Supposed to be lying flat on my back at the moment, but I had to sit up, because I have never read such utter tosh in my life. I do not know of any sensible gardener who would dig a hole, fill it with an unnamed type of JI compost and sand and plonk their plant in. Thank you for making me laugh.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
I did try to take cuttings last year, of the salvia, some penstemons and pelargoniums. I had rows of pots of cuttings in the garage for months - until mice ate the lot!!
My house dates back to 1664. They didn't have the same building regs then
There is nothing wrong with my soil either, after many years of working on it. The garden is part of a steep hillside, so drains well, but also receives all the water draining from higher up the hill. Hollows are generally boggy, except in hot, dry summers, which were rare before the last 2 years. Weeks of constant rain, easterly winds, heavy snowfall and temperatures of -12C for days on end, make growing things that are simplicity itself where you live, into a lottery here.
I have already begun moving my salvias and other vulnerable plants into the greenhouse, so that I don't have a mad rush if frost is forecast. Since you asked, that is also where I grow my jasmine, which though supposedly hardy, requires a warm, sheltered position, which I cannot guarantee.
Dove, the clay soil in Suffolk was not so bad that the farmers could not plant. Where houses are, the builder would have had to improve the drainage in the gardens to regulation levels to be able to sell the house such that if one digs a hole and puts a plant down in John Innes compost, excess moisture WILL drain away.
Punk, I have planted all my trees by digging a deep hole, putting in a John Innes compost (No. 1, 2, or 3) and a peat based multi-purpose compost half and half. Depending on how much drainage the particular plant likes, I add a bit of sand, too, and mix well. I then put in about half a cupful of Fish, Blood, and Bone granular fertilizer at the top. Lately, I have been adding half a cupful of unused fish tank substrate, too. I mis these in with the compost at the top and with my fingers and then plant my plant in the middle. I then mulch in a couple of handfuls of farmyard manure at the top. With the exception of a couple of lavenders for which this was too rich, others have all thrived. I learned this from watching BBC gardens videos and programs. I have been doing this in pots for many years and in my garden in a previous house I had.
I explained this in one place, and then I've used just the gist to refer to the process.
They can sell properties that flood, but the history of such flooding have to be made known to the buyer before purchase. Buyers' solicitors can do searches for these.
We planted out three new salvis last year in the ground. As Autumn turned to Winter I noticed they started to really struggle. They ended up looking awful, straggly, funny colour etc. I dug them up, potted them up and overwintered them in the greenhouse( after cutting all three down of course!). I found they were all sitting in puddles of water.😬 We wanted to replant them in the same place this year, so we invested in three planters and stuck them in there. They have all flourished well and given out some lovely displays this year.
This can't happen if the house is sold properly. The house builder is required to fill out the land, if needed to a higher elevation, before he gets planning permission to build and sell. Someone has pulled wool over your eyes, or sold in the shady market for cash buyers only or something. They won't give a mortgage on it; or one can only get like a super high interest black market mortgage or something.
Posts
Thank you for making me laugh.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Punk, I have planted all my trees by digging a deep hole, putting in a John Innes compost (No. 1, 2, or 3) and a peat based multi-purpose compost half and half. Depending on how much drainage the particular plant likes, I add a bit of sand, too, and mix well. I then put in about half a cupful of Fish, Blood, and Bone granular fertilizer at the top. Lately, I have been adding half a cupful of unused fish tank substrate, too. I mis these in with the compost at the top and with my fingers and then plant my plant in the middle. I then mulch in a couple of handfuls of farmyard manure at the top. With the exception of a couple of lavenders for which this was too rich, others have all thrived. I learned this from watching BBC gardens videos and programs. I have been doing this in pots for many years and in my garden in a previous house I had.
I explained this in one place, and then I've used just the gist to refer to the process.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border