jaybee

Tithonia

How is it that Monty Don manages to get tithonias in flower in the Jewel Garden in the summer, while mine don't manage to produce a flower until September when the days are getting shorter, and cooler.  I get a few half-hearted looking flowers which never set seed.  Is it possible to get them to flower earlier without artificial lighting?

Plant labelling

Over the years we've tried most things and the pencil seems to work best.  The problem is how to use the markers.  If you just stick them in the ground "something" pulls them out/runs off with them or, if they stay in place, it looks like a miniature graveyard.  Tying them to sticks looks unsightly.  I suppose the best thing is to bury them as deeply as possible, just leaving the top centimetre sticking out of the ground, and hope they won't be covered up by the next time you need to see them. 

Tithonia