Poke it in

Times are hard, plants are extremely expensive, so in order to achieve a most wonderful, colourful paradise of a garden for free quite simply:

• break off a small branch of a woody plant that you like and poke it into the ground (3 inches/7.5 centimetres).

Most woody plants root very easily. Those that are a little more difficult usually require to be gently pulled back on an elbow or join and dipped into sand. Sand irritates the stem which causes roots to form. Simple plants, ones that look closest to their wild form (those with less fancy petals) are the most easiest to root. Remember to give the branch a good soaking every other day in the beginning and it will soon establish a healthy root system.

Collect seeds whenever the opportunity arises, keep them dry in a twist of paper and if you must, label them but if you really want a cottage style garden then just sprinkle them over the ground and what will be, will be .. flowers will flourish and splashes of colour will be anywhere and everywhere. For just a few moments of time it is easy to create a garden of Eden.

It is often worth keeping a few seeds from fruits when you eat them – wash them dry them and poke them into gaps in the soil. Stones from fruits readily grow into little trees and produce masses of fruit. It is worth trying everything and anything. It is possible to even grow pineapples if you have a warm, sunny windowsill, veranda or sheltered sunny spot (simply cut the top off before eating and gently press the top with the leaves exposed, into the soil and firm down) and in most cases a new pineapple will grow. Try everything and have fun!!

‘Poke it in’ rose cutting – amazingly healthy and without fungus or attack by aphids – a better plant than the original from which the cutting was taken.

If you want to have a bash at growing a nut tree then remember to always use the whole of the nut. Never crack it open. They grow from just leaving on the ground but this rarely happens as there is always a little robber waiting to take them away and eat them. Best results in a garden are to bury the whole of the nut just below the soil’s surface. You can start them off in a flowerpot or on a windowsill if you wish but they easily root and sprout in the ground where you most want them to grow. Certain nuts (usually those which also will comfortably form a bush plant) will grow from a cutting. Use the same method as any other woody plant – simply poke them in the ground. Most of all enjoy your garden however small it might be. Enjoyment comes out of getting your own plants to take whether from cuttings or seeds. The overwhelming feeling that you get from your very own plant is indescribable!