Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
It's time again for my Weekly Garden Checklist,
Okay, let's get started!

1.Plant Up Summer Pots - Just like the Hanging Baskets it's also time to make a start on your Summer Pots. This year I'm keeping mine simpler with just one plant in some of them. I am using a mix of Multi Purpose, John Innes No.2, Water Retaining Gel  (2 scoops) and some Slow Release Food. If your plants have been growing in a Greenhouse or somewhere sheltered then its a good idea to start hardening them off before putting them permanently outside. To do this simply put them outside during the day then back under cover for the night, also there's still a chance of frost! Do this for all new plants and Bedding Plants :)

TIP - If you are creating permanent pots where you won't be changing them at the end of the season then use John Innes no.3 instead with some added drainage.

2. Vegetables - Keep an eye on weeds around your Vegetables and if you spot any, pull them up right away. It will give your plants a better chance and stop them competing for nutrients.

3. Pests - Keep an eye out for pests such as Aphids, Slugs and Lily Beetle shown below. 

If you spot one of these it's best to squish it right away.

4. Protect -Another way to prevent young plants from being attacked is to place Copper Rings around those that are vulnerable. I like to use them against Slugs and Snails instead of pellets. You can also use Nemetodes which is a friendlier alternative that you just water onto the soil.

5. Grey Mould - With the warmer wetter weather Grey Mould can still be a problem in the GH, keep checking your plants and hanging baskets and remove any affected areas right away, if left you could end up losing a whole plant.

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

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Gardening with Containers ...

Good Morning!

Today I thought I would share some snaps from around my Garden of my Container Displays. However no doubt they will soon change as I'm forever re-arranging things lol Due to renting and the garden being small and two thirds Patio most of my planting has to be done in Containers. I can't wait to own my own Garden one day! lol

First up is the shady corner between the conservatory and the fence, this spot only gets sunshine from tea - time onwards and is a rather unsightly spot. Here I have put my Acer which is a little unsightly atm due to getting wind burn in it's previous spot. Alongside is a Christmas Tree from 2 years ago that I potted up ... mainly to see if it'd survive lol There's also Euonymus, a Fern and a pot of Tulips along with some of this Springs Primroses. 

Back round to the other side of the Conservatory is my main pot display.

On the left side of the door is an Azalea, Agapanthus, mixed Herbs and another pot of Tulips.

Over on the right side...

In the larger tubs from left to right are a Rhododendron, Pittosporum - Tom Thumb and Leucothoe Fontanesiana Makijaz. These are surrounded by a variety of Euphorbia, Heuchera, Hellebore, Primroses and Primulas, and a potted Conifer & Perennial Viola.  There's also some potted Alliums at the back.  

Practically opposite those pots is my Raised Bed which currently houses Onions, Garlic, Carrots and Rainbow Chard. Infront of it you can see my David Austin 'Princess Alexandra of Kent', Abutilion and another Rose 'Rhapsody in Blue. You can see the Belfast Sink hasn't yet been planted up, I'm still being indecisive so it's just currently holding some Dianthus pots. 

Filling the gap between the Greenhouse and Conifer Hedge is my Salix - Flamingo which is currently under planted with Wallflowers. Yes I am aware that there are weeds at the base but they help fill the unsightly gap at the bottom of the hedge and provide some shelter for insects. 

Infront of my Greenhouse in the background you can see my Barrel Pond which finally has some plants in it! All I need now is to get a new miniature Water Lily as my previous one died over winter. Infront of it is my Ribes, Imperata - 'Red Baron', French Lavender, Euonymus and Dahlia 'Rip City'.

Finally at the top of our drive and my two Apple Trees - Cox's Orange Pippin & Tickled Pink. These are joined by three Roses, Joie De Vivre in the centre and Wendy Cussons on either side. 

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
Apologies for not managing to stick to posting this weekly, along with work I haven't been feeling too well but I made sure I had something to share with you today.
Okay, let's get started!

1.Hanging Baskets - Hopefully everyone will now be making a start on their Hanging Baskets, as I mentioned last time it's a good idea to plant them a few weeks before going outside to help them become established. I did this myself a fortnight ago and I have just given them a liquid feed to help them along.

2. Earth Up Potatoes - Potatoes will be putting on good growth and will now need keeping an eye on. When you see fresh foliage poking out you need to cover them with soil. This helps them spread and produce more potatoes along with protecting them from any late frosts we may get. 

