Minnie's Gardeners' Question Time - help for the new gardeners

[geminisnake]

however the rhododendron at the back of the garden is looking fairly poorly. next doors looks amazing and is full of flowers but mine only has a few coming through and there are dead looking buds and quite a few of the leaves look eaten what care do rhododendrons need?

The whole point of rhoddies is they don't need care!! Ime they tend to cared with with a chainsaw and weedkiller Sorry, conservation groups hate them!! They tend to kill off everything around them iirc.

 

[gentlegreen]

Cotyledons of what seedling though?

Willowherb? Is that a weed?

I wouldn't be surprised if it was an aquilegia - not muscular enough to be a nasturtium... though unusual for there only to be one - and aquilegias have dense seeds that probably only get spread a long way by insects.

Willowherb on the other hand competes with dandelions for aerobatics...
In the right context can be brilliant - a fairly short-lived mass of purple ...
But that's likely to be a smaller species - favourite food of the hawk moth caterpillar.

Relative of the fuchsia ?

But most would call it a weed.

Oh and the downy-leaved seedling is definitely a nicotiana.
Do yours get hit by mildew like mine ?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was an aquilegia - not muscular enough to be a nasturtium... though unusual for there only to be one - and aquilegias have dense seeds that probably only get spread a long way by insects.

Willowherb on the other hand competes with dandelions for aerobatics...
In the right context can be brilliant - a fairly short-lived mass of purple ...
But that's likely to be a smaller species - favourite food of the hawk moth caterpillar.

Relative of the fuchsia ?

But most would call it a weed.

Oh and the downy-leaved seedling is definitely a nicotiana.
Do yours get hit by mildew like mine ?

I've googled pictures of aquilegia and they don't seem to be as frilly (for want of a better word) as that that young. I googled for the seedlings and got this




Suppose I'm going to have to just leave it there for a bit and see what happens and if it's aquilegia, it's going in the bin

As for the willowherb, well there's nothing else growing there (although you've confirmed it's nicotiana), so I may as well leave it there to see what it is. I ripped the nicotine out earlier in the year, and it even had a flower in February, but I just can't be arsed with staking tall plants that are skin irritants as I don't wear gloves. I really should though, especially as I may be allergic to tetanus.

As for mildew, last year was the first year I'd grown it, and as I ripped it out a couple of months ago, no idea

 

[geminisnake]

Nasturiums need heat, not rain, they're of Indian origin iirc

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Nasturiums need heat, not rain, they're of Indian origin iirc

Well there has been a few hot days this year although admittedly, not a lot, and I planted some into a hanging basket a few weeks ago but they're not doing too well

 

[gentlegreen]

Actually having seen the aquilegia seedlings, I'm now thinking maybe some sort of cranesbill - a wild geranium.
I seem to have carried it to my garden from the railway path where there's masses of it.
(I'm pretty sure I carried lemon balm the other way. )

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

hm, have just googled aquilegia leaves and come up with some that looked a bit different, but then found these

 

[ringo]

These are appearing everywhere. I'm guessing either Aquilegia or Nasturtium or something else?.

As an aside, Nasturtiums are great for tempting aphids and other little pests away from your vegetables. In my last place I grew them in the veg plot, and they did the job, but spread over half the plot the moment my back was turned. This time I'll be growing them in a pot next to my veg. Or possible over the wall in next doors garden which is all overgrown if I can chuck some seeds over and they take off

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I don't have any vegetables

 

[ringo]

I don't have any vegetables

Ah, well they'll be good for collecting pests then

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I think problem is solved. I checked last night, and the frilly leaves and the round ones are part of the same plant, and I notice they looked like the plant in the pot next to them which I think I posted about last year and was told was a weed. Here's a picture from last year

Except there's a little pink flower on it.

I also found this in my "weeds folder" from last year



which I now suspect is the one in the hanging basket and square planter that someone said was a weed

 

[gentlegreen]

Definitely cranesbill / geranium.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Definitely cranesbill / geranium.

So it's not a weed?

I think I ripped it out last year, although I'm going to have to check camera as I took a picture of a larger one last night with a tiny pink flower, so not sure if it's the same one from last year.

 

[gentlegreen]

Definitely a weed.
It's mildly aromatic, but sadly not enough to justify keeping it.
Even with the tiny pink flowers.
As I said, I appear to be spreading it everywhere I go.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Definitely a weed.
It's mildly aromatic, but sadly not enough to justify keeping it.
Even with the tiny pink flowers.
As I said, I appear to be spreading it everywhere I go.

Will rip it up then, especially considering how it's spreading to lots of other pots

Will have to ript hat other one up that's in basket and planter as well

 

[lizzieloo]

It's Herb Robert, there are places that I let it grow in my garden for a bit of ground cover, I wouldn't bother in your pots.

Smells funny when you pull it up, I kinda like the smell

 

[lizzieloo]

also found this in my "weeds folder" from last year

View attachment 32543

which I now suspect is the one in the hanging basket and square planter that someone said was a weed

That could be a fuschia, but also looks like a willow herby thing

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I

Smells funny when you pull it up, I kinda like the smell

 

[lizzieloo]

squish a bit between your fingers, you'll see what I mean

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

That could be a fuschia

No, it wasn't, because a tiny little white flower appeared on it. Do they self-seed? I've got two of them, but they're in baskets

From last year

 

[gentlegreen]

Unfortunately I forgot to upload it, but I took a photo of herb Robert, and willowherb right next to each other in my front garden.

Since I've let my back garden go again, I was quite grateful for a willowherb that popped up in a place where previously I had verbena bonariensis - from a distance it gave a similar effect.

 

[gentlegreen]

That flower is definitely right for willowherb. But not the species I get in my garden.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=w...GQBw&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=868#imgrc=_

Ray Mears uses it to thicken soups.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

That flower is definitely right for willowherb. But not the species I get in my garden.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=w...GQBw&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=868#imgrc=_

Ray Mears uses it to thicken soups.

Oh definitely. Well I will not be using it to thicken any soups and it will be pulled up. Shame really, as it's a pretty little flower

 

[lizzieloo]

Fringed willowherb

http://www.mywildflowers.com/detail...msize=&cluster=single&itype=flower&startAt=20

 

[lizzieloo]

Good id site this

http://www.mywildflowers.com/identify.asp

 

[gentlegreen]

It was always heartsease (viola tricolor) that I used to end up leaving the odd bit on my allotment - even though it had no scent and rarely threw up any variation in flower colour.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Fringed willowherb

http://www.mywildflowers.com/detail.asp?photo=2011/ahgh94&p1=identify.asp&c1=Identify&c2=Matching characteristics&mode=identify&fshape=fform='regular' AND rays>=4 AND rays<=6&leaf=toothed&color=white&month=&form=other&height=&bloomsize=&cluster=single&itype=flower&startAt=20

I like the white one better. Not sure how I'm going to get it out of the basket without ripping the begonia out as well. Had a right job ripping that dandelion out the other day that was mixed in with a fuchsia and begonia, and that didn't look nearly as tough and thick as the willowherb in the basket

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Good id site this

http://www.mywildflowers.com/identify.asp

handy, but bigger pictures would be better

 

[lizzieloo]

I'd get rid Minnie, it'll seed all over the place.