David Domoney

June Gardening Week 2: Harvest Early Crops

Tip 1: Start harvesting your peas, lettuce, and radishes when they are young and tender for the best flavour and texture.

Fact: Harvesting early vegetables while they are young encourages plants to keep producing new crops.

Tip 2: Pick strawberries regularly to prevent over-ripening and encourage continuous fruiting.

Fact: Picking strawberries frequently stimulates the plant to produce more flowers, ensuring a longer fruiting period.

Tip 3: Harvest herbs like basil, mint, and parsley regularly to encourage fresh growth and prevent them from becoming leggy.

Fact: Frequent harvesting of herbs promotes more compact growth and prevents the plants from flowering too early.

5 days ago | [YT] | 35

David Domoney

🌿 Watering Wisteria Tips: 🌿

1️⃣ Deep water around the base, not just surface level.
2️⃣ Water weekly during dry spells.
3️⃣ Avoid wetting foliage to prevent mildew.
4️⃣ Mulch to retain moisture & prevent weeds.
5️⃣ Be cautious of overwatering, ensure good drainage.

#Wisteria #GardeningTips #PlantCare #HealthyPlants

1 week ago | [YT] | 17

David Domoney

UK Gardening in June advice - Water consistently

Tip 1: Water your garden early in the morning or late in the evening to prevent evaporation during the hottest part of the day.

Fact: Watering at these times reduces water waste, ensuring your plants get enough moisture to thrive.

Tip 2: Make sure to water deeply, allowing the water to reach the roots rather than just wetting the surface of the soil.

Fact: Deep watering encourages strong, deep root systems that make plants more drought-tolerant.

Tip 3: Use a soaker hose or drip irrigation system to water at the soil level, which reduces water waste and prevents fungal diseases.

Fact: Drip irrigation minimizes water splashing onto the leaves, which helps prevent fungal diseases such as downy mildew.

1 week ago | [YT] | 22

David Domoney

Gardening Tips for 26 May – 1 June

🌸 Deadhead Spring Flowers

Remove spent blooms from tulips, daffodils, pansies, and violas.

Focus on cutting above a leaf joint to prevent seed formation.

✅ Promotes energy storage in bulbs for next year.

🌹 Begin Rose Feeding

Use a high-potash liquid feed (like tomato food) once a week.

Apply mulch (well-rotted manure or compost) around roots.

💡 Boosts flowering and disease resistance.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 35

David Domoney

🥕: Sow Succession Crops

💡 Main Tip:
Sow small batches of lettuce, radishes, and carrots every two weeks for continuous harvests.

🎙 David’s Take:
"Succession sowing means no gluts, no gaps – just fresh food all season long."

🧪 Science Behind It:
Spaced sowing minimises interplant competition for light, nitrogen, and water, enhancing yield uniformity.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 27

David Domoney

Green is the most perceptually prominent colour to the human eye, both in terms of sensitivity and discrimination, and humans can detect hundreds of thousands of green shades with precision not matched in most other parts of the visible spectrum.

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 23

David Domoney

As a horticulturist with over 40 years of hands-on experience, I’m always astounded by the natural brilliance of Vanda orchids. These tropical beauties don’t just sit pretty—they’re botanical marvels! Here are 5 astonishing facts that only the most passionate plant lovers and seasoned botanists truly appreciate:


1. 🌿 Air Roots That Photosynthesise
Unlike most plants, Vanda orchids have aerial roots covered in velamen, a spongy tissue that not only absorbs moisture and nutrients from the air, but also photosynthesises like leaves. This adaptation is crucial for their survival in the tree canopies of Southeast Asia. (Ref: Arditti, J., 1992. Fundamentals of Orchid Biology)


2. 🌺 They Bloom Year-Round With the Right Light
With bright, filtered sunlight, Vandas can bloom multiple times a year—sometimes continuously. Few orchids can match this display. Their photoperiodic response is governed by the phytochrome system, finely tuned to equatorial light cycles. (Ref: Chen et al., 2003. Journal of Plant Physiology)


3. 💧 Hydration Is All About Humidity
These epiphytes don’t grow in soil—they demand high humidity (60–80%) and daily misting or soaking. Studies show their roots can absorb atmospheric moisture in as little as 15 minutes! (Ref: Zimmerman, J.K., 1990. Orchid Biology: Reviews and Perspectives)


4. 🧬 Their Genetic Makeup Is Incredibly Diverse
Vanda species are highly hybridised due to their compatible chromosome structures. This diversity has led to more than 80,000 registered hybrids in the orchid world. Their robust genome contributes to vigorous growth and vibrant colouration. (Ref: Royal Horticultural Society Orchid Hybrid Registration)


5. 🌏 They’re Nature’s Epiphytic Engineers
Growing high up on trees without harming them, Vandas are perfect examples of commensalism. They’ve evolved to thrive without stealing nutrients from their hosts—a beautiful example of balance in nature. (Ref: Benzing, D.H., 2004. Vascular Epiphytes: General Biology and Related Biota)
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🌟 Love orchids? Want more rare facts from the world of plants?
Like, follow, and share this post for more brilliant botanical wonders!


#DavidDomoney #VandaOrchid #OrchidFacts #HorticultureTips #GardenDesign #EpiphyteLove

1 month ago | [YT] | 1

David Domoney

Deadhead Spring Bulbs – Leave the Leaves

💡 Main Tip:
Remove faded flowers from daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths, but leave the leaves intact.

🎙 David’s Take:
"Snip the heads, not the leaves! It’s like charging your bulbs for next year’s bloom."

🧪 Science Behind It:
Post-flowering, leaves photosynthesise and translocate carbohydrates to bulb scales, replenishing energy stores.

1 month ago | [YT] | 18

David Domoney

Gardening tips for this week: Feed Roses & Flowering Plants

💡 Main Tip:
Apply a high-potash fertiliser (like 5-5-10 NPK) to roses, sweet peas, and clematis.

🎙 David’s Take:
"Feeding now builds blooms for the season. Potassium is your flower’s best friend!"

🧪 Science Behind It:
Potassium (K⁺) enhances sugar transport and water regulation, increasing bloom quantity and quality while strengthening stems.

1 month ago | [YT] | 33

David Domoney

Did you know that certain flowers can “hear” the buzzing of bees and respond by sweetening their nectar within minutes?

Researchers at Tel Aviv University (2019) discovered that the evening primrose (Oenothera drummondii) increases the sugar concentration in its nectar by up to 20% when exposed to the frequency of bee wingbeats (around 200–500 Hz). The petals act as sensory organs, vibrating in response to sound, much like an eardrum.

This is a biological adaptation to attract pollinators more effectively, boosting the plant’s chances of reproduction, and it suggests that flowers are much more attuned to their surroundings than previously thought.

1 month ago | [YT] | 25