| Posted on Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 08:49 am: |   |
Oops, I'm all behind, better get started here. Due to our exceptionally hot summer +33c/100f, at the beginning of August the front garden, all fuchsias was beginning to look a bit sad (fuchsias hate high temperatures). The last two weeks the temperatures have been going down, today 66f/19c and we've had a few good down pours of rain during the past fortnight. The fuchsias are all budding up again, then we get the September 'flush' as we call it.
Fuchsias in pots which have already been cut back love the 'September morning heavy dews', this encourages new shoots, which will grow forth before being put into the heated greenhouses in October before the early frosts descend upon us. One can then start pinching out the growing tips through the winter to produce large flowering plants for next summer.
In the back the perennial garden is looking a bit 'tired' now. Penstemons are still flowering and lots of new shoots appearing at the bottom of the plants. These can be used as cuttings for more plants next year. The white Japanese anemone is in full flower now and the Osterspurnums also seem to have a new lease of life and are again in full flower.
Off to give the greenhouses a jolly good clean before placing plants in there to over winter. Gets a good dowsing down with Jeyes Fluid and then I light a Sulphur Candle. This kills any lurking bugs, but be careful if you do this, open the doors next morning, but don't go in yourself until 12 hours later, fumes are very bad for the chest. |
| Posted on Monday, September 01, 2003 - 02:59 pm: | |
11pm. Weather turned rather chilly today with quite a bit of wind, so only spent half an hour outside to water the bonsai. I daren't say it but some of the leaves of the trees are beginning to fall, mustn't complain because we have had a beautiful summer.
Going to make a mug of horlicks now before creeping under the duvet. |
| Posted on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 02:48 pm: | |
10.30pm. It's been a beautiful Autumn day, no wind and sunshine 65f. Have been tidying up the perennial border today. Pruning off old stems and flowers. Digging up dandelions, thistles and chickweed and then digging in autumn manure. Yes I did do it slowly and had several breaks for cups of tea and a sit down.
This evening gave everything a good soak with the hose, a satisfying day. |
| Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2003 - 04:22 am: | |
12.15 pm. No gardening today I'm afraid. Have got Asha for the day. Mum (Pippa) is very busy today preparing for her lst Birthday tomorrow.
Two days ago she started to walk, lots of bumps, she just wants to go too quickly and she gets so excited, lots of laughs today |
| Posted on Thursday, September 04, 2003 - 03:24 pm: | |
11.15 pm. Did manage to water all the bonsai this morning before leaving for Asha's Party. Had a wonderful day. Must catch-up tomorrow. Off to bed now. |
| Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 05:48 am: | |
13.05 pm. At last, back online again. Been busy the past few days changing the border 'Through the Rose Arch'.
Firstly, lopped 8ft off of the Magnolia tree. In most books they tell you not to do this; this is the third time Ive done this during the past 15 years and it always recovers and has even more flowers after two years, otherwise it would grow much too big for my garden.
April 2003
September 2003
Then I decided it was time for a change re border, so dug everything out and dug in manure. Had 2 Cordylines and a Date Palm in pots on the patio. Transferred these to border.
Popped out yesterday to a plant nursery and purchased a few grasses. Still a couple of spaces, going to plant Sedums there, for the butterflies.
June 2003
September 2003
Think it will look nice when grasses are more established. It gets full sun all day long. |
| Posted on Sunday, September 14, 2003 - 02:25 pm: | |
10.00pm. Beautiful Autumn weather, today 25c/77f. Time to clean all the water butts, hopefully will get some more rain this month.
Have also made a start on cutting the privet hedge which surrounds the whole of the back garden. |
| Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - 10:49 am: | |
6.00pm. Had a couple of days rest, but couldn't resist doing a bit more today with this glorious September weather 25c/77f again.
Local Garden Club had a long weekend away in Yorkshire (sad that I couldn't go this year but maybe next year). They visited Harrowgate Show and two dear friends of mine, Nobby and Monica bought me back two plants. One is Eryngium Gigantium 'Silver Ghost' - it has narrower silvery white bracts than the ordinary gigantium, has been on my wish list for quite a while. The other plant is Astrantia Major Alba, otherwise known as Hatties Pincushion. so firstly planted those in the perennial border.
Then down to the little pond. Mainly for the frogs but do have 4 small goldfish. Took half of a floating plant out as it was getting a bit clogged. Surrounding the pond are my hostas. They haven't been split for a few years so decided that was the main job for today. Have replanted some sections and the rest I have potted up for the sales table next year for Hospice Open Gardens Weekend.
Finished at 4.30pm. Gave everything a good soak so am now off to have a nice soak in the bath.
