Re. watering, how long is a piece of string? It depends on how much the plants are growing and using water, and how much rain can get in. Sometimes the foliage can stop rain reaching the compost. The only way to find out is to check your pots. If the compost is damp about an inch or so down, they're fine. Some composts dry out on the surface when there's still moisture below so don't be fooled by appearances.
Re. feeding, I would say they don't need any over the winter.
Do deadhead the violas if you can though, to make them put their energy into more flowers rather than developing seed.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I never deadhead violas and they always flower like mad, especially from April. This year the ones in the borders flowered until July. Each one was about a foot wide and covered in flowers.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
I've always found that they go on for much longer if I deadhead them. That's the bedding kinds that you buy in multipacks grown in containers or hanging baskets, not the named perennial kinds, and I've never grown them in the ground.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Euonymus: Can I trim its height and width as it grows? I don't want to stop it forever getting taller (cutting off the growing tips), but it would be nice to have some control without damaging it.
If you mean while it's in the pot, then it won't be necessary for a long time. It's not going to grow much while it's in there anyway, due to the competition from the other plants, and certainly over the winter months. In the ground they can certainly be pruned back, or shaped, as often as needed.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I have found three Skimmia each with different coloured leaves in the rear garden borders. They have been neglected, are a bit straggly with a few red berries (8 to 12 approx) on each branch of two of them. One is not too bad.
Should I just leave them to themselves over winter (watering if necessary) or do I need to prune them to get more berries? I can post pics of each.
They may not like the soil, and they do like shade and good moisture to do best. They can get anaemic if the soil isn't suitable - ie acidic enough. They don't cope as well in neutral soil as other similar shrubs do, like rhodos, camellias, pieris etc. A photo will help though.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fairygirl They are in shade but have never been watered for a year or more. As for the soil, I have ordered a Ph meter so will determine before I attempt to 'freshen' all the borders. I will post pics tomorrow
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My abode: Essex, soon to be a desert!
My abode: Essex, soon to be a desert!
plants.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Should I just leave them to themselves over winter (watering if necessary) or do I need to prune them to get more berries? I can post pics of each.
My abode: Essex, soon to be a desert!
A photo will help though.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
My abode: Essex, soon to be a desert!