WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2017

@"M" @Verdun This is a macrophylla type. I bought it from hampton court/golden hill nurseries about 4 years ago. It was beautiful and literally people kept coming up to me asking me where I got it from! Lol. I planted it up in what I thought was a good "self watering" planter...then disaster struck and there was a rain storm and a broken bit of guttering and the pot filled with water and destroyed it. I managed to rescue some scraps of it and it's grown back like this



Hopefully it will start to grow better now-I just didn't want it to lose the beautiful colour of the flowers but the flowers were so rubbish this year that I may aswell put it in the ground!

I've also trimmed the top of the climbing hydrangea but been very careful only to tidy up the bits going over the fence-don't want to lose next years flowers!

I've also weeded the left hand border of the garden and rooted between the alchemilla mollis pulling out dead buts and those disgusting spanish slugs! On the plus side I found a lovely little common newt!

Also cleared the pump in the little wildlife pond and pulled out some blanket weed.

I feel like the back garden is back in shape now!

Just got to go up to the allotment and sort the weeds out there, tie up rasps and sort out the strawbs. @"M" do you do new runner plants every year? I did them last year as there were inly 2 strawb plants. Now I have a bed full. I don't know much about growing strawbs really!

 

It will be fine Snorky......remember hydrangeas, as name suggests, love moisture. If not planted yet, be generous with compost, dried manure, etc. It will pay dividends. A thick mulch every spring will do wonders for it too .

 

Did a garden tour in a large garden today.Back to the nursery pm to find my box of goodies had arrived.Clerodendrum myricoides Ugandense,Dicliptera sericea,Gloxinia nematanthoides Evita,Lantana montevidensis,Euryops chrysanthemoides and the one that i have been after for a long while Streptosolen jamesonii.Pretty happy with those to add to my collection of plants that i am trialling at low over wintering temperatures.

 

Thanks @Verdun -it's planted in that pic but you probably can't tell as it looks puney! Lol. I planted it with a load of manure and watered it in with a feed of miracle gro for ericaceous plants.

 

Snorky
If you have spare space and a spare penny or two, check out the paniculata hydrangeas. I have Limelight here and it is a real eye catcher. Easier to grow than the mops and lacecaps, tolerate drier and sunnier positions, simple pruning and huge....huge ...white flowers throughout summer. Put a shrubby blue delphinium (Clivedon Beauty) with it and you have perfection

 

Sounds good @Verdun -sounds like it would survive on the sunny border (as seen on tv lol). I will be looking it up for definite!

 

I managed 2 good sessions today. All the plants I have bought to date are now in the ground. I like the cyclamens so much I think I might buy another tray next time I go shopping. I'm still way behind where I would like to have been. The evenings are getting shorter now too.

G.

Ps. Talking of climbers. The garden centre I visited today had a sorry looking lonicera starlite for £2. It's ironic that it had to be the exact same variety that was singled out in an earlier post

 

Ah I already have this in the front garden and it's lush....wonder if I can take some cuttings from it....

 

Yes you can Snorky. For me it would be in mid summer. However, see if you can layer a stem; quicker and a head start on cuttings. A slight nick on the underside then press into the soil (I like to add moist compost there) and place a small stone or peg down. End of summer and it will root. Wait though until spring, sever from main plant and pot it up.
Did more than I did today in the garden Gary.

 

More gravel shovelled - getting fed up of gravel now . Chopped down the Anemones a bit, hopefully finish it tomorrow. Removed more Lucifer bulbs. Weather windy and grey with fine rain drifting in the wind. Gave up when it turned heavier.

Box of 100 Fritillaries arrived today I do love them, probably my most favourite of Spring flowers.

 

ME TOO They are sooooo pretty ....can never have too many of them Lucius

 

First year for me @Snorky85 so I've got my they will do as they are told

Your hydrangea should pick up ready for next year. When I first bought mine, I asked for an idiot proof guide to taking cuttings and Kristen wrote a really post on how to do it. Followed his instructions and have never looked back. "Macrophylla" is a broad term for mop and lace cap; the variety I have in pots (and the border) is "Endless Summer". Which reminds me, it's time to deadhead and make an arrangement with those glorious blooms.

 

Snorky, fresh runner bean seed every year. Used to grow 2 varieties every year....my favourite plus new variety to compare For me the white flowered varieties are best...think the birds are less attracted to them than the red....and I think the very best is Mergoles. Stringless, succulent and prolific. Whatever variety you grow get plenty of goodness in the planting area. Now and throughout winter is a good time to get as much compost as possible in there.
Grew excellent beans again this year but think Shiney's were better

 

Well, you look happy with yourself there WO

Will be a colourful summer next year for sure