Whats Looking Good December 2024

I don’t take them seriously either. All this climate change advice is only for gardeners with too much money to get them spending.

 

Thank you @ClematisDbee. Yes it usually remains upright after the flower stalks have faded but the combination of wind and rain has flattened it early this year. The green flower stalks in summer are more resilient. I’ve cut it to ground level this afternoon. It will bounce back though in spring. I may just adjust the timing of my annual cut back in future if we have another wet and windy winter .

 

When this Hakonechloa fades it can still be an attractive feature in the garden, until it gets so dry that it shreds and blows everywhere!

 

All looking well still Plantminded even the dicksonia looks unaffected . My own garden looking rather bare

 

Thank you @Perki, we’ve only had one fall of snow here and little frost so far .

 

Euphorbia pulcherrima (Pointsettia) ...

 

Nice contrast with the blue sky there @Victoria!

 

Your garden looks adorable @Plantminded. Is that the new plant to the left to the Acer?

My tree fern also survived the cold temperatures

 

Thank you @simone_in_wiltshire. Yes, that's the Mahonia I planted a few weeks ago. The flowers didn't last long but I like the leaf shape anyway.

I'm sure your tree fern will be fine with all your TLC .

 

@Plantminded, your patio slabs and steps look very free of algae and other deposits. Do you do anything special to achieve this? Here, blotches (whitish and black) appear even on slabs in sun and are devilishly difficult to shift.

 

No answer here for removing algae as I don't mind seeing it about the garden and think it looks natural to be there. Here are some photos of what I think is looking good in the garden at the moment:
A type of willow tree (I think) that I noticed growing at the other side of the valley that has nice bright colour to its stems. They have got to a good size fairly fast from the few branches I stuck in the ground. Picked them up when they were left at the side of the road when the trees I liked were trimmed.

Vinca minor flowering.

Mahonia still in bloom.

Caucasian wingnut showing off its interesting branch structure.

Common daisy still blooming in spite of the cold weather.


Also posted a video showing some of what is in bloom here.

Happy gardening!

 

Yes, I use Patio Magic a couple of times a year on the paving and steps @ViewAhead, whenever the greenish algal growth starts to appear. I don’t get those black and white blotches though so I’m not sure whether Patio Magic would work on them. I’ve seen several products called Black Spot Remover advertised in gardening magazines and on Amazon which might be worth investigating. I also jet wash the paving in the lower garden occasionally as the Acer drops resin and I tread mud down from the bank and borders above! I think sandstone may be easier to treat as it is porous while harder materials may be more difficult to clean.

 

Sounds quite high maintenance. My builder jet-washes mine every yr. He says he probably could reduce the black spots, but it would take time and water (I’m on a meter) and they would just come back again pretty quickly. TBF, they are endemic round here, so it’s not just me being lackadaisical!

 

It’s not really, it only takes about half an hour to spray all the paving and steps in the back garden with a 5 litre sprayer then you just sit back and leave it, no brushing, scrubbing or hosing down needed. It takes 2 to 3 days to see a difference which is why many people get impatient and think it’s not working, but it is .

 

It's brilliant stuff @ViewAhead , @Plantminded we're converts here