@Camelliad Florence fennel is the one with a swollen stem base which you can cook as a vegetable. The floaty, airy one is also fennel, closely related but is a perennial herb.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Failures: -didn’t treat Viburnum Tinus early enough to stop the viburnum nettle taking hold -antirrhinums bought as plug plants. I potted them on but they never did grow to a decent size and were consigned to the compost bin in disgust. -back garden I had to cut back or rip out one entire bed so the fence could be replaced. The whole garden is now a wilderness. It’s a project for autumn now.
successes: Begonias ‘non stop’ bought as large plants last year and left in pots over winter, have bounced back and flowered beautifully -a one year old cutting of a Callistemon from my neighbour produced several flowers although only about one foot tall.
@Camelliad, I think the fennel both belong to the same family but the one you generally see in National Trust gardens doesn't form an edible bulb. I have the decorative one in the flower border and, as you say, it is very light and airy but it seeds itself everywhere and is a devil to get out from the paving.
My successes are: - First large crop of walnuts growing and getting excited that we might have our own nuts for Christmas - Mini ‘meadow’ of poppies, cosmos and sunflowers - full of bees and a delight to look at - All our new bare roots roses planted in April have flowered well already - Newly planted border along drive has knitted together well and been really colourful - The random clashing combinations of overwinter fuchsias (pinks, purples) homegrown nasturtiums (deep red) and the only bedding I could get (bright orange- red begonias) look really cheerful and clash so much they seem to work
Failures - None of my 5 aubergines plants are setting, load of flowers but no fruit - in the last few days the squirrels have eaten all the walnuts except for one
- all my pennisetum are sulking, I don’t think they have enjoyed the up down summer
Frustration rather than failure - we want to revamp our pond and the tadpoles seem to have taken an age to leave grow up and leave home. Much later than usual having only just left in the last week and of course now I’m busy with work
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
@ERICS MUM that's so frustrating re: antirrhinum - I had the same with my thunbergia. Your begonias in pots - did you put them anywhere over the winter or just leave them out?
@Inglezinho - completely agree. The garden is bone dry, even now after the rainfall. I'm trying to change the way I plant now as I think we will have more years like this.
@Suesyn and @Liriodendron thank you - that's useful. I hadn't realised the difference. Slightly nervous to hear how happily it self seeds however. I have enough of these types of plants. Not sure - I do like the look of it.
@Butterfly66 somewhere there are some happy squirrels!!! Frustrating though. Your mini meadow of poppies, sunflowers and cosmos, this is EXACTLY the combination I plan to grow together next year. I have grown them separately this year and they have been the bee favourites of the garden and have looked the prettiest.
Posts
-didn’t treat Viburnum Tinus early enough to stop the viburnum nettle taking hold
-antirrhinums bought as plug plants. I potted them on but they never did grow to a decent size and were consigned to the compost bin in disgust.
-back garden I had to cut back or rip out one entire bed so the fence could be replaced. The whole garden is now a wilderness. It’s a project for autumn now.
successes:
Begonias ‘non stop’ bought as large plants last year and left in pots over winter, have bounced back and flowered beautifully
-a one year old cutting of a Callistemon from my neighbour produced several flowers although only about one foot tall.
- First large crop of walnuts growing and getting excited that we might have our own nuts for Christmas
- Mini ‘meadow’ of poppies, cosmos and sunflowers - full of bees and a delight to look at
- All our new bare roots roses planted in April have flowered well already
- Newly planted border along drive has knitted together well and been really colourful
- The random clashing combinations of overwinter fuchsias (pinks, purples) homegrown nasturtiums (deep red) and the only bedding I could get (bright orange- red begonias) look really cheerful and clash so much they seem to work
Failures
- None of my 5 aubergines plants are setting, load of flowers but no fruit
- in the last few days the squirrels have eaten all the walnuts except for one
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham