Bournemouthgardener

update...greenhouse on breezeblocks..attaching base???

I bought a 12ft x 8ft secondhand greenhouse a year ago and like you i wanted the extra height so as not to bang my head on my hanging baskets as i had done in a previous greenhouse id owed. so i added a row of breezeblocks on edge, the greenhouse came with an aluminium base which i drilled holes in every 18inches and used 100mm self tapping screws and rawlplugs as in the photo previously posted.It doesnt move, even in 60mph winds.

I had the same thoughts about the step, especially as id raised it up by 150mm on the block and a further 100mm on the aluminium base but cutting any of the base bars would weaken the structure so much that the when you added the glass the weight would cause the sides either side of the door to splay outwards, this may be lessened by the screws along the base but i wouldnt trust it in a gale.

As per previous comments, its the base that holds the whole structure together, it may only be thin strips but i promise you cutting it will be a disaster waiting to happen and a waste of £500 not to mind how you'd feel if it injured a loved one if they were inside.

I built a step outside mine and laid a slab path down the centre of the GH raised up so as to lessen the step.

Finally...  sliding doors need to have both top and bottom runners, if you were to remove the bottom runner your doors would buckle, the glass would get damaged/ broken

If this is really going to bother you that much you'd need to get a tig welder in to rebuild the whole door section and to fit a hinged door.

Ive built 4 greenhouses and dismantled 3  so i have experience with these structures.

its your call but i know what i would do 

Another "Guess the plant" Thread

almost 100% that the large one is the Viburnum Tinus as previously suggested and id agree that the one at the back looks most like a hebe but which sort im not sure

Lupins

My lupins are up and have a few dozen leaves already on each plant. I am in bournemouth though and near the sea so we are a bit warmer.

i grow a dozen or so in a bed and they struggle to make it past the first year, however if the do they do great, this year it looks like ill have to replace 4 of the 12 as theres no sign of them.

To keep the slugs off i use copper rings, i dont like using pellets as i feed lots of wild birds in the garden. you just need to make sure none of the leaves hang down over the edge of the copper ring or it gives the sulgs/snails a way in.

Best Base for Greenhouse?

I have a 12ft x 8ft greenhouse, i dug out the area to a dept of 2 ft, put in a 6inch layer of hardcore to allow good drainage , then poured a rectangular area of concrete 6inches deep and 8inches wide around the edge, i then laid a single row of full size concrete blocks on edge and fitted my greenhouse base to that, i have a central path made from slabs (2 wide)   18inch x 18inch down through the centre, i then filled in the remaining area with a mixture of well rotted manure, topsoil, weeded garden soil and sharp sand, 

I do plant directly into it, it drains really well, i will need to top it up yearly but i do use the soil from the greenhouse in pots when im potting things on, so it will be rotated.

It was a lot of work but i will certainly do it again when i fit my next greenhouse later this year.

favourite plant

has anyone heard of using soot from a coal fire chimney around their roses to acidify the soil and stop blackspot in roses?

its an old victorian tip, ive never tried it as i dont grow roses but id heard its great for killing off the blackspot spores in the soil

I would be interested to know if anyones tried it and what sucess they have had

front door shade

would you think about getting some smaller pots aswell, starting them off round the sunny side of the house till they are large enough/ in flower and then bring them round to the shade, can be done with bulbs, pansies, primroses in the winter/spring, then have summer bedding started ready to takeover in may/june, the shade and cooler temperatures will slow down the flowering but it can be done really well if you have a larger number of pots and can rotate them every few weeks with ones in a sunnier position.

Talkback: How to protect plants over winter

oh and move the pots beside the sunny wall of the house as close as you can to the house for protection, if thats not possible then under a large tree, this will give it some added protection

Talkback: How to protect plants over winter

you could try tying up all the leaves vertically, then form a cage from chicken wire attatching it to the trunk, pack straw into the cage and form a lollipop, seal the wire cage with string or wire and then as overkill wrap the whole cage in fleece, thats how i wrap my tender palms and havent lost one yet

canna

Hi chica, when I lift my cannas I remove all the soil off them and split the roots so that I have 2 or 3 shoots on each section, that way they will be a more manageable size for repotting in feb into pots to get them started early in the greenhouse. Don't forget to cut off all the leaves down to about 3 inches, make sure they are dry and then store them in a cool frost free place.

Ive never allowed the leaves to die back down into the root but havent found any lack of vigour or flowers because of it

Alstroemeria overwintering

I have a number of alstromerias and have left some in the ground for the last 4 winters, its been down to -10 for the last few winters here, i just put a heavy mulch of manure over them to protect them, the ones i have in pots i just move under a large tree and allow them to die back and pile the old growth on top of the pot to give it some protection. ( the soil here is very free draining, if you have a heavy damp soil they may not survive so well)