Tim Burr

Latest posts by Tim Burr

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Talkback: Growing aquilegias

Posted: 05/06/2012 at 17:00

I've read in places that after flowering, aquilleges should be cut down to ground level. Who does this, or just leaves them to their own devices.

Amazon is your best bet - you can pick up second hand books often as cheap as a penny (although they'll charge up to ??5 P&P). After several years of leaving home I got my own set of my parents RHS and Readers Digest gardening books, for a fraction of the price, and also ones which are no longer in print, or I prefer the older version.

Clematis - prune hard back now?

Posted: 05/06/2012 at 12:46

I have a clematis that has just finished flowering. It was in situ from when I moved in to my house and it stayed put when the garden was "done", but its now looking a bit of a mess and needs some proper suport - previous occupants simply left the plant tied to the original two foot canes it came in and provided no additional support or trellis. It is only by sheer determination it has managed to reach the top of the fence by using a scraggy winter Jasmine that was next to it, but after that was removed its all collapsing on itself. OK to hard prune back now to allow me to install a trellis or should I wait will next Spring before new growth happens?

top 5

Posted: 05/06/2012 at 09:22

Daffodils - promise of another exciting year ahead in the garden;

Hardy Fuchsia - reminds me of childhood and my grandmothers garden;

Crocosmia - holidays in the Isle of Man as a child going on the train up Snaefell. The line is edged by lots of Crocosmia (and hardy fushia);

Laburnum Tree - had a huge one at the bottom of my garden as a child and loved them ever since - I love the dripping golden yellow flowers in May.

Lillies - just for their sheer exuberance and scent that wafts around the garden when they are in flower.

A lot of my garden plants link back to what I grew up with as a child and I love the familiarity and continuity plants bring. I'm sure there must be some psychology going on there!

Ponds

Posted: 05/06/2012 at 09:00

I put in a pond last year - its small - 1.6m x 1.8m, and for ease of installation I used a preformed pond. I put in small pump to help the water circulate. I stocked it up with plants and within a very short space of time, it was looking very established, and filling up with wildlife. Heaven knows where it comes from because I am in the middle of a modern housing development, surrounded on all sides by houses and by gardens covered in grass. The birds love it - using it for bathing and drinking, the hedgehogs that frequent the garden (another surprise in my urban environment) use it for drinking, and this year I have tadpoles. I sit it the garden and see damselflies darting around the pond, and around my garden. It is bliss.

Garden gaffes

Posted: 05/06/2012 at 08:43

I have a very very educated friend - one day I went in to her garden and noticed grow bags with bamboo canes had been set up. "Growing tomatoes", I said. "Yes, but I've been watering them now for three weeks and nothing's happening", she replied. "And where are the tomato plants?", I enquired. "They haven't come up yet". I had to explain to her that she had to plant tomatoes in the growbags and they dont just grow from the bag. She was convinced she had been dupped, "But its got pictures of tomatoes on the bag, look". She never attempted to grow tomatoes again.

Laurel...

Posted: 04/06/2012 at 20:18

Unfortunately, the hedge was there when I bought house, and now too much to remove and not lose all privacy. I did read that you should prune laurel by hand to avoid a massacred look, but my life isnt that long - it will have to be hedge trimmer, and I know from looking at it now, it does recover. Last time it was trimmed was in October 2010. In 2011 it hardly grew, except a few odd pretruding bits, but this year it has gone mad.

Talkback: Growing aquilegias

Posted: 04/06/2012 at 19:23

Look fantastic! Thank you!

Laurel...

Posted: 04/06/2012 at 18:34

All the rain, and then the warm weather, and my laurel hedge has gone mad bushing out in all directions - never seen it so exuberant! Too early to trim back with a hedge trimmer? Dont really want to have to do it again before winter (large hedge).

Talkback: Growing aquilegias

Posted: 04/06/2012 at 18:31

All mine have collapsed from all the rain - they put on a growth spurt when the weather warmed up, but now in full flower they are prostate. Looking a bit sorry for themselves. Too late now, but next year I'll get some support. Anybody got any recommedations for type of supports to use (with pictures!!).

101 to 110 of 126