Princess Alexandra of Kent ...

Good Morning!

Just a quick post from me today, all about a Rose! 

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I found out I won the Rose Competition by Garden News? Well my prize was a David Austin Rose called 'Princess Alexandra of Kent' and I finally managed to get it settled in last week.

I chose a 50cm Bell Pot with Drainage holes, added some Crocs and then filled with John Innes compost along with Rose Pellets.

Luckily on the day of planting the Rose had started blooming, the blooms have a wonderful old - fashioned style and a beautiful perfume.

I hope you like it as much as I do! 

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

It's Monday so it is time for another Weekly Garden Checklist, 

let's get started!

1. Check on Cuttings - If like me you have taken cuttings in the past few weeks don't forget to keep checking on them for root growth, pot on if roots are evident and if not continue keeping the compost moist and checking the cuttings haven't dried out.

2. Continue Deadheading - Most of the plants in the garden right now will require deadheading, bedding of which daily. It may seem tedious but to keep your plants flowering for longer and looking good it needs to be done.

3. Harvest Tomatoes - Tomatoes are starting to ripen now so don't forget to pick them & enjoy!

This is a 'Sungold' Variety I am growing which has this lovely rich orange colour.

4. Water Sweet Pea's - These plants can dry out really quickly in this hot weather, keep on top of watering as drying out can lead to the plant producing short flower stems which are only good for a tiny vase!

5. Feed Dahlia's & Chrsyanthemum's - Now is a good time to give these plants a healthy boost with a Liquid Feed.

Dahlia 'Cafe Au Lait'

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Summer Stars ...

Good Morning!

Today's post is all about the stars of the garden right now! Of course every plant is a star in it's own right really but these few are the one's that have only just started flowering in the past week or two and catch my eye every time I'm outside.

First up probably isn't that impressive to you at the moment but it's one of my Winter Flowering Clematis's 'Winter Beauty'. At the start of the year it was barely above ground level as it had been ravaged by pesky slugs and snails, however it has now put on lot's of lush fresh growth and will hopefully continue this way!

 Just beneath the Clematis you can also see my next 'star'. This is Zinnia 'Green Envy' and although it might not be to everyone's taste I love it. The petals appear more yellow on the photograph but they infact a pale green. 

This is Rudbekia 'Cherry Brandy' and although I'm not usually drawn to red flowers this is certainly one of my favourites. I only have 2 plants of these in the garden but next year there will most certainly be more!

I know I only just shared this a couple of days ago, but I love it that much I had to do it again. Another of my new favourites that will definitely be frequenting more of the garden next year, Chocolate Cosmos.

Of course I had to share with you how my larger Dahlia's are doing, earlier in the year I shared how I potted the tubers up so it's only right that I share their blooms! 'Cafe Au Lait' and 'Eveline' both make a statement!

Finally I wanted to share with you something from my Parent's Garden, the Alpine trough! I planted this up a few weeks ago and as you can see it is filling out nicely.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Never Too Late ...

Good Morning!

At this time of year most people have finished adding plants to their gardens but as the title says it's never too late! For example last week I couldn't resist an offer for 12 different hardy Dianthus Plug Plants, I've potted them up in small pots and when they are large enough they will be placed in large pots or planted around the garden.

Yesterday I bought a selection of plants that were originally going to be planted separately in various places but after taking this photograph of them I decided to keep them all together.

Incase you can't tell very well from the photograph I bought 'Chocolate Cosmos' which smells just like it's name, 'Ajuga' and 'Echeveria'.

I planted them up in a large pot which should look lovely once they have filled out a bit. All of the plants last year round, the Chocolate Cosmos is infact a tender perennial so the pot will need to be brought inside during winter. I will also be taking some cuttings from it to hopefully get some more plants!

Thanks for stopping by,
HAPPY CRAFTING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

It's Monday so it is time for another Weekly Garden Checklist, let's get started!

1. Cut Back Pansies - If your Pansy plants are looking a bit straggly now is the time to give them a good cut back to encourage a second flush of flowers.

2. Plant Autumn Flowering Bulbs - Now is the time to plant bulbs for Autumn such as Nerines & Colchicums.

3. Keep Watering Tomatoes - With all the hot weather it is crucial you keep an eye on your tomatoes, make sure they don't dry out especially if they are grown in pots, to prevent blossom end rot.

4. Pick Peppers & Cucumbers - These plants should be supplying good sized fruits so now is the time to start harvesting which also encourages new growth.

