Wintersong

What's the weather like in your area?

Blues skies all day in South East England. Lovely gorgeous beautiful spring day all the more precious for being so rare!

April in Your Garden

Hey guys. Third try posting as earlier I blue screened and then when I came back I wasn't signed in!

Grrrr. Anyhow, those with rabbit problems get my full sympathies! I know how heartbreaking it can be to have all your dreams ruined. And get well soon to Inkadog's finger!

Well, I've been a busy girl today landscaping two areas and a big shift around so all my veg beds are now down the very bottom and the middle garden is half way to one big lovely empty full sun bed.

The sun has been shining all day and because both area have never been planted in, the soil is s**t! Which means all that digging wasn't so bad after all.

Here is the progress so far, excuse the mess! All hand dug by moi...

 I'm over the moon with the Veg plot although the soil is rubbish this year, its a work in progress

What's the weather like in your area?

jude5 wrote (see)

Wintersong - had blackbirds in the ivy on the wall opposite my kitchen window a few years ago - lovely to watch - until one of the nestlings fell into the 'water feature' below- have felt guilty ever since 

Thanks for the heads up! I will certainly make sure underneath is clear of dangers!

April in Your Garden

kate1123 wrote (see)

Wintersong more photos will always be appreciated

I'm staggering them or you will soon get fed up of my spam!

My Acer only has leaves at the bottom

Hehe, that was a twig 15yrs ago! I bought it from Woolworths

April in Your Garden

Oh I just googled Dragonsblood, I have that also. That's the plant that I just discovered eaten by Vine Weevil yesterday. It's hard to tell with Sedums because they can live for long periods without water, I guess they don't show signs of attack like other plants would!

Well, I buried the stubs in a sandy bit of soil yesterday and luckily last year, I took a whole tray full of cuttings but I guess I will need to treat these prostrate Sedums for Vine Weevil at the proscribed times of year, I do have a problem with this pest on my light soil and they do favour Sedums especially but my Sedum spectabile Brilliance seems to manage without special care, its so big that it doesn't notice the odd nibble

April in Your Garden

Yes I do have Sedum Spathulifolium, its one of my favourites for form and colour although I don't have pics sadly. That's the one that got decimated last year by Vine Weevil (a recurring problem with my Sedum) and I ended up with one stalk that is now about eight rosettes, so I will nurture it this year to get it well established again. The best bit about Sedums is that they don't even need a root to get going from nothing. You can't lose on light soil and I'm my heart is stolen by their leaf forms and textures. So much for your money!

I just planted Sedum rupestre Angelina in a shady spot under my Acer tree. I have Hosta Blue Angel next to it and some Gerainium Johnshon's Blue at the back, so I'm really hoping it will light up that corner without being any trouble.

Sedum Angelina is prolific around my garden, I had it contained in pots but its now even in the patio and paths. One little leaf drops off and a new plant grows but I really don't mind, it fills gaps rampantly and is a great border edger with its vivid luminous yellow spiny arms. Later in the year, it turns amazing orange and rust colours and has flowers to boot.

Sempervivum succulents/houseleeks?

Yes and yes

The sizes in my photos are about fully grown and as mentioned already, flowering rosettes die but you get loads of babies as replacement that you can just leave attached or gently pull off (they come with a teeny tap root) and re-pot. They are very vigorous if kept dry from rot and extremely easy. And the colours and displays in summer are beautiful. They have a happy look about them in full sun.

I need more red ones for variety and last year I bought a bluish Echeveria Elegans which looked a gonna this winter but it's sprouting from lower down the base, so I am thrilled!

April in Your Garden

It's all about the form and texture and play of colours to my eye and I adore those super landscape views you get at the huge posh gardens (or countryside) but since mine is nether huge nor posh and I don't live at the edge of a cliff/woodland/moors I do it close up.

The last picture had me on all fours in very peculiar angles and the Bee shot ( I have a few Bee shots) normally has me being very still and just crazy clicking to get the best snaps. A lot are blurred and get edited out

My Acer only has leaves at the bottom

I had substancial die back on my oldest Acer last autumn, I cut out the dead wood this Spring.

 You can see the dead bit in this pic

June in Your Garden!

Chelsea!

Chelsea Chop

What's it like in your garden?

Ooh ooh so excited!

Talkback: Informal planting

Why Miss Bateman?

Phormium newbie