yarrow2

pinching out

Davie-S - are you still around?  Wondering how you got on with your clematis last summer and especially how things worked out with your 'Polish Spirit'?  We talked about them on another thread  last year (which I haven't found yet). 

I have a new 'Polish Spirit' question.  When I mentioned this viticella Clematis last year, mine was growing really well but with the continual rain last year and not much sun, mine didn't produce nearly as many flowers as the year before.  I'd also been in the habit of pruning it down to a couple of buds around Feb/March.  This year, I've just left it - mostly because I forgot about it and because there's scaffolding up to either side of it in it's pot.  Having just had a quick look at it, unpruned, it's produced shoots and I'm not keen to do the usual prune.  I don't much mind what shape it turns into up this wall (west-facing), gets sun all day WHEN WE GET SUN!!!  Can anybody tell me that if I just leave it to do it's own thing to spread where it will, just for this year unpruned - is it likely to flower reasonably well - or is it not wise to leave it unpruned?

Here's how it looks today.  Bearing in mind there's scaffolding above it with melting snow dripping down on it all the time.

 Also, as it's in a post - anybody recommend a really good feed for it?  I suppose I ought to give it a feed pretty soon - or not?

Many thanks anyone.

March in your Garden

Busy-Lizzie - I feed them on haggis and give them the occasional dram.  It kind of stuns them into sticking around!

In truth - they've been quite amazing pelargoniums this particular lot.  They have survived outside for 4 years and I've never pampered them, fed them or put them under shelter or inside at all.  However, I think I will have to pep them up this year and give them some special attention.  I have nowhere sheltered to put anything until our builders have removed all their gear to get me access to parts of the garden.  I can't get to my tiny greenhouses either. We are -3 degrees today and yesterdays snow remains icy and crunchy out there with melts in the sun turning to ice as it's freezing right away.  If I had somewhere to shelter them available to me right now - I would be doing that and also re-potting them in fresh compost.  All I've been doing every year is cutting any stems which seemed to have gone a bit soft, taking off the leaves and leaving them.  Then in mid-Spring they have always just blossomed into life.  I bought them locally four years ago and maybe they were just particularly strong and remained strong to spite my ignorance!

Beneath a pine tree

Emma - can only tell you what I've seen and not what I know - because I know nothing about growing anything under pine trees.  BUT - in a garden near here there is a 15ft pine which was the result of someone leaving a Christmas tree in a pot years ago.  Whenever I pass it around  10ft around it is thick with pine needles and growing in amongst them are a lovely blue Brunnera macrophylia (perennial forget-me-not) which are a at least 2ft high and seem to come up there every year.  Everybody notices them when they walk past and they seem to grow happily there with about an inch thick of pine needles around them.  But maybe the soil is organically brilliant under this particular tree.  They get very little light and the blue looks stunning in quite deep shade under the long low branches of the pine.

Garden Gallery 2013

What lovely photographs.  It's great to see how other people's gardens evolve - spurs others on to try something and especially not feel obliged to  have to keep the 'shape' of a garden the same as it was before you took it over.  It's really cheering to see last year's photos at this time of the year when plans are formulating in your mind - gives me a real boost when the weather is holding everything back.  Slightly of topic, but does anyone have any photos of penstemon in the garden last year?  I planted a few very young ones which flopped all over the place and am not sure they ought to have been quite so straggly.  Have looked at lots of photos on the internet but still haven't figured out what I'm going to do with mine this year - where to place them to get better results and how to keep them more upright.  Sorry - rambling on.  Looking at photos sparks off so many things to think about for this year!  

March in your Garden

I removed the Craigieburn flowers as well Verdun - but not with knowledgeable intent !I lost both my martinii because I stupidly didn't get around to planting them at the end of the year and they shrivelled up in their pots which obviously didn't suit.  Ah well!

Yes Busy-Lizzie - not proud to say it IS a pelargonium you can see at the edge of that pot..  There are several things which I didn't have time to move for the winter before building materials came on site and I pretty much had to abandon a few things.  However, all my pelargs have survived the last 4 winters but now that our snow has come today, I don't have high hopes of their future!

Bev - after the flooding and rotten weather last year when most of my Spring bulbs either didn't come up - or when they did (e.g. tulips) they had no stalks but flowered at ground level (looked like little martians all over the place) - I decided to replenish with the cheapest I could find.  I had great and surprising success with Pound shop boxes of wildflower mixes (which were amazing) and a few other things last year so decided I'd try their Spring bulbs for this year.  Have to say, before today's snow - the mix of narcissus, daffs, alliums, iris, tulips, and a pink thing I can never remember the name of which begins with 'C'  -  all seem to be sprouting well..  But, as we're in Scotland, and depending on near-future weather, it will be a while yet before we see what gets to blooming stage.

Bunny - I have no idea what their Snowdrop is - but saw these beauties in the photo below in the Botanical gardens a couple of weeks ago which are lovely.  I expect you all know them.