5. Enjoy the Garden - I know it should go without saying but with the Sunny weather and flowers in full flow now is the time to sit back and enjoy all of your hard work!

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Vegetables & Chrysanthemum's ...

Good Morning!

If you remember a week or so I received my Chrysanthemums for the Autumn? Well it was time to plant them out into their final positions after rooting around the 9cm pots I pricked them out into. 

This year I have decided to plant them in the Raised Bed as I'm not too keen on Winter Vegetables and I didn't want the space to go to waste.  Plus it will be a great colourful feature in the centre of the garden when everything else is fading! Before planting out I prepared the soil by hoeing over it to remove all the weeds.

When planting out Chrysanthemums they need to be positioned approx 30cm apart. The spacing is slightly less between mine but not too far off. I always like to position them in their pots whilst organising the layout before planting out.

I had two of each colour and distanced them both apart from each other, however I kept the labels with the plants for each so that I still know what variety they are.

After about 10-14 days when the plants have grown a bit larger I will be adding stakes as a support.

Below the Raised bed you can see the 6 Anastacia Green Chrysanthemums in pots, this is because they are an indoor variety which will need to be lifted into the Greenhouse when the first frosts arrive.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

It's Monday so it is time for another Weekly Garden Checklist. 

Incase this is the first time you have seen this particular themed post, it's a quick list of jobs you can be doing in the garden this week.

Let's get started!

1. Take Pelargonium Cuttings - Now is the perfect time to start taking cuttings from your Pelargoniums for next years plants or just to make sure you have a back up! To do this all you need to do is take some cuttings from new non-flowering shoots and put them into some pots of compost & vermiculite. Place somewhere light but not in direct light and within a few weeks they should have rooted!

2. Keep Sowing Vegetables - Although we are getting into Summer don't stop sowing! There are plenty of vegetables you can be sowing now for your salads such as Lettuce, Spring Onions, Radishes, Chard and plenty more. Sow direct  in 2 / 3 weekly batches to ensure a constant supply.

Here you can see some Lettuce seedlings next to my Leeks along with a patch above the Lettuce where I have sown some S.Onions & Radishes.

3. Sow Next Years Flowers - Carrying on the subject of sowing, now is the perfect time to get sowing for next year. Plants such as Foxgloves, Delphiniums & Lupins need to be sown now for flowers next year.

4. Keep Pinching Out Cordon Tomatoes - Ensure that you keep on pinching out tomato side-shoots, keep checking everyday as if left alone they can soon grow and take up the plants energy. Also tomatoes are ripening now so make sure you pick them and enjoy!

5. Maintain your Greenhouse - With all this hot weather it is important to make sure that you keep on top of GH. Damp down the floor on hot days by spreading water floor in the morning and leaving the vents / windows fully open. You can also keep the door open on warm nights.

Also to help fight again GH pests hang yellow sticky traps for whitefly & Aphids.

I hope you have found this Checklist helpful!
Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

My Rose Collection ...

Good Morning!

Today's post is something I have been wanting to do for a while, but I have had to wait for each of them to flower to do so. Here is a look at my Rose Collection!

'Deep Secret' is planted at the end of my front border and is the only red rose that I have. It is a Hybrid Tea and is fairly thorny but the blooms make up for that along with their strong lemon fragrance.

'Rhapsody in Blue' is a Floribunda Rose which means it continuously flowers. It is kept in a pot near my front door. The flowers are a lovely deep purple which fade to a purply grey as they age, it has an average amount of small thorns and a faint scent. 

'Wendy Cussons' is another Hybrid Tea and has what can only be described as huge blooms! It has a strong lemon fragrance and is quite thorny but just like with 'Deep Secret' the blooms more than make up for that! I have two of these in pots at the top of my drive with the following rose inbetween.

'Joie De Vivre' is another Floribunda which as mentioned before continuously flowers along with a more compact habit. As you can see this rose has more layers of petals than the others, which looks beautiful and has a faint scent.

'Champagne Moment' you have all heard about before from me, this is a Shrub rose and is planted in my garden. This rose is sentimental as we bought it last year which is when we got engaged. The rose has a faint perfume, small thorns and I love the two tone colours.

Which leads me onto my final rose. This rose is a new addition and was all thanks to the previous one. I entered a photo of the one above into a competition, WON and this was my prize!

