Other Plants

Crocosmias self seed happily with me if I don't deadhead them and they are very variable in flower colour, size, vigour and foliage.

I want to buy a Cotinus Royal Purple, does it need a full 6 hours of Sun or will it be ok in a partial shady corner - though if I buy a taller standard it will get more Sun anyway ? Looking for advice on this please as would hate to plant it in the wrong place.

They are in almost full shade under the red standard Hibiscus behind the Gardenia ... They get no direct sun.I have read some of these new breed dwarf doubles can bloom almost all year.

B&Q have got chocolate Cosmos for sale at the moment - not expensive at all! Mind you some of their plants are pretty long and straggly. I considered it but they didn't really call to me.

I have planted these this year for the first time and absolutely love them. Have read you can store the seed after it has gone brown to sow later and also it will flowers more if you deadhead. My problem is not knowing which ones have flowered and waiting to turn brown or which have still to...

I agree - A. sphaerocephalon spreads very readily here, as opposed to most other alliums which can struggle to survive/thrive year on year. It's only in the past couple of years that conditions have suited some of them well enough here to grow. Some will always do better than others, as it...

It so happens that the Sambucus nigra I planted 2 years ago was in replacement of a Portuguese laurel specimen which had grown to become un-manageable. I don't regret taking that action.

+1 for secateurs, cutting at right angles to the leaf. They're tough! When the leaves/stubs are really dead, they yank out easily. Best to get the residues out before cold, wet weather as they can cause rot if left.

Yes I agree I overdid the pellets... .I think more copper next year!

Leave enough of the stem to be able to pull on it once they're thoroughly dried. Say 1' /30cm. That way, you thoroughly remove any potential material that might rot over the winter and damage the crown. I find that, once dried, waggling it backwards and forwards (or side to side) snaps it off...

It's a lovely shrub, especially when in flower. I would water it.

There are some cold places in California I think they probably range up into Oregon and up the West coast strip. But yes can be slightly tender and some varieties are hardier than others, maybe the ones with the bigger leaves are less hardy in general.But I think concha is probably the darkest...

Thanks everyone for your feedback and comments, very helpful indeed

Just ordered some

That's fasciation in your pix @Fritillary , which happens to various plants, and foxgloves often have it. There's no real reasoning to it, and no one seems to know exactly how or why it happens, but many people think it's simply buds fusing together due to certain weather conditions, especially...

Yes one of mine was given a severe haircut by the nursery, before I bought it and they kept it in a shady spot until it started to reshoot.

Hi, no, feeding when it's actually flowering won't prolong the flowers. The idea is to feed the bulb (the leaves do that too, so don't cut them off until they've withered) so it gets bigger and stronger and forms a good flower head next year.

Here is Luis (Figo) yesterday with new leaves ...Hmm, could have placed him with a better background. He lives on this North-facing windowsill (squat pot to the right) ...

Hi there,I thought I'd update on this as I was surprised to see this Lithodora seems to be sprouting new growth from soil level (see attached) so I have cut back all the woody stems. Will have to see how it develops but thought it had had it. Glad to not have to pull it up just yet.

Pruning at the wrong time, is probably the most common reason that most shrubs don't flower.