Winter Blooms

Good Afternoon!

Well after a sunny start the weather has turned and it is now chucking it down outside, so I thought I'd share with you some photo's of what's currently flowering in the garden.

To start off with is something a little bit out of season, however it's protected in the Greenhouse which is what has encouraged it to flower ... 

Fuchsia 'Dark Eyes'

Outside the Hellebores are putting on a delightful show, here's just a few of the lovely colours that can be seen on the plants right now ... there's still some more varieties waiting for their buds to burst!

 Hellebore hybridus 'Pretty Ellen Purple'

 Hellebore hybridus 'Harvington Lime'

 Hellebore hybridus 'Pretty Ellen Red'

 Hellebore hybridus 'Pretty Ellen White'

 Hellebore hybridus 'Double White Speckled'

A self seeded Hellebore.

This next Hellebore is slightly different to the ones shown above, the foliage has slightly jagged edges and the flowers are a subtle green, I have it planted in a large container on the driveway mixed in with other plants but it's currently the star of the show!

Helleborus argutifolius 

Next up are some plants that everyone knows, even if you're not a Gardener, Primroses! Simple yet still beautiful I have a small selection in a little container at the front of the house.

Meanwhile indoors I have two small pots of Dwarf Daffodils in the Living Room, one of which started blooming a couple of days ago. At least I have some sunshine indoors!

Narcissus 'Tete - a - Tete'

Lastly I just thought I'd share a photo of a little Ladybird I spotted earlier on in the week, it was climbing up this blade of grass in the front border.

Thanks for popping by, enjoy what is left of the weekend!

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
Here's a few things that you can be getting on with this weekend in the garden ...

1. Hardening Off  - Summer Bedding plants will be putting on good growth now and no doubt you'll be itching to get them in their final positions outside! However they need to go through a process of 'Hardening Off' first before going outside permanently. This is to acclimatise them to the outdoor temperatures and conditions as they will have been protected under cover whether you've kept them in a Greenhouse or just bought them from a Garden Centre.
Pop them somewhere sunny & sheltered during the day time for 7 - 10 days, bringing them back undercover on a night when the temps drop for the first 7 days then leaving outside still in their containers for the remaining days.
Of course if cooler temperatures and frosts are forecast (this is still possible until the first week of June) protect with a layer of fleece, I always hold off planting out in final positions until the risk of frost has passed.

2. Primulas - If you have Primulas and Primroses growing in your garden the clumps can become congested over time. Now is the chance to lift and divide them, removing offests which can be used to provide new plants for yourself, replanting elsewhere around in the garden or in pots until a later date.

3. Lawns - It's time to give the edges of lawns a good tidy up.

Over the recent months lawns edges may have lost their neatness and slowly crept into the neighbouring soil. All you need to do is get a spade or edging tool and cut in around the edges. 

Even if it's the only thing you do in the garden this weekend it instantly makes your garden look ten times neater!

4. Protect - Protect young salad and veg crops from Pests and being snacked on by Birds. 

All I have done in regards to my Raised Bed is covered the surface with some Butterfly Netting held above the plants tightly (allowing space within for them to grow) with wooden stakes.

5. Winter Bedding - I know it may seem wrong to even starting thinking about Winter, but now is the time to start deciding about what Bedding plants you would like to have later this year. If you are wanting to grow from seed plants such as Pansies the time to start doing this is over the coming weeks.

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

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
Along with the few things I mentioned over the past couple of weeks, there are a couple of other bits and bobs you can be getting on with in the garden too.

1. Hedges - If you have hedges surrounding your garden / property this time of year is ideal to give them a good weed. This particular job easily be forgotten as once hedges are established, we do tend to take them for granted!
You will need a kneeling pad and some gloves and simply all you need to do is reach underneath the hedges and pull out any weeds that you come across along with any debris, be careful of any pieces of glass. Weeding hedges is especially important for those that are newly planted for the first three years to help prevent them having to compete with weeds for nutrients and establish properly.

