Monday 27 October 2014

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. Collect Leaves - Leaf mould is great for adding to composts and mulching, to make your own simply collect any fallen leaves and store in a bin bag (with holes created with a pencil / pen). You can keep it somewhere such as down the side of a shed and within a year or two you will have your own fantastic leaf mould, for free!

2. Begonia Tubers  -Along with storing Dahlia tubers it is also time to store Begonia tubers. They can be pretty much treated the same way or you can pot them up into small pots once cutting the foliage back.

3. Over - Wintering - Make sure that you have moved all the plants you want to over winter under protection within the next few days. With November only just around the corner lower temps & frosts are on their way!

4. Plant Fruit Trees & Hedging - Autumn is a great time to plant these as it will help them become established quickly.

5. Soil - Now is also a good time to give your soil a boost by digging in some well rotted manure or by adding a mulch of compost as you saw I did last week.

Thanks for stopping by,
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX

Thursday 23 October 2014

Make A Feature ...

Good Morning!
Today I thought I'd share a few little jobs that I did this week and so could you. 
First up I wanted to make a little feature, nothing too fancy or fussy, just something to fill the gap where the patio table goes in summer otherwise I'm left with a massive empty space of patio! All I did was have a re-shuffle of some outdoor pots and placed some of various sizes in the spot. I will most likely change around what's here but for an instant effect it works well.



You can also spot a new addition which I couldn't resist on a Clearance table at the Garden Centre last week. It is called 'Salvia - Royal Bumble' it's hardy and has lovely flowers, although in windy weather they aren't the easiest to photograph! lol



I also treated myself to this 'Echeveria - Lilacina' which is a lovely shade of grey with a pink tint.


This week I also planted out the rest of my Autumn / Winter Bedding which includes trailing Viola's ...


Primroses & Bellis were also planted in my side border along with a couple of left over Wallflowers and the border was also given a mulch of compost.


More bedding was used around the edge of the Raised Bed just to help it to not look too bare.


TIP - As you can see here you don't have to always hang Hanging Baskets up. They make great containers too!


Thanks for stopping by,
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX

Monday 20 October 2014

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. Collect Seed - On a dry day now is a good time to collect seed, such as seeds from an Allium head and sow them straight away.


2. Roses  -Along with cutting down Roses to help prevent wind rock over winter, don't forget to collect any fallen leaves beneath the plant to help prevent disease. Of course you can wait until the last buds have flowered before cutting them down if like me you still have blooms to enjoy.


3. Chrysanthemums - Make sure tall Chrysanthemums are well staked to give them the support they need. Especially if you have some outdoors and are prone to windy weather.

4. Sweet Pea's - If you have sown Sweet Pea's this autumn make sure you pinch out the growing tips to encourage bushier growth.


5. Sow - There is still time to sow Hardy Annuals such as Calendula's for flowers next year.

Thanks for stopping by,
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX

Thursday 16 October 2014

Garlic, Onions & Flowers ...

Good Morning!
Today's post is a little catch up with how things are getting on in the garden.
Remember a couple of weeks ago when I planted my Autumn Garlic & Onions? Well they have started showing some healthy growth, the Garlic is a little further ahead than the Onions. Last week I also planted an extra row of Garlic with some of what I had left in-between the Wallflowers and Onions.

You may also spot that my Chrysanthemum's are looking a bit bare, I have had to strip the leaves off due to White Rust again. You are probably best getting rid of them but considering they were blooming and the Rust shouldn't transfer to the Garlic & Onions I thought I might aswell enjoy the flowers for a bit longer before removing them.



I had a lot of Onion bulbs left and I didn't want to chuck them but I had nowhere else to plant them. So I have sown them in some cell trays which have been placed in a sheltered place and  they should be happy living there until there is space for them to be planted out, either in a few weeks or in the Spring. I thought I would also try this with the 6 remaining Garlic bulbs I had left, well you might aswell give it a go instead of them going to waste!


Meanwhile elsewhere in the Garden I have some nice colour creeping in, 
from the Viola's in the Hanging Baskets ...


The Viburnum Tinus in the Front Border ...


Along with the Primroses in the Pots ...


Thanks for stopping by,
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX

Monday 13 October 2014

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. Lift Dahlia Tubers - You can choose to wait until the first frosts turn their leaves black, but if you want to get on with this job then you can lift Dahlia Tubers now. Cut down the stems to a few inches above the ground, lift with a fork being careful not to damage the tubers, bring under cover and turn them upside down for a few days to release moisture then once they are dry store in a cool, dark place, ideally covered in a crate over the Winter.

