Anchusa ' Loddon Royalist' with me. It seemed to start looking peaky even as I lifted it out of the car.... Tried it twice, it died the death of a thousand slugs.
I tried various roses many times before I understood the processes. I would carry on experimenting with them, despite or perhaps because of, the failures. Various bulbs too. They are too great to let go lightly.
It's interesting to now have a sandy bed with few slugs as well as clay beds with loads of slugs, so I can make comparisons on how plants grow.
I'm pretty clueless now but when I had a brief flirtation with wanting to grow fruit about 15 years ago, I did no research at all. I bought a blueberry plant and put it in the ground. It died because the soil in my garden is completely wrong.
Armed with a small bit of knowledge, last year I got 3 more plants and they are now thriving in ericaceous compost in big planters next to the back door.
I reckon that two attempts would be my limit, providing I know that I've done it correctly on at least one of those occasions
Many many years ago our village garden club had a massive "Garden Visit" for all. We made a very detailed map of the plants in our garden at the time and showed many people around.
Looked only a few weeks ago at the "old" plantings maps. Most of which we haven't got now.
Sad but then maybe our soil/conditions weren't what they wanted.
Looked only a few weeks ago at the "old" plantings maps. Most of which we haven't got now.
Sad but then maybe our soil/conditions weren't what they wanted.
This is my experience too. I must have had a succession of gardens with fair to good conditions and my current one is inhospitable to lots of things I’d grown before with ease (even crocuses, for example). My photos show all kinds of things that lasted for a time before being (usually) killed by molluscs or fungal diseases. Or else something so rare I’ve had to ask the RHS what it is. I always aim for disease resistant varieties and support the plants with proper feeding, planting, etc. But only a few things will survive. However, after a lot of persistence, I’ve now developed a mini ecosystem that’s more or less in balance.
I always give things three chances because of the horribleness of the conditions. Am now on trial 3 of Astrantia. Who struggles with Astrantia?!?
I have given up on Astrantia. I like them a lot but they don't survive in my garden. You would laugh but I even considered buying artificial ones to keep in a vase 😂
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It seemed to start looking peaky even as I lifted it out of the car....
Tried it twice, it died the death of a thousand slugs.
Armed with a small bit of knowledge, last year I got 3 more plants and they are now thriving in ericaceous compost in big planters next to the back door.
I reckon that two attempts would be my limit, providing I know that I've done it correctly on at least one of those occasions