Easter Gardening ...

Good Morning!

I hope you are all enjoying the Easter Holidays, it's the prime time to be getting on with bits in the garden! As you are reading this I will be at work along with tomorrow too, but here's what I managed to get done in the Garden yesterday.

This year I have decided to try growing Strawberries in Hanging Baskets kept in the Greenhouse.

I bought 3 Early Season 'Christine' and 3 Main Season 'Hapil' plants this week and planted them up yesterday.

Along with these baskets I also -

* Potted on some Evergreen Shrubs that had outgrown their current pots using John Innes no.3 Compost.

* Sowed Some Dahlia and Cosmos seeds in the Greenhouse, along with some Carrot & Swiss Chard seeds in the Raised Bed.

Lastly I couldn't resist taking a few snaps of the plants in the Garden that caught my eye during the day. 

First up is the 'Silver Lace' Primrose I bought along with the Strawberries earlier in the week.

I really have a fondness for Primula's this year, and this is no exception. The delicate flowers on the 'Primula Veris' have slowly appeared over the past couple of days.

There's also some pretty spring blooms on some of my spring flowering Alpines ...

Finally the flower spikes on my 'Carex - Oshimensis Evergold' have appeared and unless you look closely they're hard to notice, but when you do spot them they're a pleasant surprise.

Thanks for popping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

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

1. Rhubarb - If you are growing Rhubarb you will have noticed that it's been putting on some growth recently, for tasty stems cover any long shoots with a bucket or forcer now which will be ready to harvest soon. 

2. Prick Out Seedlings - Seeds that have been sown in the past few weeks should have germinated and be ready to pot on into single cells.

 

3. Cuttings - Cuttings taken last year should also be ready to pot on. If you are unsure tap them out of their pots gently to check the root growth. If they look like they need a couple more weeks then simply pop them back into the pot. However if you are confident that they are ready then pot them on into singular pots with a mix of either potting on compost or simply some multi-purpose.

 

4. Flowering Pots - There's always space for more plants, if like me you have no willpower when wandering around a garden centre, why not buy a few plants that are in flower now, or about to come into flower and plant up a pot.
Here I have used a Hellebore & Euphorbia which I purchased the other week along with a Pink Wallflower sown last year and a pink Primrose which is slowly coming into flower.

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. Aphids - I know it's not the nicest topic to start off with, but now is the time to keep an eye out for Aphids! I've had a few instances recently where I've found quite a few clustering on my plants, especially my Dianthus and Fuchsia cuttings! As soon as you spot any squash them with your fingers or blast with some soapy water.

2. Feed - Plants such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Camelia's would all benefit now from a feed right now with Ericaecous plant food. You can get this is both a granular or liquid form.

3. Hellebores - If you haven't done so already, cut away old leaf stems to prevent the spread of black spot.

4. Alpines & Succulents - Tidy and re - pot if needed any Alpines and Succulents, you can also give them a fresh top dressing to keep them looking their best.

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

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Full Bloom ...

Good Morning!

Just a quick post from me today, the plants I shared with you last weekend have all finally come into bloom so I thought you might like to see them. 

Incase any of you are wondering I will also be back with my 'Weekly Garden Checklist' posts from next week.

After about a fortnight of waiting the petals on my single Auricula bloom have finally fully opened. Well worth the wait!

The same can also be said for the 'Anemone - Harmony Pearl'.

The Pulmonaria is looking bright and eye-catching now too.

Oh and as soon as I published last week's post my Hellebore's also started to bloom lol

Finally I went to a Garden Centre yesterday and of course couldn't resist collecting some new additions on my way around. Well could you resist the red foliage on both the Primroses & Euphorbia's? Oh and how could anyone resist the speckling on the Hellebore petals ...

Thanks for popping by, I'l be back in a couple of days with the Checklist!

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Little Blooms ...

Good Morning!

Today I thought I'd share with you some snaps of what is in bloom at the moment, there's quite a few so I hope you are sitting comfortably!

First up are the old reliables, Primroses! Some may find them boring but they are one of my favourite flowers, with their bright cheery blooms that are good in all weather what's not to like about them. This year I seem to be drawn to the more natural yellow and white colours, although I do have a few bright colours in the front border that I planted a while back!

However you may recall I ordered 3 plug plants of the Primula 'Cobalt Blue' a few months ago, well all three have started blooming, one is adding some colour to the conservatory and the other two are planted in some Hanging Baskets.

The pot of 'Snakeshead Fritillaria' has also come into flower and as you can see I have been graced with a white bloom which I think is my favourite!

I also have my first Auricula bloom of 2015, I couldn't help but bring it inside so that I can watch it open, albeit very slowly. All I need now is the other 48 to follow suit! lol

Outside the flower bud on the Anemone 'Harmony Pearl' I bought last month is slowly starting to unfurl.

The Pulmonaria from my Parent's old garden is coming into flower, the leaves are looking a little tatty but the flowers are a good distraction!

There's also lot's of promising looking buds on the Hellebore ...

Finally over in the Greenhouse the Primula 'Gold Lace' that I divided seem to be taking well and some of them have started developing flower heads. I know I should really pinch them out to help the plant focus all it's strength on developing, but the teeny flower just looked too cute!

Thanks for stopping by, have a lovely weekend!

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

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

1. Pruning - Now is the time to get on with pruning certain shrubs, such as Buddleja. Prune these hard down to the base to encourage fresh new growth this year. You can also prune Hardy Fuschia's and Bush Roses at this time.

2. Old Flower Stems - Along with pruning you can also remove the old flower stems from Sedum plants. Not only will it make the plant look much tidier but you'll also be able to see the fresh growth coming through.

3. Summer Bedding - I know it may seem early to think about it, but Garden Centre's are selling Summer Bedding Plug Plants now which not only are they cheaper to buy, but also you will be able to take cuttings from them to create even more by Summertime. This is what I did last year and it helps save the pennies!

4. Deadhead - Keep on with the deadheading, just removing a few discoloured petals can make a whole lot of difference and why not prolong Spring flowers as long as you can.

5. Temperatures - Finally just a tip that it's always good to keep an eye on temperatures and ventilation, my Greenhouse has been heating up during the day, regularly to 20-30c what with all the sunshine we've been having, so it's good to make sure that you as much ventilation available that you can. Even if it's just for an hour a day due to work, it's better than nothing. 

Don't forget to close it all up properly on a night though as we've also had plummeting temperatures too!

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

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

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