New garden! Please help a rookie :)

PlantNewbie101 · July 2021

Hello! We’re first time home owners and complete plant rookies. We have a few plants that my partner’s gran gave us, and we’re struggling to identify some of them!

We also have a lavender, (pictured) and I think it’s a french lavender for the pictures. So my question is, will it survive winter in the UK?

the other two plants pictured, we haven’t a clue what they are, or if they’ll survive winter!

Thank you in advance!

Fairygirl · July 2021

Your 2nd one is an Aquilegia - commonly called columbine and various other things.
The 3rd one is Verbena bonariensis - nice healthy one.

The French lavenders are generally fine in milder areas. Wet cold is difficult for them, and anywhere that gets lots of freezing, wet weather over winter. They struggle here.
A sunny sheltered site, with nice free draining soil is ideal if you can manage that.

PlantNewbie101 · July 2021

Fairygirl said:

Your 2nd one is an Aquilegia - commonly called columbine and various other things.
The 3rd one is Verbena bonariensis - nice healthy one.
The French lavenders are generally fine in milder areas. Wet cold is difficult for them, and anywhere that gets lots of freezing, wet weather over winter. They struggle here.
A sunny sheltered site, with nice free draining soil is ideal if you can manage that.

Thanks so much! She gave us a note with all their names on except those two.

Would a pop up green house over winter suffice for the lavender do you think? I’d love to keep it if we can!

Fairygirl · July 2021

I see you're in Manchester, so I expect you get a fair bit of rain. It might be worth giving it a bit of basic protection to keep the worst of the weather off it.
You'd just need to keep an eye on it to make sure it wasn't getting too frozen or too damp. A bit of ventilation helps keep a healthy airflow round plants. Dry cold is easier for plants to cope with than wet cold.

I had a neighbour who had one a few years ago, but it doesn't seem to have survived the recent winter. The previous winters were mild for us, so it managed ok , but the more normal one this year has seen it off. You can also take cuttings from it to ensure you have more plants for future, if you fancy giving that a go. They'd need good protection - possibly in your house, to ensure they would survive.
Not something I've ever done [I really don't like lavender of any kind] but you'll get help for that if you want to try.

PlantNewbie101 · July 2021

Fairygirl said:

I see you're in Manchester, so I expect you get a fair bit of rain. It might be worth giving it a bit of basic protection to keep the worst of the weather off it.
You'd just need to keep an eye on it to make sure it wasn't getting too frozen or too damp. A bit of ventilation helps keep a healthy airflow round plants. Dry cold is easier for plants to cope with than wet cold.
I had a neighbour who had one a few years ago, but it doesn't seem to have survived the recent winter. The previous winters were mild for us, so it managed ok , but the more normal one this year has seen it off. You can also take cuttings from it to ensure you have more plants for future, if you fancy giving that a go. They'd need good protection - possibly in your house, to ensure they would survive.
Not something I've ever done [I really don't like lavender of any kind] but you'll get help for that if you want to try.

Perfect, thank you!

I’ll definitely take a cutting of it to overwinter it because I’d love to start again next year if it doesn’t survive.

I love that the bees are so attracted to it, that’s one of the reasons I’m keen to keep it.

Appreciate your advice! I’ll be on the look out to plant some more hardy plants soon too that’ll survive the winter so no doubt I’ll be asking again on the forum soon enough 🙂

Fairygirl · July 2021

Good luck. You have some nice healthy wee plants there

The forum is a great resource, so hopefully you'll get plenty more help if you need it.

PlantNewbie101 · July 2021

Fairygirl said:

Good luck. You have some nice healthy wee plants there
The forum is a great resource, so hopefully you'll get plenty more help if you need it.

Thank you! All thanks to my partner’s gran! She’s from Scotland too (Dumfries and Galloway) and she’s got a beautiful garden! We came home with plenty 😂

Fairygirl · July 2021

Always good to get some freebies

Surprisingly, the south west of Scotland is quite a different climate to here, so it can often be easier to grow a good range of plants.
We were discussing the Verbenas recently on the forum because they readily self seed in many areas of the UK, but they often don't survive winters here where I am, and don't seed very readily. That came as a surprise to some posters.
I do cuttings of mine, which is also a good way of ensuring plants for the following year. You could probably do that next year with yours, as it should grow well.

PlantNewbie101 · July 2021

That’s good to know! I’ll definitely try and take some cuttings of both and see how they do!

I’m sure she will top us up if we accidentally kill them, she’s keen to turn us into budding gardeners 😉

Fairygirl · July 2021

bcpathome · July 2021

That’s good to know. I encourage my grandchildren too. I have a french lavender that has lasted 10 years so far. Just protect it from deluges of rain and make sure it lives in a sunny spot and you’ll be good. All the best.

New garden! Please help a rookie :)

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