Friday 9th May 2014

 

Most of the tulips have gone over now and we are emptying pots in the Garden House - bulbs can be stored for planting again in late autumn. They can be kept in a shed but need to be in a container that allows for the air to get to them so they don't rot off. They can also be planted straight into the ground if they are to be kept for next year. It is not too late to sow cosmos directly into modules and cosmos are usually resistant to slugs and snails and keep flowering through into early autumn.

We had some discussion about tender perennials - these are plants that have a life cycle of more than 2 years but would get damaged by frost if left out in the garden throughout the whole year. We looked at some examples in the plant identification:

• Nemesia 'Wisley Vanilla' - flowers all summer and smells of vanilla. It is happy in sun or part shade and is usually treated as an annual- remove faded flower stem to encourage re-blooming.

Nemesia 'Wisley Vanilla'

• Verbena 'Sissinghurst' - has clusters of pink flowers - it flowers from May until the frosts if dead headed regularly. It likes full sun.

Verbena 'Sissinghurst'

• Felicia Amelloides or blue marguerite is a South African tender perennial- it likes well drained soil and full sun

Felicia Amelloides

• Nicotiana 'Marshmallow' - an unusual variety of Nicotiana ( tobacco plant) with faded red, pink and white flowers which will be planted in pots in the Garden House. Nicotiana seeds need to be sow in March & April and the plants will flower through July, August and September.

Nicotiana 'Marshmallow'

Activities in the garden this week:

• pot up and organise the display of pelargoniums
• potting up new hydrangea plants for display outside the garden room
• planting out broad beans, peas and chard
• clearing a bed in the greenhouse for some special lettuce plants
• pricking out cosmos seedlings
• emptying pots of tulip and narcissus ready for planting up
• planting up viola pots
• more path work for Vicky