Gardening: Hints and Help!

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  • hostahousey
    hostahousey Forum Participant Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2020 #302

    Good Idea Motorhomer, I did a similar thing with peas for the pea shoots tasted good. Left some to grow on and I got quite a few pea pods that tasted like peas used to..

  • redface
    redface Forum Participant Posts: 1,701
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    edited August 2020 #303

    Was given an Orchid last year, flowered well, died off in autumn and was chucked outside into the garden, in a tub of compost.

    We never watered it, fed it, but to our amazement it has now flowered again and has a few more buds that look viable. Must be the current heat wave, I guess.

     

     

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2020 #304

    Well done that orchid! 😁

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2020 #305

    Had a nice afternoon outside yesterday, mainly tidying, dead heading, cutting back. Things are on the turn a bit now, at that “blowsy” stage, some things finished for the year, others doing well. We have enjoyed lots of crocosmia and montbretia this year, and lovely Japanese anemones, both these still going strong, and some lovely dahlias adding late colour. Roses still doing their thing, although over that huge first flush. 

    I am thinking about bulbs now. Got lots of daffodils in, many varieties, shades and shapes, plus tulips and alliums. Fancy something a bit different, so any ideas welcome. I don’t like muscari, too much leaf for me, but other suggestions very welcome. We have been adding to our crocus numbers as well.........😁

  • hostahousey
    hostahousey Forum Participant Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2020 #306

    Agree about the Crocosmia ours have been a pleasure also, But now the green stalks of Lucifer have suddenly gone brown and seem to have died off. Never known this happen as early, could be the hot temperatures we have had. .Unfortunately the Montbretia have not flowered plenty of leaf though.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2020 #307

    Yes, my Lucifer has gone brown very quickly. The Montbretia might need lifting and thinning HH, I did this with some of mine in the Spring, and where I have it’s flowered lovely. Blinking heavy rain downpours yesterday battered one of two things flat yesterday though☹️

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited August 2020 #308

    We've got lots of little cyclamen coming up just now, white and shades of pink. They're nice easy little things to plant in the bulb/corm line of thought. My favourite bulbs have been  the Dog's Tooth Violet bulbs that OH planted (amongst others smile.) Nice to look at the bulb catalogues now but I'm hanging on to Summer for as long as I can!

  • JayOutdoors
    JayOutdoors Forum Participant Posts: 572
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    edited August 2020 #309

    Planted a few Spring flowering Leucojum in a clump a couple of years back which are doing OK so far.  Flowers are a bit like Lily of the Valley but much taller.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited September 2020 #310

    Ordered a few spring plants today and then went outside to see how autumn is progressing. We have a Cornelian Cherry (cornus mas) and it's covered in "cherries" this year, decided to try one putting my faith in the book details that they are edible. Strange taste, slightly tomato like, I haven't gone wobbly yet...🐰

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited September 2020 #311

    Nice👍🏻, with variegated foliage you get a bonus, I try to buy a variegated type whenever I can. You can see they’ve had the elements required over the growing season in their health👏🏻👏🏻

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 2020 #312

    Yes beautiful cherry brue. I was hoping to put in a variegated holly this year, grow it as a topiaried bush. 

  • hostahousey
    hostahousey Forum Participant Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 2020 #313

    My Bathsheba climbing rose has been beautiful , but its not sending any strong trainable  climbing shoots only thin rose bearing ones. More like a Floribunda . Any ideas ?

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2020 #314

    Did you have any luck HH? It might be the wrong end of the growing season and a good prune will produce lots of new strong growth in the Spring. 

  • hostahousey
    hostahousey Forum Participant Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2020 #315

    Yes will try that in the spring brue, It needs stronger support due to the size and weight of the flowers. 

