Gardening | Sunday, 05 April 2009

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Aphrodisiacal April

We love April for the warmth which this month generates in our bodies causing our blood to race through our veins.
For the first time this year we feel the hot sun on our heads. Everything and everybody seems to be alive and kicking.
Meanwhile our gardens are full of flowers and the bees are having a whale of a time flitting from flower to flower.
Fish are chasing each other in our ponds while male birds are chirping merrily seriously demanding a rendezvous with the other sex.
The lonesome tomcat keeps us awake. He wants something too.
In our streets and gardens the Judas trees are melding their Lenten violet flowers with the beautiful yellow colour of the few acacia trees which also are flowering at this time.

ANNUALS – During this period annuals play an important part in our gardens.
Besides stocks which had started to flower in March, flax, pansy, lobelia, cineraria, ageratum, petunia and other annuals have begun to delight us with their flowers
During this month all summer annuals should be sown. Zinnia, Aster, Cosmos, Tagetes, and Celosia are easily grown. Normally these should be sown in situ. Nevertheless you could also start them off in your greenhouse or in a cold frame. They will be taken out and planted in their flowering positions as soon as they can be handled or when the second set of leaves will have formed.

BULBS - This is a good month for spring bulbs. Most of these are either in flower or about to flower. Daffodils, Crocus, Tulips and Narcissi should be flowering profusely.
However my favourite bulbs are Freesia, Iris and Sicilian Squill. These three bulbs are the easiest to grow since once you plonk them into the soil in October they will not need any special care, and if they are not lifted will flower and multiply year after year.
It is important that you do not water the bulbs in summer since otherwise they might rot.
You are still in time to plant your summer bulbs. Therefore hurry to your favourite nursery and obtain the bulbs which you require for your garden.

CLIMBERS - One of the most delightful and unusual climbers is the black and yellow flowering Kennedya Nigricans shown here. This is a must for anyone who desires to grow a predominantly black plant in their garden.
The climbing roses are already flowering and we are looking forward to hundreds of fragrant flowers next month.

PRUNING - You may still be in time to give your shrubs and trees a light pruning. But do not delay.
At Ras Rihana we prune now to shape the plant. If a shrub is tall and straggly then a few snips at the top would entice the shrub to start new growth at the bottom end of the plant. This will give it a bushier and a more attractive look.
IN MY GARDEN

This April it seems that my annuals, bulbs, climbers and shrubs have conspired to flower at the same time. What a show. I have never seen my garden displaying such diverse colours.
The climbing blue Wisteria (see photo), the annuals Cineraria (see photo), Linum and Snapdragon, the bulbs of Iris, Sicilian Squill (see photo), Freesia and that showy shrub Echium shown here are all in flower.
The Anemone and Ranunculus (see photo) and the perennial striped Gazania also has joined the show.
In the meantime most of the deciduous trees are sprouting their lime- green small leaves.
There is certainly a lot of activity in my garden.

HEALTHY EATING

The following table which is a continuation of that which was presented last month will give my readers a useful look into what certain fruit and vegetables can do for their metabolism.
I wish readers who follow the above recommendation a happy journey on their way to near immortality.

NEW SPECIES OF GIANT PALM DISCOVERED IN MADAGASCAR
A palm tree 18m tall, with leaves up to 5m in diameter, has been discovered in Madagascar. It is the largest palm to be found on the island and has been identified as a previously undescribed species.
Named Tahina spectabilis, it was originally seen by Xavier Metz, who runs a cashew plantation in north-western Madagascar. . DNA testing at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew confirmed it to be a previously unknown palm with affinity to the palm tribe Chuniophoeniceae.
There are only three other known genera in this tribe, scattered across Arabia, Thailand and China.
One of the most astounding characteristics of the palm, other than its size, is its life cycle. After around 30-50 years, the trunk produces a giant terminal inflorescence consisting of hundreds of small flowers. Each one drips with nectar, so the whole treetop attracts swarms of insects and birds. As soon as the fruits develop, the entire tree collapses and dies.
There are now fewer than 100 individual Tahina spectabilis growing on the island and the trees are being protected by patrols of local people. Seed will be distributed to botanic gardens around the world and sold in order to help guarantee the future of the species.

THE RAPE OF GOZO
Have you ever seen a three year old boy breaking his toy and then snatching his sister’s which he then breaks as well?
This is what is happening to our sister island of Gozo.
Not only has Malta been ruined and crowded with buildings which in many cases were completely unnecessary, but now the unbridled construction is being extended to Gozo. Have you seen the adverts for blocks of buildings in what was once a cute seaside village called Marsalforn? Have you seen other blocks of flats springing up like mushrooms all over this tiny island?
Did I read properly the statement made by architect Cassar two years ago that Mepa’s policy was to restrict permits to high-rise buildings so as to avoid urban sprawl?
Is urban sprawl really being avoided? Recently the tempo of building by speculators in Outside Development Zones has increased.
Why give certain villages an ODZ nomenclature and then to our horror have them turned into cement blocks?
Does anyone think that tourists most of whom hail from overcrowded built up towns will take their holidays in another built up city? Malta has become a built up overpopulated and suffocating town.
Gozo is following suit rapidly unless Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono can stop this greed. After all it is her duty to safeguard the fast disappearing beauty of her island
With tourists normally choosing tranquil villages where they can rest after a busy work schedule, our energetic but preoccupied Minister of Tourism Dr Mario de Marco must be having kittens each time a block is built in an ODZ area.
Has not the time come for ODZ areas to be automatically banned from any construction unless this is carried out for tourist purposes?

SPRING HUNTING – FORGET IT

It is very boring to see the futile efforts of the hunters’ President Lino Farrugia and huntsman Mark Mifsud Bonnici who are trying ( they are very trying) to stem the tide of progress and reverse a decision which should have been taken not last year but five years ago.
I am referring to the ban on spring hunting which in my opinion is just waiting for the final nail to be put in this issue’s coffin once and for all. In the meantime thanks to the complete ban on spring hunting we can enjoy the song of different birds in our countryside.
In spite of this there are still too many hunters who not understanding our laws are breaking them by shooting birds in the closed season.
It is therefore obvious that the penalties which are being meted out to these culprits are too lenient and should be seriously revises upwards.

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