At the start of the year I mentioned I purchased a Growing Kit from T&M as I do not have the space to grow them in the ground. I have to admit that when the kit arrived the 'bags' were smaller and different to what was advertised. Nevertheless I'm still giving them a go and it'l be interesting to see what the harvest is like.

3. Dahlia's - If like me you are growing Dahlia's from Tubers this year they will have sprung into action over the last few weeks. It's time to plant them into their final pot's or if you are planting them into the ground it's a good idea to start the process of hardening them off.

4. De-Budding - It may seem cruel but if you want your Summer plants such as Dahlia's, Basket Plants etc to focus more on producing good foliage and a fuller shape then it's time to pinch off any emerging flower heads to help focus the plants energy elsewhere.

5. Tomatoes - If like me your Tomatoes are in their final pots and growing strongly you will have also noticed that they are producing side shoots on Cordon varieties. These need pinching out as soon as you spot them.

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!
Apologies for not posting sooner, the past week or so has been pretty busy.

Here are just a few suggestions that you could be getting on with this week ...

1.Hanging Baskets - Plant up Summer Hanging Baskets indoors to get them established before going outside. I like to add some Slow Release Feed and Water Crystals to help reduce the chance of them drying out in the Summer. As you can see I have planted 4 main basket plants in each 14" Basket. There is a Diascia in centre surrounded by Nepeta, Surfinia Petunia and either a Trailing Fuchsia or Begonia. Make sure you plant your main plants in the gaps between chains. I will also be adding some fillers such as Lobelia in the spaces inbetween ... I just need to get some!

2. Pot On Seedlings - Keep potting on seedlings that you've sown. You can also start to slowly harden them off in the coming weeks by placing them somewhere sheltered outside during the day, then bringing back under cover on a night.

3. Prune - Now is the time to prune Spring Flowering Shrubs such as Ribes once they have finished flowering. This is also the time to go out and buy some! I recently treated myself to a Ribes which I have planted in a large pot.

4. Feed - Once your Spring bulbs have finished flowering and you've dead headed them, they'll benefit from a liquid feed.

5. Tomatoes - Pot up your Tomato plants into their final pots, I like to stand mine on a tray of gravel and water. You can also add their growing supports and tie them in. However as you can see the tomato I sowed myself last month is a little while off it's final pot! lol

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!

Here are just a few suggestions that you could be getting on with this week ...

1. Weeds - Weeds such as Dandelions are popping up all over the place, especially in lawns, dig the weeds out and if you want to, reseed the patches with grass seed.

2. Pot On Seedlings - Seedlings such as the Antirrhinums I pricked out a few weeks ago should be about ready to pot on, a few of them are still in the trays needing a little longer, but as you can see quite a few of them were ready to go into 9cm pots. They will also need pinching out to help promote bushier growth.

3. Roses - April is usually the time to start spraying roses with a product such as Rose Clear to help prevent Pests and Disease. When using the spray do so either around 8am or 8pm to help prevent any harm to bees when spraying as this is the time they are least about, also avoid spraying in full sun. Repeat this process around every 6 weeks.

4. Pots & Containers - Permanent Pot Plants that live outside could do with a bit of a spruce up at this time of year, as you can see here by Hardy Fuchsia had developed moss on the surface of the compost. Simply scrape back the surface and revitalise with a fresh layer of compost. Not only does it help the plant but it's also much nicer to look at!

5. Support - Plants such as Clematis have leapt into growth over the past week which requires support. Why not place a few stakes together, tied at the top with string for them to clamber up. Once the plant has outgrown this support I will be replacing it with something larger, but for the time being it does the job and adds interest for the eyes!

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

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

A Spare Half Hour ...

Good Morning!

I hope you have all been enjoying the sunny weather we've been having recently. Typically I have spent it at work and now it's my day off it's decided to cloud over!

Today I just thought I'd share with you what I did when I had a spare half hour with all of those Pelargonium plants I bought a couple of weeks ago.

I bought some 25cm pots that were on offer for them and filled with some John Inees No.2 Compost.

All of the plants had developed a good root system already which was why I was able to pot them on. However if you also have some and you can't see the roots peeking through the bottom just yet I'd hold off on potting them on until you can.

I teased the roots out gently and placed in the centre of each pot, firming in.

They were then given a top dressing of Horticultural Grit, this helps keeps moisture in along with giving a neater finish.

Here you can also see the cuttings from last years Pelargoniums sitting on the top shelf.

Before I go you can see that the Fuchsia 'Black Prince' and Pleione Formosana have bloomed in the Greenhouse.

Thanks for stopping by,

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