Garden And Gardener

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Mini Daffs

Monday, March 12th, 2012

mini daffodils


My mini daffodils have opened! They’re very tiny and very cute!

I have spent the weekend on my allotment. I aquired some old scaffolding boards last week so we have been putting them round beds. It’s hard work though! I’ve also done some digging over – have got my onion bed almost ready and have weeded another bed too! Am starting to think about potato planting too!

Spring Bulbs

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

Crocus

Spring bulbs are fantastic for the bees! A good reason to invest a few pounds in bulbs for spring flowers. Not only do they look amazing but they are a vital support for bees in the early spring!

My crocuses are out and looking amazing and have had several bees visiting.

My daffodils in the front garden haven’t got any sign of a flower though. This is because they were planted too shallow. I didn’t plant them I hasten to add, but I keep planning on digging them up and reburying them more deeply to give them a chance of flowering.

If you have ‘blind bulbs’ then you’ve probably not planted them deeply enough.
You might be able to bury them under more soil to get the required depth but it’s probably as easy to dig them up carefully and replant.

Deadheading bulbs – do you deadhead your bulbs? If you do then you stop them making seeds and allow them to put their energy into the bulb which means they should be stronger than ever next year!

Just moved house and got a new garden?

Monday, March 5th, 2012

Getting a new garden

What do you want from your garden?

Do you want to entertain it in, have a nice seating area, have a barbeque, grow veg, grow flowers, have a nice lawn to sunbath one, have a nice garden to look at, or have lots of things to keep you busy in it? What about a pond? Do you want a washing line? A compost bin? A play area for the kids?

If you’ve got a new garden – perhaps you’ve just moved house, then you can take your time to think about what you want from it.
Assess what plants are in it before you start work. This should sensibly mean spending a whole year just looking after it as it is.
It also gives you a chance to see which area gets the most sun, or gets too hot, or is the windiest bit of the garden.
Taking your time means you will more than likely make good decisions about how to lay out the garden.
It also means you don’t waste money on something that then either needs to be moved or isn’t suitable for your garden.

Draw plans of your garden. You don’t have to be a great artist or designer. Mark on where the sun spends most of it’s time and where is always shady. You might be able to tell from clues like moss in the shaded areas. Areas by walls and fences can often be drier because the wall affects how the rain falls. You might also find there are naturally soggy areas in the garden which need drainage improving.

Whilst you might be impatient and really want to crack on changing the garden you are best assessing your garden fully to ensure you know everything about it. You can start making notes about what you want in the garden.
You’ll also get to know what wildlife comes into the garden too – whether you have neighbouring cats, hedgehogs, birds, or foxes. All these tiny details can help you create a really good garden.

Set a budget – and save up whilst you’re assessing the garden, so when you’re finally ready you have some money to help you put your plans into action.

If you want to do hard landscape changes then do you have the skills you need, or will you have to rope in family members, or pay someone to do the work? If you want a new lawn then are you able to prepare the soil yourself and lay turf, or would you prefer to sow seed?

Your lawn might look in a bad state when you move in, but regular cutting will keep weeds down. Your flower beds might need weeding but take care that you’re not pulling up plants. If you are very lucky the previous owners will have left you information about plants in the garden. If not then you’ll have to try to identify them as best you can. Often neighbours can give you information about plants – especially those with nice gardens! Most gardeners are nice and friendly and will offer you help if you have basic questions.

Of course, after a year you might decide that the garden is perfect for you and be happy to leave it as it is. This would be a good outcome! No hard work or expense planned and you’ve got a garden you can use!

Spring bulbs

Thursday, March 1st, 2012

crocus flowersThe crocus is one of my favourite spring bulbs.
These are in a massive tub in my garden.
They’ve opened fully today in the bright sunshine and there was a bee on them!

Bedding plants

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

Buy your plants from a reputable supplier. Buy more plants than you need to account
for any plants dying off during the growing on process or from being damaged once
in situ.

