How does your garden grow?

[plocket]

How about we keep a general garden journal? The theory being that if people write about what they are doing it might remind others of things that need doing?

Things are hotting up in my garden at the moment, but the biggest problem I've got is with greenfly - they seem to be everywhere! I'd be grateful for a reliable recipe for home-made aphid spray if anyone has one. I planted a few things yesterday: Geranium Clarkei "Kashmir Purple"; Epimedium Perralderianum (both from Dunham Massey) along with some Poppy "Black Paeony" seedlings and a lobelia "Queen Victoria". I've sprayed them with my garlic spray to keep the slugs off. Today I planted up some parsley seedlings left over from a pot of parsley we got from the supermarket. It's quicker than waiting for seedlings, and probably about the same price as a packet of seeds! ;D

[cheerypeabrain]

Good Idea Plocketypoo ;D

In my garden I'm at that stage where my plants that were raised from seed are almost ready to go into the garden...but it's just too early. I always have this dilemma...I long to just get my plants into the soil to watch them grow, spread and flower....sigh...

Yesterday I trimmed the flower heads off the euphorbia blackbird and rubra....cut back the lilac as the flowers were over.

Did some weeding in the veg patch, and nipped out the tips of the French marigold, dahlia and brachycome youngsters.

The peas on the obelisk in the veg patch have started to flower. please please no late frosts.....but then again...if it snows or sommat we'll just start again... ;D

[sweetleaf]

You can make an insecticide from Rhubarb leaves, or tea tree oil but it may not just kill aphid, you are better to blast them off with a hose, the ants will put them back though. Perhaps a better idea would be to control the ants?

[sweetleaf]

My garden is getting out of control, the lawn is desperately in need of cutting and the hedges need trimming, BUT the Weigelia and the Dicentra are gorgeous at the moment the california lilac is about to give me a good display and all the perennials I planted in autumn have made it through the winter. Im happy then.

[plocket]

I took a cutting of Mum's Pixie yesterday and hopefully it will take. I'm going to grow it in a container this year if it does grow, so that I can put it in the front garden which is more sheltered and probably gets more sun. The garden was still very dry today, despite a couple of light showers, so I decided to water the containers. Just as I finished it rained, but still not enough to make much of a difference. The sun is shining now!!

[sweetleaf]

I toured the garden in the rain today and was soaked to the skin but I didnt mind, the Allium Christophii bulbs I bought last year are starting to flower, Im sure they didnt do this till June last year, but I didnt note it down.. note to self, keep a diary!
One of my apple trees has started to form fruit, and the Foxgloves have reached almost a metre in height, as has the Lychnis which is a surprise, its never been that big before. Also 3 out of four of the Zantedeschia are showing shoots and Im pleased to say the patented sweetleaf anti-slug charcoal is working still. ;D Not one nibble out of any of my Hostas or clems! Im desperate to plant out my annuals but Im being strong....dont know if I can hold out much longer though! ;D

[cheerypeabrain]

Wotcha...just a quickie whilst OH is in the shower.....
It's been raining on and off for 2 days....persisting down at the mo ;D
It's also been blowing up a gale so the garden is scattered with debris from the trees out back...swept up a huge pile of leaves and twigs yesterday but it's too wet today to do the same.

In the border everything is starting to bulk up... ;D ;D ;D foxtail lily looks promising...as does the monarda from last year's beeb trial!

Big sis took me to a GC this arvo in her new car...only bought a tricolour sage and a French tarragon plant...quite restrained really..... ;D

Right...he's outa the shower
ttfnXXX

[Sleepy]

cheerypeabrain said:

Wotcha...just a quickie whilst OH is in the shower.....

I hope he notices ;D

[cheerypeabrain]

he did...

[sweetleaf]

oops! Are you in trouble Cheery? I got in trouble the other night too.

Mind you Im not allowed to moan if he wants to go out and leave me all alone for hours and hours. At least I dont do that.

[plocket]

I'm not doing much in the garden at the moment except waiting for some of my next clems to flower

[mickthecactus]

I made up a square pot outside the back door with chives, indian mint, coriander and a variegated oregano. Used the coriander and oregano in a stir fry last night. Absolutely fantastic. Having them right outside the back door means that they get used rather than going halfway down the garden for them.

[plocket]

Oooo what does indian mint taste like?

[mickthecactus]

Don't know P. I'll taste a bit tonight and let you know.

[cheerypeabrain]

I've had a glorious afternoon! Earthed up the taters at last, applied the nemaslug (2nd dose)....planted my beans, planted up a 20" terracotta pot with french marigolds, with a penstemon (?) reedy grassy thing in the middle...

Potted up my celosia and dahlia plants into bigger pots...threw caution to the wind and planted the new bit of the bed with gazania (kiss bronze), rudbeckia (rustic dwarf), gaillardia (goblin ;D) brachycome (purple splendour) and coreopsis basilis...... ;D ;D ;D ;D.....

I have me fleece in the garage ready.... and have loads of spares in the GH and CF if they get nobbled...

[plocket]

Fairy duff Mick - I look forward to your report!

Ooh you've been busy Cheery. I've barely stepped into the garden today but I did top up the soil with fresh compost around my Sieboldii, and put a thick layer of slate around as a mulch because the bleeping mouse is back. If I catch the little whatsit he's going to get a right telling off. And as for the cat!!! The sodding mouse is nesting right under the window where the cat spends most of the day - there is absolutely no way the cat hasn't spotted a mouse right under her nose with only a pane of glass between them. Humph! Anyway I also put a bit of salt on a couple of slugs I found, and watered the containers under the shelter of the window overhang. The bay doesn't look too happy so I might have to feed it again - I can't remember when I last did it :

[maggyd]

NOT A Lot!
Ive potted my sprouted dahlia ,s in a couple of tubs I'm keeping them in the greenhouse for a few more weeks, transplanted some lily babies : I think they will take a couple of years before they flower! potted up penstemon cuttings that have got some lovely roots on them so they should be alright ! and I have put some mesameranthemum (I havent spelled that right) but who cares! seeds straight into the garden so that will probably be the last I see of them and thats all folks as I was dodging in and out of the rain.

[mickthecactus]

Indian mint tastes err.. minty.

My daughter moved last December into a stable conversion that is sited longways to the road. It has a large and long front garden which is very cottagey with roses, self seeding poppies, marigolds etc. etc. She is having a "do" next Sunday and asked me to sort all her garden out which I did and I have to say it looked darn good when I finished.

Strangely enough at the side there is a raised bed which is North facing and receives no sun whatsoever. I dug all the weedy plants and shrubs that right out. Any suggestions for plants in dry shade?

The back garden is the boys, football/cricket pitch and there's not much I could do with that although I think we'll plant up some pots to give a bit of temporary colour.

[sweetleaf]

Bergenia likes dry shade Mick I also successsfully grow Euonymus, Alchemilla Mollis ferns and variegated Periwinkle, and of course one of my favourites, Aconites!I grow them in the deep shade provided by an ancient lilac at the bottom of my garden, this also sucks the moisture out of the soil but you wouldnt know it by the health of the plants.
Hostas are good doers if you bulk up the soil to improve moisture retention, and the variegated foliage looks very nice in the shade , also Foxgloves and all the woodland type bulbs do well.

[4pygmies]

I always try to plug herbs Mick so for dry shade you could try Comfrey, Aquilegias, Sweet Woodruff, Foxgloves, Periwinkle, the Cranesbills, Sweet Violet or Gaultheria. Other perennials you could try: Epimedium, Euphorbia, Acanthus or Helleborus. There's quite a variety of leaf and flower in that lot! And there are quite a few bulbs which tolerate dry shade too. Hope that helps.

[mickthecactus]

Thanks Guys. Very helpful indeed.

Actually it had Bergenias but they were barely flowering so they've gone (and I don't like Bergenias much anyway).

[4pygmies]

I like them when they're healthy en masse but I can't get to grow like that - they limp along and slowly expire in my garden.

[4pygmies]

My sister announced they are having a big hog roast this weekend with a marquee and everything to say goodbye to the American lodgers who are going back to the States next month. My BiL has been mowing, weeding and tarting the front yard up all morning so I felt obliged to go and sort out the border which goes along the front of my barn....OMG it's about 40ft long and hasn't a square inch that isn't covered in nettles, weeds and couch grass.....in between these there are quite a few plants but finding them was tricky! And I have pulled MILES of the Golden Hop out (2 barrow loads), mowed the bits of grass, moved the piles of bricks I rescued from the road side where they were dumped, discovered that most of the pots are growing nothing but grass and realised that my little Bay tree has finally died.
I'm shattered.......
..now I have to go buy some stuff to pretty up the pots! Fortunately I have to buy my mystery Rose tomorrow too

[maggyd]

And I thought I have trouble with my dog violets growing all oer the place if nly everything else would grow as fast as weeds.

Sorry you lost your bay 4ps I would love one but they are expensive arent they?

[debbiem]

I think my bay cost 2.78 in B&Q, only a small one but it grows so fast!. A while after I'd bought it they were selling them at about half that price grrr.
Incidentally I spent 3.76 in B&Q today with some great bargains - a tray of Broad Bean plants for 49p, a lily for 50p(a bit past its best for this year), a lovely Euphorbia for 99p and a cheapie B&Q's 'smart price' Choisya for 1.78. Sorry about the lack of pound signs here, the pound symbol on the laptop isn't in its proper place and has migrated somewhere or has disappeared completely - the pound sign is a # at the moment!