February Favourites!

Good Evening!

Apologies for it being such a long time since I posted, I didn't realise that I hadn't wrote a post since January. Luckily February is one of the quieter months so you didn't miss too much that's been going in my garden! I thought I'd share with you my favourite pictures that I took last month to get you all back up to speed ...

Let's start off with more heavenly Hellebores! I know I shared a few in my last post but you can never have too many Hellebores!

Helleborus x hybridus 'Harvington ... Apricot' 'Picotee' and 'Single Yellow Dark Eye'

Helleborus 'Anna's Red'

Helleborus 'Pink Beauty'

This particular variety always flowers prolifically in my garden each year and is one of my 'forever' plants.

Of course the Snowdrops were displaying their delicate blooms last month, as soon as I see them peeking through the soil I'm seriously impatient for them to flower lol

Galanthus 'Flore Pleno'

Of course another Spring bulb that you can't be without at this time of year is the Crocus. Even though the heavy rain that we've had gave them a little battering the little golden blooms were a pleasure to see.

Meanwhile over in the Greenhouse where the conditions are a bit more bearable the annual routine of sowing the Tomatoes and Sweet Peas is well underway! As you can see from the following photo you can tell what I'l be doing on my next day off ... pricking out Tomato seedlings!

The varieties I've sown this year are ... 'Gardener's Delight', 'Sungold', 'MoneyMaker' 'Tigerella' 'Maskotka' and 'Black Russian'.

 Lathyrus odoratus (Sweet Peas) 'Fragrantissima' and 'Heirloom' Mix

Before I go I'd just like to mention that this year all my seedlings are being sown and potted on into an Organic Peat Free Compost. There really is no excuse not to go Peat Free nowadays due to the impact that Peat farming has on the environment, and so far I can say that the particular compost I've chosen to use is performing just as well as a regular Multi-Purpose! (No connection just a happy Gardener)

Thanks for stopping by, I promise I'l be back soon with more news from my garden!

HAPPY GROWING!

Winter Blooms ...

Good Morning!

Over the past fortnight we've been graced with the appearance of some of my favourite blooms. The sight of these lovelies makes it known that Spring is around the corner, my favourite season!

Today I wanted to share with you a couple of photographs ...

Snowdrops pushing though the cover of Heuchera 'Black Knight'

If you've got Snowdrops in your own garden why not turn one of the heads over gently and take a look at the petals close up? This particular Snowdrop is Galanthus 'Flore Pleno'

The Hellebores are slowly starting to wake up, the following two have been in bloom for the past week with the rest in the garden patiently waiting in the wings ...

Helleborus Harvington Double White Speckled

Helleborus Blue Metallic Lady

A classic plant for this time of year is the Primrose, I have a few planted up in pots that add a great splash of colour, my favourite's are the simple white's.

Lastly another plant in flower is my Clematis 'Winter Beauty', unfortunately there's only a couple of flowers this year due to the resident garden birds nipping the buds off as they were forming ...

Thanks for taking a look, when the rest of the Hellebores come into bloom I shall share some more photographs to share with you all.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Plant of the Month ... Snowdrops!

Good Morning!

Along with the new series of Problem Areas for 2016 I have also decided to feature one plant a month that is my personal favourite and which I think is one of the best performers during that month.

The PLANT OF THE MONTH for February is ... SNOWDROPS!

Galanthus are Dwarf Bulbous Perennials which grow up to 15cm tall with narrow leaves and nodding fragrant white flowers. The inner segments of the flowers are mostly marked with green at the tips.

There are over 2000 varieties but the most common are widely found in our gardens are Galanthus Nivalis and the double version 'Flore Pleno' seen below from my own garden.
Some varieties can be bought for hundreds of pounds but there are some much more affordable ones too with striking colours and details.

Galanthus 'Flore Pleno'

CULTIVATION 
Snowdrops can be planted when they are a bulb or 'in the green' which simply means when the foliage growth is starting to die back and the flowers are fading, usually in late April - early May. This is the preferred way and what I find the most successful.
The quickest and easiest way to give yourself more plants is to 'divide' each group of Snowdrops into separate plants, re- plant singly and at the the same depth. Dig them up gently with a fork and tease apart with your hands, with as little disturbance as possible. Adding a little Bonemeal to the planting hole will be beneficial. Leave for 3 or 4 years to settle in before repeating the process.
Snowdrops like to be in a partly shaded position in a moist but well - drained soil that doesn't dry out in Summer.

If you don't have any groups of Snowdrops already in your garden they can be purchased from Garden Centres at this time of year along with online and through mail order. Make sure you plant them as soon as they arrive however as you don't want the plants to dry out.

Thompson & Morgan currently have an offer where you can order 35 Single Snowdrops 'in the green' for the price of Postage. I am in no way linked to this business, I simply saw the offer and thought it may be of interest to some of you.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE WEBSITE.
ORDER CODE - GW820

PROBLEMS
Snowdrops can be prone to Snowdrop 'Grey Mould' (Botrytis galanthina) which is a fungus closely related to the most common form of Botrytis cinerea. This fungus only affects Galanthus spp. and is most prone to the common Galanthus nivalis in mild winters.

Photo from RHS website

If you spot this problem remove the affected bulbs straight away and dispose of quickly. Do not plant any more Galanthus in the same position or where you have noticed this disease previously. When buying new plants always inspect them first for signs of infection and from a reputable company.

I hope you have found this feature interesting!
HAPPY GROWING!
XXX