'Princess Alexandra of Kent' is a David Austin Shrub Rose and is currently waiting for it's final place after arriving yesterday. The rose hasn't bloomed yet but you can see there are plenty of buds so hopefully it will do so soon.

I hope you have all enjoyed a look at my roses, why not share your own?

Thanks for stopping by,
HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Blooming Visitors ...

Good Morning!

Recently some of the plants that haven't bloomed yet are finally starting to do so, so I wanted to share them with you all today. 

Let's start off with some of the Fuschia's, the one's in pots that are displayed infront of the GH haven't done so yet but one in a Hanging Basket 'Trudi Davro' and one in a pot at the front of the house, has. 

The Crocosmia 'Lucifer' at the back of the garden has opened it's petals and looks stunning with the colour and height. 

I have two Phygelius planted in a border alongside the lawn which look great with their spires of bell shaped flowers.

Lastly we had a little visitor in our garden recently, I found him on our front lawn so moved him into our back garden due to our road. He was a large Hedgehog and ever so cute! He enjoyed a patter around the garden before leaving through a gap in the fence. Contrary to what people say it is best to give them water, not milk. Unfortunately I didn't have any food to give him but he did seem to find a few slugs / snails before he left! It's always nice when wildlife visits your garden.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Alpines & Newbies ...

Good Morning!

Today's post is a mix of things from last week that I hadn't had the chance to share with you all yet. 

The first is an Alpine Trough that I planted up for my parents. Apologies that the photo's aren't too great, the gravel around the trough in the background makes it a bit tricky to see it properly.

When making Alpine troughs you need to ensure that it has drainage holes and you use a mix of John Innes & Grit for drainage. I have also included some herbs in the display at the back of two different Thymes, which work well with Alpines. In the centre is a Dianthus and either side of that are Arabis & Aubrieta.

Once your trough is planted up cover the soil with more grit.

Last week I also bought myself a Winter flowering climber to go alongside the Summer flowering Clematis, which will give a year round display of flowers. This one is Clematis 'Napaulensis' which flowers November - March and is scented. Perfect for when there isn't much else in the garden! Don't panic if you are thinking it looks a sorry state in the picture, the clematis loses all it's leaves in the Summer then puts on it's growth in the Autumn. 

I also bought a Salvia to go in a pot at the back of the garden near the GH to add some height where there is a clump of Geums. I also couldn't resisted the two Dianthus's which caught my eye.

Lastly is the 'Lobelia Speciosa Fan Red', I bought this to fill a gap in the side border in the garden which will spread about 30cm with a height of 75cm, I love the shock of red the petals provide.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

It's Monday so it is time for another Weekly Garden Checklist. 

Incase you missed it last week I have added a page tab below the blog banner where I will add each Checklist so you can find them in one place for future reference. 

Let's get started!

1. Dead - head Rhododendrons - This isn't the easiest thing to do if you have a large mature plant due to the size, but if you have one in a pot like me then it's pretty straightforward. Simply cut back the flower heads to the base where they meet the leaves.

Of course if there is still one bloom in good condition then of course you can leave it on for a few more days!

2. Cut back Aquilega's - Although they are pretty not everybody wants a garden full of Aquilega's. Once the flowers start to fade they produce seed heads which can spread around the garden. This is great if you have a new garden and wouldn't mind 2 or 3 more plants popping up the next year, but if you don't now is the time to cut them back to the foliage.

3. Prick - out seed sown Winter Bedding - Not all of the bedding types will be ready yet, but if like me you have sown some Wallflower seeds in the past 2 weeks you will have noticed how big they have gotten. Prick them out from the Seed tray into some cell trays. 

TIP - Prick out by gently teasing each seedling apart with a dibber / plant label to avoid damaging the plants.

You will also notice once you have done this that you have a lot more plants than you think. How many would you say are here? 20? 30?

Well it turns out there were 80! 

Whether they all turn into healthy young pants however we shall have to wait and see!

4. Keep cutting Sweet Pea's - By now your Sweet Pea plant should be producing lot's of lovely flowers.

Make sure that you keep cutting them every few days otherwise the plant will start to set seed pods, which results in it failing to produce flowers as it thinks it has finished flowering. 

5. Tie - In Climbers - At this time of year climbers are putting on lots of fresh new growth. Some of which, such as Clematis, can get a bit unruly. Ensure that they are tied in to their supports and have enough supports. You can use items such canes or stretched string for instant support.

.

I hope you have found this Checklist helpful!
Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX