May In Your Garden - Page 45

@wintersong.. oh right.. so how long till it flowers.. thought it would this year..

@Kate, well I bought mine as a dried bulb too long ago to recall entirely but I do believe its Eremurus stenophyllus which is clump forming and takes 2-5yrs to mature. Mine had a slow start since I remember dithering about finding it a proper home and moved it at least twice so I probably set it back somewhat as I do tend to find placing plants the most difficult element of gardening.

When we finally landscaped the end and built the sun spot 3 yrs ago, its home was obvious and its thrived ever since

Thanks wintersong

well they never tol dme that when i bought it.. oh well i will leave it where it is.. as it gets tall they tol dme and will be great back drop for other plants when it does finally flower

wintersong.. i also move plants at least once.. as it takes one year of flowering to see if it fits... i try to move to much as my mum says they do not like it.. but it is the hardest part.. all right if starting with a clear fresh patch.. can place them better.. but not when it is well up and running.

@gardenfantic, I'm no expert on Eremurus! Can only advise from my personal experience and ofc your experiences may differ due to many variables including situation, cultivar and my gardening errors.

From browsing forums on the subject, the pattern seems to fit my example in that they are slow to clump up but this does not mean it won't flower this year. Surely, bulbs are only sold at flower maturity? It's just that it takes a few years for the plant to spread or start producing multi stems. I heard it resents disturbance and should only be divided every 15yrs, so my moving it about a couple of times certainly didn't help its flower potential.And to be honest, its only been in a happy situation for the last three years, so perhaps if I'd planted it there to begin with?

keep us informed about yours

Before photo

 After photo--different angle, though. Revamped water feature and path

 Checked my foxtail lily for slugs after the rain-no sign of flower spikes, but lots of healthy growth. We are at least a couple of weeks behind you. This is its second year.

Gosh! Where does the time go in the garden?

Weeded an area of the full sun border that was showing bindweed shoots and took to play musical chairs with my newly bought shrubs to test out planting combinations. I won't be planting anything for ages yet, because I always change my mind

Also planted two new hostas Patriot alongside the one I already have to make a beautiful little vingette as the hosta starts off with cream edges that match a nearby drift of Cowslips perfectly then matures white to tie in a climbing rose Winter White and there was me fussing earlier in the year that my colours were too random. It's my new favourite area and as with the rest of the garden, now I have this little combo going on, it acts as an anchor that I can work off and tie other combinations into.

I do believe the only way to design a garden is with lots of little bits that eventually make a whole.

Lovely revamp Inkadog! I love the tree/shrub you have to the left of the views.

And slugs have eaten my Eremurus flower spikes in years gone by, also Kniphofia have to be vigorously checked as they break buds in my garden. I think the rosettes are a cosy home for those critters.

@inkadog..you have been busy.. can i see stone walls in the back ground.. if so gorgeous.. would love those in my garden.. but cant convince hubby on them.. he is such a sour puss at times

@wintersong.. right. thanks.. this is first itme have one.. so have no knowledge of them..so all hints and knowledge welcome in my corner and would love to see picie of your hostas.. love htem.. have loads in up and coming woodland shaded garden... i am after a ghost all white one.. to go with all the green.. should stand out in the shade.. as i think white always does.

i have not done garden much..too hot..got so burnt on arms yesterday..they stung in the sun today.. so stayed in doors and poted up my varigated yucca.

Winter- dont know which shrub you refer to-that is a greengage plum, but it's to the right. And a barberry in a pot up the hill.

gardenfanatic, the stone walls are hiding the cinderblock in front of two ponds I dug years ago that need relining. Rocks I have plenty of!

As you can see, it's a work in progress. I have strimmed away the grass and weeds, so it looks quite barren. I have lots of things in pots I will plant in the fall--it's going to be too dry this summer to do much beyond hardscaping.

Everything I plant here must be drought tolerent and deer resistant. Lots of bulbs, bluebells, lavender and lamb's ears. I already have plenty of thyme. And the rose campion grows wild. Will also try transplanting some foxgloves-I have a couple that have turned up in pots.

