Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
Apologies for being MIA the past few weeks, I didn't mean to abandon the blog! I had an increase in work hours which left me with barely any time to go outside and then I ended up with Migraines and Headaches, so all in all it has't been great over the past few weeks lol Anyhoo I am here now and here are a few bits that I will be getting on with in my garden this week that you can do too.

1.Sempervivum - If like me you have a couple of pots of these lovely plants you will have noticed that in recent weeks they have started producing offsets. To give yourself more plants and to stop the pots becoming too congested, simply tease each of these away from the main plant and pot on into individual pots of gritty compost. You will notice that each of these already has it's own root system making them a good plant to start with when learning how to propagate.

2. Tomatoes - I'm not sure about you, but my Tomato's have been rather slow to ripen this year, with the weather blowing hot and cold it seems to have held them back! However some of them are slowly starting to ripen on my 'Sungold' variety. Make sure you pick them as soon as they are ready to avoid the fruits splitting and don't forget to give them a weekly feed. 

Hopefully my other two varieties will start ripening soon!

3. Pond Weed- Even in a Half Barrel like mine, Pond Weed can soon appear! Make sure you keep on top of it by removing it as soon as you spot it. However don't forget to let it rest at the side for 24 hours to allow any little critters caught up in it to get back into the pond. 

4. Eyesore - If like me you have a part of the Garden that you enjoy looking at less than the rest, why not try make a feature of it? 

For example we lowered the top off the Raised Bed and placed the off-cut behind the Bins until we'd decided what to do with it. Weeks later it's still sat there (due to my indecisiveness, lack of space and the fact our home is a Rental so we can't really do much) and with Bins being an eyesore anyway I really didn't like looking over at the space.
 I placed some little pots of Alpines along the top of the ledge using it as a shelf to cheer it up a little bit! It's only a little change but it makes a big difference!

5. Weeds - Keep an eye out for Weeds popping up where you might not expect it. At first glance you might not see them but as the picture below shows they can grow right in the middle of your plants undetected, for example this one blended right in between my Cotoneaster and Astrantia!

6. Carrots - Finally you may remember a few weeks ago I sowed some Carrot Seeds in the Raised Bed. Well if you also did that at the same time then they should be about ready! I harvested my first Carrots yesterday morning.

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Easter Gardening ...

Good Morning!

I hope you are all enjoying the Easter Holidays, it's the prime time to be getting on with bits in the garden! As you are reading this I will be at work along with tomorrow too, but here's what I managed to get done in the Garden yesterday.

This year I have decided to try growing Strawberries in Hanging Baskets kept in the Greenhouse.

I bought 3 Early Season 'Christine' and 3 Main Season 'Hapil' plants this week and planted them up yesterday.

Along with these baskets I also -

* Potted on some Evergreen Shrubs that had outgrown their current pots using John Innes no.3 Compost.

* Sowed Some Dahlia and Cosmos seeds in the Greenhouse, along with some Carrot & Swiss Chard seeds in the Raised Bed.

Lastly I couldn't resist taking a few snaps of the plants in the Garden that caught my eye during the day. 

First up is the 'Silver Lace' Primrose I bought along with the Strawberries earlier in the week.

I really have a fondness for Primula's this year, and this is no exception. The delicate flowers on the 'Primula Veris' have slowly appeared over the past couple of days.

There's also some pretty spring blooms on some of my spring flowering Alpines ...

Finally the flower spikes on my 'Carex - Oshimensis Evergold' have appeared and unless you look closely they're hard to notice, but when you do spot them they're a pleasant surprise.

Thanks for popping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

Here are just a few suggestions that you could be getting on with this week ...

1. Aphids - I know it's not the nicest topic to start off with, but now is the time to keep an eye out for Aphids! I've had a few instances recently where I've found quite a few clustering on my plants, especially my Dianthus and Fuchsia cuttings! As soon as you spot any squash them with your fingers or blast with some soapy water.

2. Feed - Plants such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Camelia's would all benefit now from a feed right now with Ericaecous plant food. You can get this is both a granular or liquid form.

3. Hellebores - If you haven't done so already, cut away old leaf stems to prevent the spread of black spot.

4. Alpines & Succulents - Tidy and re - pot if needed any Alpines and Succulents, you can also give them a fresh top dressing to keep them looking their best.

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

It's Monday so it is time for another Weekly Garden Checklist. 

Incase this is the first time you have seen this particular themed post, it's a quick list of jobs you can be doing in the garden this week.

Let's get started!

1. Deadhead Violas - If like me you have some Hanging Baskets or tubs including Violas, make sure you keep on top of the dead heading to keep the blooms going.

2. Pot Feet  -To help prevent outdoor containers becoming waterlogged in the winter wet raise them onto pot feet or wood offcuts to help them drain properly.

3. Rockery Plants - Protect Rockery Plants from the rain by bringing them inside over the winter. Alternatively place a sheet of glass raised on bricks over the top of them. They are perfectly fine with the cold they just don't like the wet.

4. Christmas Displays - I know it feels like it's ages away but now is the time to plan your pot displays for over the festive season. Bulbs such as Amaryllis and Narcissus - Paperwhite are best started off now to ensure that you have blooms in time.

