Month: October 2013

There is no sign of this little Fuchsia having any intention of stopping flowering. The flowers are tiny, less than 1cm in length. 

It stopped flowering around Christmas last year, started again about March. That’s well worth it’s weight in my opinion.

Would I be right in thinking that this plant is a Carex? It’s a this years’ purchase, and already the label has disappeared.

Carex ??Carex ??

The minature Larch, Larix ‘grey pearl’ that is in the Japanese planter is turning a great colour at the moment. If it’s like most Larch’s it can drop it’s needles overnight so I glad I was able to get some photos today.

Sep-13

I promised to let you know when I received my Autumn order of Rhodo species and I got them all planted today. So from left to right there is R.arboreum var cinnamomeum which is a most magnificent large growing tree. Next is R.orbiculare which I got for its lovely shaped leaves. Then there is R.tsariense which has beautiful indumentum. Next is R.williamsianum which is the parent species of many fine hybrids. Then there is R.brachyanthum var roseum, a very fine dwarfish species. Second last is R.charitopes which has aromatic foliage and finally there is A.schlippenbachii, which is considered to be one of the finest of all deciduous species. As time goes on I will post photos of each with more information such as flower colour etc. A week or so ago  I posted a photo of my C.sasanqua and I’m delighted to report it has now opened many more flowers. Good times.

Autumn Rhodo delivery.

This time of year any colour is most welcome. These yellow Geraniums have just began to flower. I just wish I had them in every bed but at least they are so easy to propogate (when I think of it) so its on the list of things to do ! If I remember correctly early Spring works best..

GeraniumsYellow

said Cherub Lute just a touch sardonically to Cherub who had just returned from a Seminar on ‘Cherubic care for elderly but active gardeners’. ‘Yes, giggled Cherub Cymbals ’He made himself disappear!’. ‘Well achshually I would much rather he hadn’t tackled that rock until you had arrived back’- this from Micilin Dee. ‘Its always safer when you are around. Whash achshually occurred was that Mr. Scrubber wash leaning on the crowbar and it went from him and he went over the edge and out of sight. I hasten to add it was only the little edge-a matter of a foot or so. And there seemed to be someone down there with him as there was a lot of LANGUAGE and I’m sure it wasn’t our Mr. Scrubber. ‘Eckin’ an’ uckin’! eckin’ and uckin!’’ ‘Thank you Esmeralda we don’t need detail’ . Anyway Mr Scrubber soon reappeared and he worked very hard all day so he can’t have been injured. ‘Otherwise ‘ said Cherub Lute adopting a very angelic pose, ‘We would not have made a joke of it!’. ‘Oh but it was so funny to see him disappear’ chortled cherub Cymbals. ‘And how wash the Seminar, Cherub?’ asked Micilin Dee determined to change the subject. ‘Well it looks like it will have given me a number of useful ideas looking after Mr. Scrubber’ replied Cherub, just a touch grimly.

Afternote: What actually happened was simple. Scrubber went down to change a rock in marian’s bed so that it would be vertical. Simple enough. But on moving the rock there was another just behind it! Scrubber decided to move this one but it was a bagger of a rock (polite form of the word). Very large and awkwardly placed and took an amount of work. At one stage Scrubber was leaning on the crowbar-carefully- and it slipped and Scrubber went headlong into the bushes, landing safely on soft ground but giving his ribs a good bang. However he was well able to continue all day and is fine tonight if a touch sore –only a touch. But despite all the heavy work he could not get the rock to sit where it should (Probably because Cherub was away for the last two days). He finally had to give up so dug a hole in the lower slope and slid it down. Then he manouvered the original one back almost into place and it will look well when set–another days work. However just before coming in as he had the crowbar to hand, he repositioned another rock and that was a piece of cake– ‘eece of ‘ake, eece of ‘ake’. Oh I didn’t realize someone was listening. And I really don’t know who that person was to whom Esmeralda was referring earlier either!!!

The original rockGetting out the one discovered behind itNew rock now on bottom. Original one above.

Does anyone know what this is?

I got little beauty as a very small cutting last month from Rachel and I just noticed this tiny flower on it …it is just so perfect .

Thank you Rachel…I love it.

Black patches on carrots. Im told ph is too high. How do I lower it. I used mushroom compost (A lot).

I’m reading a gardening book at the moment and there was mention of a Cannonball Tree, new one on me.

Googled it when I got home this evening. It’s full name is Couroupita guianensis, it can produce bunches of flowers 80 meters long and a mature tree can produce up to 1000 flowers a day.

The common name comes from it’s seed pods. Shaped like a ball, very heavy, and can at times make an explosive sound as the pods hit the ground.

They have also been known have had fatal results to animals and humans.

Not one for my garden. 

Seed Pod

Bought this plant for a very reasonable price in the newly-opened D.I.Y. store in my locality. Unusual smell, not sure if I like or dislike it.

It was only when I googled on it that I realized that it is a cat deterrent (also called ‘Scaredy Cat Plant).  I  took two cuttings weeks ago just for the fun of it, which have successfully taken. Happy days!

Coleus caninacuttings of Coleus canina

Don’t tell anyone but I got rid of my yellow chrysanthemums recently. Sssh.

I just don’t like the colour – too brash, or something.

And as I got rid of them, because I didn’t like the yellow colour, I was delighted to note that Coronilla glauca was coming into flower. And what colour is that? Why, yellow! I just can’t explain why I like the one and not the other!

But I did keep these two chrysanthemums, from the Regal Mist series, and my favourite brown one, which has yet to open.

Chrysanthemum 'Regal Mist (purple)'Chrysanthemum 'Regal Mist (red)'Narine 'Codora'

I don’t have a name on this one but it has really bulked up great this year. I love watching and listening tothese big grasses in the wind.

Very surprised to see Campanula Elizabeth in flower again the other day. There are about fifteen buds still to open if the weather allows.

Starting in early December, a ten part gardening programme.  

It sounds berry good 

Mary

 

https://www.kitchengarden.co.uk/news/great-british-garden-revivival-

My ‘harvest’ of leeks picked this morning. It’s amazing what can be accomplished in a humble little window box. Leek and Potato/bacon soup on the hob as we speak. And even though I’ve just stepped up from the dinner, I may make soup my dessert. It smells delish!

The colder weather must be having an effect on me as I am doing a lot more cooking/baking in the last week.

These apples werepicked on Monday. They are a late variety and grew on the same tree as the cookers. They are grafted. Can somebody give the name?

Dessert Apples

It’s nasty and wet out there now and I was reminded, for some reason, of the wonderful summer trip I did to visit UK gardens with some good friends.

On our first day we headed to Hyde Hall, en route to Beth Chatto’s. There was a plant sale on (need I say more).

Large sections of the garden had been newly planted, leaving many gaps, which left us underwhelmed.

But the sun split the skies and the selection of plants for sale was excellent. If I had had a van…

 

The pictures (not very good) are of my Woodland bed. As you can see this bed is mulched with bark and has a covering of all the new leaf fall from this Autumn. I have never in the past collected these leaves I have left them to form a natural mulch. However I was reading recently that you should collect all leaves from the beds as they become homes for slugs etc, I was wondering what everybody else does?

A lot of colour has disappeared in the garden lately. So you can imagine my excitement when I spotted this completely different flower in my part shade border yesterday. I nearly missed this. Can’t for the life of me remember getting it from anyone in particular. I went to investigate it further and discovered that it is still in its pot and just ‘plonked’ into the border.

Can anyone tell me what it is, please? It’s a little beauty.

I think that this is the name of this lovely late flowering plant. I have had it many years but it has done particularly well in the last few and it is putting on a great show this year. I have the related purple one but it does not do well for me and I think it is too dry where it is – must add to the list (

Gosh, I went from working in t-shirt sleeves last week to wearing a t-shirt, jumper, and light jacket today. A very noticeable drop in temperature both yesterday and today. 

We still have lots of summer bedding for sale in our place at the moment, all reduced by 50%. Can’t see any of it shifting, even though today I reduced most of it to 50c. Amongst the reductions are window boxes which are now down to €4, and the summer bedding in them is still looking very healthy. But who in their right minds would buy them as we approach November.

There is a planter with mixed summer bedding that originally cost €19.99. But today I got it for €2. There is a nice little Gaura in it that I thought was worth €2.00. At least I THINK it’s a Gaura?????? I do know there are hardy types, but not sure which one this is. It’s worth taking the chance though.

At 4.30 all the birds in the vicinity began to roost, what a cacophony of cackling, chirping etc. Music to my ears. At the end of my shift I reminded my Manager that it was time to finish my working day an hour earlier now that business is winding down.

Gaura?Gaura?

On a few days holidays while the children are on mid term and we all spent an hour in the garden this afternoon planting some daffodil bulbs that had got dug up during the year. Great to get out for a while and the day was bright with just the odd shower.

These two Persicaria looking good but I have not got the names of either – the first one I got a slip of from Jimi in Huntingbrook whilst doing the course there. The second one I got from Joann at our plant swop in Johnstown it has lovely foliage and a very pretty flower (Thanks Joann). I have quite a few persicaria in the garden now and think they are plants well worth having the names of the others are “Red Dragon” “Ampliexcaulis” and “Affinis Superba”. If anyone knows the names of the ones on this journal that would be great.

Today was a great day weatherwise so I left the many indoor chores and headed for the garden straight after breakfast! 

My original plan was just to collect up some more of the hazelnuts but when I had done that I just didn’t want to go indoors đŸ™‚ That area, the Hazel Grove, had been inundated with thistles thanks to my not getting the hawthorn hedge  cleared this year. Won’t be making THAT mistake again!

It was very satisfying to completely fill the wheelbarrow with these thugs! I’m delighted how this area has developed. I am allowing the little violets to self-seed here and hopefully they will give the celandine a run for its money in the spring! I also have left some ivy to grow as ground-cover and planted some periwinkle there too. Some helebore seedlings from last year are starting to bud and the primroses and cowslips I got from Dick a few years ago are spreading nicely too. I had a single forget-me-not plant there this year so I scattered the seeds and now have lots of seedlings. The path along the back of this bed is greatly brightened by the lovely Persicaria from Rachel that is now being divided and spread along the edge of the path. I am encouraged to see that apart from the thistles there were relatively few other weeds and the scutch grass that used to plague that bed is almost eradicated.

I can’t believe that it is now nearly five years since we planted the Hazels – they will soon be needing to be cut back – there was a detailed description of how to do it in some magazine last year so I’ll just have to go back over the whole library to find it! There are worse ways of spending a winter’s evening!

I also did another hour on the willow hurdles – it is very slow!  And all the “compost in waiting” is starting to sprout millions of Bittersweet – Ugh!

Hazel GroveViolets & CampanulaGreat crop this year!

Autumn is firmly here.

It’s time for battening down the hatches, planting bulbs and planning for spring.

Here are details of the exciting seeds I have for sale…

Seed Sale 2013