Well, that has to have been the worst spring in my 30 years of gardening – a record dry and cold April, floods and hail at the beginning of May, and now very strong winds in mid May. Several of my plants have lost their flowers/buds, and a few plants have been lost completely, but there have still been some highlights. My wisteria looked great (until the gales!!), my potatoes are thriving, and – with the delayed flowering of many plants due to the weather, it looks like it is going to be a bumper and very colourful early summer.

But actually this week, I haven’t been gardening as much as normal. Taking advantage of the relaxation of COVID restrictions, I had a few days in Devon/Cornwall, including looking at some gardens.

The first was RHS Rosemoor. Most famous for a fantastic rose display, which hadn’t started flowering yet, there were still a couple of excellent displays. The first is in photo 1, and is the Potager Garden. This was a movement started in France, whereby fruits and vegetables were planted as a display, not just as a kitchen garden, and looked great.

The second shown in photo 2, was a lovely spring riverside display, showing candelabra primroses, camassias, irises, persicaria and ferns.

The following day I was at the Eden Project, and spent a lot of time in the Mediterranean and Rainforest biodomes. Photo 3 shows the rainforest biodome, photo 4 some anthurium, photo 5 some proteas from South Africa (my favourite plant), and photo 6 some kangaroo paw.

Once back in soggy and windy Ferndown, I have now started sowing seeds for sunflowers, cobaea scandens, Spanish flag, morning glory, sweet peas as well as several varieties of dwarf French beans. There is still lots of summer bedding plants to be planted out in various tubs and baskets, and of course preparing for the next Greenfingers meeting on Wed/Thurs. Lots to do!!

Happy gardening!!

Kevin

 

Well, I am sure everyone is delighted that, after a very cold and dry spring, the weather has turned so that we finally no longer have below-zero nights. This of course means that we can start putting out all the plants from the greenhouse.

Photo 1 shows some outdoor cordon tomatoes, which are already 3 feet high. One point about tomatoes is blight (tomato and potato blight are the same thing). If you go to Blightwatch on the internet, you can register (absolutely free) with your postcode. You will then get email updates as to when blight is likely in your area. Blight is an airborne disease, usually coming from the west, so just close your greenhouse, or cover your tomatoes/potatoes with fleece.

Next out of the greenhouse were the lettuce, rocket etc, shown in photo 2.

Now with the flowers in the many tubs and flowerbeds, there is a slight problem. Because of the cold weather, some tulips and even daffodils have been holding on to their blooms. Normally by now they would all have died down, and you could be taking off the foliage, leaving the bulbs in the ground for next year. However, I am having to take off the foliage before all the goodness has gone back into the bulb, to make way for all the new summer annuals and perennials. I therefore suspect that next spring’s showings of the daffodils and tulips wont be as spectacular, so I will need to put in more spring bulbs this autumn.

Today is the first day of the latest relaxation of COVID restrictions, where up to 6 people can meet indoors, but please do take things carefully and slowly. However, outdoor activities are much safer, so last week Paula and I took a trip to Exbury Gardens, near Beaulieu. Exbury is noted for its rhododendrons, azaleas, acers and camelias (it has very acid soil), and they are looking spectacular at the moment, as seen in photo 3. They will remain spectacular for the next 3 weeks or so, and if you are looking for a nice garden to visit, now is the best time to visit Exbury.

Linda Withrington and Rita Gibson won the gardening prize last year during lockdown, for the maximum flowers and shrubs seen on their daily walks. Would you both like to claim your prize with a trip to Exbury? I am free after this week.

Happy gardening, it is a busy time trying to catch up.

Kevin

Well, we had the coldest April in 100 years, the driest April in 30 years, and storms/hail/strong winds at the start of May, so an interesting time to garden!!

With hopefully the frosty nights behind us, we can finally start moving plants out of the greenhouse and into the garden this coming week. We had the 4 Greenfingers sessions last week making up hanging baskets and tubs, and photo 1 shows all of mine that I have made up so far (a few more to come).

When we were taking out the contacts of the winter baskets, they had a number of perennial evergreens that we saved – thyme, euonymus, ivy, wintersweet etc, and the bellis daisies will also go on for a few months yet. There was also the white cineraria, from which you can take cuttings. These will grow well over the summer, so the plants themselves (photo 2) can be saved and put in tubs in the winter. You can also take cuttings (photo 3) that will be large enough to go into hanging baskets for the winter, a continuous circle.

We also finally potted up the sweet peas (photo 4) which need tying in for the next couple of weeks, until their tendrils can support the plant’s weight. The potatoes are doing well (photo 5), and have just been earthed up for a second time. The wisteria is also now fully out (photo 6).

It was also time to sort out the various herbs (photo 7). Mediterranean herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme etc like very gritty soil and good drainage, and can all do with a haircut, to promote more bushy growth. Multi-stemmed herbs like thyme and marjoram can be divided to get more plants, and single-stemmed herbs like rosemary and sage, can have cuttings taken. Photo 8 shows some sage cuttings (again in very gritty and free-draining soil.

