hi, wondering if anyone has any ideas for cottage garden type plants, anything pretty & floriferous, that I can start from seed & will flower this year?
What about some bulbs? A few oriental lillies make a big impression, you can get them from the cheap shops, but dont leave it to long or the bulbs get all dried up in the shop
Lavetera is a good one, i also like phacelia tanetifolia and valerian (think i still have some seeds for these, send me a pm if you would like some )
Nadia, try spraying some of that stuff i use on the soil (SAS spray), it has to be replaced after rain, but is really good, garlic granuels worked well for me too
It dosent kill the slugs and snails, so there is still plenty of food left for wildlife
You can start some things off in pots and transplant them, which will help the plants establish before the slugs can reach them. I have a kitchen garden which tends to be inhabited with lots of slugs. I bought some wool pellets when I visited Sarah Raven's cutting garden recently so will be trying them this year. I will let you know how I get on. Has anyone tried wool pellets to repel slugs? Sarah swears by them.
Brought some pellets, but the foxes got in the bag which then let the water in, little swines! Will be interested to know how you do with them. That spray is enough for me now i only have the garden to look after, but when i had my allotments, i foumd that cheap copper pan scourers could either be opened up and slipped around pots, or chopped up into fine bits and sprinkled on the seed beds after sowing, this and a sacrificial crop seemed to really help
Posts
Lots of annuals can make an impression.
Cosmos, cornflowers, larkspur,cleome, godetia, nicotiana.
Summer flowering bulbs such as lilies and dahlias add interest.
Do you have a particular colour scheme in mind?
Salvias, foxgloves (biennial), lupins, snapdragons, nasturtiums, cleome, poppies
betony, violas, pansy, sunflowers, obedient plant, campanula,scabious, Bee Balm, Red Campion,
Lupins grown from seed will flower in their first year, as will agastache. They will be with you in years to come too
Sweet peas look and smell delicious and, the more you cut them, the more they will flower for you. Make sure you buy highly scented varieties.
Most annuals that I sow directly get munched by the slugs/snails but Nigella never fails.
What about some bulbs? A few oriental lillies make a big impression, you can get them from the cheap shops, but dont leave it to long or the bulbs get all dried up in the shop
Lavetera is a good one, i also like phacelia tanetifolia and valerian (think i still have some seeds for these, send me a pm if you would like some
It dosent kill the slugs and snails, so there is still plenty of food left for wildlife
You can start some things off in pots and transplant them, which will help the plants establish before the slugs can reach them. I have a kitchen garden which tends to be inhabited with lots of slugs. I bought some wool pellets when I visited Sarah Raven's cutting garden recently so will be trying them this year. I will let you know how I get on. Has anyone tried wool pellets to repel slugs? Sarah swears by them.