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The gardening thread

campanula said:
A fungicide won't kill anything other than fungal spores, BristolEcho ...the main argument against their use is basically one of cost and effort. In truth, blackspot will not kill a rose, just makes them look a bit unsightly. You could compromise with an early season fungicide spray (which I do to counter rust on Madame Gregoire Staechelin) and another in autumn. 2 sprays a season will definitely prevent the defoliation associated with advanced blackspot (or powdery mildew, cercospora or rust). I ignore aphids - they go away of their own accord. While I will use both fungicides and herbicides, under certain conditions, I draw the line at pesticides which contain malathion, imidacloprid or even pyrethrin, as most pesticides are woefully non-specific, and will certainly damage beneficial insects such as ladybird larvae and bees. I am giving up on box because I have zero appetite to kill off ALL caterpillars with a BT spray. Some compromises are worth making though (and I have never really been any sort of organic gardener, tbf)
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Thanks campanula that's really helpful. Yeah I really want to avoid anything that will kill any animals so I will see how it goes!
 
At last !
14 days from sowing ...
I hope this means my shady fence climbers will get going at some point ...
I'm impatient because I had all sorts of exotic rock hard "difficult" seeds pop within 48 hours ...

I hope more of the cleome pop ... one or two will make lovely spot plants, but I'm worried I will need something to replace the pastel nicotianas at some point when they inevitably get hit with downy mildew - I've already pulled a couple of suspicious-looking plants from my fairly sterile seedling area ... :(

EDIT:- I just checked - 5 feet !!!! yes I suppose the ones I saw in Bath were quite tall ... well at least they will catch some sunlight over next door's bin shed - and they will be competing with large sunflowers too ...

EDIT 2 :- :facepalm:

cleome.png

And I'm very pleased about the datura as it means I may have something genuinely impressive to compensate for the rather dreary generic brugmansias ...


cleomesprouts.jpg
 
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I sowed a final batch of tomatoes coz we're going to try reviving the gardening group where I live (late I know, but chillies are still flowering and fruiting outdoors in November here so plenty of time for them). Almost half of them have come up as tricots! :cool:
 
Visiting the parents for a couple of days and as I don't have a garden with my flat in London I enjoy helping out when I'm back here.

We spent ages walking around the Dove Barn garden centre near East Grinstead this morning and Mum picked up these :

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Went to the greenhouse to get some pots and compost only to find a dead Sparrow by the doorway now buried at the end of the garden. I made sure it wasn't stunned before I buried it just in case.

Also picked up a couple of chilli plants for me, Basket of Fire and F1 Thai Dragon. I'll leave them in my Mum's capable hands as they wouldn't stand a chance in hell of flowering in my flat.
 
Well in spite of my incompetence at reading the FM ...

I must have at least half a dozen cleomes on the way up - probably just as well there aren't more or I'll be in my usual dilemma of how many to keep ...
I'm certainly not sacrificing any of those lovely daturas ...
I'm going to need more compost - and I'll have to squeeze ornamentals into my veggie garden :)
 
Rose :)

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My black magic is starting to sprout which was an experiment. Not sure if it will take but we will see.

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Our bamboo is liking it's home. Which is good because it took so long to drill the holes for it.

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The rose tree that's not doing so well.

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Down by the water. We have a Japanese shield fern on the other side which it's lovely.

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Fern corner (we bought a 4th Fern for this section without knowing it was the same type as the other two! Might have adjusted them otherwise, but oh well.)

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Should hopefully have some more colour soon.
 
Darn - looking at my posts I could get way with doing it again for late summer - and why did I not start a canna or ginger ... :hmm:
 
BristolEcho said:
No its lovage. It was a present from a friend ages ago. We just let it grow and bloom.
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Damn.

Must. Not. Order. An. Angelica. Gigas. :p

Seriously though. I have a small garden and I already have a pink filipendula and a whopping great Joe Pye, so it wouldn't add much .. but for my next garden ...

My next garden is going to have bananas and artichokes and gunnera ...

EDIT:-

Damn I have a gap :p

campanula how big would a 9cm angelica gigas get in one season ?

Though I'm guessing they're biennials so it would be for next year ...
 
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friedaweed said:
Rescued this chunky lad out of the watering can this afternoon
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Is that a chafer ?
I've had to relocate loads of larvae this year going through my containers and encountered several adult rose chafers ...

EDIT:- Summer Chafer (Amphimallon solstitiale) ?
 
