yarrow2

GW Presenters

I think that the editing and feature requirements of producing a mere 30 minutes to show once a week is likely a problem.  If you took each presenter that ever was and could allow  them enough time in their area of expertise to really cover each subject or task to the level they personally felt did it in-depth justice - you would probably have the type of programme with content which would satisfy everyone.  I think sometimes it must be impossible for the presenters to give what they want when everything will have to be edited down to cram as much into 30 minutes as is possible.  I'll bet a lot of really good stuff which all viewers would love ends up 'on the cutting room floor' purely due to the time/editing constraints.  It may be that the subject matter is whittled down in the editing choice and much of what we would love to see just doesn't get to the screen.  It was maybe there at time of filming but gets chopped out to fit the number of subjects which 'have' to be covered in the programme.

It can't be much fun for the entire GW team to be restricted to a 30-minute slot.  It's probably the main reason why when the presenters are given longer slots on other programmes, that we find the content more pleasing - because there's more time alloted for the presenters to really spend time on the plants and detailed gardening procedures they love to get stuck into.  I suspect they are all well aware of the limitations and are likely frustrated as much as viewers that they can't just give what we all would like to see.  I'm sure they would if they had the chance.

The only thing about the programme which frustrates me is when a presenter is introducing a plant and talking about it's habits, how to care for etc - but the camera quickly pans away as they are talking - and the full name of the plant is only only the screen for a few seconds.  Maybe it's just me being slow - but if I'm taken with a plant a presenter is talking about - I really struggle to write down the name before it's gone from the screen.  I don't have a recorder to tape the programme and I know the programme can be seen on the website for a while.  But I don't always manage to do that.    It's a bit like watching Chelsea on the tv - the camera pans round or focusses on one aspect of a garden and more time on the presenters talking so that you don't get a good look at the plants.

Sigh - time is money in the media and marketing and sponsorship world.

I like all of the presenters when they are given a decent amount of time to cover a subject.  Sadly 30 minutes often cuts both presenters and guest garden/gardeners off just when you are really beginning to appreciate and become interested in the plants or topics they are giving you a taste of.  I'm sure they'd prefer to be in a position to give more of what everyone would love to see.

Sweet Pea Queries

David, generous thought to start this thread.

Can I ask you about feeding?  Mine at the moment are coming up to 3ft high, stems and leaves only as yet.  Usually they start to bloom when they reach about 5ft and upwards.  In previous years I've fed them liquid tomato feed round about this stage prior to flowering and fed them about every 10 days thereafter. 

BUT - now we're having continual rain and if it continues for another week or so, is it wise to continue feeding.  Last feed was about 10 days ago.

Anything you would suggest?   Thank you.

Making a woodland garden

Hi woodlandgardener.  On the Monty question - in one of the Spring tv Gardener's World's  - think it was 20th April, he was planting in his woodland area and talking about most of the ground cover and plants being weeds coming up or some plants smothering others - I think.  I'd need to look back.  But he was discussing planting 'into' the existing growth so that the plants he was planting would thrive and the ones he didn't want so much would be stopped from taking over the new ones.  It was something like that.   Someone else might remember this.  It made sense at the time - if you track the programme down it might be of help to you.

New roses for old

Naki - I'm sorry if I seem to have hijacked your thread here.  I'm terrible for doing this if I see someone posting a problem similar to mine - I jump at the chance to ask questions whenever someone with experience appears on the thread and seems to know the answers to the problems.  Sorry about that.

New roses for old

Paul N:   Can I pick your brains here?

The old roses which I have been reluctantly removing are in a garden which I have known of for over 20 years but only been gardening in for 3.  To my knowledge these roses were planted at least 15 years before I knew this garden.  So I'm assuming they were put in the ground at least 35 years ago.  Each one had between 2 and 4 1" thick dormant brown woody dormant stems which seemed to have been cut off about 6" high and left as they were.    From this I thought there must have been continual rejuvenation work on these roses over a period of years.

Second factor:  The garden has much changed since these roses were planted.  Each was planted only a few inches in from a surrounding low stone wall.  Also, there are now trees growing to a height of about 15-20ft near the roses which have substantial canopies which would not have been the case when the roses were planted.  So none of them are in full-sun all day and having heard about 'toxic drip' from trees I'm wondering if this is part and parcel of the consistent mildew.  The mildew always appears when the tree canopies are mature round about mid-May. 

Do these sound like reasonable assumptions to make as contributing factors to the weakness and failure of the old roses?  I'd probably add to that the fact that I have been pruning them to a third of growth in early Spring each year.  Feeding them as soon as leaves appear and feeding again round about mid-June each year.  Which may also have been a contributing factor to their demise?  Pruning too much so that the new stems were too weak to support the 'one bud per stem' outcome - as well as there always being stems which produced no buds at all?

I think I've tried as much as my level of confidence has allowed, but to be honest, I'm tired trying each year to improve them and not succeeding.  For sanity's sake I'm tempted to dig them all up.  Getting rid really does bring on a dose of guilts though. 

I inherited 8 roses earlier this year from a family member which were part of the old family home and am on tenterhooks to look after them well.  They are in a different bed.  Won't know until they bloom what they are - so I wait in hope that they will fair better in my inexperienced hands.

