Fellowcuckoo

North east facing wall

Consider the rose Madame Alfred Carriere.  It is a stunner on a north wall - beautiful noisette blossoms with blush pink buds opening to creamy white.  Smells beautiful. Repeat flowere.  Healthy.  What's not to like?!!

Betula ermanii slow to come into leaf this year

Thanks GG.  This is what I had hoped - just wanted my hand held by someone else!!

Betula ermanii slow to come into leaf this year

Can I please pick the brains of those who know more about these things than me, please?

During the winter I moved 3 young (6 feet tall) betula ermanii trees to a new location where the soil and conditions would be better for them.  They had only been planted in their original positions for a couple of seasons.

They were dug out with huge root balls and the new ground prepared well.  Because the winter here (Chichester Harbour) had been so mild, a couple had begun to come into leaf ridiculously early - before Christmas.  The new growth was then killed off in the very cold weeks we had in January and February.  They have been watered copiously since they were transplanted.

There are half-hearted signs that leaves are breaking in places on each of the trees but none of them has come fully into leaf yet.  All have the majority of branches still bare.  I know that betula ermanii do comeinto leaf later than other birchess and that it has been a very 'funny' winter for trees coming into leaf, generally - but do you think I have cause for concern?

Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia' problems

B&Q M.Purpose Compost Issues.

As I understand it, the Which best-buy advice refers to B&Q composts tested up until 2011.  I have always used their multipurpose and had good results from it in the past.  I believe they are now selling two types:  the stuff in the old purple bags (which I assume is last year's stock) and the new 'Verve' compost. 

My mother tells me that she read an article about the poor quality of Verve compost - that it contained lumps of wood, pieces of plastic and other rubbish.  I haven't seen the article myself.

I am using purple-bag multipurpose this year and am experiencing variably germination.  Ricinus has been fine (tough enough to overcome anything?) but none of my cosmos has germinated and I planted several trays of it.

Talkback: Emptying the compost bin

I often find slow worm nests in mine.  I count myself very fortunate!

Anemone de Caen

The wonderful local radio gardening expert Brian Kidd always says that the trick with these is to plant them in a wide bulb dish, placing one at each point of the clock-face and one in the middle.  When they start to sprout and you see where the gaps are, gently dig out those tubers and turn them over - they will have been planted upside down!  Apparently they have a right way up, but it's sometimes difficult to tell.

Once they have germinated, it's then easy to transplant the pot of anemones into the garden.

BBC Gardening Arrivals - Meeting Point

Hi Everyone

Another refugee from the BBC boards.  Was shocked to discover they had disappeared when I looked just now!!

I wanted to thank everyone there for the wonderful advice I have had over the past years.  I do hope most of you are now here to read it! 

Betula ermanii slow to come into leaf this year