Whats Looking Good in August....

Suedobie, I took the cuttings(preferably with a heal and not woody) on the last couple of days, wrapped them in damp tissue sealed in a bag. On return removed any excess leaves and potted individually in 3in pots in peat vemiculite mix and kept in an unheated propagating unit.This was july so heating was unecessary. Heating would be necessary if taken in spring or autumn. I took two reds at the time and they are now only 18ins high compared to the 4ft high pink. I hope to get some more when I go on holiday this friday.

Waco, All the BH we grew this year were in just peat with osmocote fertiliser in unit packs, they were pinched out at 9in high to produce branches at an early stage(we had a student with us for a couple of weeks so I thought it would be good training for her to do the pinching out(all 3,500 of them .... well she wanted to learn) :D

 

She must have been doing it in her dreams! Poor girl!

I sowed my ageratum, about half a dozen different cultivars and they're all just coming into flower now - maybe a potential pic for Flower Power??

I wish I had my camera out when I saw a couple of bees clearly drunk on my dwarf alstroemerias! They were just lying on the petals, looking like they were hoping not to fall off, but unable to do anything about it if they did! :D But of course I couldn't find the camera :rolleyes:

 

Which? did a report on compost in January '06.
Their recommendation for seeds was J. Arthuer Bowyers Multipurpose with added John Innes, or if you want peat free then New Horizon Organic peatfree, although they did say that some seedlings did not do well in any peat free compost. Westlands was their second choice.
They found a lot of variation in composts from other brands, and a really big difference between the well known brands and others.

 

I used Bowyers JI no.2 for potting on and it has set like concrete, so next lot I added a bit of vermiculite which seemed to help.

 

Yes, I always use a bit of vermiculite for potting on, too.

 

Sorry but I get salvias and lobelias mixed up especially this time of night!!!! anyway its one of them.

 

Very pretty, Waco .. I'd say Salvia.

Here's my Leonotis Leonuris (Lion's Tail)
next to the Cercis with pods ...

 

very hot!

agastanche may do well for you out there, orange/pink???

 

Never heard of this. Waco, but just looked it up ... nice, A mexicana! On my five-day whirlwind tour to the IoW in October, I shall have to visit the Garden Centre! :D :D :D Seeds are not popular here yet, very limited selection except at places like Lidl in the spring but then you only get the common plants ... not that I don't like common plants! :eek:

 

I like Clerodendron trichotomum. Lovely scented white flowers offset by those reddish bracts, strange blue berries, and a characterful shape. Sorry but there was no sun today so the photos are a bit washed out.

 

That's beautiful. Is it hardy?

 

Lovely Jazid - I could with for one of those

 

do you like pheasantberry too, Jazid? Leycesteria? Your photo made me think of that... (P.S. Love all these new smileys!!)

 

Sorry, Jazid, I suddenly don't like you at all!

I have two Clerodendons .. one is non-existent and the other is the sickest looking example of a plant I've ever seen in my life! :eek: I bought it as a very healthy 1,5 metre plant at our local monthly market, with flowers, planted it in my wonderful special place and it's done NADA, NADA, NADA, except grow tall, straggly, yellowing spotted leaves and NO, NO, NO flowers. I am NOT, NOT, NOT impressed. It's in a prime position in my garden, in my dining area .. :eek: !!!

Where have I gone wrong? :confused:

 

Wish I could help. They grow easily here. Rich chalky soil, almost no pruning, and so far no disease or bugs. Suckers up a bit (though only C.bungei is supposed to do this), so I could try to lift a sucker or two and pass them on this winter. BIG NOTE: You will have to remind me very close to the time as I am definitely not Mr Memory :rolleyes:

It is completely hardy here Liz, I've had this one down to -15C or so without effect.

Mr D. I'm afraid I do and I don't like Leycesteria. I did, and planted it about when I started this lark, and then they looked all stragly and gawky and stickish, with the odd purple flower dangling off them like a wet hanky, and they didn't like my treatment of them - though I can't remember what I did. So then I got the hump with them, and now I scowl at the splendid examples everyone else seems to grow. Maybe I should give it a second go. How do you treat yours?