Gardeners Tips

Annual begonias can make a good display in a planter. Not all planters are as tall as this.

This specimen in a public park was one of five in a row outside an orangery. The column of pots was over twelve feet tall and had a similar circumference. The plants were probably Begoinia Fuchsio that had grown over all but the top bowl of the columnar planter.

The variety most likely to be used in planters is Begonia semperflorens with its waxy bronze or green foliage. They can be grown from very fine seed to produce the fibrous roots of most plants. They are not to be confused with tuberous-rooted begonias or the angel-wing begonias with hollow stems.

Begonia sutherlandii with an AGM is suitable for hanging baskets as a foliage plant or for the clusters of small orange flowers.

At Holland Park in London this week end there was also a good show of roses even though the first flush was being pruned. Pruning seems to be one of the skills the gardeners had spent a lot of time and effort to master. Many shrubs and trees displayed the benefit of the skills. There was a area of young Acers that will develop into a colourful show over the next years. They were well protected from wind and excessive sunshine ( although the sun was the least of the problems on this wet weekend). This is one of the many less known London Parks and it is well worth visiting

‘Aster Frikartii Monch’

These healthy plants are just coming into flower. The wet summer has made the foilage lush sappy and light green but they are still robust without support.

Asters are one of my favourite top ten border plants. This lavender-blue variety Monch has a longer flowering season, beginning earlier, in mid summer, continuing into autumn and is mildew resistant. ‘Monch’ is exceptionally free-flowering with an attractive colour that is easy to place as it associates well with so many other autumn flowers such as Echinacea White Swan.

• Aster is best grown in a sunny or partially shaded position with fertile, well-drained soil.
• Propagate by division or cuttings
• Water during dry summers as it requires adequate moisture throughout summer.
• This 2-3 foot high flower attracts bees and butterflies
• The Royal Horticultural Society have given ‘Monch’ their prestigious Award of Garden Merit.

Annual Asters to grow from Seed

• Annual Asters China Single Mixed.
• Ostrich plume by Suttons,
• China Powder Puff double.
  

Do you remember Bill & Ben the flowerpot men and their friend Little Weed?
Did they have gnomes in the garden and if not why not. These little stone or pot ornaments do not do any harm except when dropped on slugs.

The word Gnome is more pc than the German equivalent of Garden Dwarves hey-ho as Snowwhite wouldn’t say
Grumpy Gnome home
Keep Calm and talk to your Gnome
Stay off the grass only smoke tobacco
If you want to grow your own food look for bacon seeds

What do you call plant that self sows everywhere? A weed

Free weeds  – Pick Your Own!

Georgia O’Keefee painted some brilliant portraits of red Poppies some times upto 3 feet wide and high, even bigger than the real thing in my garden.The last photo shows how Red and Green work well together on a canvas or in a garden setting.
Oriental poppies are perennial and most Poppy species are easy to grow from seed of which 50 varieties are available from Thompson & Morgan

Poppy seedheads form in the capsules and when the seed is ripe the lid of the capsule opens to allow seeds to be shaken out. They are not all sown at once by this method so if conditions are not right some seed remains in the pod.
Seed is hard black and long lived.

The Poppy petals are sumptuous is texture and colour and can be very showy through-out summer if you select a range of varieties.

…

Read More Read More