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| Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 04:19 pm: | |
Midnight. Not much time for gardening today, Pippa and Asha came to visit us, so lots of chatting, sitting, playing, eating and drinking.
Have four bamboos in pots, these need to go in much larger pots now, so tackled no.1. not as difficult as I imagined it would be. |
| Posted on Sunday, September 21, 2003 - 10:30 am: | |
6.00pm. Yesterday afternoon tackled 2 more bamboos, bit of a job to get out of the pots, sat on the ground, wedged bottom of pot against a fence post, two feet on edge of top of pot and heave-ho out it came - success. My goodness there was absolutely no more soil to be seen, just one mass of roots. Took a saw and removed bottom third of root ball then was able to tease some of the existing roots out a bit. Could see plenty of new shoots waiting to come through to the surface. Shouldn't take long now that the plant has twice as much room as before repotting.
The blackbirds have been going 'bananas' in the soil (see last pic). Have dug and scratched new turned soil into heaps on the gravel, so cleaned all that mess up. The next thing they will try to do is digging the moss and soil out of the bonsai pots. Why they do this in the beginning of Spring and Autumn I don't know, but it is annoying to say the least. Don't misunderstand me I love birds in the garden but I do curse them when they get up to these kind of antics. |
| Posted on Tuesday, September 23, 2003 - 03:22 pm: | |
10.54pm No gardening today. My friend Sheelagh took me for my weekly visit to the acupuncturist. I think her car has an 'automatic pilot' it's amazing how it kept stopping at Garden Centers. Purchased a Striata Varigata Canna, I love this one with its green and yellow striped leaves. As it's a young plant will keep it in the greenhouse this winter. Cannas do overwinter here outside in this part of the UK, but have to be an established plant and also planted at least 2ft. deep in the soil.
So off to the 2nd Plant Nursery. Found a dear little Sedum there with very bright red flowers and also a pinky coloured grass.
A most enjoyable day, but what news the weather man had for us this evening, only 1c/33f tonight a real Autumn nip in the air.
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| Posted on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 10:13 am: | |
5.00pm. Another beautiful Autumn day. Time to take some cuttings out of the garden before we get an early frost, so decided to make a start on the penstemons. After lunch looked at the hanging baskets of fuchsias, still producing flowers but past their best so made a start on cutting them back for the winter.
From this in June....
and now today...
Here's a few tips.
Remove any large and or dead roots, try to leave as many small white roots as possible, these are the feeder roots.
I know I say cut them back by a half or two thirds, but because these are three year old plants and are going to be placed later in a heated greenhouse at 45f and grow through the winter I cut them back even harder to encourage new growth on the stems from soil level upwards.
You can wait until the Spring to repot but I do it now, reason being it is so much easier with no foliage on the plants. Leave the liner a good inch above the edge of the basket, this will cushion the stems as they grow up and over the edge of same.
Now it will stay outside until there is any risk of frost. September/October morning dews helps the new growth to come back through those hard stems. You can of course put them directly into the greenhouse and mist them every day with rain water.
Time for tea and a nice soak in the bath |
| Posted on Sunday, October 05, 2003 - 10:05 am: | |
6.00pm
Lovely Autumn day. Clear blue skies and sun but the northerly wind makes it feel cold. Night temperature around 7c/44f.
Have been trimming back and cleaning up some of the fuchsia bonsai, now ready to go into the greenhouse before the night temperatures drop even further.
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| Posted on Friday, October 10, 2003 - 03:36 pm: | |
11.25 pm. Dug out a big old Acanthus today, wasn't easy to get out but succeeded in the end. Replaced this spot with Actaea Simplex, still has lovely white plumes of flowers. Was going to do a bit more tidying-up in the garden but it began to drizzle, so spent the afternoon in the greenhouse, yes still plenty of fuchsia bonsai to do.
Weather forecast looks promising for tomorrow, so hopefully get a bit more done in the garden. |
| Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2003 - 08:01 am: | |
3.00pm Spent last two days tidying up the perennial border. Penstemons now to close to one another, so dug them up in clumps and replanted.
Purchased clematis Florida Sieboldii, planted by one of the supporting posts of the pergola.
Dug up the osteospurmums, cut them back and potted up (they don't survive the wet of our winters), now on greenhouse floor, hoping they will sprout again ready for planting out next year.
Gradually bringing in tender plants into greenhouse.
The first cuttings of penstemon and a few fuchsia have rooted
Perennial Salvia Uliginosa is still flowering in the garden. In reality a much deeper blue.
One of the Autumn Cyclamen has just started to flower
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