Picture Post – Chris June 12, 2009

After the initial planting Chris was left with lots of small seedlings and not much chance of growth.

Planting … Chris May 23, 2009

I really do feel a bit bad for Chris. Out there on his own ledge, doing his own thing, travelling the path less travelled. And in this case, getting a random mix of everything that wasn’t getting used somewhere else.

The phrase ‘runt of the litter’ might be a bit harsh but the reality is that this is where all the strong, well-developed plants ran out. No geraniums, marigolds or shop-bought plants here. Instead it was a rather sad mix of verbena, asters, sweet pea and brachycome – none of which looked truly ready to flourish outdoors.

Unfortunately for them, and for Chris, this has become my experimental box. The remaining seedlings were basically split 50/50 between being planted outside and remaining indoors on the sunny ledge. We’ll see how they compare in a couple of weeks.

Watering Woes April 25, 2009

For better or for worse each season has its challenges. In winter it’s simply about keeping things growing during the short cold days. But in spring it’s back to my old nemesis – watering.

I’m not good at judging how much to water the boxes and over winter that hasn’t been much of a problem. But now that the days are both longer (in terms of sunlight anyway) and warmer, my shaky watering judgement is back on the agenda.

It doesn’t help much that the signs of overwatering and underwatering are, by all the internet and book advice available, broadly similar. I suppose it shouldn’t be difficult to tell the two apart really. Simply by looking at some wilting plants (see pansies at left!) and asking the question “when did they last get watered?” a reasonable conclusion can be found.

Weekend Work April 5, 2009

Lots of yellow in the garden at the moment . A little bit of blue as well, not all of it entirely natural and as this picture shows, not all of it mine!

The weekend was all about tidying up and seeing what was left after the windy weather over the past week. I should say that it’s not been really nasty, just bad enough for the tulips to take a beating.

The lovely row of crocuses (I’ve had a full on dictionary arguement with myself and will stick with this plural form for the time being ) all fell over during the week so they got removed. Not sure if this is just nature or my old watering problems but seeing as the flowers in the municipal displays have retreated I’m absolving myself of blame for now. The remaining foliage is actually quite pretty in it’s own way and without the flowers I noticed the silver stripe up the thin leaves for the first time.

Weekend Work March 5, 2009

With the spring bulbs coming along nicely and the seeds germinating there’s not too much to do in the window boxes at this time of year. Winter plants like the cyclamen and pansies got a tidy up, mainly deadheading or removing flowers that have had their time – sadly too many of them. But generally it’s time to sit back, watch the progress of the bulbs and enjoy the fruits of the autumn planting.

A shortage of soil for potting-on the seedlings sent me off to the garden centre for the first time this year – with all the fun of getting caught in alternate hail and rain showers. I swear it looked nice out for most of the morning.

Anyway, freezing water to one side, I once again found myself buying completely unecessary seeds. Only these ones are truly unecessary rather than just overkill. Anyone for cacti?! They’ve been put to the back of the seed inventory and will get brought out as the seed factory winds down for the summer. They’re not the quickest of growers so there’s plenty of time to give them a go!

The other seeds aren’t quite so odd – some coleus, which I’ve liked in every picture I’ve seen. However as is often the case I’m not sure that I have a place for them if I do grow them. I may try them for houseplants but we’ll see how things progress before making any decision.

Surprisingly there wasn’t much on display at the garden centre. The bright primary colours of the primulas were really nice and next year I’d like to try these alongside the cyclamen and pansies. But beyond that there were big empty shelves waiting for the new arrivals. I guess it’s just a little bit between seasons at the moment.

Photo courtesy of dailylifeofmojo on Flickr.

Told You! March 4, 2009

Not quite the snowstorm that was billed, but still a sting in the tail for the spring flowers. Think of it as a quiet reminder that it’s not all sunshine and warm weather from here on in.

I doubt the snow will do much, if any, damage – and it’ll save me giving the boxes a watering for a few days. They’ve been surprisingly thirsty over the last couple of weeks.

But it’s a timely reminder that there’s a while to go yet before even considering using any of the seedlings that are on the go at the moment.

As the old saying about March goes – in like a lion, out like a lamb. Let’s hope so!

The Price of Colour February 24, 2009

It’s time for an admission. I have a small addiction. One that I’d like to share with you. I’m not proud of it you understand. No no. But it does come in handy.

I keep count of EVERYTHING I spend on the garden.

Yes. I know. I shouldn’t. The cost isn’t important is it? What’s that about the price of everything and value of nothing? Well, I hope there’s a balance that can be struck between those two.

Weekend Work February 19, 2009

Admit it. You’re fed up looking at different pictures of the same winter pansies, aren’t you. I mean they are nice, and any colour at this time of year can’t be bad? Yes? But, oh, for a little bit of variety. No?

As the cold dark days have progressed the plants have split into two camps. Those that are hardy enough to keep going despite the difficult conditions (see Pansy, Cyclamen, Ivy). And those that have gently and serenely succumbed (hmm, see Pansy, Cyclamen). We won’t make mention of the third lot that didn’t even try a lick! You know who you are!!

So while I’m spending a lot of time ‘thinking‘ about the garden, there’s not really a lot of ‘doing‘ going on. Maybe this is better for all of us. All these plans and no reality to burst in and doom them.

But, no. Soon enough the temperatures will stay comfortably above freezing, the seeds will have sprouted and be looking for a new home and the garden centres will be full of those tempting little bedding plants that are oh so cheap – until you get to the checkout with a trolley full. Really! How much?! Do you take Visa?

Best to put this daydreaming time to good use I think and get those plans written down. Hmmmm!

Let it Snow! February 9, 2009

We were feeling left out up here in north Britain so the weather kindly paid us a visit.

Weekend Work February 8, 2009

A little bit of colour on a chilly mid-winter day. Yes, I count this as mid-winter. December is rarely as bad as people expect, although the lack of light makes it feel worse. February on the other hand is frequently cold and snowy. Just when people are starting to think of the warmth of spring this can come as a depressing jolt of reality.

If you’re looking for a positive spin on the cold snap then you might want to read this article in The Telegraph online. It basically suggests that there are four seasons for good reason and that the freezing temperatures will be of benefit to your gardens and allotments, helping to harden up bulbs and kill off bugs and disease.

I’m sure this will be of little comfort to many, especially those who are trying to dig into frozen soil. I’m ok with it and intuitively it makes sense to me but then I can reach every square inch of my garden from the comfort of a warm house