2. Finish Planting  - If you haven't already, finish planting out your Winter Bedding whilst the ground is still warmer than it will be in a few weeks! I Here you can see I have added some Wallflowers to my Raised bed to ensure colour early next year and re-vamped some pots where my Abutilon was.




3. Veggies - If you are planning on growing Beans next year, it's time to prepare the trench for them now ready for next year. You can also cut down the yellowing foliage on Asparagus plants to about 5cm above the ground.

4. Plant Out - Now you could also plant out any Perennials or Biennials that you have grown from seed this year.

5. Enjoy Chrysanthemum's - Chrysanthemum's are starting to show colour and bloom so now is the time to enjoy their Autumn colour. However make sure you keep checking them because due to the Wet & Mild Weather we are having, White Rust is very common and as you can see my plants have succumbed to it!



Thanks for stopping by,
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX

Thursday 9 October 2014

Late Bloomers ...

Good Morning!
Today's post is a few snaps of what's still looking good in the garden! 

The Rose 'Joie De Vivre' had another flush of rose buds a few days ago and we were treated to this lovely bloom.

My small potted Dahlia is still going strong, unfortunately I don't know it's name as it was just labelled with 'Bedding Mix'.



One of my last remaining Cosmos plants is still going and this particular bloom caught my eye!


My pot of Begonia's is providing a lovely splash of colour by the conservatory door.


Along with the Dianthus 'Crimson Rim' ...


One of my Astrantia's under the shade of next doors tree has been flowering it's heart out too in recent weeks.


The Cherry Rudbekia still has one or two flowers going strong and I love the deep red.


Finally my Osteopermum has had another flush and is providing some eye - catching colour!


Thanks for stopping by,
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX

Tuesday 7 October 2014

Clearing The Greenhouse ...

Good Morning!
Last week I decided it was time to give the GH a good clean after disposing of this year's Tomato Plants. This should hopefully get rid of any pests that were wanting to stay over winter!
I cleaned the outside and inside panels which would also help let more light in on winter days.

As you can see I have started putting my bubble insulation back up, I kept last years but gave it a good hose down before putting into place. I shall be adding the rest of the insulation soon.



At the far end you can see my collection of trays and pots, along with a few plants!
The Orchid on the left has since been moved into my conservatory but the Fuschia 'Black Prince' and White Cyclamen will hopefully be staying put over winter.



I have brought my Agapanthus under cover as it's not the hardiest of plants. You may get away with leaving it outside in a southern, sheltered garden but certainly not in mine!
TIP - When bringing plants in make sure you inspect each leaf and the container for any hitch-hiking pests!


I also brought in my Alstromeria which I re-potted and rid of old growth beforehand.


Over on the other side you can see the Staging which has my Pelargoniums on top as mentioned in my previous post, various cuttings, seedlings and a range of Alpines.


There are still some more plants to come in, such as my Abutilon & Chocolate Cosmos before the temperature drops so I may end up having to have another re-shuffle to fit things in! lol

Thanks for stopping by,
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX

Monday 6 October 2014

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. Glazed Pots - Now the temperature's are starting to drop it's a good time to clean and bring glazed pots under cover for Winter. If left outside they could crack and break.

2. Sow Sweet Peas  - If you haven't already, now is the time to sow Autumn sown Sweet Peas.

3. Hardy Fuschia's - To help protect Hardy Fuschia's over Winter give them a layer of mulch over the plant's crown. You could use bark or if you haven't got any, garden compost.

4. Lettuce - Now is a good time to sow pots of  hardy Winter Lettuce.

5. Herbs - To continue using herbs such as Chives throughout winter, pot them up now and bring them under cover into a GH.

Thanks for stopping by,
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX

Saturday 4 October 2014

Cuttings Catch Up ...

Good Morning!
Today I thought I'd share with you how some of the cuttings I took a few week's ago are getting on. If you remember I took some of my Pelargoniums as it's much easier to over - winter them when they're a smaller size, specially if you only have a little GH like me!
The cuttings had developed a good root growth last week so I decided to pot them on into some Teracatto Pots and give them a top dressing.




I have set them out across the top of my staging, with some space between each which will improve air circulation and fingers crossed help keep grey mould at bay!



As you can see one of the 'Bergpalais' cuttings has even flowered.


The Clematis 'Winter Beauty' cutting has also successfully rooted so I potted that on too and gave it a little support for the new growth it's developed.


I also decided to pot on my Dianthus plants and give them a top dressing too.


Also the seeds I sowed a few days ago have already germinated and seem to be doing well! I should hopefully be able to prick them out into individual pots soon.


Lastly I have also made a start on my Winter Baskets. I decided to have some with just Trailing Viola's in. They're rather dinky now but once they get going they'l spread out.


Thanks for stopping by,
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX