Been out to find out what has survived. Despite it being a mild winter, once again I have huge losses. My large patch of Ostrich Ferns, which used to look so elegant, have all died. I now face the problem of what to plant in their place, which is dry shade. I grew the ferns in a lining so each one could have plenty of organic material and a good regular watering, but is was not ideal. All my pulmonarias in the same area have also died, along with the iris foetidissima.
Does anyone have any ideas for something striking to go in their place? It is North East facing, in the shade of the house wall, but not deep shade. A mahonia lives there and does very well but I absolutely hate it as the spines go straight through the toughest gloves.
Planted up some bare rooted echinacea (annuals where I live), some new geranium plants to replace the many lost, and left a big pile of compost on the kitchen table to plant seeds with tomorrow. Hope the cats don't find it first!
Two hedgehogs have woken up and gone. Just one hedgehog is left, still snoozing as I clatter around in the greenhouse.
Where do you live Frankie, that you lose plants every winter? Must be very disheartening
Weather was cheerful today. Weeded the red clover out the bog area and replanted some of it in its new quarters.
Didn't intend on moving anything around today but I was in the zone and moved some penstemons and lupins about. Just noticed it's going to be windy later in the week so one eve I'll have to cut them down.
Did a bit of planning and made a list for Easter weekend. Also planted out the winter bedding I grew from seed, sweet williams and wallflowers.
Found two young eve prim plants that must have seeded from last year and moved them to a new bed as the older plants I moved immediately died
Grass all done, scarified and edged. Borders tidied at front and mulched with compost. A few things planted and pots washed ready for seed sowing which I'd hoped to do today but spent a lot of time in front garden to get it tidy. Refreshed the compost in several pots of Iris and Lilies.
Glorious day - into double figures and no wind.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Spent a couple of hours in the farm garden where I finished weeding the raspberries, cut back a buddleja and some roses and weeded some of the large flower bed.
Then, at home, filled in part 1 of my bean trench and dug part 2, then continued with border tidying.
Sowed Dwarf Beans.,French Beans,Swedes, Cauliflowers, Cabbages Tomatoes,Cucumbers, Melons, Butternut Squash and Cucamelons. Found some pink Daisy seeds that I can't remember the name of, sowed those too. Planted a Clematis White Bells, and my Potatoes.Sorted out my pots ready to do more next weekend. Pontificated and mooched and pondered with a cuppa....then did the i***ing.
Victoria S, I live east of Leeds, but it is the microclimate and soil which is the problem. I live at the eastern end of a flat plain, so the west wind howls straight across several empty fields and is funnelled by the shape of the fields, walls and trees into my garden at the very end. The wind kills so much! I garden on a thin layer of soil on top of rubble. I top up the soil every year.
The reason I think the ferns are dead is the top growth was killed off last year and turned brown. I thought the ferns might recover by showing some signs of life this year. They usually have a rock hard, closed in fat head ready to sprout, but this year there is nothing. Anything which is borderline hardy or short lived will die, such as all the penstemons, erysimum echinacea and many other perennials. Others are just very short lived - lavenders, rosemary and only last 3 years on average.
Posts
Been out to find out what has survived. Despite it being a mild winter, once again I have huge losses. My large patch of Ostrich Ferns, which used to look so elegant, have all died. I now face the problem of what to plant in their place, which is dry shade. I grew the ferns in a lining so each one could have plenty of organic material and a good regular watering, but is was not ideal. All my pulmonarias in the same area have also died, along with the iris foetidissima.
Does anyone have any ideas for something striking to go in their place? It is North East facing, in the shade of the house wall, but not deep shade. A mahonia lives there and does very well but I absolutely hate it as the spines go straight through the toughest gloves.
Planted up some bare rooted echinacea (annuals where I live), some new geranium plants to replace the many lost, and left a big pile of compost on the kitchen table to plant seeds with tomorrow. Hope the cats don't find it first!
Two hedgehogs have woken up and gone. Just one hedgehog is left, still snoozing as I clatter around in the greenhouse.
Shuttlecock ferns. Not ostrich. Don't know what I'm talking about!
Where do you live Frankie, that you lose plants every winter? Must be very disheartening
Weather was cheerful today. Weeded the red clover out the bog area and replanted some of it in its new quarters.
Didn't intend on moving anything around today but I was in the zone and moved some penstemons and lupins about. Just noticed it's going to be windy later in the week so one eve I'll have to cut them down.
Did a bit of planning and made a list for Easter weekend. Also planted out the winter bedding I grew from seed, sweet williams and wallflowers.
Found two young eve prim plants that must have seeded from last year and moved them to a new bed as the older plants I moved immediately died
Grass all done, scarified and edged. Borders tidied at front and mulched with compost. A few things planted and pots washed ready for seed sowing which I'd hoped to do today but spent a lot of time in front garden to get it tidy. Refreshed the compost in several pots of Iris and Lilies.
Glorious day - into double figures and no wind.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Lovely day today, planted out Ivory wallflowers, potted up carex sparkler and elijah blue. Garden looking good at the moment,
Spent a couple of hours in the farm garden where I finished weeding the raspberries, cut back a buddleja and some roses and weeded some of the large flower bed.
Then, at home, filled in part 1 of my bean trench and dug part 2, then continued with border tidying.
Frankie try dryopteris as these are okay with dry soil
...in other news, I went shopping today,
can't wait for warmer days
Sowed Dwarf Beans.,French Beans,Swedes, Cauliflowers, Cabbages Tomatoes,Cucumbers, Melons, Butternut Squash and Cucamelons. Found some pink Daisy seeds that I can't remember the name of, sowed those too. Planted a Clematis White Bells, and my Potatoes.Sorted out my pots ready to do more next weekend. Pontificated and mooched and pondered with a cuppa....then did the i***ing.
Victoria S, I live east of Leeds, but it is the microclimate and soil which is the problem. I live at the eastern end of a flat plain, so the west wind howls straight across several empty fields and is funnelled by the shape of the fields, walls and trees into my garden at the very end. The wind kills so much! I garden on a thin layer of soil on top of rubble. I top up the soil every year.
The reason I think the ferns are dead is the top growth was killed off last year and turned brown. I thought the ferns might recover by showing some signs of life this year. They usually have a rock hard, closed in fat head ready to sprout, but this year there is nothing. Anything which is borderline hardy or short lived will die, such as all the penstemons, erysimum echinacea and many other perennials. Others are just very short lived - lavenders, rosemary and only last 3 years on average.