do you ever worry about the garden??

hi all

im thinking of the coming months and protection of the plants, i'm also watching the weather forcasts like a hawk so as not to get caught out and risking losing my plants.

most of what i've planted in the large border are hardy, so no need to worry (fatsias, boos, acer, phormiums, laurel, euphorbia etc) but some are tender (nanas, dahlias, cannas, palms etc...)

also the tree ferns, cyathea, washys etc will need bringing in or protecting, and hopefully they'll either get wrapped or in t'shed or garage.

looking back to how it looked before i started to now, i'm chuffed to blinkin bits with it, and i am worried it wont look as nice next year?!

ok, the small amount of bedding that i put in for colour (coleus, bedding dahlias, salvia etcc) can be relatively cheap to replace so i'm not worried about those, but the ones that i bought for structure are the ones that i think about.

will it look as nice next year as now? who knows, but i'll try my hardest to make it so.

eee, who'd have thunk it, its the first year ive ever worried about my garden, suppose its my baby i gave birth to and have watched it grow.

 

I trrrry not to worry about the garden but we all put so much effort into them don't we and just want it all to pay off....i'm going to contradict myself now i moved a 3ft fir tree to a better position a year ago and have guarded it with my life since....(it's got a sentimental attachment) in the summer it was looking a bit poorly but now it's coming up 6ft tall and i'm so relieved it's made it....so yes ...i do worry about my garden really...who am i trying to kid

 

I get really annoyed when things die. I've got a Yew hedge here, planted about 5 years ago, and every year I've had to replace plants that have died. I have absolutely no idea why they have died; its taken an age to get going (only really this year that the plants have made really good growth). Replacement plants put in this Spring have done nothing - and this has to have been the best every growing year for hedges - why have they don't nothing? I have absolutely no idea what the problem is ... but I find it both annoying and frustrating. planted loads of Yew hedges over my adult life, never had a single plant die, that I can remember, so no idea what I am doing wrong with the current one :(

 

The whole border looks an overgrown MESS. And I know there's ground elder in there and a few thugs that need to be shown the door. I worry about getting rid of the elder and thugs without upsetting the more delicate ones I want to keep. I know I;m putting off the task which is unacceptable too

 

I try not to worry about it but when you spend some much time and money it's difficult not too.
The problem is that I probably moddle coddle my garden too much and the some plants would probably do better if neglected them a bit more

 

Kirsten, it's been a cool summer. Plants like plenty of moisture in summer but need some heat too to grow properly. Are you planting yew in the same spot as yews that died? Yews are pretty tough and tolerate most conditions except waterlogging. So, could this be the problem? Have you been digging close to the hedge?
Do I worry about my garden over the winter? Yes. I live in mild area but it just needs one or two freezing nights to spoil things. It's the wet I really worry about.....wet winters are my big no no. I dont really wrap up too much, if anything, but I always consider if I should. Like everyone else, I don't want to lose my expensive plants that have taken some years to grow

 

Thanks Verdun

Those would be my short list too ... but sadly I can't point my finger at any of those as a culprit :(

Not been digging near them, they have woven weed suppressing membrane and a bark chip mulch on top of that, and a leaky-hose for irrigation under that (haven't had to use that at all this year, but have hand-watered the "replacements" when we haven't had any rain for a week - not been many of those weeks this year!)

Whole area is flat, large herbaceous & shrub borders on either side, so no run-off of surface water to this point, particularly. Failures have been in different places in different years. I haven't lost any "established" Yew plants, from memory, but most have taken 2 or 3 years to get settled before putting on any significant annual growth.

Whole area (herbaceous and shrubbery beds too) was ploughed by the local farmer, and then I rotavated it, before any planting. So the whole area should have similar drainage. Not been any standing water in that area this year, although we have had elsewhere in the garden (first time ever this year!); in previous years we have irrigated (heavily, once a week, using the leaky hose) during dry spells.

We have trouble with moles in a couple of places, and I have attributed some of the failures to them, but I think they are obvious - you have to / can stamp the soil back down where they have been, and other failures have had no obvious soil disturbance.

Its a mystery to me :(

 

I don't worry about my garden, it's a case of the survival of the fittest. I have learnt down the years not to plant anything that is going to need a nursemaid. I believe if a plant is happy where it is it will survive, why bother battling against the elements, grow plants that are happy with their surroundings, climate, soil etc. It's also cheaper, no replacing of dead plants that have struggled and then given up.

 

Yes I do worry all winter.
If you only grow what's natural to your area then its not a problem.
There are different kinds of gardening.
But if it grows without problem, I tend to find it boring, so cant help growing things that need a bit of help.

 

Verdun, you have joined the GC forum, Though you have not introduced yourself
(The second forum on the site) You know how long you have been a qualified horticulturist etc years on the allotment

Your information is good
Only you are advising an experienced gardener (Kirsten, One of his greenhouses is bigger than my garden) with 20 acres of private nursery that plants need heat as well as plenty of moisture

Jack McH

 

Oops! Don't think I'm much good on this forum. Sorry folks

 

That's the way I see it too. You try to guide nature to grow in the way you want, but sometimes nature has other ideas.
Do I worry? No.
Like Sheal, I plant things that are suited to my soil and climate and don't need too much "molly-coddling". Of course that doesn't stop freak weather conditions having their way occasionally. Gardens are growing and dying all the time, why worry about it. Dig it up and plant another one.

 

Yes and No....I used to worry a lot about loosing plants,but over the years I have mellowed and accept that yes we WILL lose plants,they grow old ,they get sick,to hot, to cold, to wet, wrong soil etc.It's part of the excitement,our challenge against the elements etc.
I like to concentrate on the successes which far outweigh the failures....

 

I agree. But it narks be when I fail to get new plants established and they die before I get to enjoy them, or they don't fill-in-that-gap for me ...