Sunday 27 April 2014

Friday 25th April 2014



Bluebells at Highdown Gardens
With the bluebells in full flower at the Garden House we had a discussion about wild flowers and what constitutes a weed. Bluebells look stunning in woodlands but often pop up all over the flowerbeds and many of the bluebells we now see are the Spanish bluebells or native Spanish hybrids that have larger leaves and have flowers all around the stem rather than just on one side. The Spanish hybrid is more robust than the native and if not monitored could eventually change the genetics of the native variety. The bluebell is part of the asparagus family and forms extensive carpets of flowers especially under the canopy of trees.
Other wild flowers we looked at :
  • Herb Robert or Geranium robertianum - which has distinct red stems, a sprawling habit, pink flowers and rather unpleasant smell. Apparently is has been used as a cure for toothache and nosebleeds
  • Cow parsley or Anthriscus sylvestris - which is a hollow stemmed tall plant and is a member of the carrot family
  • Garlic mustard - Alliaria petiolata or 'jack by the hedge' is a biennial flowering plant and the leaves can be added to salads
Weeds/wild flowers are also an important indicator of soil type e.g. ox-eye daisies grow very well in chalk soil.
Recommended books on wild flowers:
Sarah Raven - Wild Flowers
Keble Martin- Concise British Flora in Colour
John Akeroyd - Encyclopaedia of Wild Flowers
Valerie Ellis - Need to Weed

Activities in the garden this week:
  • planting out corn cockles
  • dead heading narcissi 
  • planting gladioli murielae bulbs and ammi plants in sunken garden
  • sowing sunflower and pumpkin seeds
  • preparing the bed outside greenhouse for dahlias
  • planting peas in containers
  • planting up potato bag
  • continuing path work
  • eating cake when rain stopped play






Photos of Ruth's garden 

Here are some photos to show how much Ruth's garden has progressed since the Friday group worked on her plot in January.







And finally:
I thought you might enjoy some photos of the handkerchief tree (Davidia involucrata) I saw in Highdown gardens on Saturday - it was such a treat to come across it.







Saturday 12 April 2014

Friday 11th April 2014

Today was all about getting the garden ready to open on Sunday as part of the National Garden Scheme - so lots to get on with.

Crimson broad bean

Activities included:

  • more work on the path and weeding and laying gravel on other paths
  • general weeding and tidying up the beds
  • planting the red mustard that had been grown in a drainpipe into the veg bed
  • sowing radishes, rocket and more mustard into the veg beds
  • sowing more crimson broad beans amongst the alliums
  • sowing more annuals including a climber - Thunbergia alata (a white black-eyed Susan), cosmos sonata (a more compact cosmos which will be good for pots)and nasturtiums
Thunbergia alata

Cosmos sonata white

Saturday 5 April 2014

Friday 4th April 2014



We talked about division and taking basal cuttings- dividing herbaceous perennials serves to rejuvenate the plant and also makes more plants. Dividing plants is very straightforward and new plants are made instantly and should grow and flower in the same year if divided in spring or the following year if divided in autumn. You have to wait until there is a reasonable clump - so don't attempt to divide new plants too soon. Plants can be divided every 3-5 years. Basal cuttings can be taken from plants like achillea, geraniums or phlox although not every plant is suitable as some won't cope with being pulled apart. Sever a shoot near the base, strip the lower leaves and pinch out the growing tip to help root growth- put in compost in pots and pot on when there is good root growth.

Achillea
Plant identification:


  • Brunnera - part of borage family, this perennial does well in shade
    Brunnera 
  • Erythronium or dog's tooth violet. They flower in spring and are summer dormant and need partial shade as they are edge of woodland plants.
    Erythronium Pagoda

    Activities in the garden this week:
  • Time to bring out the pelagoniums from the greenhouse 
  • Building a bug hotel
  • Putting herbs in strawberry pots for top garden
  • Planting out sweet peas, ajuga, verbena bonariensis, erythronium, brunnera etc

  • Broad beans
  • Seed sowing including -tom thumb peas, robin hood dwarf broad beans, red kale, cosmos click cranberries and coreopsis
Coreopsis x hybrid 'Incredible' 
    • More path work