Nasturtiums, snapdragons, fuchsias, roses, sedums, clematis and most herbs for me. It has just been miserable battling the slugs this year, but hey ho, the hostas are already in the soil, just won't get any more.....................she says
I have a rose that was given as a cutting(I think it's a type of patio rose). I planted and it flowered very well for a young one, then I noticed it was developing what I think was "black spot"? I cut it back worried because it is so young. It has since grown back with lots of leaves but no blooms. the leaves look a lot healthier than they did before. Do you think it will be ok? There are no signs of flowers. Just leafy.
Plants I won't grow again - bedding begonias - they have flowered continually and withstand the wind and rain but they are so staid - colours red, pink and white and were a bargain at the DIY store but they don't attract the bees or butterflies. Will grow Bishop of Llandaff Dahlias again - so many flowers and buds for 2 or 3 months now and no sign of dying off and the bees love them. Won't grow black prince snap dragons again the colour was too dark although the leaves are a lovely deep green with a hint of deep red. Will grow red and white hollyhocks again but not lemon hollyhocks - the bees love these plants too. I won't go on, but have learned a lot this year from you and through my growing experiences.
Hopefully no more passion flower. One more dose of glyphosate should see the last one off. Growing through a tiny gap between slabs and swamping a perennial pea.
I never grow " bedding annuals" Too much faff.
Canna virus is making me question if I should persevere.
More Hostas for sure. More slug damage than usual this year, but nothing I can't live with.
My absolute favourite plant this year has been Stachys Hummelo. Got them early in the year as small 9cm plants, and planted them direct not sure how they would get on. They absolutely thrived , put on a beautiful display of purple spikes , and were mobbed by all sorts of bees for weeks.
Other plants I've also loved - Cerinthe (Honeywort), foxgloves (the common ones, not the fancypants ones which were a bit of a disappointment), Physostegia (Obedient Plant) - again, very graceful and loved by bees, Echinops Ritro - given to me by my mum, and was a real hit with bees, although might also look for a smaller one as well, and my good old workhorse Geraniums - just the common pink one, can take over, but beautiful, is bee (and hummingbird hawk moth) friendly, and can be chopped back with abandon when it's too much.
My major disappointment this year - Helenium Hoopesii. Grew really well to a massive plant, looked promising, however the flowers were half fully developed with hints of yellow coming through and stayed like this for weeks and weeks. Kept it for ages, having faith it would fully develop, but nothing more happened. Just a ginormous patch of half developed flowers, taking up far too much room in our small garden. I snapped one day and dug the whole thing up. Haven't missed it.
Petunias in the hanging basket and pots have given a wonderful display this year but too much deadheading, watering and such a pain!! Will definitely grow my own cosmos and zinnia again though. I've always bought cosmos from the local GC previously but grew my own this year and they've grown to over 4ft and really bushy where I pinched them out. To think, I nearly binned them 'cos I thought they had damping off disease, but sought advice on the forum with pics and was told they were fine, so thanks guys!
The roses and honeysuckles have done better than ever this year - David Austin's Mayflower is still blooming and Rosa Bonica still has more to give. They'd do even better if they were in a sunnier spot instead of being on The Shady Bank. I might have to create another sunnier bed
The Alpina Clematis were great as is the Clem Purpurea Plena Elegans - but the larger flowered ones have struggled - think the soil needs bulking up for them.
The ferns have been amazing - the damp weather earlier in the year really suited them.
Sweetcorn Swift has been the best it's ever been - the increased light in the garden since felling one of the big ashes, together with warm weather and more moisture in the soil than in previous years (again due to the tree being felled) means that every stem has produced at least three edible cobs!!!
The pattypan squashes are amazing ... far more productive than courgettes have been in previous years - I may well grow them again, or at least alternate with courgettes.
I lost all the little tomato plants to blight, (which came in with some plants from a friend) with the exception of Crimson Crush which have lived up to the advertising blurb of being Blight Resistant. They've grown big and strong and are producing lots of lovely tomatoes, despite having started life crammed hugger mugger in the little greenhouse with the infected plants. I'll grow them again.
Earlier in the year the Broad Beans, Aquadulce Claudia which I sowed back in late October, withstood the winter winds with no protection and gave us lots of delicious beans in May when there was nothing else in the garden. They also provided the bees with lots of nectar in March which is always a good thing.
I will not grow Runner Bean White Emergo again - two sowings rotted - one lot indoors in pots and another sown direct. Never had that problem before. I'll go back to Wisley Magic - they've always done well for me in the past. Don't know why I changed .......
