Helianthus tuberosus - Jerusalem artichokes

Latin plant name Pteridium esculentum Common plant name Jerusalem artichokes Plant type Herbaceous perennial plant Size (meters) <1,5 - 3 m Distinguishing features It has opposite leaves on the lower part of the stem. The leaves have a rough, hairy texture The flowers are yellow, member of the daisy flower. The tubers are elongated and uneven, typically 7.5–10 centimetres. They are edible, a little bit tasteless. They need to be They will die during the winter and grow next year. It is hard to get rid of them. They are good to soften the soil.

In the garden we had some Jerusalmen artichokes. We cleared them and got the tuburs to plant for the next season.

Pruning

Pruning is a horticultural practice involving the selective removal of parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. 

Reasons to prune plants include:

1. deadwood removal
2. shaping (by controlling or directing growth)
3. improving or maintaining health
4. reducing risk from falling branches
5. preparing nursery specimens for transplanting
6. harvesting and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits

Specialized pruning practices may be applied to certain plants, such as roses, fruit trees, and grapevines.

The apple trees need to be pruned to avoid plagues.

At the end of November or beginning of December, the roses are pruned.

The berryplants do not get pruned.  They do not have many plagues, so they can be pruned a little bit but not much, because they will not give enough fruit next year.

Pruning small branches can be done at any time of year. Large branches, with more than 5-10% of the plant's crown, can be pruned either during dormancy in winter, or, for species where winter frost can harm a recently-pruned plant, in mid summer just after flowering. Autumn should be avoided, as the spores of disease and decay fungi are abundant at this time of year.

Some woody plants that tend to bleed profusely from cuts, such as maples, or which callous over slowly, such as magnolias, are better pruned in summer or at the onset of dormancy instead. Woody plants that flower early in the season, on spurs that form on wood that has matured the year before, such as apples, should be pruned right after flowering, as later pruning will sacrifice flowers the following season. Forsythia, azaleas and lilacs all fall into this category.

Pterophyta - Fern

Latin plant name Pterophyta Common plant name Fern Plant type Pterophyta Size (meters) < 2 m Distinguishing features Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem (making them vascular plants). They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants. Ferns reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. There are females and males ferns.

Pteridium esculentum - Bracken

Latin plant name Pteridium esculentum Common plant name Bracken Plant type Bracken Size (meters) < 2 m Distinguishing features Pteridium esculentum is very quick to colonise disturbed areas and can outcompete other plants to form a dense understorey. It is often treated as a weed. It does create a more humid sheltered microclimate under its leaves and is food for a variety of native insects. It grows from creeping rhizomes, which are covered with reddish hair. From them arise single large roughly triangular fronds, which grow to 0.5–2 metres. In Japan and New Zeland they eat them.

Pelargonium - Geraniums

Latin plant name Pelargonium Common plant name Geraniums Plant type Evergreen perennial succulent shrub Size (meters) < 0,5 m Distinguishing features They are drought and heat tolerant, but can tolerate only minor frosts. across, bright red and berry-like.

Veg planner

More information about the veg planner can be found here:

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/veg_planner.asp