The gardening thread

[campanula]

O, if I thought they were salvageable, I would have done it in a heartbeat...but digging up a 15foot ceanothus,, from a small raised bed, is not going to end well. I am also going to get rid of 2 'Graham Thomas' roses and a large pink Spanish Beauty (Madame Gregoire Staechelin (which was the first rose I ever bought). The chaenomeles, which I do love, is both chlorotic and a suckering maniac (has spread down the length of my second raised bed/border. But yep, I promise pics, both from the ground and also from overhead, when the full ridiculous scale of the problem, is glaringly revealed. I will probably be able to save the box topiary...which started off as 2 corner cubes...but are now almost touching each other and effectively meaning my whole south facing raised bed consists of a boring euonymous (apart from 2 weeks of fabulous deep pink autumn colour) and 2 green box shrubs...with the remaining lilies desperately poking out of the top. It looks ludicrous, to be honest and last years 'solution' - to grow ever taller things (cosmos, tithonias, indigofera) resulted in a collapsing mess of foliage, all growing at a 70degree angle outwards until the single path to the greenhouse became impassable.

 

[BoatieBird]

Sometimes it's OK to say no to plants, you don't need ALL of them. Advice to myself as much as to campanula
Mine is looking very green and lush after all that rain

 

[campanula]

Thank you for the encouragement. Very gratefully received. I was surprised that youngest and D-i-L were also supportive (as the original ceanothus owners). The heavy rain, on a blossom-heavy tree has totally confirmed the madness of growing a stonking great tree in a teeny-tiny garden. The greenhouse occupies almost a third of the space (10 x 14 ft in a garden of 36 m2), while a lilac, a coral bark acer and 5 large climbing roses are involved in a permanent tussle. I know I am labouring the point at great (tedious) length but this is a decision which has been looming for several years and is not really in the same league as my usual murderous behaviour.

 

[TopCat]

It’s all growing full on now. The summer flowers I grew from seed and planted little clumps alongside my raised beds are trying to take over. They are just starting to flower now and the bees are happy.

My peas have reached the tops of the frame. I don’t know what their plan is but they seem to have one.

Otherwise I have planted too much in one bed. I assumed loads of seedlings would not thrive but they are all going mental.

 

[Idaho]

Lovely time of year to be gardening. A good hoeing and watering. Ready for overnight rain.

Covered up some small chilli plants. Potatoes and rhubarb doing great. Pak choi a complete failure. I'll try again from seed in August.

Tayberries looking good. Hopefully make up for the complete lack of raspberries.

Various beans. Harvesting beans, cucumbers and tomatoes is the crown of summer.

 

[Idaho]

How many different berries can you spot?

Edit-actually a crap photo... There are 5, but only 3 identifiable

 

[campanula]

In readiness for the great culling (shudder), I did what any reasonable gardener does...SPREE! pink flowered strawberries, gazania 'Christopher Lloyd, hardy geraniums - Sirak, Dilys, Blue Blood, Hexham Violet, Psilostemon, Sabani Blue and Carole (I totally endorse the great Marjery Fish - 'When in doubt, plant a geranium')...or 7. I also have potentilla, geum, nicotiana, perennial wallflowers, diascia, santolina and gaura...in what will be my new SUNNY garden. I have to empty the beds and add a coupla tonnes of topsoil. Would normally wait till autumn...but this is not going to fly - I have already booked a space at the tip (bye bye ceanothus and other unloved monsters). No point in dithering - it is almost midsummer, no time to waste.

 

[two sheds]

'When in doubt, plant a geranium')...or 7"

I once rented a house from a proper gardener and the front garden beds were phlox in the middle and geraniums around them. They were stunning in summer and I don't even remember ever needing to weed them.

I've aimed for that at my place, the geraniums have done really well but I think the phlox are too tall and sort of flop over late summer. I did read that you should take the tops off mid May but they seem very short then, and I'm concerned if I do it now they won't flower

 

[Artaxerxes]

Now have a niwaki hori hori and a grass sickle.

Have to agree with the wife that they look somewhat terrifying. Lucky they both arrived as I had an email saying niwaki was having delays at Southampton so the hori wasn't likely to arrive until mid July

 

[campanula]

You can still chop them back, two sheds. It is supposed to be done at the end of May but anytime before midsummer is totally fine. Take a third of their height. You could grade them a bit so you have shorter ones at the front but I would just get the hedgies out and snip. They will flower a week or so later than usual - mid August.
About to do the same with rudbeckias.

7 geraniums isn't THAT excessive. I aim to have something in flower from late April to October...so Sabani Blue and Carole will be finished for this year but I am patient

 

[two sheds]

I had a Johnsons blue which is a lovely colour in a plant pot by the front door. I divided it and planted a few around the place. Am hoping that it'll have survived, but I left one in the plant pot that had come up. It's turned out yellow though in amongs the daffs (was a bit bright for the photo).

