Show us your recent purchases 2015

Having searched high and low in the GC and there seems to be a shortage this year
I brought these from a seller on Facebook
2 ensete's and 2 musa basjoo

 

Jungle Seeds (who used to also sell Jungle Plants, but then the retired and stopped doing plants ... only ... they still seem to be doing a few!!!!) are selling some Ensetes - on sale now, even. Their prices are never cheap, but the quality and package is superb, and I've always thought their E. maurelii and E. montbeliardii were excellent strains.

http://www.jungleseeds.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d128.html

I don't bother with Musa Basjoo as I think that the leaves are too barrow, and I much prefer the widder paddle-shaped leaves of Musa sikkimensis. Basjoo is hardier though.

 

3 more Violas, I seem to be having a love affair with violas this year!!
Columbine, Dawn and Elain Quinn

 

Been out plant hunting again
Ricinus communis 'New Zealand Purple'
Astilbodes Tabularis
Lillium Muscadet
Dolichus lab lab 'Ruby Moon'
Agastache aurantiaca 'Apricot Sprite'
Salvia Patens

 

Nice assortment

 

Couldn't resist this, Fuchsia procumbens

 

Been out again plant hunting
Carex dipsacea
Epimedium rhizomatosum
Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips'
Fushia procumbens

 

Just bought a Rhododendron (I know that will surprise some ) Polarnacht. Searched high and low for one earlier in the year and just popped onto the Millais Nurseries website - surprise surprise they were in stock so had to buy! Bought some of their proprietary slow release ericaceous fertiliser which is made from recycled sewage sludge - nice!

Also bought an Acer Sango-kaku (coral bark maple) from mailordertrees which I was going to fill a shady space with, but on reflection I'll plant one of my other Acers there and put this one in a tub as I've fancied it for a while.

 

I've had some of my best trees from them. Smaller (and cheaper ) than my normal suppliers but I reckon as a result they get away much quicker and overtake the taller ones.

I'm seriously wondering about buying any more 6/8 or 8/10 standards, bare root, as I think they really struggle to get going (although I keep asking myself "why", its a well understood process ...)

 

Rhodi is a cracker colour just had a nose


Spruce

 

Treated myself to some Okatsune Secateurs and Snips. Their secateurs knock my Felcos into a cocked hat, absolutely fabulous cutting action.



also treated myself to a proper sharpening stone so I can look after them properly too

I have written a review on my blog, in case of interest:
http://kgarden.wordpress.com/2014/07/31/okatsune-secateurs-and-snips/

 

Thanks Spruce, I love the colour too. I bought it to replace my Marcel Menard in a planter as its a bit weak and spindly, so am going to plant it in a border

Kristen - I've bought quite a few plants off mailordertrees and they are always good quality

I may have bought another Rhodo This time it's a white one - Lodauric Iceberg. Don't have a white one and this one is supposedly heavily scented which will make a nice change. I just wish I'd bought it at the same time as the other one so I could have saved a tenner on postage. I've got plenty in planters so I'm going to shove another one in the border (probably Percy Wiseman) to make space for it.

 

Electric pink cordylines:

 

I could do with a lesson next time I see you pls

I'm using the Felco recommended hold-in-the-hand and sharpen. I can get the stone right up to the inner end of the blade on the secateurs, but not quite on the snips. I am getting (subject to tuition and examination!) the right angle of incidence ... so I think I'm OK. It will be interesting to see if I can keep the edge on them long-term, although reviews that I read say that they hold their keenness for a very long time (quality of steel I think)

I'm figuring to just touch-up the blade each time I have done a reasonable amount of work, rather than a "once in a while" disassembly and whetstone as I used to do with my Felcos.