yes, it's me again ....

Renata Boyle · July 2015

'ello again .....

this time I'm looking to find out what kind of hydrangea this is, I also wanted to ask about feeding, normally I mix up that blue powder stuff if they have been planted in multi-purpose soil and for anything in ericaceous soil I use the liquid feed especially for them.

Is there something I SHOULD be using that I'm not? for e.g I have a hagley hybrid clematis which is just beginning to flower and I have been mixing up the blue powder for that but would like to know if I'm doing the right thing or not.

I keep seeing Monty Don using something called 'leaf mould' - what on earth is this and should you always add grit to soil when potting up new plants?

As always, a joy to get responses, and thank you in advance.

xx

Buttercupdays · July 2015

It looks like Hydrangea macrophylla 'Lady in Red'. Red flowered hydrangeas need alkaline soil, so make sure there is lime ( chalk or calcium) in the ingredients list when repotting, definitely not ericaceous. They need lots of water but don't let it get waterlogged either - tricky I know.

Leaf mould is homemade from leaves. In the autumn collect fallen leaves and put them in a black bin bag. If they are dry sprinkle on some water, Close the bag and make a few holes in the bottom with a garden fork. Then shove it in an out of the way corner and leave it. By autumn next year you will have some leafmould, though not very much! If you have a big garden with lots of trees you can make a cage with posts and wirenetting and just dump the leaves in that. A cage full, stamped down, only gives a smallish layer of leafmould at the end, about a quarter of when it started. It is good for woodland plants or just as a soil conditioner - it adds organic matter but few nutrients.

Grit is added for plants that need good drainage and /or low nutrient levels. Useful for growing cuttings, alpines and plants that grow in dry places. It also helps if you have clay soil, as Monty does, as it makes little air spaces that help improve drainage. You don't need much if you have sandy soil!

Dovefromabove · July 2015

Agree with Buttercupdays re leafmould and yes, the plant is a hydrangea macrophylla

Not sure what your 'blue powder' is - tell us more

Dovefromabove · July 2015

Oh, is that blue? Don't use it here.

Renata Boyle · July 2015

LOL I was too tired/lazy last night to get up and go look in the garage to see the name of the blue powder feed - yes, it is Miracle Grow (all purpose feed), it's a bit of a pain mixing it up in large quantities for all my pots, usually end up with blue fingers ...

Dove, What do you use? I'm going to my local nursery/GC this afternoon so am going to have a good look there, is it worth waiting all that time for leaf mould? mind you, we live next to a small wood and they all drop in our garden - total nightmare clearing them, I could go into leaf mould production ... now there's an idea ....

Thank you all for your replies - I have started a little 'advice notebook' and write everything down for future reference.

Oh one thing I did want to ask but keep forgetting, now that we are having decent weather, how often should I water my patio pots if it hasn't rained? every day? 2 days? Even if it does rain some of the foliage is so thick that the rainwater doesn't do much ....

x

Dovefromabove · July 2015

There is very little that is as good for your soil as leaf-mould - worth its weight in gold to the gardener. It really improves the structure and water retention of the soil. We rake up every fallen leaf we can lay our rake on each autumn to make leafmould

For fertiliser I use Fish, Blood and Bone which is an organic slow release fertiliser and chicken manure pellets. I apply these twice a year.

I also use specialist Clematis feed (as directed on the packs) for the clematis and other climbers as they are such hungry feeders, and also tomato feed, not just for the tomatoes but also for pots of bedding plants and other flowering plants such as roses etc. Tomatoes only get fed once a month or so, but pots of bedding plants get fed once a week.

It's important to make sure that granular/dry fertilisers are watered in well as otherwise they do no good at all.

In the summer I water pots and containers just the same, whether or not there's been any rain, because as you say, the foliage sheds most of the rain. I usually water my largest containers about twice a week, giving them a really good soaking, but small pots need watering every day in hot weather.

yes, it's me again ....

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