Cabbage 'Greyhound'

Hi Robot.  I did a web-search and the closest pic I could find to what's happening with my Greyhound seemed to indicate mould.  I have a tiny garden so only had 6 Greyhound in a small raised bed with beetroot Boltardy in the same bed.  I've dug up the Greyhound this afternoon and am hoping the beetroot won't be affected as they are looking good so far. From a quick bit of reading - I'm sure you're spot on about the heart - I think they would have rotted away pretty quickly had I left them.  However, if it turns out to be a soil-related issue, no doubt the beetroot will also take a hit fairly soon.  We've had continual rain this past week but not nearly as bad as the torrents and floods in the South of England and in Wales. (I'm Central Scotland).  I do also suspect that my soil wasn't sufficient to support veg.  I made up this very small raised bed as a last minute thing and it's composed only of what I had left to fill it with back in April - i.e. garden compost, leftover well-rotted manure, fresh topsoil and probably stupidly some granular feed.  It was originally intended for flowers but I decided to try veg at the last minute.

I'm hoping that even if the soil composition was the problem, that I will still be able to replace the cabbage space with a couple of shrubs or some Cranesbill geraniums.  I haven't a clue about veg or if the beetroot wouldn't 'go' with shrubs and geraniums in the same bed.

Thanks again for the reply.

Geum rivale 'Leonard's Variety'

Thanks for the reply Berghill.  I like the heads as well but because I'd read (RHS) that they flowered during spring and summer, I was hoping by cutting the stems down that I'd be lucky enough to get another flush.  Will wait and see what happens.

Is it wild phlox?

Aliesh - no worries.  You had me convinced I was seeing two plants with identical flowers.

Sotongeoff - thanks for the tip on easy rooting from cuttings.  I've thought about it several times because have to admit my Bowles Mauve looks a sight - and not a positive one!  But - because it's been left SO long untended in anyway - the stems are really hard - very woody like from the base pretty far up.  I suppose for cuttings I'd have to choose new and soft?  I'd love to try.  It's been a real stalwart and although straggly it has the cheer-up factor in that it just blooms and blooms - but less lovely flowers than before.

I should just admit my gaffe now.  This is maybe one for bloopers thread.  I bought the wallflower when it was pretty established in a pot with lovely fresh foliage and more heavily flowered blooms.  It was the first outdoor plant I bought a few years ago when the garden itself was nothing but knee-high weeds.  I stuck it in the big terracotta pot with the grass in the picture and it stood on it's own - the only non-weed in the garden and it served as motivation to make the surrounding mess a garden again.   It was all of 6 months later, when I came across the empty compost bag which I'd saved, did I realise that I'd planted it in ericaceous compost.  So it didn't have the best chance from the start - and worse - I never changed the compost - just kept topping it up with multi-p.  Oops!

I want to try cuttings and will do the first day we're free of downpours.  Thanks for the advice.

Robot:  apologies for cutting into the conversation you started here.  It's a lovely plant - and I love your dog.

Is it wild phlox?

Aliesh - no worries.  You had me convinced I was seeing two plants with identical flowers.

Sotongeoff - thanks for the tip on easy rooting from cuttings.  I've thought about it several times because have to admit my Bowles Mauve looks a sight - and not a positive one!  But - because it's been left SO long untended in anyway - the stems are really hard - very woody like from the base pretty far up.  I suppose for cuttings I'd have to choose new and soft?  I'd love to try.  It's been a real stalwart and although straggly it has the cheer-up factor in that it just blooms and blooms - but less lovely flowers than before.

I should just admit my gaffe now.  This is maybe one for bloopers thread.  I bought the wallflower when it was pretty established in a pot with lovely fresh foliage and more heavily flowered blooms.  It was the first outdoor plant I bought a few years ago when the garden itself was nothing but knee-high weeds.  I stuck it in the big terracotta pot with the grass in the picture and it stood on it's own - the only non-weed in the garden and it served as motivation to make the surrounding mess a garden again.   It was all of 6 months later, when I came across the empty compost bag which I'd saved, did I realise that I'd planted it in ericaceous compost.  So it didn't have the best chance from the start - and worse - I never changed the compost - just kept topping it up with multi-p.  Oops!

I want to try cuttings and will do the first day we're free of downpours.  Thanks for the advice.

Is it wild phlox?

That's amazing how similar the flowers seem to be.  But Dovefromabove and gardeningfanatic you're obviously right that it's Sweet Rocket as the stems and shape etc are nothing like my ancient straggly Bowles Mauve wallflower!  Until last week it had been in a terracotta pot with a grass of some kind for so many years that it could not be separated from the pot shape or the grass.  Wanted to bin it - but as it's the only thing I have which is oblivious to what time of year it is i.e. it blooms all year round - I was a softie and kept it.  Had to dig an enormous hole to plant it in the garden - the entire pot shape.  It doesn't look attractive these days but hadn't a clue what else to do with it other than the bin and just couldn't commit it for council execution.

Can anyone identify?

Zaluzianskya 'Orange Eye'

Can any confirm identification please?

Skimmia japonica 'Thereza'

Fear of messing with old roses

Ice-cream Penstemons - 'Melting Candy'

Geraniums (not Pelargoniums)

Identify bug?

Identify these anyone?

Aruncus

Identify plant

Hydrangea macrophylla

Geum rivale 'Leonard's Variety'

Cabbage 'Greyhound'

Cistus Snowfire