2. Winter Bedding - Keeping up with dead heading is important to help prolong their flowering time and of course maintain a good plant health. Dead heading is especially important in wet weather as faded / rotting blooms can fall on up coming flower buds resulting in Botrytis and restricting flowering.

3. Soil  - If your soil isn't frozen you can get on with the job of improving your soil. Digging in good quality garden compost / manure will improve the soil by adding nutrients, improve drainage and the ability to conserve moisture. 

4. Blackcurrants - If you are growing Blackcurrants you can prune out the oldest stems from your plants to encourage new shoots.

5. Greenhouse - Due to the Winter Weather if your Greenhouse is looking a bit dirty, give the windows a clean to help improve the light quality for the plants inside. Light levels are low at this time of year so the more they can have the better.

You can also dispose of any old compost and rubbish that is past it's best within the GH as it may be providing a home for unwelcome visitors!

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

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
Along with the few things I mentioned over the past couple of weeks, there are a couple of other bits and bobs you can be getting on with in the garden too.

1. Primroses - If like me, you have Primroses in your garden you may have noticed that in the past week or so the leaves are looking a little worse for wear. Give your Primroses a tidy up by removing any yellowing / damaged leaves along with faded flower heads. You can also divide Primroses if they are becoming congested. This job will only take half an hour or so and the finished look is much more appealing to look at!
The same can also be done to Hellebores if any of the leaves are showing signs of Black spot.

2. Winter Bedding - If you have any pots of Winter Bedding and the temperatures are set to get really cold, move the pots to a sheltered position until the temperatures improve.
We've had lows down to 1c at the start of last week and highs of 11c last weekend!
You can also use Cloches to protect any Winter Veg that you may be growing.

3. Asparagus  - If you are growing Asparagus in your garden now is the time to cut down the plants, the same can be done for the tops of Jerusalem Artichokes.

4. Greenhouse - Over in the Greenhouse along with the usual checking over of plants for signs of pests & diseases, you can bring pots of bulbs under cover to force them to produce early blooms, resulting in some Winter colour for your GH or inside your home. 

5. Houseplants - Finally if you have any Houseplants on your windowsills and temperatures are set to get low over night, move them out of the window in the evening to help keep them at a more suitable temperature.

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

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
I know it's been absolutely AGESSSSS since I last posted and I certainly didn't plan it to be. What with work, course work and rubbish weather I haven't really had the chance to get much done in the Garden recently apart from the occasional dead-heading over the past few weeks.
However I'm back today with my Checklist and a few other photo's for you!

1. Feeding - What with the low temperatures this Summer my Tomatoes haven't really got going until recently. There's still a few weeks left for them to ripen so don't despair too much! Carry on feeding them once a week and remove excess foliage to allow plenty of light at the fruits. If the weather turns and we have yet more cooler days keep an eye on your watering and make sure you don't give them too much.
You can also give your Chilli's a feed to help give them a bit of a boost too.

2. Pests & Foliage -Keep an eye out for Pests and Foliage problems. For example just yesterday I spotted Viburnum Beetle all over my Viburnum Tinus, the little blighters!

In a GH you may come across Aphids which can be dealt with simply by squashing them.

Make sure you remove any yellow / brown or mouldy leaves on plants as this can help spread grey mould. Don't forget to keep an eye out for Caterpillars too which can be found hiding between leaves!

3. Winter Bedding - If like me you ordered some Winter Bedding and planted it up in trays a few weeks ago they will soon be ready for potting on. All you need to do is pot them on into bigger trays to all the plant to grow and develop a good root structure before eventually being planted out.

4. Plan Ahead - You may not want to hear it but now is a good time to take note of what did and what didn't perform well this year. This will help you decide what to have in your garden next year. For example I really liked the Cosmos that I grew this year and although I have decided to cut back on the amount of Annuals next year, if there is only one that I grow it will be this one!

