What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2020

Hi Perki, well, at that age they should be in in the flowering range depending on if they get enough Sun on the corms and if they get a weekly feed of high Potash.
Just a point of interest......the size of the corm does not seem to matter when it comes to being able to flower or the size of the flower. I've got, on the last count, 18 of the "Earlies" on the point of bursting their buds with the size of their corms and lengths of the leaves ranging from big to small while some of the smaller corms are putting out stems over 3 feet in length with large buds. Some of the corms seem to be naturally small but capable of putting out some really large and glorious flowers. The expert commercial growers advice seems to be to cut the flower stem at the base and to keep feeding the Iris until the end of August............just passing on some interesting details to who I know to be a competent, experienced, and keen gardener.

 

No, KFF, my friend, the commercial growers refer to them specifically as Corms not rhizomes and also refer to them as corms in their advice notes to customers. The RHS Handbook refers to them as Rhizomes but then goes on to say that due to the vast variety of genus of Iris, bulbous, rhizomes, Bearded, Beardless there is a great deal of debate in the scientific/commercial/private growers world as to whether to refer to Iris food bodies as Corms, Rhizomes or bulbs. There's even some USA commercial growers, where the largest commercial and hybridizers are, who refer to the corms/rhizomes as bulbs I go with the commercial growers decided definition.

 

I would disagree with your advice, KFF. as that would disturb the fine feeding hairs on the roots and possibly disturb the growing and flowering period. It would be better to gently scrape the compost/soil away from the sides of the corms/rhizomes to expose them to sunlight.

Oh, bu&!££, I really do apologise for disagreeing with you again, KFF, my friend, but that is not the best method for planting Bearded Iris. The "Mound Method" is usually only used where the soil is poor draining and putting the Iris on it and the roots draping around it is to help stop the corm/rhizome roots rotting due to standing in water. If Perki does not have poor draining soil then the best method is the standard one.
Again, I apologies for disagreeing with you, my friend.

 

There's very little that can affect Carnivorous plants, Snorky. Aphids can be bad for them but very little else.

To be honest, Snorky, they don't look like it, new growth has a fresh green look and those in your pot look just like last years growth should
I have around 3O or so Sarracenias and they all in different stages of growth some now fully out with Pitchers and flowers. some just starting with stems forming Pitchers, some with just red shoots starting to appear and others just sitting there. I'm not worried about the latter as they will come into life shortly.
I don't know the size of the pot you've got your Sarracenia in but they're quite happy in small pots. Can I ask what growing medium it's in? as that is really important.#

Hey Girl, despite being in the bad neighbour predicament that you're in, I know you to be a very bright, lively, positive, live life to the full character so that is not the way to think, and I know your friends on GC will agree with me.

 

Another catch up from yesterday. I started cataloguing and numbering each Bearded Iris in their pots, which is a job I should have done long ago. Now that they're starting to throw up stems I can identify which are early, mid and late season varieties and colours. A good few of them are unnamed so a Winters job will be to try to identify their variety names from the photos I'll be taking......a job for the dark nights.
I've been looking at the large clump of red flowered Day lilies


and holding back, for some unknown reason, from dividing them severely down to a small clump but, yesterday, lost patience as they show no signs of flowering and dug them up leaving only about 2 or three of them in a clump. The dug up Day Lilies will either go to Neighbours, friends, or in the Compost Bins The ironic fact is that I still have 3 "Pandora's Box" Day lilies

in pots waiting to be planted, so I've dug some up and I'm going to plant some more!!
I planted 3 more Knautias on the East side of the "walk around" border, which rises in a mound from the paths by around 18 inches, just about a clump of Phlomis where they should do well.
I'm also trying to "clear" the table standing on the Patio under the Kitchen Window of the rest of the Hardy Perennials so that I can move the Carnivorous plants out of the Green House and onto it for the Summer.....slowly getting there.
My life long friend in Manchester is going slightly "stir crazy" despite taking walks along the beautiful canal only 200 yards from where he lives and wants to meet, when Boris eases the Lockdown, at a halfway point near a place we used to, and still intend to, fish.
So, I'm putting some Kniphofia, Lupins, Phlox, Ferns, Hellebores and whatever I think his Wifewill like, (as she's the Head Gardener), and has turned her garden and borders into a really fabulous place, for him to take back home. He and I will also be planning, and hoping, to be able to fish together again soon as all we can do at the moment is remember the "adventures" we've had over the decades which my Wife and his Wife had to give us the permission to go on
Today it's time to feed the Roses, refill the Wildlife pond, sort out the dug up Day Lilies, plant the 3 Knautias and, Oh, decide on which of the 3 Clematis can be planted down against the Wildlife pond Jasmine/Clematis hedge. I've also got to carry on cataloguing the Bearded Iris those that are named and unnamed while also drawing a plan of the, at the moment, 4 rows of them. When the 15, plus a free one,ordered Bearded Iris arrive in June/July I'm going to have to pot them up, label them, and then figure where they're going to go.
The 4 recently planted Geums are doing well, the Roses are looking healthy, and the Peonies are looking good, but I'm always trying to keep a look out for the garden problems that, as we all know, will arise during the year.