Central Texas gardener John Dromgoole, for Backyard Basics, teaches all he knows about propagating cuttings and dividing plants in this 5 minute video. John is a man with a dark past! He used to “steal and borrer” cuttings when he could not afford to go out and buy all the plants he wanted. That’s how he learned the tricks of the trade.

Watch how he takes cuttings from the various plants and places them carefully in a 50/50 potting soil and perlite mix. He identifies plants such as geraniums, coleus, wandering jew, impatiens, strobilanthes and begonias as good candidates for cuttings. But the message John sends out is that taking cuttings from any plant and trying to propagate them is worth a shot. That’s why he keeps that dinky little knife in his pocket when he goes to the garden center…

This video is a punt for an electronic product called Rapitest. Although it’s an advert it is well worth the 1 min, 26 seconds it take to watch it. It is interesting to learn that a small electronic device can tell you this much about the environment in which you have planted or are planning to plant lawns, shrubs, flowers trees and even plants in containers.

As the spokesperson rightly says, “Healthy soil and the correct soil for the plant in question are key to successful gardening and lawn care.” This little device tests a whole range of factors, including the soil quality. First it measures light so you can be sure you are planting the plant in the right spot. Then it tests fertility so you can see whether composting is required. It also tests the pH so you can ascertain if the soil is acid or alkaline. Some plants are sensitive to pH. Finally it tests moisture. Is the soil too wet, too dry, just right? I like this last feature for house plants, or any plants in containers, which are notoriously susceptible to dying of thirst. This Rapitest electronic soil tester is a neat device for keen gardeners who like accuracy and dislike failure.

This is a short, sweet introduction to planting bulbs with a superscript that says: “Bulbs are a great way to add colour to your garden all year round. Charlie Dimmock shows you how to spot a good bulb and how best to plant them.” Well, I though Charlie would be a knobbled-fingered man but it turned out to be a redheaded lady kneeling in an overgrown garden in England somewhere.

Charlie told me several things I never knew about bulbs. First, you get the hardy and non-hardy types, so ask you garden center about which is which. Second, “bulbs” is a misnomer. They are either corms or tubers. Third, you plant begonia corms with the hollow side facing up. Fourth, a healthy corm is fat, round and hard (like a good garlic bulb). Fifth, you plant bulbs at three times their depth. Sixth, if you have heavy clay soil put a layer of grit at the bottom of the hole to prevent the bulbs lying in moisture. And seventh, you plant summer-flowering bulbs in early spring and winter-flowering bulbs in early autumn.

It was well worth spending a couple of minutes seeing how it’s done.

Young SprinklerDaddy over at YouTube sums up the difference between spray and drip irrigation quite nicely:

SPRAY IRRIGATION Here a spray head is attached to a pipe for widespread water about 6′ to 12′ in all directions. “This method is good for watering a large bed of flowers or perennials that are all the same size,” says SprinklerDaddy. And lawns, he might have added. It is not suitable for a bed where there are different sized plants as the larger shrubs tend to block the water and the small shrubs get nothing.

DRIP IRRIGATION SprinklerDaddy really likes drip irrigation. He describes it as “cool.” He says: “This is for localized type of watering where you want to get water to the root of each shrub. There is no blocking out of smaller plants and no wasted water. It is a really good option when mulching. Once you have put down the bark or rocks, lay the pipes on top and cover with mulch. No need to dig a trench for the pipes.” And no need to watch the 1 min, 48 sec video either. All you will see is a talking head repeating what I have written above.

Somewhere down in Texas one winter, a man looked at the camera to tell us about the two types of irrigation you can use for your raised garden bed. According to the man with the winter grass stretching out behind him, compliments of ExpertVillage and YouTube, you can have Precision Button Irrigation (for directing water to a specific area) and Laser Drip Irrigation (for soaking a wide area).

Button irrigation involves small pipes leading off a main hose with a button at the base to control the flow of dripping water. Laser irrigation is a long, thin pipe with laser holes drilled all over it allowing water to leak all over the required area. If you want a short visit down south for some contrasting visuals and some very basic information, spend 1 minute, 53 seconds checking out Mr. “Lone Star” Irrigation.

Here’s a video with a weird provenance. It features a lady in Trono Zoo, Canada telling us how to fling together a flower container in a basket that will last all spring and summer long. Thing is, the video was posted on LiveVideopedia by someone called Shaktee in Israel. The internet is truly a wonderful thing.

Optimism is the watchword of this 2:32 minute video. The botanical expert (Jennifer Reynolds, Landscape Designer and Editor-in-Chief of Canadian family magazine) grabs a basket, lines it with plastic, punches some holes in the bottom, fills it with potting soil containing a coconut primer and lots of additives, and then proceeds to put bulbs, shrubs, perennials and annuals, even roses, into the basket to create what can be politely described as a patchwork arrangement of colors and textures. Ms Reynolds says that all we need to do is add liquid fertilizer so that the basket lasts all season long like that — healthy, colorful and verdant. Maybe in Trono Zoo but not in my house or garden.

