Just back from holiday and flowers have appeared - an aster! Well done Dovefromabove, Busy-Lizzie and clattnow. Have now got it labelled for future but am not sure I'll keep it there as it was green for rather too much of the summer for my liking in quite a prominent spot. Thanks to all for the help!
Could I just say that this years climate has not been good for plants to flower and it looks pretty to me. I have some wild geraniums in the sunken rockery and they took ages to flower this year normally they tend to flower much earlier. Also you could try dead heading it when it stops flowering so that you get more flowers just a thought. I have even had trouble with my roses this year when I dead headed them they came through. Also fed them with fertiliser you may find that helps. Sorry if interfering just trying to help. May I say you are most welcome and I think you are a fine gardener. I am very hit and miss in gardening.
Asters like this are naturally late flowering - hence their being called Michaelmas daisies.
If that's too late for you in this position, move it somewhere else in late autumn when it's finished flowering or wait till next spring. Alternatively, introduce some earlier flowering plants nearby to keep the interest going throughout the season.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Good idea there Obelixx I did not know about them being called Michaelmas daisies. Amazing what I am learning from everyone on here. I do not have any asters. A shame.
Thanks clattnow and obelixx - I am learning lots! We bought some extra land and completely re-landscaped our gardens in 2014 so I'm still a rookie as our previous gardening efforts were pretty minimal. For some reason I thought Michaelmas Daisies were the ones with white petals and yellow centres so glad to learn that. I'm going to move half this plant to somewhere else once it's flowered and leave a smaller clump for next year. Thanks for all the hell and advice - I really appreciate it.
Thank you for sending the photo Bill and Ben, nice to get a result. I plant mine next to earlier flowering plants. Real live gardens can't have all the plants out at the same time like in Flower Show show gardens.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
You are welcome Bill and Ben. Yes I thought Michaelmas Daisies had white and yellow centres interesting. I also though geraniums had rounded leaves been told one of mine is a geranium and it has pointed leaves and looks to me like a pink marshmallow in my sunken rockery.
Hardy geraniums can be suited for shade or sun and have rounded, spodgy and or toothed foliage in colours ranging from golden green through green to glaucous and bronze or purple and there are some that turn red in winter. See here for 10 of the best - https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/articles/graham-rice/10-hardy-geraniums and there are many more.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
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yes it could be Busy-Lizzie
Just back from holiday and flowers have appeared - an aster! Well done Dovefromabove, Busy-Lizzie and clattnow. Have now got it labelled for future but am not sure I'll keep it there as it was green for rather too much of the summer for my liking in quite a prominent spot. Thanks to all for the help!
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Last edited: 19 August 2016 11:07:04
Hi there Bill and Ben,
Could I just say that this years climate has not been good for plants to flower and it looks pretty to me. I have some wild geraniums in the sunken rockery and they took ages to flower this year normally they tend to flower much earlier. Also you could try dead heading it when it stops flowering so that you get more flowers just a thought. I have even had trouble with my roses this year when I dead headed them they came through. Also fed them with fertiliser you may find that helps. Sorry if interfering just trying to help. May I say you are most welcome and I think you are a fine gardener. I am very hit and miss in gardening.
Asters like this are naturally late flowering - hence their being called Michaelmas daisies.
If that's too late for you in this position, move it somewhere else in late autumn when it's finished flowering or wait till next spring. Alternatively, introduce some earlier flowering plants nearby to keep the interest going throughout the season.
Good idea there Obelixx I did not know about them being called Michaelmas daisies. Amazing what I am learning from everyone on here. I do not have any asters. A shame.
Thanks clattnow and obelixx - I am learning lots! We bought some extra land and completely re-landscaped our gardens in 2014 so I'm still a rookie as our previous gardening efforts were pretty minimal. For some reason I thought Michaelmas Daisies were the ones with white petals and yellow centres so glad to learn that. I'm going to move half this plant to somewhere else once it's flowered and leave a smaller clump for next year. Thanks for all the hell and advice - I really appreciate it.
Thank you for sending the photo Bill and Ben, nice to get a result. I plant mine next to earlier flowering plants. Real live gardens can't have all the plants out at the same time like in Flower Show show gardens.
You are welcome Bill and Ben. Yes I thought Michaelmas Daisies had white and yellow centres interesting. I also though geraniums had rounded leaves been told one of mine is a geranium and it has pointed leaves and looks to me like a pink marshmallow in my sunken rockery.
Michaelmas daisies can be tall, medium or short and have flower colours ranging from white to pink to lilac and purple. They can have simple, starry flowers or doubles with far more petals. Have a look here for some ide of the variety available - https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-results?form-mode=false&query=aster+novi-belgii
Hardy geraniums can be suited for shade or sun and have rounded, spodgy and or toothed foliage in colours ranging from golden green through green to glaucous and bronze or purple and there are some that turn red in winter. See here for 10 of the best - https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/articles/graham-rice/10-hardy-geraniums and there are many more.
ok sit corrected thanks Obliex. Apologies.