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Nastursiums

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    Nasturtiums are annuals - they only last one summer. image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,023

    Actually, you can grow almost anything in a pot if it's fed and watered and the pot is big enough. But buddleias can grow 2 1/2 m x 2 1/2m in a season. May not leave much room for nasturtiums! They should be cut back really hard every spring.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,888

    I've grown Empress of India. It self seeds, but the seedlings are a bit random: some dark leaved, some less so.

    Devon.
  • Zoomer44Zoomer44 Posts: 3,267

    Just to add, you can eat Nasturtiums, not sure if you can eat all the different varieties but I'm stilll here to tell the tale after eating mine last year image

    They taste peppery, the flowers are nice, freshly picked on salads and the seeds picked green can be eaten or pickled. l didn't try the leaves as I had leaf miner on some last year.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    I love the leaves in a salad or in a sandwich with salami image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • GillianBCGillianBC Posts: 121

    Tetley, which of the new varieties do you recommend?  I've grown the trailing ones in the past - lovely bold summer colours, but somewhat straggly.

  • Janet  2Janet 2 Posts: 114
    Forgive me for digressing slightly but does anyone else find their nasturtiums get coated in blackfly? Think it's blackfly anyway
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,023

    Yes, Janet, blackfly are one of the main nasturtium pests. I grow nasturtiums next to the broad beans to encourage the blackfly to keep off the beans.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • Zoomer44Zoomer44 Posts: 3,267

    Nasturtium do attract aphids and are sometimes planted as a sacrificial plant, an organic method of protecting other plants from pests in a garden.  

    Nasturtium do recover very quickly though, if infested by aphids just pinch off the effected parts and destroy the leaves and stems as they become overrun. Healthy leaves and flowers will soon grow back.

  • Jesse2501Jesse2501 Posts: 152

    I find nasturtiums brilliant to use as I'm a somewhat improving gardener and take comfort in knowing they usually just get on with it without too much help.

    i have some lovely contrasting colours this year.

    last year I planted the climbing variety to grow up some wire but they did get terribly untidy and leggy.

    ive gone for Tom thumb bushy this year non climbing types, or so the label says.

    my main aim for planting the buddleia in the large containers was to control them too. Surely it's worth a go as they are cheap and quite tough things. I will cut them back hard when they get too big. I am picturing a lovely buddleia with dwarf nastursium overflowing at the base of each pot. Surely worth a try and bee/ butterfly magnets? 

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