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Hello! Your tips, tricks & advice greatly appreciated.
MUMMYNATURE
Posts: 63
Hello.
I am new and would adore your tips, advice and tried and tested methods for all areas of gardening. PLEASE.🥰
I have always adored plants, gardens and nature but have always planted blindly. Some of my plants thrive, some don’t, and they never flourish to what I see Monty accomplish or seen to get close to the average size of a typical plant for example.
I always add mulch, compost and follow weather preference guides before planting.
I seem to have combination soil?? It’s different everywhere I dig. Some areas are Sandy, some seem lumpy (clay), some is crumbly and some is gravelly.
what do you think I do wrong? Any advice would be hugely appreciated. This is the first year I have sown seeds and taken cuttings that have grown successfully and I am so excited!
Thanking you in advance hugely.
Rachelle
I am new and would adore your tips, advice and tried and tested methods for all areas of gardening. PLEASE.🥰
I have always adored plants, gardens and nature but have always planted blindly. Some of my plants thrive, some don’t, and they never flourish to what I see Monty accomplish or seen to get close to the average size of a typical plant for example.
I always add mulch, compost and follow weather preference guides before planting.
I seem to have combination soil?? It’s different everywhere I dig. Some areas are Sandy, some seem lumpy (clay), some is crumbly and some is gravelly.
what do you think I do wrong? Any advice would be hugely appreciated. This is the first year I have sown seeds and taken cuttings that have grown successfully and I am so excited!
Thanking you in advance hugely.
Rachelle
0
Posts
The grassy looking thing in photo 3, between pink and yellow flowers, is Carex Pendula and it can become a bit of a thug. IMHO you should remove it before it becomes a problem.
Don't worry about how MD's garden looks, or anyone else's for that matter, your garden is YOUR garden . If you like how it looks, it's no matter what anyone thinks. Don't be intimidated by it.
I'd be wary of the two conifers by the fence , which will get huge in no time..
When you ask "What did l do wrong ?", it may be that you didn't do anything wrong, it's just the nature of gardening. You can care for something and it repays you by dying, and neglect something else and it thrives.
Monty's garden has grown over 30 years (l think), and he gardens according to the conditions he has. If you are growing plants for the conditions you have, sunny, shady, dry, moist, acid, then you are making a good start. That's the secret ,to grow plants in the conditions they want.
If you haven't already, l would buy a soil testing kit from the garden centre. This will tell you the type of soil you have, and use it in various locations. You're already aware that the soil is a different type in different areas, so that's good.
Another tip is to visit the garden centre at different times of the year to see what is in flower ( and read the labels to see what they like
Also l agree with Hostafan1, you may want to rethink the conifers, they may take up more room than you expect. You could maybe consider climbers for the fence perhaps?
. Gaura The Bride.
Cosmos
poppy
sunflower titan
moneymaker toms
sweetpea
nausturtiums
bergonia
busy lizzies
gazania
cup and saucer vine
spanish flag
morning glory
larkspur
then cuttings
cat mint
spires
homeysuckle
periwinkle
here are my chosen plants so far!
Apart from that, the garden is really nice, you’ve made it so pretty, I’m sure your very pleased with it.
which one is the Laylandii please? I definitely will remove it, thank you so much for warning me. Could you suggest anything as an alternative to obscure the fence? Preferably evergreen to add winter colour and privacy?
I am am pleased with my garden but it is only 18 months old. (This is the third summer). I couldn’t do anything at all last year due to completing a huge extension from April through to October. I was so frustrated! 😂😂
i lost a rhoda due to my cat. She must use the spot for her toiletting and turned the soil alkaline. Hence planting a hydra but the leaves have turned dark red yet they were green. Is there a reason for this please?
thank you x
My only comment re all those seeds is don't be tempted to sow too many, and try to space them out when you sow. I usually fill my trays or pots with compost and then place them in a bowl of water. When the top of the compost is damp, l drain them off before sowing. This means that all the seeds don't get washed into one corner as they could do if l watered from above.
As time passes you'll undoubtedly find that some plants do better than others - as with the rhododendron you mentioned. I suspect that if you tested the soil with a little kit, available from the garden centre, you'd find your soil generally was alkaline, which the rhododendron wouldn't like. Is it a hydrangea whose leaves are turning red? Sometimes that's a sign of stress - perhaps it's got dry at some time, or very cold. Mine loses all its leaves in winter, though yours may not if your garden is very warm.
One thing you'll find is that there isn't room for all your "permanent" plants, the shrubs and conifers, to grow as much as they want. Eventually you may need to dig up the things which you like least, and give them to your friends, to make room for the rest! I'm still planting things too close together even though I've been gardening for 60 years... you never stop learning.
In case Lyn doesn't notice your question about Leylandii - these are the conifers right at the back of the bed with the curved edge, which are growing fast towards the top of the fence. You could replace them with something like Cotoneaster horizontalis, perhaps, which is better behaved (and has winter berries to feed the birds).