A Brief Pause in the Rain ...

Good Morning!

Today I thought I would share some photo's that I managed to take yesterday afternoon when the rain stopped briefly. As much as I enjoy taking photographs of plants there's something about those photo's with raindrops still on the petals that I love that little bit more ...

This little group of plants is currently sat next to my conservatory door. 

The three plants shown work well with each other as they all have the colour purple in common. The purple foliage of the Heuchera and the Primrose bring out the purple tones in the foliage of the Leucothoe.

The next pairing wasn't planned but I think it works really well together. 

The white of the 'Thalia' Daffodils and the pink of the Azalea Japonica 'Hino Crimson' provide a great contrast.

There's also been a slight change in the layout of the back garden. As you know the property I am in is currently rented so I am unable to make any dramatic changes, resulting in a large part of it being patio'd. Across this wall we originally kept the rather unsightly waste bins but I have now moved them elsewhere and positioned these pots here instead with the patio table just out of shot. A much preferable sight to sit next to in the warmer weather.

The only thing now is that I need to add giving the fence a new lick of paint to my to do list!

A close up of the feature pot in the centre, Ribes sanguineum

Erythronium Pagoda

Whilst over in the conservatory some of the Auriculas are in flower and the Echeveria Lilacina is producing it's flower shoots.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Project - Something For The Weekend ...

Good Morning!

Today I thought I'd share something a little different to usual, It's a project for anyone to try whether they're a beginner gardener or more experienced! All you need are the following items from the list below, for the plants I've chosen to use for this display I preferred to use a shallow container.

WHAT YOU NEED -

* Pot / Container

* Potting Grit & John Innes no.2 Compost

* Sempervivum & Echeveria elegans (easily available from Garden Centres)

TIP - These plants produce 'off sets' which can be easily removed and placed into individual pots producing extra plants at no extra cost! In fact all the plants I have used today were one's that I propagated myself last year from just one plant of each type.

The above plants need good drainage so before planting up the container place a crock over the drainage hole and add a good layer of Potting Grit. 

Mix some John Innes no.2 Compost with some Potting Grit and place this on top of the bottom layer.

To get an idea of how many plants you can fit in before planting up empty each plant from it's pot and place in the container. Try not to place the plants too close together as they need a little space to grow.

TIP - Ensure plants are well watered before planting up into a display. For the plants mentioned in today's post place them on a saucer and water them from the bottom instead of overhead.

Fill in the gaps between plants with another mix of grit and compost, firming in as you go. 

Finally add a top layer of Potting Grit and remove any stray pieces from the surface of the plants. This can be a little fiddly so using an old soft toothbrush gently may work better than your fingers, however be careful not to scratch the surface of the plants too much.

The plants in today's display are hardy and can cope with low temperatures, but not the wet. 

This display would be perfect for the middle of a patio table now and during Summer as the height won't be disruptive amongst guests or block a view! 

However if rain is predicted do pop them under some form of cover to avoid it falling on the plants, which can lead to them rotting. When it comes to watering do as I suggested earlier and place the container onto a saucer. Water from beneath moderately and not at all when they are dormant in winter.

It's the perfect display for anyone that tends to forget to water their plants!

TIP - Once the plants start to produce off sets and look a little crowded in the container, remove the newly formed offsets and pop them into individual pots. Not only will this give you extra plants for another display but it also keeps your display looking at it's best!

If you decide to give this display a go yourself why not share some photo's of it with me?
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 ...

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. Deadhead Violas - If like me you have some Hanging Baskets or tubs including Violas, make sure you keep on top of the dead heading to keep the blooms going.

2. Pot Feet  -To help prevent outdoor containers becoming waterlogged in the winter wet raise them onto pot feet or wood offcuts to help them drain properly.

3. Rockery Plants - Protect Rockery Plants from the rain by bringing them inside over the winter. Alternatively place a sheet of glass raised on bricks over the top of them. They are perfectly fine with the cold they just don't like the wet.

4. Christmas Displays - I know it feels like it's ages away but now is the time to plan your pot displays for over the festive season. Bulbs such as Amaryllis and Narcissus - Paperwhite are best started off now to ensure that you have blooms in time.

5. Indoor Plants - Lastly why not bring a plant inside to enjoy now that the days are getting cooler and darker? It makes much more sense when you will be spending more time indoors!

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

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

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