Whats looking good July 2014

Thank you Jenny and Spruce.

I think I might have put a bit too much in. The stepping stones / paths are disappearing and we also have to constantly step over plants while meandering through the border. There is an increasing chance that one of these days I may trip over and fall.

Yes, Calandrinia does have the most intense magenta colour among flowers.

I don't think I understand alstroemeria at all. Whenever I keep it (any variety) in a pot it will flower and at the same time produce so many tubers that I can see the pot bulging as the tubers increase. However when I take it out of the pot and plant into the ground, it stops performing - fewer shoots come up and gradually no flowers at all until, after a couple of years, it looks like it's dying. This spring while I was redoing the garden, I dug out hundred of tubers even though last year all I got from them were a handful of shoots and no flowers. So what were all these tubers doing in the ground ? I'd like to learn how to deal with alstroemerias myself as it happens.

 

I can only speak about A.psittacina...............

As I understand it (AIUI), A.psittacina prefers slightly moist soil in partial shade. It dislikes full sun (AIUI). I have two clumps - the one in full sun is sparse, but about to bloom. The other was in partial shade last year and outstanding, but this year it has been mugged by my Lobelia tupa and is now in full shade (and very dry) and not happy at all. I'll have to move it, which is also a problem as they hate being disturbed (AIUI)!

 

@longk

very nice .... may have another go next year but I can never get the tubers big enough to over winter in fact they hardly produce any.

 

@Spruce - are the tubers that you're buying up to the job? That's the only explanation that I can think of.

One other thought - where are you growing them?

 

My Gazanias and annual Rudbeckias are adding a few splashes of colour around the garden now.

 

where do you get yours ? pm me otherwise non will be left

In the greenhouse normally , john ins and perlite , probably right about the tubers have been small ish ! but still flower though

 

C Buckland Beauty

 

My first ones came from Cornwall. My current stock was bought in the bargain bin and kept in growth as long as possible.

Same as me, except fot MPC plus sand and grit. Water and feed well when in growth.

Outstanding!

 

Currently trying to strike some cuttings from it , not having a great deal of success at the moment.

 

@Ian Taylor - just spotted the new avatar. What is it?

 

oooh what a beauty,
don't show it to @ARMANDII ..
Jenny

 

@longk its C repans, its a trailing one , gets to about 6 feet, its fully hardy, very hard to do cuttings been told easiest way is layering.
Been after it for a while had to send to Holland for it.

 

By the looks of it it was worth the effort.

 

I have 2 of them in a wall planter, only had them about 6 months, wasn't expecting them to flower this year.