Bookertoo

Greenhouse Advice

Hi Lorraine, my red cedar greenhouse is now around 15 years old, it gets the very occasional slap of timber seal stuff, but the reality of red cedar is that basically it doesn't need much care and maintenance.  I bought it at a garden show for delivery later in the year so got a very good eal - there are always deals around if you look for them I suspect.    It is not only the greenhouse where I grow things, and keep overwintered things  - it is heated in winter to justy above freezing for tenderish things - it is my bolthole for wet and mizzy times.  I feel a wooden one lends itself more to that, but I'm sure I would learn to love any other just as much if that is what I had.

polyanthus

Agreed, but the origianl poster did say the polyanthus were going to be planted in the garden after blooming in the window box.  I have had a chuckle at the size of window box required to get around and plant around - wow, that is indeeed some window ................

How do I encourage vigorous roots?

Never made out why and who gets reported for what - the whole thing is a mystery!  Meantime we will go on talking and trying to help each other with our questions and entertaining each other with garden talk.  Enjoy that. 

Attract blue tits

If you can, try making yur own fat balls.  Many of the commercial ones are full of bone dust and saw dust (I kid you not), and they are so easy to make and so much more nutricious.  I buy 500 gr packs of cheap lard or dripping, melt it, then add chopped peanuts, dried insects, seeds of all and any kind, bits of fruit - whatever is available.  I set it in small drink bottles with the cap ends cut off, then cut the bottle off (it can still be recycled), and place that into fat ball feeder or any other feeder it will fit.  The birds love it and I know they are getting good stuff  -  there also is not so much waste as they eat it all, rahter than dropping the rubbish they can't eat rom the commercial ones. One warning though, squirrels love it too, so if you have those, you may need to think about what feeder to use to keep them away. 

Red Bugs on my fritillaria imperialis

In fact all my lilies are grown in pits and are thus separated from the rest of the plants and insects - I did it once when we went to America and knew I would come back to 100 black sticky sticks and nothing else - usually it is just the tea strainer!!

getting rid of ground elder

wow, so bramble killer works?  That is good news, though at the moment there are so many things growing alonside of the ground elder that I feel I can't do that now - but certainly something to remember. 

I do agree that bramble and bindweed worse, there was someone on here who had a way of training the bindweed up canes then covering with a plastic bottle and spraying hard with weedkiller - seemed to work.  So far - very little of that and still hand removable, tho' not always maybe.   Where do brambles come from when there is nothing related to them growing hereabouts? Suppose they same way as all self seeded things, birds and mice etc.

Identification?

Indded, the picture was a little unclear for my old eyes, but I still reckon it is kerria!!

polyanthus

Can't you leave them in situ, the flowers can come off and the bigger outer leaves, your bedding will grow around them, and then next spring you will have beautiful new polyanthus to enjoy then.   Some of mine have been in the garden for years, and just get better and better, they are no problem when other flowers are out, their leaves are innoffensive and quiet, not detracting from anything else. 

Help to find Narrow Weeding Hoe.

An onion hoe is great for between tightly packed plants, I use one with a short handle, but can see no reason why you should not put a longer one on it.

Rhubarb and climber

Oh, I was quite disappointed when I read the original post title - I thought maybe Loz had a huge rhubarb she could grow a climber up!!  However, it seems not - seemed a good idea - imagine the rhubarb crumbles!!   I think indeed it may have been overcropped last year, and thinks it had better set seed before it dies - it will not die if you remove the seed head as the others have said, and leave it alone for a while.  

Regarding the climber, how much space do you need to cover?  Some of the bigger clematis montana are wonderful for that if there is the space, but they do get very, very large and heavy - we have 3 and they are about to flower, given a few hours sun - please!  Climbing hydrangea is good too, needs help, it won't self cling to start with, but it a lovely plant.  Some of the more vigourous climbing roses are good too - but much depends upon the area to cover and the angle - south, north or whatever. 

For whom do we garden .............

frosted lilies

out of season plants

bird feeders

Hazel nut queries

Flippin' pigeons