New owner of a cottage garden. I is south facing all day. Noticed there a lot of sad tired looking rose bushes. You anyone suggest that I replant a rose or new species? Just started a compost bin and leaf mould black bin bag . So hope to enrich the soil before then. Any suggestions ?
Hi kins557: best advice forall new owners of gardens is to make haste slowly! You should wait to see what the roses are like - they may be "tired loooking" right now - but a bit of a good prune and a feed and you may be pleasantly surprised next summer. If you do decide to replace them - don't plant new roses where old ones were situated - you need to find a competely new space for them.
Give it time for the new compost to come good, and any enrichment of the soil is bound to do it good.
Lead Farmer - let us all know how things turn out! It's always interesting to learn from others' experiences.
For the record, my "saved" bulbs and corms have been planted into tubs in December. There's a lot of healthy growth, and I am ever hopeful!
I love the new shoots - they really are so promising. Locally (in Minehead, Somerset) there are early-flowering daffs already in full bloom. Now that's enough to brighten any dreary January day!!!
Based on this advice, i will also be planting my half-price daffs, tulips, dwarf irises, aliums and scilla into pots tomorrow, unless anyone advises any different? Bought them end Nov at a reputable nursery on the advice of a gardener there - I wanted on-going seasonal, bulb interest in a few pots. She advised me to plant tulips deepest, then the aliums on top, then the daffs, then the scilla (muskari), then the dwarf varieties. I noticed on the "how to" tutorial on this site, though, that daffs should be planted deeper than the tulips (in the same pot) so I'm a bit confused. Was the gardener at the nursery right? Thanks for any tips.
Leorna - it depends on the variety (sorry not to have a simple answer!) Rule of thumb that I use is about two and a half times the size of the bulb for the depth of planting. So - for the large daffs, that would probably be a lot deeper than the tulips. But rockery daffs are smaller - so far less depth (if you see what I mean).
I think I would separate the daffs and tulips for now and see how things work. Lift and store the bulbs for next year, and plant them a bit earlier, arranging the depth of planting according to the cultivar. But - if you have unplanted bulbs now, it's a case of "nothing ventured, nothing gained". In other words - doing nothing means the bulbs will wither and be no use next year. Planting them now gives you at least a half-decent chance of getting some sort of a result!
Thanks, sotongeoff, for your advice. Why I haven't planted them till now is immaterial, but probably also obvious: RAIN, CHRISTMAS, TIME I just noticed I had the same question as someone else on this forum today, which was a bit of luck. Wasn't aware I'd have to justify my time on this forum though !
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go for it jo4eyes. But they should be even less than half price now
In the sticks near Peterborough
New owner of a cottage garden. I is south facing all day. Noticed there a lot of sad tired looking rose bushes. You anyone suggest that I replant a rose or new species? Just started a compost bin and leaf mould black bin bag . So hope to enrich the soil before then. Any suggestions ?
Many thanks in advance e
Kind 557
Hi kins557: best advice forall new owners of gardens is to make haste slowly! You should wait to see what the roses are like - they may be "tired loooking" right now - but a bit of a good prune and a feed and you may be pleasantly surprised next summer. If you do decide to replace them - don't plant new roses where old ones were situated - you need to find a competely new space for them.
Give it time for the new compost to come good, and any enrichment of the soil is bound to do it good.
kins557, your better starting a new thread or your question will get missed.
Thanks for the advice, Im going to pot them up tomorrow.
Lead Farmer - let us all know how things turn out! It's always interesting to learn from others' experiences.
For the record, my "saved" bulbs and corms have been planted into tubs in December. There's a lot of healthy growth, and I am ever hopeful!
I love the new shoots - they really are so promising. Locally (in Minehead, Somerset) there are early-flowering daffs already in full bloom. Now that's enough to brighten any dreary January day!!!
Based on this advice, i will also be planting my half-price daffs, tulips, dwarf irises, aliums and scilla into pots tomorrow, unless anyone advises any different? Bought them end Nov at a reputable nursery on the advice of a gardener there - I wanted on-going seasonal, bulb interest in a few pots. She advised me to plant tulips deepest, then the aliums on top, then the daffs, then the scilla (muskari), then the dwarf varieties. I noticed on the "how to" tutorial on this site, though, that daffs should be planted deeper than the tulips (in the same pot) so I'm a bit confused. Was the gardener at the nursery right? Thanks for any tips.
Why have you left it till now Leorna?
The order in how you plant them is not vital in relation to tulips and the daffodils -depends on when they are due to flower
I would keep it simple based on how deep the bulbs need to be-which is usually twice the height of the bulb-so daffs around six inches or so
Based on that big bulbs near the bottom smaller ones nearer the top
They will sort their own flowering times out.
Leorna - it depends on the variety (sorry not to have a simple answer!) Rule of thumb that I use is about two and a half times the size of the bulb for the depth of planting. So - for the large daffs, that would probably be a lot deeper than the tulips. But rockery daffs are smaller - so far less depth (if you see what I mean).
I think I would separate the daffs and tulips for now and see how things work. Lift and store the bulbs for next year, and plant them a bit earlier, arranging the depth of planting according to the cultivar. But - if you have unplanted bulbs now, it's a case of "nothing ventured, nothing gained". In other words - doing nothing means the bulbs will wither and be no use next year. Planting them now gives you at least a half-decent chance of getting some sort of a result!
Thanks, sotongeoff, for your advice. Why I haven't planted them till now is immaterial, but probably also obvious: RAIN, CHRISTMAS, TIME
I just noticed I had the same question as someone else on this forum today, which was a bit of luck. Wasn't aware I'd have to justify my time on this forum though ! 
THanks, Shrinking Violet, sounds like sound advice !