Although this 59 second Wonder-How-To video is entitled “How To Grow And Care For Black-Eyed Susans”, it really only tells you how to water the newly-planted established plants thoroughly. According to the Wonder-How-To spokesperson, “It’s really important to reduce transplant shock by soaking perennials very well.”

You use a hose, preferably with a long nozzle attachment, that is producing a gentle stream of steadily trickling water. You water them from the top first then move the hose down to the base and let the water really soakd the root area. Leave it there for an half an hour if you can. That’s really all there is to it…

Here’s the real deal on pruning a rose bush. It’s easy! At least one Nick Federoff on Revver makes it looks easy, and he takes only 1 min and 43 seconds doing so. Maybe it’s the Rasputin beard that imparts a sense of confidence in the viewer.

Anyway, Nick calls roses “one of America’s most beloved plants.” Yeah, and the rest of the globe, too. But he cautions that if you want beautiful flowers in spring, summer and fall you are going to have to prune those bushes right.

Nick applies his “3 Point Rule” when pruning roses and they make a bunch of sense. ONE Cut it knee-high, which is about 12 to 16 or 18 inches.
TWO Put your hand palm upward and form a cup shape. That’s how you want the pruned rosebush to look, with three to five main branches cupped around a hollow. The knuckles represent buds, which should face outward like your knuckles. Cut away the excess internal growth to create the hollow, airy space where the new rosebush will thrive. THREE Prune the roses diagonally about a 1/4 inch above the outward facing bud.

Oh, Nick adds you should use a good bypass pruner, availabe at your local nursery or garden centre. ADDITIONAL POINT FROM ME: Wear gardening gloves when pruning roses.

This video on “Choosing Annual Flowers” is full of more great tips from David Epstein of Growing Wisdom. This man really is full of lots of useful gardening knowledge and this video is certainly no exception. If you watch this video, you will find it to an excellent resource and of good production quality. The total time on this video is two minutes twenty-nine seconds. This video is highly recommended.

David begins by discussing annuals in general. Annuals are plants that you put in the ground every single year. They are a great way to add a splash of color to your garden all season long. Where perennials have a blooming time period, annuals bloom from the time you put them in all the way to the fall.

David spends the time in the video showing and discussing these annuals:
· Verbena – This annual is great in the sun. It trails off the containers.
· Petunia – this annual loves the sun but tolerates a little bit of drought as well. It will come right back from wilting when watered. You can let petunias run along the ground, put them in a container, or a hanging basket.
· Ageratum – This annual does well in the sun or part sun. It is a great border plant.
· Diascia – This annual is more of a trailer. It will not get very high and loves the full sun.
· Marigold – There are a great variety of marigolds available with a beautiful color selection of yellow, orange, or red.
· Alyssum – This annual is great for the border. It is very low growing and has a great smell.
· Geranium – This annual is very reliable and great for window boxes.
· New Guinea Impatiens – The foliage on this annual is often darker. This plant likes a little sun.
· African Daisy – This annual is great in the center of a container or along the border.

David points out that annuals require some care, although minimal. They need a little bit of feed. You also need to pinch them back through the year and deadhead them.

This video on “Reblooming Flowers” is presented by David Epstein of Growing Wisdom. In this video, David interviews Pam Spry of Weston Nurseries. This video is full of detailed examples of flowers that rebloom. The video is simple yet well done. The production is of good quality. It is excellent information for a beginning and possibly intermediate gardner. The total time of this video is two minutes twenty-six seconds.

If you watch this video, you will learn that there are plants that extend one season by having multiple seasons. If you cut the dead stuff off of these plants, then they will keep reblooming until frost.

Numerous examples were given in the video. They are:
· The Buddleia (also known as the Butterfly Bush) starts blooming in July with nice flower heads. After the flower heads turn brown, you trim them off and a new flower is formed. They have a wonderful fragrance and attract butterflies. This plant requires dry soil and a hot, sunny spot. Some of them even get up to six feet wide. If there is a cold winter, you can trim them up, and in the spring they will flush back up.
· Roses are another example. When the flower passes, you should trim it off and the bush will bloom again and again. Trim the plant if it gets too wide. This plant will bloom until frost.
· Hydrangea (Endless Summer variety) will bloom again and again, even after a cold winter.
· The Potentilla (Shrubby Cinquefril) is another example. This plant requires full sun and very dry soil (sandy soil). It will bloom all summer long under the right conditions.

This video is recommended for your viewing. It is a source of good, basic knowledge. If you watch this video, you will gain the knowledge base needed to have flowers blooming again and again.