5. Indoor Plants - Lastly why not bring a plant inside to enjoy now that the days are getting cooler and darker? It makes much more sense when you will be spending more time indoors!

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Summer Stars ...

Good Morning!

Today's post is all about the stars of the garden right now! Of course every plant is a star in it's own right really but these few are the one's that have only just started flowering in the past week or two and catch my eye every time I'm outside.

First up probably isn't that impressive to you at the moment but it's one of my Winter Flowering Clematis's 'Winter Beauty'. At the start of the year it was barely above ground level as it had been ravaged by pesky slugs and snails, however it has now put on lot's of lush fresh growth and will hopefully continue this way!

 Just beneath the Clematis you can also see my next 'star'. This is Zinnia 'Green Envy' and although it might not be to everyone's taste I love it. The petals appear more yellow on the photograph but they infact a pale green. 

This is Rudbekia 'Cherry Brandy' and although I'm not usually drawn to red flowers this is certainly one of my favourites. I only have 2 plants of these in the garden but next year there will most certainly be more!

I know I only just shared this a couple of days ago, but I love it that much I had to do it again. Another of my new favourites that will definitely be frequenting more of the garden next year, Chocolate Cosmos.

Of course I had to share with you how my larger Dahlia's are doing, earlier in the year I shared how I potted the tubers up so it's only right that I share their blooms! 'Cafe Au Lait' and 'Eveline' both make a statement!

Finally I wanted to share with you something from my Parent's Garden, the Alpine trough! I planted this up a few weeks ago and as you can see it is filling out nicely.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Alpines & Newbies ...

Good Morning!

Today's post is a mix of things from last week that I hadn't had the chance to share with you all yet. 

The first is an Alpine Trough that I planted up for my parents. Apologies that the photo's aren't too great, the gravel around the trough in the background makes it a bit tricky to see it properly.

When making Alpine troughs you need to ensure that it has drainage holes and you use a mix of John Innes & Grit for drainage. I have also included some herbs in the display at the back of two different Thymes, which work well with Alpines. In the centre is a Dianthus and either side of that are Arabis & Aubrieta.

Once your trough is planted up cover the soil with more grit.

Last week I also bought myself a Winter flowering climber to go alongside the Summer flowering Clematis, which will give a year round display of flowers. This one is Clematis 'Napaulensis' which flowers November - March and is scented. Perfect for when there isn't much else in the garden! Don't panic if you are thinking it looks a sorry state in the picture, the clematis loses all it's leaves in the Summer then puts on it's growth in the Autumn. 

I also bought a Salvia to go in a pot at the back of the garden near the GH to add some height where there is a clump of Geums. I also couldn't resisted the two Dianthus's which caught my eye.

Lastly is the 'Lobelia Speciosa Fan Red', I bought this to fill a gap in the side border in the garden which will spread about 30cm with a height of 75cm, I love the shock of red the petals provide.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Some More Catching Up ...

Good Morning!

Today's post is a bit of a follow on from the previous one, I've had quite a few little jobs to do over the past week or so which means lots of photo's! lol First off I decided to add to my little teractotta pot collection with some Primula's, Dianthus and Saxifraga.

Here's a little peek at how the stand looks at the moment however there will probably be a little re-shuffle with some more pots going on the top replacing the Iris, Lavender and Skimmia.

A couple of weeks ago I received a voucher in the post for 50% off any plant at a nearby Garden Centre. Well I couldn't ignore it could I so I went and bought an Acer (Phoenix) as every small garden should have one.

Whilst making the planted up pots at work last week I spotted these cute little pots that were perfect for these two plants I'd also had my eye on. Can you tell that me working in a Plant Nursery is dangerous!

And lastly my Dahlia Tubers are FINALLY starting to do something, I was starting to give up hope! So far it's only 1 of each variety that's showing signs of life but hopefully the remaining two will pick up soon, they're certainly taking their time!

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Primula Auricula's ...

Good Morning!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend, I managed to get a few bits done in the garden such as cutting the lawn, spraying some Roses with rose clear and giving the Azalea's a liquid feed. I have also started hardening off the Autumn sown Sweet Pea's because as you can see from this picture they are pretty much ready to go out.

But what I really wanted to share with you today was some Primula Auricula's! 

Over the past few weeks I have seen them more and more in magazines and on the TV so I couldn't resist bringing a few home with me from work one day to start growing myself.

Auricula's are best kept in Teracotta pots and  ones only slightly larger than the plant themselves. Plant them into some good quality soil (I have used John Innes no.2) with added grit for drainage.

I topped off the plant with a dressing of the same grit.

Auricula's are best kept under a sheltered area to keep direct rain off them.

TIP - It is best to water the top of the pot as opposed to over the top of the plant to avoid getting water on the plant.

On Saturday I also added some more plants to my ever growing collection when I went out shopping (Primula - Sparkling Ruby and Lewisia - Millers Gold) I couldn't resist buying these and I'm sure I'm not the only one who wouldn't be able to lol

I re-potted both of the plants into Teracotta pots just like with Auricula's.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX