lizmac

Talkback: How to create a lavender garden

I hate these videos - would much rather have the option of choosing a script so can copy and save.

Clematis Armandii

Thanks Verdun - I will wait until after flowering - do get one - the flowers are beautiful and abundant - even though we can see our black plastic pipe - the flowers above are worth it and look lovely on a brick wall and the leaves are evergreen in Winter.  You do have to pull or cut off browned ones in the Sujmmer though.

Clematis Armandii

Thanks Verdun I will try that.  When would you suggest I do the cutting back as this Clematis flowers in the Spring.  Should I wait until it flowers again or would it be safe to do it now?

Tackling erosion

My daughter lives on Jersey and most of the back gardens are like this. She has had (treated)  railway sleeper positioned vertically and horizontally at the bottom and middle of her 'cliff' and railway sleeper steps go up the middle.  This has provided two long but narrower beds which she finds much easier to plant out.

She has planted a row of lavender on the bottom border and plants such as different colours of phormiums and evergreens at the top. Between these she can plant perennials and summer bedding.   There is colour all the year round and she now finds it easy to maintain.

Clematis Armandii

Three years ago I planted a Clematis Armandii with the specific purpose of covering a thick black plastic pipe on the back wall of my house.

I wrapped plastic netting round the pipe before planting and the Clematis grew at a fantastic rate and was covered in white flowers a year later.

My problem now though is that the stems growing round the pipe are now bare and all the leaf and flower growth is on the trellis I attached to the wall above. 

Is there any way I can encourage the low buds to come into leaf again or is this just a habit of the plant which cannot be controlled.?

Would be so grateful for any advice.

mosquitos breeding in the rainwater butt

As well as adding oil I tie a thick cloth (old towel etc)sprinkled with a little Deet  Mosquito killer (optional) round the pipe and over the hole in the lid.  This stops them getting in in the first place.

Spring Bulbs

I have plastic containers for bulbs which are sized to fit into my terracotta pots.  When the bulbs are dying down I remove the plastic pot, feed the bulbs with liquid fertilizer and store in garden - tulips in a sunny spot - daffs ok anywhere.  I then have duplicate plasic pots (label them with the terracotta pot they fit into) and plant up my summer plants.  At the end of the season, if the frosts threaten early, you can whisk the pots out and store in greenhouse until you can deal with any that can be overwintered. 

Talkback: How to plant lily bulbs in a pot

Very little aftercare information in this article.
This is why I stopped buying Gardeners World. Lots of lovely pictures and how and where to plant and then nothing about aftercare, overwintering etc.
Judging by the above comments, these are just the points which beginner gardeners need to know.

Clematis Armandii