ZenZinnia

Calling Mrs P - or anyone who can grow Verbena bonariensis from seed

I sowed a packed of these some time at the same time as some oxe-eye daisies.  I remember having some trouble getting one or the other to germinate and read up on them.  I ended up popping the seed tray in the fridge for a 5 days (this simulates the effects of a frost on the seeds and can help with many wild flower seeds) after which they germinated fine.  The problem is I can't remember if it was the verbena bonariensis or the oxe-eye's!!!!

Name please

I think it's probably winter heliotrope or else coltsfoot.  They are closely related to each other and to butterbur, which is much bigger. Coltsfoot leaves are more serrated round the edge but if you've not seen flowers with the leaves then it's colts-foot as it has small yellow flowers before the leaves appear. Winter heliotrope has purple flowers in late autumn/ winter but the leaves are still there. 

Temporary pathways

You could try getting hold of a load of old carpet tiles.  I have a pile of them i use for covering weeds and also for use as temporary paths.  They don't seem to deteriorate very fast and are still going after about 8 years of use. 

Will my ASPARAGUS recover

My asparagus is into it's second 'summer' and three of the four crowns have put forth a frond each whilst the fourth has two fronds.  Unfortunatly one lone frond has been blown down and broken off from the crown.  Is there any chance that it will recover?  Will it grow a new frond this year or next?  Should I just plant a new crown in the autumn?  Thanks

Making a woodland garden

Hopefully the area already has a good diversity of wildflowers but I expect there are too many brambles and scrub type stuff if the it hasn't been managed for some time.  Best to dig these out as best you can then try a woodland wildflower seed mix.  There are plenty of on-line places but I use http://www.naturescape.co.uk/acatalog/index.html.  It's also good to grow some of your favorites in seed trays and then on into plugs for planting next spring as these will take better if the ground is still too fertile/ grassy.

It is also worth contacting your local Wildlife Trust and Local Biodiversity Officer (at your district council) who may be able to give you some advice about local species of interest.

GW Presenters

Firstly the discussion on presenters is mearly a short hand for the style of programme that they front, the type of gardening they show us. 

I'm now a bit bored of Long Acres and it's formality - all box edged squares to hid the beds!  I think there is a place for it but there's just too much.  The programmes that both Alys and Carol did following their gardens through the year were both interesting for different reasons but most of it was 'out of season'. 

How about not concentrating on Monty's patch so much and have the show come from 1 of maybe 4 presenters gardens each week in rotation so we get to see how to look after each through the year.

GW Presenters

The selection of presenters has little to do with gardening as most people know it but to please a middle class asthetic.  Toby Buckland's shows were much more about getting people into gardening, first steps and cheap, quick projects as well as good advice to the experienced gardeners.  Don's programmes are more for people to just watch and relax to with a few pointers if you are a gardener.  Both styles have their place and I would really like to see Toby leading a new down and dirty gardening show that actually gets people into gardening and shows people what they can do with a 'normal' back garden rather than Monty's extensive acres. 

Will my ASPARAGUS recover