Last Post 385 days 6 hours ago
28 April 2012 22:33:53
Geranium pratense ?????
I am still trying to sort out the names of my plants, and I am grateful for all the help I have receeived here.
What is the name of this geranium? I think it is pratense, but is it flowering too early for this?
27 April 2012 22:14:19
First Rose of Summer ???
I have a rose out in my garden, in spite of the very cold westher. Is it very unsual to have a rose in April?
I have just been watching Gardeners' World and it really was great, but so is the current issue of The Irish Garden.
Is the peony on page 11, called Paeonia lutea the same as the one on page 58, called Paoenia (sic) 'Anne Rosse'. The one on page 11 does not look like a P. lutea in Google images.
27 April 2012 17:03:14
Paeonia mlokosewitschii
I received a very positive reply from Gerry about my sick magnolia and posted it in the journal entry "Sick Magnolia wilsonii".
I am annoyed with myself at present, as I concentrate on plants not doing well and when I go out into the garden I check them to see how near death they are, rather than looking at the healthy plants.
The peony "Molly the Witch", grown from seed, has opened a bit recently, in fact this afternoon after all the rain the garden is looking fresh.
25 April 2012 18:00:54
Magnolia wilsonii www
My Magnoloia wilsonii, which is one of my favourites, is looking very poorly at present. It came originally from a seedling given to me by Robin Hall of Primrose Hill. I think it was doing fine early in the year. But now it seems to have few leaves, blossoms are looking sick, and some branches are dying.
Could it be that it started to grow well too early in the season in good weather and that the recent cold weather has knocked it back. I tried putting compost at its base and feeding it with Growmore.
Do you have any ideas how to rescue thius invalid?
25 April 2012 17:43:23
Garden Talk
Last evening I was at a brilliant talk in our local garden club, given by Laura de Beden, www.lauradebeden.co.uk. You might like to look at her web site, as it is very attractive.
Laura stressed colour and making pictures in the garden.
20 April 2012 22:12:31
Tree peony
I think I have solved the problem concerning uploading photos. I resized them, so I have added more photos to my blue file (19 April 2012, mainly blue).
The photos are not all blue, as I have a tree peony and the magnolia that has flowered at last, as well as not-blue bluebells.
I know I am confused, so are my flowers perhaps.
20 April 2012 10:26:09
I have added some more blue photos (how dare you, not those types) one at a time, but I still cannot get more up as they are too big.
19 April 2012 15:20:23
Mainly Blue
As some of you can notice I am fond of blue flowers. There are a number of these in my garden now, so I have submitted photos of mainly blue flowers.
Some I have submitted previously and some are ordinary, but I like them. I have include several bluebells of different colours. I am particularly fond of the corydalis, which is a gift from JoanG. Peonies are among my favourite flowers, so I have included a tree peony flower.
The magnolia is confused, as it is meant to flower in late summer, but it is now struggling to flower, as it thinks it is still the end of summer since the winter was mild. I have this plant many years, but it rarely flowers.
16 April 2012 21:21:30
Rhododendron 'Blue Tit'
Isn't time passing rapidly in the garden now, with so many plants finishing flowering and new ones coming into bloom?
I have put up a few rhododendrons, which you might like to look at.
15 April 2012 19:38:39
Euphorbia palustris
I have submitted photos of some euphorbias, which you might like to look at.
14 April 2012 22:05:12
(Bots) Paeonia suffruticosa 'Duchesse de Morny'
Yesterday I visited the Bots (National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin) and the gardens were really excellent. The plants seemed healthy and well cared for. The overall maintenance was of a very high standard. If you can I would receommend a visit to the Bots.
I am interested in peonies, as they come into flower afted the spring camellias, rhododendrons and early bulbs. They do not need dividing and if they are happy where they are they will flower year after year. In the Bots they are well cared for and beginning to flower.
09 April 2012 13:40:02
Paeonia lutea var. ludlowii
I am interested in peonies, as they flower after spring flowers and the plants look well, even when not in bloom. Also I am told they can last 100 years without being divided.
I enclose a photo of the first one to flower in my garden. It is a tree peony that seeds freely.
09 April 2012 13:30:46
Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki'
Maples at this time of the year are of interest. I enclose a photo of Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki'.
Also there was a discussion here about lamiums, and some views were critical. I consider this a very useful ground cover plant and in the current The Irish Garden it is noted in 'Looking Good Now' that the flowers of Lamium orvala (p 5) (Giant Dead Nettle) are 'beautifully marked within'. What do you think?
06 April 2012 19:20:12
Cornus variegata controversa
Yesterday I worked in the garden for a long time, my back assures me I did, but today I did very little but pottered a bit.
My main job yesterday was to replant nerines, which did not flower last year, presumably becausew the bulbs had not been transplanted for years. But to do this I this I had to prepare space for them in another border. I had to dig out Japanese anemone and ground elder and riddle the soil. I put the roots in plastic bags, and hope they will break down in time. I also hope the plants I transplanted recently will survive.
Today I pottered and tried to kill convolvulus with Roundup. The house I lived in, when I was a child, had a front garden with convolvulus and I spent ages trying to remove every last bit of root. I visited the house recently and the garden is covered with convolvulus. Will it, and other weeds, defeat me again, or will chemicals conquer?
04 April 2012 21:58:43
Daphne odora
Today I did not feel like gardening, as it was so cold and inclined to be wet. However this afternoon I did some gardening, and got some peonies planted, a hydrangea moved from shade to a more sunny place, a dead tree removed, and I removed all dead growth from a Abutilon vitifolium that was doing poorly for two years.
I was shamed or encouraged to garden by the posts here showing how much gardening is being done at present, so I was pleased that I did get out to garden.
01 April 2012 19:49:57
Rhododendron cilpenense
I did no gardening today, and I am pleased as I have been doing a lot last week. The weeding is finished but there is still much to do. Yesterday I tidied up summer jasmine and passion flowers, but I still need to do more work. I hope to transplant some shrubs which have not been doing well, as they are too crowded.
I am also using chemicals. I use a liquid suspension to get rid of slugs and snails. It works well and is bird friendly. I also used some acceleratror on my compost, which will speed up compost formation. I also intend to treat my grass with feed, as well as moss and weed killer.