The idea of bedding plants is to provide a seasonal change of appearance to
your garden. Ensure you have got the right bedding plants for the season. There
are two main seasons for bedding plants. Summer plants which you buy in late
winter if you are growing on, or late spring if you are buying them garden ready.
Winter plants which you buy in autumn for planting. The varieties are different
with many of the summer bedding plants not being frost hardy which means they
can be damaged by a late frost. Winter plants should be very hardy though and
easily cope with frosts.

Make sure you plant your half-hardy plants out after the last frost. If you’re
not sure when the date is then it is worth asking neighbours who grow lots of
plants in their garden. The last frost date is usually earlier in the south
of the UK and later in the north, with the start of June being considered about
right for Northern parts.

Feeding the plants to get them to flower more is an excellent idea. Buy a high
potash fertiliser and read the instructions on the packet. You usually feed
every two to three weeks but some products allow you to feed a more dilute version
of the fertiliser every day as you water.

Watering is important too. Check the individual plant recommendations as some
plants prefer the soil dry. Plants that come from hot countries originally tend
to prefer hotter drier weather. Plants in hanging baskets and tubs though will
need more watering as there is less soil for the plants to root into looking
for water. Failure to water hanging baskets often enough will result in plants
dying. If this happens then you can replant the basket with any remaining bedding
plants that you happen to have left over. Adding water retaining products to
the basket is a good idea. Baskets are especially vulnerable as they have a
smaller volume of soil to retain water and they are up in the air and subject
to more wind which can aid evaporation.

Slugs can be a problem eating your tender bedding plants. There are treatments
available which you water on and they kill all slugs for many weeks. Whilst
expensive they are cheaper than having to replace all your plants. If you want
to grow hostas then a slug treatment is sometimes the only way to allow the
plants to get established enough.

If you put sun-loving plants in a shady area of your garden then they will
not do as well as if they were in a sunny part. Planting in the sunniest areas
of your garden will give you the best chance of fantastic flower displays. There
are shade loving plants suited for shady corners. If you have no flower beds
in sunny areas then either put a bed in if you have lawn, or create tubs and
flower boxes on paved areas in the sunshine.

Spikey succulent

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Spikey plant

I have this in my garden. It’s a close up of the end of a spikey succulent. Low growing but spreads easily. Think it has yellow flowers. Suspect it’s a sedum but will take a photo of flowers in summer for an ID.

Freecycle for free garden tools

Monday, January 30th, 2012

If you’ve just got a garden because you’ve moved house, or maybe you’ve just got to the top of the allotment waiting list … and you need some garden tools, where can you get some for free?

You should ask neighbours and friends if they have any old tools they don’t need any more. Check your local freecycle – there are some amazing people out there who’ll have a rummage in their shed and see what they have spare. Be prepared to travel though – check your own nearest group first. For me this is Oldham Freecycle, but I also subscribe to Manchester Freecycle too as it’s very close by and sometimes things listed there are closer. Keep an eye out for tools – but a polite request is always worth a try!

Find your nearest Freecycle group in the UK here (It’s also international)
We’ve used it to get rid of plants, an old lawnmower, and even rocks!
Polite reasonable requests always go down better with people. Ask for something too extravagant and people will think you’re being cheeky.

What’s the most hated job in the garden?

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

You need facebook to answer this quick question
– What’s the most hated job in the garden

Victorian Kitchen Garden

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

Victorian Kitchen Garden is highly recommended
http://youtu.be/7xvhv1YY7Kk

Interesting plants

Friday, December 30th, 2011

Some lovely plants for the garden. Pretty plants with different looks for your garden

Acer and Bamboo Pleioblastus Plants

Acer and Bamboo Pleioblastus Plants from Additionsdirect.co.uk £17.00
Content: 1 Acer (9cm), 1 Bamboo (9cm). The Acer Atropurpurea is one of the most reliable acers. The young foliage is a spectacular transparent red. Later in the season the leaves turn into a deep purple-brown-red. Ideal for small gardens. The wonderful variegated foliage on the dwarf bamboo makes it a highly decorative addition to ny garden. Its bright yellow and green streaks provide an eye catching focal point. Acer delivered in a 9cm pot approx 30cm tall, bamboo delivered in a 9cm pot approx 15cm tall.

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