I ended up buying the last climbing french bean plants in the GC and planting them up the wigwam ... just beginning to produce now. Better late than never I suppose ...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Posts
Nasturtiums, snapdragons, fuchsias, roses, sedums, clematis and most herbs for me. It has just been miserable battling the slugs this year, but hey ho, the hostas are already in the soil, just won't get any more.....................she says
I have a rose that was given as a cutting(I think it's a type of patio rose). I planted and it flowered very well for a young one, then I noticed it was developing what I think was "black spot"? I cut it back worried because it is so young. It has since grown back with lots of leaves but no blooms. the leaves look a lot healthier than they did before. Do you think it will be ok? There are no signs of flowers. Just leafy.
Plants I won't grow again - bedding begonias - they have flowered continually and withstand the wind and rain but they are so staid - colours red, pink and white and were a bargain at the DIY store but they don't attract the bees or butterflies. Will grow Bishop of Llandaff Dahlias again - so many flowers and buds for 2 or 3 months now and no sign of dying off and the bees love them. Won't grow black prince snap dragons again the colour was too dark although the leaves are a lovely deep green with a hint of deep red. Will grow red and white hollyhocks again but not lemon hollyhocks - the bees love these plants too. I won't go on, but have learned a lot this year from you and through my growing experiences.
goosegrass
But I say that every year
In the sticks near Peterborough
Jasmine is a funny one pink lily, I had one that did nothng for 5 years and then produced just a handful of flowers so I dug it up in disgust.
My friend in Woking has a massive one absolutely covered in flowers completely covering one wall!
I have to say the sedums are the star of late summer. Even though I planted them in shade they have tripled in size this year and look fab.
Hopefully no more passion flower. One more dose of glyphosate should see the last one off. Growing through a tiny gap between slabs and swamping a perennial pea.
I never grow " bedding annuals" Too much faff.
Canna virus is making me question if I should persevere.
More Hostas for sure. More slug damage than usual this year, but nothing I can't live with.
My absolute favourite plant this year has been Stachys Hummelo. Got them early in the year as small 9cm plants, and planted them direct not sure how they would get on. They absolutely thrived , put on a beautiful display of purple spikes , and were mobbed by all sorts of bees for weeks.
Other plants I've also loved - Cerinthe (Honeywort), foxgloves (the common ones, not the fancypants ones which were a bit of a disappointment), Physostegia (Obedient Plant) - again, very graceful and loved by bees, Echinops Ritro - given to me by my mum, and was a real hit with bees, although might also look for a smaller one as well, and my good old workhorse Geraniums - just the common pink one, can take over, but beautiful, is bee (and hummingbird hawk moth) friendly, and can be chopped back with abandon when it's too much.
My major disappointment this year - Helenium Hoopesii. Grew really well to a massive plant, looked promising, however the flowers were half fully developed with hints of yellow coming through and stayed like this for weeks and weeks. Kept it for ages, having faith it would fully develop, but nothing more happened. Just a ginormous patch of half developed flowers, taking up far too much room in our small garden. I snapped one day and dug the whole thing up. Haven't missed it.
Petunias in the hanging basket and pots have given a wonderful display this year but too much deadheading, watering and such a pain!! Will definitely grow my own cosmos and zinnia again though. I've always bought cosmos from the local GC previously but grew my own this year and they've grown to over 4ft and really bushy where I pinched them out. To think, I nearly binned them 'cos I thought they had damping off disease, but sought advice on the forum with pics and was told they were fine, so thanks guys!
The roses and honeysuckles have done better than ever this year - David Austin's Mayflower is still blooming and Rosa Bonica still has more to give. They'd do even better if they were in a sunnier spot instead of being on The Shady Bank. I might have to create another sunnier bed
The Alpina Clematis were great as is the Clem Purpurea Plena Elegans - but the larger flowered ones have struggled - think the soil needs bulking up for them.
The ferns have been amazing - the damp weather earlier in the year really suited them.
Sweetcorn Swift has been the best it's ever been - the increased light in the garden since felling one of the big ashes, together with warm weather and more moisture in the soil than in previous years (again due to the tree being felled) means that every stem has produced at least three edible cobs!!!
The pattypan squashes are amazing ... far more productive than courgettes have been in previous years - I may well grow them again, or at least alternate with courgettes.
I lost all the little tomato plants to blight, (which came in with some plants from a friend) with the exception of Crimson Crush which have lived up to the advertising blurb of being Blight Resistant. They've grown big and strong and are producing lots of lovely tomatoes, despite having started life crammed hugger mugger in the little greenhouse with the infected plants. I'll grow them again.
Earlier in the year the Broad Beans, Aquadulce Claudia which I sowed back in late October, withstood the winter winds with no protection and gave us lots of delicious beans in May when there was nothing else in the garden. They also provided the bees with lots of nectar in March which is always a good thing.
I will not grow Runner Bean White Emergo again - two sowings rotted - one lot indoors in pots and another sown direct. Never had that problem before. I'll go back to Wisley Magic - they've always done well for me in the past. Don't know why I changed .......
I ended up buying the last climbing french bean plants in the GC and planting them up the wigwam ... just beginning to produce now. Better late than never I suppose ...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.