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited October 2020 #316

    It took my climbers quite a few years to settle & become happy enough to climb & spread likewise my ramblers, other than ‘Seagull’ that was just like the Birds. . .A menace🤷🏻‍♂️😊

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2020 #317

    Agree, a good prune will help. Some roses can be a bit spindly first couple of years. I took one out of a pot this year, and it’s struggled, but will be better next year👍

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2020 #318

    Not putting away childish things...wink

    Decided to grow an Avocado stone, it's taken over three months to grow first in water then a pot. It grew just like a broad bean, splitting and sending down a leg root. 🌱

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2020 #319

    Interesting project brue. Looks to be doing great as well. I am going to plant some acorns, see if I can grow some Oaks. I meant to fetch some back from Norfolk (walking in Nelson’s footsteps) but never did a walk to find any. I do have a Pomegranate tree, but it’s never shown any signs of fruit, probably way too cold.🥶

    My main task this coming year is to try and persuade my very reluctant fig to fruit. It’s a stubborn little beastie so far, so I need to do some reading up.🤨

  • redface
    redface Forum Participant Posts: 1,701
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    edited October 2020 #320

    I like the avocado, mine is still in water in a 'bulb' glass. Might pot it up and bring indoors for winter.

    Have been fed up with gardening services weeding and feeding the lawn with their chemicals on a regular basis. Have now gone for a total moss lawn which is slower growing than grass and therefore needs less cutting.

    More time in the deckchair with a beer in my hand.

  • hostahousey
    hostahousey Forum Participant Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2020 #321

    Took quite a few cuttings a week or so ago, along with Hosta's. All seem to be doing well . Also started trimming some perennial's and general tidying, getting ready for Winter.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2020 #322

    I was disappointed not to have any Evening Primroses in the garden this year, usually get one or two drifting in from other gardens. I looked out of a bedroom window this morning and saw a five foot yellow flowered plant struggling above some bindweed...an Evening Primrose! So I went out and took some seed heads from it. (Don't know how I missed it but we've had a lot of "lost" plants springing up this year.)

    Hope your cuttings do well Hostahousey!

    And Redface, our lawns never get any treatments except cutting, the moss got a bit out of hand in shady spot this year but the grass came back later. Anyway, you could always tell people it's a Japanese garden. wink

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited November 2020 #323

    Had to do a quick dash around the garden to get pots into warmer spots,  -3 forecast tonight. Unusual for the SW in recent years.

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited November 2020 #324

    Geez that is a shocker, I was out with the Dogs pre sunrise & it was +3, very nippy but only a suggestion of frost in the deep hollows. That’s odd that you were 6dgs lower than here🤷🏻‍♂️

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2020 #325

    Friends of ours live in Doncaster, parts of which are very low lying. They have had a couple of heavy frosts already, had their treasures inside or well fleeced for a few weeks now. We seem fine here at moment, grass still slightly growing, roses still blooming, and a few other things. But it was a lot colder last night, I have put plenty in greenhouse now.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited November 2020 #326

    Last trip to Abbotsbury Gardens before they close for the month. We had a good distant view of the cruise ships in Weymouth Bay as we descended the hill towards the gardens, unusually clear air and skies. Lots to see as we walked around, they're good to visit all year. 🌴🌳

  • hostahousey
    hostahousey Forum Participant Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2020 #327

    Just cut the last two rose buds , and taken them indoors to enjoy. Whilst next year,  fingers crossed 

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited November 2020 #328

    Hosta H. The roses have lasted well this year.

    I ordered a few raspberry canes which arrived today, autumn ones to replace some that aren't so good. I think that's it for the year now, hedges cut, a few early daffs just starting to poke through the earth and buds on the winter cherries coming out. I've got a nice little Camellia in flower, all two feet of it!

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2020 #329

    Still got roses blooming here at the moment, but we haven’t had anything close to a frost yet. Spotted some tips of daffodils poking through, silly things, they are being optimistic😁

  • hostahousey
    hostahousey Forum Participant Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2020 #330

    Cut down some of the perennials , and laid some farmyard manure along the borders. Getting ready for winter. The ground is very wet and still raining. 

    Merry Christmas To Everyone

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2020 #331

    One plant has surprised me this winter, it always gets going late September but it's still flowering now. So here's a photo of the mighty Pineapple Sage! A tall plant and during warmer summer days it's leaves really do smell of pineapple (something I dislike to eat, but there you go, it has other uses!) wink