'Cosmos - Double Click Snow Puff'

My 'Agapanthus - Queen Mum' will also be sticking around as after sharing no flowers last year it made up for that with not one but three giant blooms this time around, they haven't stopped flowering for weeks! I have the plant in a pot next to the back door and is at a perfect height to greet me at eye level every time I go past.

5. Cyclamen - If you have been looking after last years Cyclamen then now is the time to start giving them a water after their Summer break.

TIP - With Cyclamen it's always a good idea to water them from below instead of the top as this can cause the corn to rot if it's left wet.

6. Bulbs - Now is the time to start thinking about buying and planting next years Spring bulbs!

As you know I bought 60 - 'Narcissa Thalia' which all need planting in the borders. I'm hoping to do this soon when I give the borders a good mulch!

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

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
It's time for my Weekly Garden Checklist ...

1.Seeds - There's still just a bit of time to get those Hardy Annuals and Biennials sown for next year. Here you can see I've sown some of the 'Apricot' Foxglove seeds along with some Black Pansies for Spring Bedding. There's also still time to sow some veggies!

2. Winter Bedding - Along with seed sowing now is the time to start thinking of Winter Bedding! I know we're only in July but if your buying online it's a good idea to get it sorted early before all the best ones are sold out! Here you can see I've decided to get some White Primroses and some vibrant 'Amber Kiss' Viola's as a contrast and last but not least some 'Thalia' Narcissus bulbs.

3. Hedges - Now is a good time to keep hedges looking presentable and to give them a light trim to tidy them up.

4. Quick Plants - If you go to a Garden Centre and decide to treat yourself why not try this quick and easy way of giving yourself even more! If the plant is well established in a decent size pot, tease the plant apart into sections and pot on into individual pots. In an instant you've doubled what you bought! You can see that I have done this with the 'Trifolium' I bought recently.

I also couldn't resist buying myself this Oxalis at the same time ....

... or this Hosta.

5. Dead Heading- Keep up with deadheading, not only does it help promote more flowers but it keeps the plant looking tidy and reduces the risk of grey mould.

You can also remove the old leaves from Water Lilies that are past their best.

5. Cuttings- Continue taking cuttings of the plants you would like spares of incase anything happens over winter, or if you simply want more! Plants such as Pelargoniums, Dianthus, Surfinia's and Penstemons are good to take now along with soft wood cuttings from shrubs. 

Don't forget to check any cuttings taken a few week's ago for signs of root growth and if needed, potting them on. 

As you can see below I managed to create extra plants from my Sempervivums and Echeveria's as I suggested last week.

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

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist & Blooms ...

Good Morning!

Happy Weekend to you all, I am back with some things you can be getting on with in the garden this weekend ...

1. Daffodils & Tulips - The blooms are slowly starting to go over in my garden so once this happens to you it's a good idea to pick the faded flowers off. Do this by simply nipping off this flower head and this will help focus  all the plants energy back into the bulb instead of setting seed ... along with looking much tidier!

2. Delphiniums - The fresh young shoots should be putting on good growth so now is the perfect time to stake them before it's too late.

3. Sowing Seeds - This is the prime time to be getting on with your seed sowing, so don't delay much longer if you haven't started already.

4. Primroses - Once Primroses have finished flowering, why not divide them up giving yourself more plants? I will be doing this and then potting them up, which will give me extra plants for next year.

5. Summer Bulbs - Now is also the time to get bulbs such as Lillies & Gladioli planted in time for the Summer!

Finally I thought I'd leave you with a few snaps of what is looking good in my garden right now.

The Euphorbia's are looking striking with their contrast of Red & Lime in their pots ...

The Pink Wallflowers I sowed last year are starting to come into bloom...

My dark foliaged Primroses are blooming ...

Cowslips and Daffodils are looking cheery, I really like these dainty Daffs, they look much more delicate to the usual larger varieties ...

My Outdoor stand of Alpines and Primula's is providing a colourful display ...

The Azalea next to the back door has also come into flower this week with some striking pink blooms ...

And finally more of my Auricula's are starting to flower, I can't wait to see what colours the remaining 40 odd will produce!

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX