SHOW US YOUR RECENT PURCHASES 2018

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by ARMANDII, Jan 1, 2018.

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  1. Verdun

    Verdun Passionate gardener

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    Some veronica varieties on my doorstep today including First Lady. :) Potted on now :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2018
  2. BigC

    BigC Super Gardener

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    We had some coupons for an evening meal and Tea and Tray bakes as club members of a Garden Centre so we decided to use them up yesterday..This food was excellent no kidding all home baked produce amazingly for a GC.....Anyway we bought some Autumn Grass feed and weed large bag reduced and a pack of wild Poppy seed...that it lol
     
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    • BellaBlue

      BellaBlue Gardener

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      The postman Came!

      Anemone Hadspen Abundance
      Anemone Pamina
      Anemone Robustissma
      Astrantia Major Buckland
      Geranium Psilostemon
      Hakonechloa Macra Sunflare

      plants.jpg

      Ok to plant now or shall I overwinter them and plant out in spring? I don't have a greenhouse but I do have a cold frame and a mini growhouse.
       
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      • BigC

        BigC Super Gardener

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        Westland Hydrangea Colourant.
        Seeing as my blue Hydrangea is in the process of returning to the pink form given our Alkaline soil..I took some cuttings to eventually keep in large pots...Their nursery pots are filled with ericaceous compost and I shall add both this additive and a blackwater extract (peat water) to the experiment to see how this goes.
        Will I get the blue back???

        p1c42947o93gk1qncbo6kt31cm94.jpg
         
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        • Jack Sparrow

          Jack Sparrow Total Gardener

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          Would the miscanthus grow in a big pot near the front door? If so would it work mixed with tulips or other spring/summer bulbs?

          G.
           
        • Verdun

          Verdun Passionate gardener

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          Nice plants BellaBlue :)
          All are hardy but all, for me, are best potted on, kept outside for next few weeks and overwintered then in your cold frame or mini gh. Plants will grow much better, bigger and faster this way and then planted out in early to mid spring. :)

          I have potted on my own recent deliveries incl a variety of hackonechloa.....I grow different varieties of this wonderful grass :)

          Gary, yes it will but only for a year or two. It is a very vigorous grass. I will post a couple of pictures of miscanthus growing here to give you an idea of their size. If you decide to grow it in a pot for a while then a minimum 5 litre size but preferably bigger.....plus, as always, a john innes compost :)
           
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          • BellaBlue

            BellaBlue Gardener

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            Thanks Verdun. I will pot them on. My newly extended border is very sparse but patience will get me better results I suppose.

            I actually spotted these grasses in your pictures posted in the galleries. I have been looking through a lot of the galleries and have just finished looking at the May gallery. Your garden is totally awesome as are many others also and my list of wanted plants just grows daily but I don't have space for them all. Well, perhaps if I got rid of the lawn.....

            I have another Hakonechloa coming, Aureola, earmarked for a container.
             
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            • Verdun

              Verdun Passionate gardener

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              Prob the best hackonechloa BellaBlue ........superb in containers and in the ground. Good moist soil produces best quality :). Dont dismiss the straight green variety by the way.

              Ha ha, we all turn to reducing the lawn areas to accommodate that extra plant ....or two or three:)
               
            • ARMANDII

              ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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              You should do but, as you know, BigC, Hydrangeas will only stay blue in permanently ericaceous soil or ericaceous compost. The latter tend to lose their acidity over time and need additives to maintain the required acidity level. I hate pink Hydrangeas as they all seem to go a dirty pink which, to me, is awful, so I always buy white Hydrangeas and have got 7 at the moment having just added to "Annabelle" Hydrangeas.
               
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              • Verdun

                Verdun Passionate gardener

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                I think, to get the truest consistent hydrangea colour, plant named/good pink or red in neutral to alkaline soil and named/good blue varieties in ericaceous soil.
                Thus pink, if a good variety and in the right soil will be clear, clean and attractive.

                Trying to change colour by using colourant is a never ending process....never as good as selecting the correct type of hydrangea in the first place.

                I too like the white varieties but have also planted a pink in my neutral soil.....a nice, clear flower. :)

                Cornwall is a great county for blue hydrangeas but here, on the coast, it is not acid enough alas:noidea:
                 
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                • BigC

                  BigC Super Gardener

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                  Thanks for your input @ARMANDII much appreciated...These will be intended for large pot/containers and trimmed as well as an experiment (well thats the plan)
                  WHITE sounds interesting do they stay white.
                  I have some lovely pink Hydrangea's very vibrant but they love water...copious amounts of water almost a bog plant here hahahaha
                  Thank you also @Verdun
                  as stated above I have got beautiful vibrant Hydrangea's (well I'm pleased with them anyway but then again I'm only a novice) but was using this as an ongoing containerised experiment..I took cuttings of the Pink var. and held them in water untill some sembelance of roots appeared then planted them up in ericaceous compost with rooting hormone powder. If all goes well I will feed with Miracle grow pellet and water with run off water from my peat steeping vat (aquarium related) and apply the Hydrangea colourant to try and keep the soil acidic to a certain degree...If this is being lost a little in the process I will do what I do with most containerised plants and shrubs, I will remove about a 1/3 of the top soil and replace...

                  20180714_074527.jpg
                   
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                  • BigC

                    BigC Super Gardener

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                    Originally this Hydrangea was deep blue only last season and as you can see from this photo earlier in the year its reverting to pink in the alkaline soil..I quite like the mauve lol but it wont stay like that forever...

                    20180712_163805.jpg
                     
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                    • Verdun

                      Verdun Passionate gardener

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                      I have a couple of white hydrangeas here and love 'em......they are commonly known as PG's, the paniculatas. Limelight has emerging pale lime flowers that quickly turn pure white all summer. They turn pink in autumn.
                      I also grow a baby PG called Bombshell.......cute with white flowers on a bush 60 to 80 cm tall and wide.
                      Hydrangea colours are fickle.....unless in stable definitely acid or alkaline soil they will colour almost on a whim :noidea:
                      A few years ago I grew blue hydrangeas taken from superb blue plants....i planted in pots of ericaceous soil but gradually they developed into purple/pink. Now I grow only those hydrangeas suitable for my soil:)
                       
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                      • Clare G

                        Clare G Super Gardener

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                        I have one of these - not sure which cultivar - and yes the flowers take on the most beautiful subtle shades of pink and green in autumn, what I would call "tapestry colours." They last ages on the plant, and also look good and last well in flower arrangements. :spinning:
                         
                      • Verdun

                        Verdun Passionate gardener

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                        IMG_5459.JPG IMG_5462.JPG
                        For Gary, a couple of miscanthus grasses to give an idea of size and how quickly they grow.

                        Both these grasses...top is M.Cabaret; M. Gold Bar below....... are 3 years from being divided; about 8' tall and the soon to appear flowers will add further height. I will divide again before next spring
                         
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