There are so many great umbellifers (I love them beyond reason)...but yep, a,gigas won't do much this year...and then it dies after flowering. I have yet to find a really good perennial angelica since most seem to be monocarpic (apart from a,arguta)...but this is not the case for cenolophium denudata, sesili gummiferum, selinum wallichianum, chaerophyllum roseum, pimpinella, molopopspermum (sp?). Why not just sow some quick annuals such as orlaya, ammi, daucus carrota (which you can get with dark foliage)...giant fennel or even parsnips. I also grow the giant melanoselinum decipiens.
I think I have already mentioned my favourite euphorbia...if you can get your hands on e.ceratocarpa, I think you will love this 5 ft, high and wide, effortless, endlessly blooming and absolutely glorious spurge, gentlegreen. Far better than the usual e,characias wulfenii. Mine grows between a very floriferous pink rose (Madame Gregoire Staechelin) and is looking glorious at the moment
O, another plant you might like - the giant thalictrums such as t.rochebruneanum 'Elin' or the really spectacular t.delavayii 'Splendide'.
 
campanula said:
There are so many great umbellifers (I love them beyond reason)...but yep, a,gigas won't do much this year...and then it dies after flowering. I have yet to find a really good perennial angelica since most seem to be monocarpic (apart from a,arguta)...but this is not the case for cenolophium denudata, sesili gummiferum, selinum wallichianum, chaerophyllum roseum, pimpinella, molopopspermum (sp?). Why not just sow some quick annuals such as orlaya, ammi, daucus carrota (which you can get with dark foliage)...giant fennel or even parsnips. I also grow the giant melanoselinum decipiens.
I think I have already mentioned my favourite euphorbia...if you can get your hands on e.ceratocarpa, I think you will love this 5 ft, high and wide, effortless, endlessly blooming and absolutely glorious spurge, gentlegreen. Far better than the usual e,characias wulfenii. Mine grows between a very floriferous pink rose (Madame Gregoire Staechelin) and is looking glorious at the moment
O, another plant you might like - the giant thalictrums such as t.rochebruneanum 'Elin' or the really spectacular t.delavayii 'Splendide'.
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Actually I've sown bronze bronze fennel this year for wispy translucency - never thought it would get big one day ...
I once harvested and germinated some heracleum mategazzianum seeds but chickened out and planted a boring green angelica - though the umbels were nice ... I even candied it - badly ...

Those are amazing suggestions - thanks :)I'm going to have an umbellifer garden one day !
My local park has an acre or more of two kinds of common ones...

I don't know how much longer I have here - I'm not supposed to be gardening at all - !

Thalictrum - a pink buttercup relative - wow !
 
Actually - thinking about it, it may be a logical spot to park one of my ricinuses - it has the colour and the funky flowers and should work well with the Joe Pye on the other side of the geraniums and marigolds ......
 
BristolEcho said:
No its lovage. It was a present from a friend ages ago. We just let it grow and bloom.
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Fresh lovage for cooking is a pain to get hold of, I might have mentioned before that for a while I was into a whole historical cuisine thing and I have cooked with it - lovage is an old ingredient that isn't used much these days (apparently, eating it regularly can increase the skin's sensitivity to the sun), it tastes a bit like celery leaf (which is a reasonable substitution).
 
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Epona said:
Fresh lovage for cooking is a pain to get hold of, I might have mentioned before that for a while I was into a whole historical cuisine thing and I have cooked with it - lovage is an old ingredient that isn't used much these days (apparently, eating it regularly can increase the skin's sensitivity to the sun), it tastes a bit like celery leaf (which is a reasonable substitution).
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Yeah it tastes alright I'll have a nibble every now and again. The flowers are pretty too. If you were local you could have some haha! gentlegreen if you ever want some for your legendary stews you're more than welcome.
 
It used to be evening primrose central here.
In fact I reckon I started a minor invasion in the street - all thanks to a "butterfly mix" I sowed in the back garden in the 80s ...
This is one of only two in my garden at the moment and I couldn't help myself :facepalm:
I swear the original plants had some sort of fragrance ...
I have always had a weakness for the willowherb and fuchsia family ...

I have neighbours with massive buddleias half blocking their paths ...


primrose.jpg
 
I need to get stuff in the ground this week - so busy busy - getting ipomoeas ready - so I need to get beds prepared and structures finished.
Plus the next load of ornamentals to prick out ... the hardening off is a bit random as usual ...

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Ah iona, I grow a few umbellifers and would always try to use the freshest seed as it loses viability super quick. The absolutely best source for all of these sorts of short viability seeds is Derry Watkins garden (somewhere in the Cotswolds, I think) She charges a flat rate of 2quid for every packet and will only send out fresh, new season seed, as soon as it has been harvested. Have a look at her website - Special Plants...for anything in the apiacea and ranunculus family...there is always a special listing of seed which is only available in the autumn...plus, she has the best selection of umbellifers in the UK
 
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