Would love to see some pics of your hosta combo!

RE:EXPERTS...(Ceanothus etc.)...Chris Beardshaw's grandmother told him to ignore the "experts" because "x" is an unknown quantity, and a "spurt" is just a big drip!!!

Watering plants in greenhouse once a day but lost a few plants in this heat...should I leave the door fully open when its so hot? have had it open 5 inches or so...will water twice a day whilst its so hot too...

Yes, leave the door open (in my opinion). also you should position your greenhouse in dappled shade, or screen it from the full sun. It acts like a lens if you don't

Debbie 11 wrote (see)

RE:EXPERTS...(Ceanothus etc.)...Chris Beardshaw's grandmother told him to ignore the "experts" because "x" is an unknown quantity, and a "spurt" is just a big drip!!!

Watering plants in greenhouse once a day but lost a few plants in this heat...should I leave the door fully open when its so hot? have had it open 5 inches or so...will water twice a day whilst its so hot too...

You need to shade it and provide ventilation as much ventilation possible-plants will just stop growing if it gets too hot-leave door open.

2nd go-blast this lack of edit function

You need to shade it and provide as much ventilation as possible-plants will stop growing if it gets too hot and leave the door open.

There (sigh smiley)

Wot no edit???

I've just been out on a nocturnal snail hunt in a vain attempt to get them under control.  Lots of them were making an assault on my shallots this evening.

I am sitting in the conservatory and a snail has just started to climb the window next to me.  I can hear it chortling away because I missed it just now.  He he I'm heading for your hostas!

@debbie11.. yes leave doors and windows open.. i have had mine open through the night as well.. thou close door slightly as the pesky sea gull gets in there..

also..and this may sound strange.. but is use old net curtains to shade mine.. they still let light in and are cheaper than proper shading.. and i just hold in with insulation clips..  thou on one side that gets full sun all day it has proper stuff on outside as easier to fit..

@inkadog.. well they look good.. i love natural stuff in the garden

Sounds like everyone has been busy. I've been away for a few days visiting my parents and left my coldframe open while I was away. I've come back to some very unhappy looking seedlings and cuttings, and the blasted slugs have had a party! Other parts of the garden are looking very nice for their 3 days of sun though, so not all bad...

It's very annoying when you turn your back for a few days and end up with tatty stubs on plants you've nurtured all through the Spring.

I don't holiday since my husband won't fly and can't drive at the moment and so my garden is my holiday resort on-tap and I'm very happy to see some old favourites returning this year including my oriental poppies of which I have a very established clump and a newly planted clump from divisions I took last year that are showing flowers although of less stature.

My foxgloves are budding with surprising results too. I purposefully selected those that I could identify as pale in colour (discarding the pinks) and assumed yellows and whites would be the order of the day although some appear to be flushed apricot which whould be an enormous delight, we shall see.

Also, my two nameless climbing roses that I had to move two years back have put down enough root and are showing some marvellous clusters of flowers although my oldest Acanthus is not looking its best this year after more than a decade's worth of trouble free displays of foliage and flower I may have to dig it up.

It's looked sickly all spring compared to its baby that is thriving, with yellow leaves and a very slow growth when usually it does so well. I gave it a feed in early spring but its still looking tarnished and geriatric if I may be so judgemental.

Problem is, (as anyone with an Acanthus will know) removing it completely will be an impossible task as the root systems are incredible invasive, so would digging it up in the autumn regenerate the plant the same as a division? Thoughts would be appreciated

Yeah, my foxgloves have shot up as well. Very close to flowering I think, but I've no idea what colour they'll be. I've just taken some cuttings of a climbing rose from my mother-in-law's garden, as well as some evergreen clematis. Hopefully these will survive their few days of neglect...

I don't know anything about Acanthus. Would cutting it back hard for some fresh growth be the sort of thing to do with it?