@Plantminded I am very pleased with the hard landscaping. With more path edges in this garden I must consider water running off the paths. Plants that edge these will need to cope with a sudden deluge of rain.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
How exciting, @GardenerSuze. Lovely to have new plants to think about in January! I have heard of the Gripple Trellising System but have never used it. Will your plants be growing against fences only or walls as well? I think https://www.rivelinglenproducts.com/gripple-trellising-system-19-c.asp can be fixed to various structures, but have never tried it (probably should). Sorry if this is of no help. By the way, what a mouthful: Polystichum setiferum Plumosomultiobum....☺️
I use the Gripple stuff from Rivelin Glen, with the wire anchors that fit on to concrete fence posts. The "wire" (not metal, not sure what it is) and the tensioning system are easy to use and seem to be lasting well. For a wall I think I'd look for long vine eyes to leave a good air gap between the plants and the wall. Rivelin Glen do sell 4" vine eyes (and shorter ones) but I think they'd probably be cheaper somewhere like Toolstation or Screwfix. The threaded bit that goes into the wall doesn't look very long to me so I'd probably put them closer together than my fence-post anchors which are (obviously!) about six feet apart (fence panel width).
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
@JennyJ Thankyou for taking time to explain. It may seem strange with my gardening background but this is the kind of job that a landscaper would have completed before I started working in any garden. I have just used wire in my old garden but with no real plan. This time I want to get it right from the start.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
@Marlorena Thankyou. I have often faced borders in the past where certain plants needed to be kept, more diffiucult than a blank canvas. The spade has been wonderful, thanks to @Lizzie27 for recommending it. Very light weight and a ten year guarantee. It will be getting a lot more use.
@Plantminded I am going to try and find more Ophiopogon locally. Farmyard Nurseries only had 9cm pots, they kindly sent a photo of one. Just a few tufts as they are so slow. Another 9cm plant from them might be spilling out of the pot if it were faster growing. I am sure I will be buying from them again in the spring.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
@GardenerSuze , if you lived a bit nearer than me, I'd give you some Ophiopogon. Some of mine could do with dividing when spring comes. Last time I saw it in a GC they were charging something like £8 a pot. If you fancy a trip to sunny Doncaster come spring, let me know and you can have a few clumps for nowt!
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
@JennyJ Thankyou such a kind thought. I did bring some two litre pots with me. The front door is black and I have used it all in a bed there. Snowdrops just showing through too.
I do have a friend with large a mature garden, perhaps a gentle hint, I am sure they would help out. It is very slow from seed and I understand a lot of the seedlings will be the green form.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
Just recieved some Ophiopogon from Crocus, they look fuller pots and are well rooted. Both Farmyard Nurseries and Crocus were kind enough to send photos of the plants in pots without me asking. What a great idea for a plant that is so slow. I am wondering if there are different forms of it as I have one plant that came from my old garden where the leaves don't grow so big,very dainty.
I also ordered Cotoneaster horizontalis x3 for the fence, from Crocus, postage again £5.99. I did ring back after ordering and said for training on a fence please. customer services weren't sure if they could help. However they are exactly what I wanted came overnight well packaged.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
Dug down removed alot of clay, broken through the pan, mixed in soil conditioner and some fine top soil with the clay. Then more soil conditioner. This is a small border not as yet mentioned next to a big pot. To the right of the pot is the long north facing border that I have been working on for many weeks.
Today the first plants went in Polystichum Herrenheusen x2, I found these at the local GC last autumn just small pots for £5.99 each and they have really grown. They have spent much of the winter in my south facing nursery bed so I decided to go for it and move them. I have also planted Polystichum Setiferum Bevis a lovely fern that came from my old garden. I have used Asplenium that came in three pots lifted and split same price as the other ferns, one piece is not looking happy it was in a third pot with a huge root so will be fine I am sure. To add a plant with a spikey leaf seemed a good idea I purchased a very distressed Carex in the autumn which I have split into six plants none are big but they have settled well and grown.All of these plants grew happily, although not together in an east facing border at my old garden and are evergreen. So I am hopeful that they will be fine. I also plan to use a few ferns in the long north facing border to tie things in.