 

[two sheds]

After the triumph of my yellow geranium, can anyone tell me what these flowers are? I may have planted them, they may have self seeded, I just don't know

flower 1:

flower 2:


flower 3 (sorry, somewhat blurry I can get out and do better photo):


flower 4: this one spreads like a geranium but the flowers are tiny and reddish (central leafy plant, not the nightshade or geranium)

 

[Calamity1971]

After the triumph of my yellow geranium, can anyone tell me what these flowers are? I may have planted them, they may have self seeded, I just don't know

flower 1: View attachment 274550

flower 2:
View attachment 274551

flower 3 (sorry, somewhat blurry I can get out and do better photo):
View attachment 274552

flower 4: this one spreads like a geranium but the flowers are tiny and reddish (central leafy plant, not the nightshade or geranium)
View attachment 274553

1. Stinking iris/ roast beef plant. Common in woodland.
2. Blue flag iris
3. Aqualegia/columbine . God knows which one,is it pale yellow?
4. Not a scoobiii.

 

[two sheds]

1. Stinking iris

there's no need to be like that

/ roast beef plant. Common in woodland.
2. Blue flag iris
3. Aqualegia/columbine . God knows which one,is it pale yellow?
4. Not a scoobiii.

ta I can't remember putting any of them in

No. 3 is near to some aqualegias but they're quite different - yes pale yellow

I've renamed the photos and added them to my 'garden' file so I'll know next time.

 

[Calamity1971]

Did my first jungle clearance today,mates rates. Found a bike , a saucepan, a sink plunger and a rogue drawer.
Before ..

After ..

Bike..

And the biggest rhubarb I've ever seen. My glove for perspective.


I'm a bit achy .

 

[Calamity1971]

sorry, somewhat blurry I can get out and do better photo):

And so you should.
Wags finger.

 

[two sheds]

3. again - you're right it does look like this aqua ligia (stock photo) but as I say it's not like the other aqua ligias that I've put in there



which look a lot more like:

 

[two sheds]

And the biggest rhubarb I've ever seen. My glove for perspective.
View attachment 274559
View attachment 274560
I'm a bit achy .

you sure that's rhubarb?

I've forgotten the plant it looks like (although I'm sure you know that one too).

 

[Calamity1971]

you sure that's rhubarb?

I've forgotten the plant it looks like (although I'm sure you know that one too).

Deffo rhubarb. The bloody seed head was up to my waist. I reckon I could sail down the Thames on one of those leaves and look like thumbelina .

 

[two sheds]

Gunnera that's the one I was thinking of

 

[Calamity1971]

3. again - you're right it does look like this aqua ligia (stock photo) but as I say it's not like the other aqua ligias that I've put in there

View attachment 274561

which look a lot more like:
View attachment 274562

Top pick is more like the aqualegia I have , the blue look more wildflower type . Maybe yours have been having relations with a neighbour and hybridised.

 

[Calamity1971]

Gunnera that's the one I was thinking of

Yep,same jurassic look. The previous owner used to give me rhubarb from that very patch 11 years ago.

 

[two sheds]

Top pick is more like the aqualegia I have , the blue look more wildflower type .

Ahh interesting - the blue ones are the only ones I know as aqualigia, I shall check

Maybe yours have been having relations with a neighbour and hybridised.

I think not

 

[Calamity1971]

Ahh interesting - the blue ones are the only ones I know as aqualigia, I shall check


I think not

You can't keep them wrapped up in cotton wool

 

[Calamity1971]

My aqualegia.
Things I do for you Mr sheds.

 

[two sheds]

All my aqua ligia have (lovely) smallish blueish flowers like that and have gone over now (I did read that you leave seed heads for a couple of months to dry so you can collect seeds so august it is, I'm assuming they'll rattle when they are).

 

[Calamity1971]

All my aqua ligia have (lovely) smallish blueish flowers like that and have gone over now (I did read that you leave seed heads for a couple of months to dry so you can collect seeds so august it is, I'm assuming they'll rattle when they are).

Yep. I always forget though and have them self seeded everywhere. They open up and the seeds just sit there. It's always bloody windy on the hill though . Lovely black glossy seeds.

 

[StoneRoad]

two sheds
That last "No.4" - can you have a rumage and isolate the leaves ?

And I like your white / yellow aquilagia - I have masses of self-seeded red / purple ones (at leastv three different one) - Bought some over a decade ago, all the recent ones are "volunteers"
The other "rampant" self-seeder I have are foxgloves, and I've some white ones this year (for a change)

When it dries up a bit - it rained overnight and it is still overcast, I'll take my trusty camers out and record them ...

 

[campanula]

No4 is heuchera sanguinea, two sheds..aka coral bells. Not those grown mainly for foliage but the older species heuchera with red flowers. I love them much more than Palace Purple, Obsidian et al...although I find heucherella (heuchera x tiarella) do much better for me.

 

[two sheds]

Thank you. Yes I put in some heuchera now you mention it and was wondering where they'd gone . And yep they have teeeeeeny red flowers.

(Eta: and sanguinea - blood)