Hi Rosa - I'll have a look at the potting shed gallery.  I'd like to get more euphorbia when I can so must have a look around some sites and places to learn a bit more about them.  Thanks for pointing out the link.

And here are the not so happy looking Hellebores this morning.  I guess this snow is going to last a while yet.

March in your Garden

Hi everybody.  Have been absent from the forum for months and great to see some familiar names still around and everyone's enthusiasm building for another Spring.  I can't get started on seed sowing or get much done this year yet as we've had building works affecting access to the garden - BUT - have managed to sneak out there when we had a couple of sunny days.    So not much going on in the garden yet and Spring bulbs only just come up with daffs about 6", fritillaries stems just stretching up, aquilegia foliage coming up quite quick now and managed to divide geums to give lots of new plants.  Wondering if I've done this too early though as the weather is turning again  - bouts of rain and hailstones with some sunny days.  Temp 2 degrees today with hailstone shower.

Anyway - favourite survivor just now from being planted as a tiny things last autum are a couple of Euphorbia 'Craigieburn' which were new to me.  They seem to have loved the winter and I love the leave tips on the foliage just now.

 This one clashes like mad with the young Euonymus (Emerald and Gold I think?)but I like it filling the gap.

 This year's snowdrops were planted last year (Poundstretcher bag) - no idea what kind they are - maybe one of you knows.

 These Hellebores are upliftingly bright - can't remember which ones they are either.  Ellen something I think - or something 'Ellen'.

Rust on Roses

lottyh40 - hi!  There's a fabulous section in the August issue of Gardeners World mag which gives photographs and remedies to all kinds of pest problems.  Get a copy if you can.  Unfortunately on the rust issue the GW mag and other sources I've read all advise to get rid of the leaves and use a fungicide.  I don't use fungicide so I'm left with cutting off the leaves and burning them.  My garden is hemmed in on all sides and tends to get more than its fair share of dampness and hanging humidity - so I get a lot of rust and powdery mildew.

Having had a look-see at the GW section on 'pests' - it's really good in that the photographs of all the nasty results of pests and conditions are a good source of reference.  Unfortunately, it's also highlighted  that I seem to have just about every nasty pest  or negative infection around that you can get!

Wish this article had been in an earlier edition then I'd have spotted things earlier in the growing season. 

As every though - I guess the answer to avoiding rust and the other nasties is to buy as many resistant plants as you can, grow them in the best conditions to maintain strong healthy growth.  My problem here is not enough air blasting around the whole garden so I have to try and plant things so that there's as much space and air circulating around them as possible and keep clearing up any mess on the ground and hoe a lot so that as little as possible breeds in the surrounding soil. 

Maybe some of the good people on this forum have some good advice or tricks to apply to the rust issue.

Talkback: How to clean bird feeders

I'm a bit of a fusspot cleaning bird feeders and the ground around the birdpole - but it's not so much because of the birds being infected but because a family member has a long-term illness and my bringing in any infection from the garden would be a big problem.  So I always look like Mrs Fuss going out there with latex gloves on especially anywhere around the bird area.

I keep a basin and brushes etc separate for the birdie items and once scrubbed in soapy water I leave them overnight in the cleaned basin with added Milton sterilising tablets.  Given that Milton is used for baby milk bottles, it seemed reasonable to use it for the bird feeders.  I do it regularly and if it's been raining and I know whatever is in the plastic feeders will get all gummed up in the bottom tray - I clean them as soon as I can.  The pidgeons are a huge problem as they sit on the top of the birdpole and defecate over everything.

Under the birdpole I have concrete slabs (the cheap light coloured ones from B&Q).  They're just sitting on top of the lawn, not cemented in - so that I can move them if I want.  I tip a thin layer of sharp sand over them and then just sweep it into a rubbish bag when things get messy.  It's quick and easy - and a pile of sharp sand around also stops seeds germinating in the surrounding grass.

This has solved my problem.  Might seem over-fussy, but as I say, I cant risk passing on any infection to an ill family member so I take more precautions that most sane people probably would!

I've also found that standing any rusty metal tools in a bucket of Milton for a couple of hours completely removes rust - and with a dry and oil afterwards they come up like new.  Gardening madness maybe - but it works for me.

Geraniums (not Pelargoniums)

christopher2:  Thanks for the very informative response re the feeding and particularly for the description of the various geraniums.  Will look up some of these names and plan for next year.  Really interesting.  You ought to post some photos - would be good to see some of your range of plants.

Many thanks.

Ice-cream Penstemons - 'Melting Candy'

greenjude:  Thanks for taking the time to reply and giving some advice. They're in very light shade but have good light for three quarters of the day.  I'm glad you've said they look healthy - the floppiness concerned me.  I'll leave them and see how they come along.  Your response has given me a little more confidence to just let them be for this year and see what happens. 

You're right with the 'fat chance' - although today here in Edinburgh we've had a great day - very warm and sun all day.  No doubt things will revert to normal over the next few days!

Mystery plant

Broken branch Pieris Forest Flame

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'