The 'elephant in the room' is the fence but the large pot called 'Pat' that you can see will break things up. I may introduce more height. White digitalis, or with further improvements Actaea a favourite plant that I have never had the right conditions to grow, will see. I am happy with progress and I have opened up some space in the nursery bed.
The new path is very muddy the landscapers wouldn't be happy with me. I hope they are not reading this. Suze
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
What a lovely arrangement, @GardenerSuze. It is good to hear what you have been doing. I know you said you split some of the plants. Can I ask, did you find any 'teabag mesh' entwined in any roots? I ask because the topic is forefront in my mind, after experiencing problems with strangled roots last year. Did any plants come in biodegradable paper pots? I assume these sorts of pots mean that the teabag mesh is not used, but I don't know for sure. Sorry if this is a bit off-topic. Hopefully there was no mesh, but if there was, do you have a plan?
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
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I use the Gripple stuff from Rivelin Glen, with the wire anchors that fit on to concrete fence posts. The "wire" (not metal, not sure what it is) and the tensioning system are easy to use and seem to be lasting well. For a wall I think I'd look for long vine eyes to leave a good air gap between the plants and the wall. Rivelin Glen do sell 4" vine eyes (and shorter ones) but I think they'd probably be cheaper somewhere like Toolstation or Screwfix. The threaded bit that goes into the wall doesn't look very long to me so I'd probably put them closer together than my fence-post anchors which are (obviously!) about six feet apart (fence panel width).
How exciting for you, and us to follow..
The spade has been wonderful, thanks to @Lizzie27 for recommending it. Very light weight and a ten year guarantee. It will be getting a lot more use.
@Plantminded I am going to try and find more Ophiopogon locally. Farmyard Nurseries only had 9cm pots, they kindly sent a photo of one. Just a few tufts as they are so slow.
Another 9cm plant from them might be spilling out of the pot if it were faster growing.
I am sure I will be buying from them again in the spring.
I do have a friend with large a mature garden, perhaps a gentle hint, I am sure they would help out. It is very slow from seed and I understand a lot of the seedlings will be the green form.
Both Farmyard Nurseries and Crocus were kind enough to send photos of the plants in pots without me asking. What a great idea for a plant that is so slow.
I am wondering if there are different forms of it as I have one plant that came from my old garden where the leaves don't grow so big,very dainty.
I also ordered Cotoneaster horizontalis x3 for the fence, from Crocus, postage again £5.99. I did ring back after ordering and said for training on a fence please. customer services weren't sure if they could help. However they are exactly what I wanted came overnight well packaged.
Today the first plants went in Polystichum Herrenheusen x2, I found these at the local GC last autumn just small pots for £5.99 each and they have really grown. They have spent much of the winter in my south facing nursery bed so I decided to go for it and move them. I have also planted Polystichum Setiferum Bevis a lovely fern that came from my old garden.
I have used Asplenium that came in three pots lifted and split same price as the other ferns, one piece is not looking happy it was in a third pot with a huge root so will be fine I am sure.
To add a plant with a spikey leaf seemed a good idea I purchased a very distressed Carex in the autumn which I have split into six plants none are big but they have settled well and grown.All of these plants grew happily, although not together in an east facing border at my old garden and are evergreen. So I am hopeful that they will be fine. I also plan to use a few ferns in the long north facing border to tie things in.
The 'elephant in the room' is the fence but the large pot called 'Pat' that you can see will break things up. I may introduce more height. White digitalis, or with further improvements Actaea a favourite plant that I have never had the right conditions to grow, will see. I am happy with progress and I have opened up some space in the nursery bed.
The new path is very muddy the landscapers wouldn't be happy with me. I hope they are not reading this. Suze