Bitterly cold wind here today and low temps, but looks like the threatened snow passed us by, thankfully.
Your Iberis Sempervirens looks great, @Marlorena, I bought some in the GC last week, but OH nicked them for the planters outside her office so I will have to go and get some more, if there is any left! Did you get your gas sorted btw?
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Oh good, that’s not so bad then @Marlorena, given it’s not the best time to lose your heating. Interesting about Desdemona, there does seem to be a sneaky climbing tendency in a fair number of DAs that will express itself if given the chance or the climate.
Of my new roses, I have nice fat buds on Souvenir de St Annes, Chartreuse de Parme and clusters forming on Blush Noisette, Excellenz von Schubert and Marie Pavie - plus that lone bud on MP close to opening. Forever Royal’s bloom has gone more purple, reminds me a little of Burgundy Ice and Stormy Weather, in that they start off burgundy first. Love the excitement and anticipation of seeing new roses bloom for the first time!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I checked buds in the garden. They are there but tiny. Everything seems to be delayed this year. Last year, I have the 1st bloom on 21st April, in 2019 on 30th April. This year, I don't expect anything before mid-May. And the main rose season in July.
Yes with this cold weather everything seems to have paused. Anyway there is plenty of interesting things in garden till whenever the roses will come.
I am thinking ahead for autumn now. What are your favourite plants/flowers for autumn? I just ordered Aster Monch after looking back at Marlorena and Mr. Vine Eye's photos. Since I have repurposed dahlia's pots for roses, I am creating a new bed for dahlias.
What else looks good in Autumn? I am thinking of getting seeds or 9 cm plants which would grow a bit till autumn.
Do you have hesperantha coccinea major? How do I care for it in spring. Shall I cut back all foliage? Thinking of autumn, it and nerine also look good in autumn.
I love late summer/ autumn flowering plants. I grow heleniums,asters, rudbeckia, penstemon, buddleja, cosmos, all of which will keep flowering well in to October/ November, especially the rudbeckia which was my longest flowering plant last year. As well as the Aster Monch which is a stunner and a firm favourite now, I ordered aster king George which is very similar but shorter( 60 cm) and aster violet queen which is shorter again (30cm). I love purple in the borders it goes with most other colours and is easier to place than white flowers. So looking forward to seeing how my new borders will shape up over the year.
Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.
Hi Marlorena...in order to try and save my 'Dusky Maiden'...the problem I'm afraid is looking increasingly terminal as far as I can see...I thought I would give it a dose of super strength Maxicrop which you've recommended in the past, but can you remind me of the dilution you use. I contacted Beales over the problem (I've only had it a year) and they seem to think it's saveable despite of all the die back and sickly foliage.
@Bright star, thanks for recommendations. I will see what all I can get in my next visit to GC. I had sown Rudbeckia Goldilocks seeds. First week it was too hot then it was too cold. No idea what Goldilocks is going to do I might get plants from GC if nothing germinates.
I found two tini-tiny buds, one on Golden Celebration and one on Young Lycidas !
@peteS ..your rose is languishing somewhat but it's too cold and too early to be force feeding with root stimulants, apart from the usual feeding.. wait until mid May for that and take another look at it then.. it's waiting for some heat like we all are.. otherwise I cannot give you an easy answer than to see what it does this season and if no better, then you know what to do with it..
@newbie77 ..I don't grow Hesperantha because it's too dry here, they prefer moisture in summer.. they also benefit from lifting and dividing, replanting in fresh ground, much like Phlox do... otherwise cut down all old growth now.. they spread a bit too.. Aster 'Monch' I think looks good with Heleniums and Rudbeckias... but also with yellow roses... it can be lifted and divided now, I have quite a large clump of it..
In my dry garden, these simple to grow Escholzia californica 'Red Chief' flower all summer into autumn.. I just sow a few seeds end April, they can stand some frost, and they soon germinate... I think they're good for kiddies to try because they get a quick and colourful result.. they flower into October and reseed in different colours..
Posts
Your Iberis Sempervirens looks great, @Marlorena, I bought some in the GC last week, but OH nicked them for the planters outside her office so I will have to go and get some more, if there is any left! Did you get your gas sorted btw?
..yes thanks.. we need a new radiator so he's fitting that in a couple of weeks but we have our heating, so we won't freeze..
.. a nice opportunistic manoeuvre from your OH... well, it's the sort of thing any of us would do I'm sure..
Last year, I have the 1st bloom on 21st April, in 2019 on 30th April. This year, I don't expect anything before mid-May. And the main rose season in July.
I am thinking ahead for autumn now. What are your favourite plants/flowers for autumn? I just ordered Aster Monch after looking back at Marlorena and Mr. Vine Eye's photos. Since I have repurposed dahlia's pots for roses, I am creating a new bed for dahlias.
What else looks good in Autumn? I am thinking of getting seeds or 9 cm plants which would grow a bit till autumn.
Do you have hesperantha coccinea major? How do I care for it in spring. Shall I cut back all foliage? Thinking of autumn, it and nerine also look good in autumn.
As well as the Aster Monch which is a stunner and a firm favourite now, I ordered aster king George which is very similar but shorter( 60 cm) and aster violet queen which is shorter again (30cm). I love purple in the borders it goes with most other colours and is easier to place than white flowers. So looking forward to seeing how my new borders will shape up over the year.
Hi Marlorena...in order to try and save my 'Dusky Maiden'...the problem I'm afraid is looking increasingly terminal as far as I can see...I thought I would give it a dose of super strength Maxicrop which you've recommended in the past, but can you remind me of the dilution you use.
I contacted Beales over the problem (I've only had it a year) and they seem to think it's saveable despite of all the die back and sickly foliage.
I found two tini-tiny buds, one on Golden Celebration and one on Young Lycidas !
..your rose is languishing somewhat but it's too cold and too early to be force feeding with root stimulants, apart from the usual feeding.. wait until mid May for that and take another look at it then.. it's waiting for some heat like we all are.. otherwise I cannot give you an easy answer than to see what it does this season and if no better, then you know what to do with it..
@newbie77
..I don't grow Hesperantha because it's too dry here, they prefer moisture in summer.. they also benefit from lifting and dividing, replanting in fresh ground, much like Phlox do... otherwise cut down all old growth now.. they spread a bit too..
Aster 'Monch' I think looks good with Heleniums and Rudbeckias... but also with yellow roses... it can be lifted and divided now, I have quite a large clump of it..
In my dry garden, these simple to grow Escholzia californica 'Red Chief' flower all summer into autumn.. I just sow a few seeds end April, they can stand some frost, and they soon germinate... I think they're good for kiddies to try because they get a quick and colourful result.. they flower into October and reseed in different colours..