orange Pippin.