With the Greenfingers Plant Fayre on 24 July (please make a note in your diaries, it is at Margaret Hobson’s house), now would be a good time to sow both flowers and vegetables, to sell at the fayre, so please do give it a go.

Happy gardening!!

Kevin  

Well at last the weather has stopped being below freezing at night (just), so time to get stuff out of the greenhouse/garden room, to the outside to harden off. Photo 1 shows some dwarf French beans and beetroot grown earlier in pots. These will ripen earlier than seeds planted into the ground (still too early for beans), so will mean you will have beans etc over a longer period in the summer/autumn.

Photo 2 shows some overwintered onions (I have shallots and garlic too), which are doing well, and should be ready by the end of May, allowing me to plant more salad crops etc as soon as they are harvested.

With the extra space released in the greenhouse, I have been putting my tomatoes, peppers, chillies, cucumber and tomatillos into larger pots, as shown in photo 3.

Around the garden, the fresh new leaves on my hydrangeas were ‘burnt’ by the overnight frosts, as shown in photo 4, but they should recover OK. My wisteria and montana clematis in my (south-facing) front garden are doiong really well, and should be in full flower in the next couple of weeks, and photo 5 shows the main garden flower beds also doing really well. Lupins really loving it, as well as agapanthus, foxgloves and anemones.

We have the 4 Greenfingers meetings this Wed/Thurs when we will be potting up some hanging baskets and finally the sweet peas.

Kevin     

Well, another sunny week, but still below freezing at night, so we’re on the starting blocks, ready to go, as the weather warms up (at night) hopefully next week. But still lots to do anyway.
I will be using my nematodes today (Sunday) for both vine weevil and gooseberry sawfly. These are shown in photo 1. These are completely organic, the nematodes just burrow into the larvae, don’t poison it, so great for wildlife. You just dissolve them in water, and then water the ground around the plants. I have already used the slug nematodes.
As greenhouses and cold frames have had their windows and doors closed more than expected due to the freezing night temperatures, I have noticed a few whitefly and greenfly. As I try to be as organic as possible, and don’t use pesticides or chemicals, I find the following recipe really easy. I take 2 garlic cloves, mash them up (I use a hammer), then put them in water to infuse for a couple of hours. I then spray this garlic water directly onto the greenfly/whitefly, and that kills them organically. Something about breaking down viscosity from the sap and pest emissions, but I don’t really understand it – but it works.
If we have more cold weather over the summer, and have to keep our greenhouse doors closed a lot, this may limit the amount of pollinating insects that can get into the greenhouse. I am already seeing flowers on some of my tomato plants. So in case that happens, another tip. Tomatoes are indeed pollinated by bees/wasps etc. But not by taking pollen from one part of the plant to the other, it is simply by the buzzing sound and vibration, which releases the pollen onto the ovary, within the same flower. So if there aren’t enough pollinating insects about, simply get an electric toothbrush, and put it on the tomato flower, and that will do the same job. Simple.
I have been checking my overwintering broadbeans (variety called Aquadulce), and they have lots of flowers (see photo 2). Finally, I need your help in identifying a tree in my garden, with very attractive flowers (photo 3). I believe it is some type of prunus, but does anyone know exactly what it is?
Finally finally, Margaret Hobson has very kindly offered to hold the Greenfingers Plant Fayre at her house on Saturday 24th July, so please mark that date in your diaries, and tell all your friends/neighbours/relatives. Also, Margaret will need lots of help beforehand, on the day, and clearing up afterwards, so please try to help wherever you can. And please sow seeds, take cuttings or otherwise propagate as many plants as possible, all proceeds will go to charity.
Happy Gardening!
Kevin

Well, this current unexpected cold snap has pushed things back a week or two in the garden, as I would normally be thinking about planting out my sweet peas, beans, and putting out the summer bedding plants to harden off before planting, but that will have to wait now. But that is the fun of gardening.
So I have been busy in my greenhouse, garden room, and have recently (re)acquired the use of some of the conservatory, with permission from the boss of course!! That means I have been planting on a lot of my plants into bigger pots. I planted some ammi majus and calendula bullseye on 3rd March into a 12inch tray, and they have grown well. I have therefore been planting them up into individual pots. Photo 1 shows the ammi majus and calendula bullseye before planting into pots, and photo 2 shows them in pots. I used about a quarter of a seed packet in both cases, getting about 15 healthy plants of each. I have also done the same with monarda panorama, marigold French fancy, and little gem/lollo rosso lettuce. There is still a couple of beds to prepare, using compost from my hot bins (makes great compost in 6 months in the winter, 3 in the summer, so I have 3 of them), and organic chicken manure. Also, as there has been very little rain, I have been watering the seeds in the raised beds, and larger plants in pots. Once we are into May, I will hook up my automatic watering system.
But once the cold snap is over, there will be frantic activity getting a lot of plants outside, both into the ground and to harden off, as well as direct seed sowing into the ground. My potatoes have been growing well even with this frost, so will soon need earthing up.

Happy Gardening!

Kevin