Friday, April 3, 2020

How To Plant A Sprig of Rosemary, Carry Sprigs and Plants and plant seeds from fruit

My first ever success at planting herbs was with a sprig of rosemary.

 No need to dig up dirty roots. I just picked sprigs off the top or straggly sides of one plant and planted half a dozen bits around the garden. You could dig a hole with a hole making device, or your finger tip protected by a disposable glive or washable gardeing glove, or even an old pencil or pen cap (later washed).

I did this several times. At least one sprouted.

I haven't transported herbs from one country to another. I have always been afraid of importing a bug like phyloxera which killed off the vulnerable vines in Europe.

One one occasion at Heathrow airport in London a seller tried to persuade me to buy a bunch of flowers. I declined, saying, "I don't think I am allowed to import plants into Singapore".

The seller replied, "You can import cut flowers. It's just plants with roots which are forbidden."

I don't know. I prefer to be safe than sorry. Both when it comes to risking importing diseases and risking paying fines.

I have tried to move herbs and other items around when travelling within a country. I usually found the item dead in my pocket weeks later.

Planting and Eating - Set Alarms
The moral is, if you travel with anything perishable, set an alarm  in your phone as a reminder to take the food or plants out at your destination.

I was also given a plant by a neighbout in the UK. I planted it in my garden and my gardeners dug it up thinking it was a weed.

After that I planted a label on a new plant and put a piece of netting around it. I also pointed it out to the gardeners and said, "Don't touch this! It's my new plant."

The same misfortune overtook seeds I planted willy nilly in Singapore plant pots, saved from fruit and vegetables we had eaten. My family dug out new bits, thinking they were weeds.

So that is why you sprout new baby seedlings in a seed tray from an old egg box or even half a grapefruit. Then ask the gardener to plant the new plant and label it.

Happy planting

About the author
Angela Lansbury

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