Saturday, 28 February 2015

Making More Plants ...

Good Morning!
What better way of starting your weekend can there be than doing a spot of Gardening?
Unfortunately I will be at work later today but today's post is something I did myself last weekend. How about making some extra plants?

I remembered that in one of the pre - planted pots my parents bought last year there was a plant that I'd been tempted to buy myself recently. It was the Primula 'Gold Lace'. After being told I could have it if I could find it, I went round and lifted it from the container.


Back in my Greenhouse I was able to split the original plant up into 6 individual parts, 
all you need to do is gently tease the plant apart.


I mixed up some John Innes no.2 with some Horticultural Grit then filled up 6 pots.



After giving each plant a water and letting it drain I topped them off with some more Horticultural Grit which will help keep the compost moist for longer. 
I now have 6 individual plants from my original one, all for the price of nothing ... 
and who knows, if my parent's ask nicely I might even give them one back!


Thanks for stopping by, Have a lovely weekend!
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX

Monday, 23 February 2015

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
It's been a while since I have had a Checklist to share, but hopefully now that we are nearing the end of February, weather depending, there will be a few things to do in the Garden!
Here are just a few suggestions that you could be getting on with this week ...

1. Divide Snowdrops - We all love Snowdrops so what better way of increasing your stock by creating some more! All you need to do is dig them up now whilst they are still in the grown, split them up into little groups or 'divide' then replant in various area's of the garden, spreading them out.
I have done this myself in the past few days.


2. Mulch - If you have a few borders in your garden which could do with a spruce up, one instant and quick way to do this is to give them a mulch. You can use Bark, Garden Compost or failing that just some regular Garden Compost. Not only will it make the area look much nicer but it will help improve the soil and suppress the weeds!
You can also give container plants a mulch too with either the same stuff or some Grit!

(If you are wondering why I have a brick in my 'Pond' it is because it will be used as a ledge for some Pond Plants when I have purchased some, hopefully soon)

3. Spring Baskets - As suggested yesterday why not make up some Spring Hanging Baskets for some extra colour! Also why not plug any gaps in existing displays where Winter Bedding has failed or just simply isn't looking as good as it could do.

4. Seed Sowing - If you have a Propagator or a Sunny Windowsill there are some seeds that you could get on with sowing now. These could have been started a couple of weeks ago but due to light levels where I live I decided to wait a few weeks.
Here I have some some Antirrhinum & Aquilegia Seeds. These needed to be sowed on the top of some pre watered seed compost which I then placed in a Propagator. I also sowed some more Sweet Pea seeds. 




5. Pests - Keep an eye out for Pests in the Greenhouse, you may think it's too early but when checking my Fuchsia cuttings a few days ago I discovered some pesky Aphids on the underside of the leaves!

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX

Sunday, 22 February 2015

Spring Is In The Air ...

Good Morning!
As the title suggests, Spring is in the Air! Well I hope so anyway as I'm itching to get things going again in the Garden! 
Earlier in the week I visited a local Garden Centre and bought some bigger Hanging Baskets for the Summer ... however I couldn't resist getting a few bit's and pieces to make them up now!


I wanted to add some 'Permanent Structure' to these particular baskets so opted for some Box and Ivy Plants. These were added first towards to the back of the baskets. 
When making the basket I mixed some John Innes no.2 and Horticultural Grit together with some Multi Purpose.

For some instant colour I added some 'Tete a Tete' Daffodils along with some cheery Primroses. These can be swapped for something else in the Summer if I decide to take the Primroses out.



Some of the pot's of Crocus Bulbs I planted last year have come up so I gave them a little tidy along with a top dressing.

At the Garden Centre I also treated myself to a 'Fritillaria - Snakeshead', I divided up a few of the bulbs from the plant before potting up so I that I could have a few extra's!

Thanks for stopping by, I will have more to share with you later in the week!
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX

Tuesday, 10 February 2015

Things are Gearing Up ...

Good Morning!
A month or two ago I saw an offer in one of the Gardeners World Magazines that was too good to miss. 
It included 5 8 litre Bags, 5 'Charlotte' Seed Potatoes, a selection of 5 packets of Vegetable Seeds and some scrubbing gloves when your washing your home grown veg ... all for £5.65 inc postage!
Well I thought it was too good to miss and a great opportunity to try growing Potatoes for the first time this year.


I've read that 'chitting' seed potatoes is beneficial so decided I would give it a try. All you need is an egg box in which you can place your seed potatoes with the rounded end that has the most 'eyes' facing upwards. 
Place them somewhere cool but light.


I will keep you updated with my progress with the Potato Kit throughout the year, I can't wait to get going!

Before I go I couldn't resist sharing some more photo's of the Snowdrops in the garden, they're in full bloom and always a delight to look at!





Thanks for popping by,
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX