Excellent New Resource: A Midland Alpine Gardener's Diary

[Maggi Young]

Diane, would it not be easier to get a sheep.... plant the codonopsis ON its back.... and then have it eat the grass to keep your lawn neat.......    Multi-tasking is all the rage, after all?  

[Paul T]

Sounds like someone is trying to pull the wool over our eyes!! 

[Diane Clement]

Diane, would it not be easier to get a sheep.... plant the codonopsis ON its back.... and then have it eat the grass to keep your lawn neat.......    Multi-tasking is all the rage, after all?     

YES, what an excellent idea.  I'll add it to my list of daft things to do this summer ... 
first catch your sheep

[Paul T]

Diane,

So... are we allowed to ask what is already on your list of "daft things to do this summer"?  You're sounding like it is already a lengthy tome, so maybe you could share a few with us?  I find daft things are much more fun done spontaneously.... creating a list ahead of time means you have to sort of keep to a schedule to get them all done, which takes the fun out of it. 

[Maggi Young]

I am most interested to see  that in Diane's latest Midland Diary 11 August 2009 on the AGS site,
http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/Midland/+August+/218/    ..........

Diane mentions that she finds that the white forms of Cyclamen hederifolium are the first to begin flowering every year: this is exactly what we find here in Aberdeen. It is always the gorgeous white flowers that appear first..... we don't know why, either!



Diane also tells us that she has "decided to get rid of an unproductive Rhododendron saluensis" ..... I'm surprised to hear that.... since R. saluenense  is one of my favourite rhodos, because of its willingness to flower at all times of the year , and flower generously, at that! Pity we couldn't get Diane's rhodo and mine in synch like our Cyc. hederifoliums!

[Diane Clement]

Diane also tells us that she has "decided to get rid of an unproductive Rhododendron saluensis" ..... I'm surprised to hear that.... this is one of my favourite rhodos, because of its willingness to flower at all times of the year , and flower generously, at that! Pity we couldn't get Diane's rhodo and mine in synch like our Cyc. hederifoliums!    

Thanks, Maggi, as always, for your interest! 
The Rhodo saluensis most year never flowered, this year it actually produced about 6 flowers.  It was a healthy plant, about 1m high, but I had to find space and felt that it didn't really justify its position.  Its place has been taken by a lovely Barry Starling hybrid called "Sleeping Beauty", Yaku fairy x hanceana nana, which had outgrown its previous place in a trough.  I'm sure you can imagine with that parentage, it is a good flowerer. 

[Maggi Young]

Its place has been taken by a lovely Barry Starling hybrid called "Sleeping Beauty", Yaku fairy x hanceana nana, which had outgrown its previous place in a trough.  I'm sure you can imagine with that parentage, it is a good flowerer.

I can imagine that, Diane..... and, if it has outgrown its previous home, perhaps it has enough growth to allow for a cutting or two to be taken.......

[Diane Clement]

I can imagine that, Diane..... and, if it has outgrown its previous home, perhaps it has enough growth to allow for a cutting or two to be taken.......    

I'll take that as a hint and see what I can do ...

[Maggi Young]

I can imagine that, Diane..... and, if it has outgrown its previous home, perhaps it has enough growth to allow for a cutting or two to be taken.......    

I'll take that as a hint and see what I can do ...

thank goodness for that.... thought for a minute I was being too subtle .....

[Diane Clement]

I'm still repotting cyclamen.  I'm still collecting seed.  The garden is showing the first signs of Autumn ...

If you want to see how I do these things, my latest blog is out:

Midland Diary No 17 - The end of August

[Diane Clement]

There's a feel of autumn in the air, the nights are now noticeably drawing in.

My latest blog is out:

Midland Diary no 18 - The nights draw in

Here's some sneak previews

[Maggi Young]

Diane has made a start to the new year with her Midland Diary.....
http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/Midland/+January+/249/

[Diane Clement]

If you'd like a peep inside my Access frame, take a look at my new Diary entry. 

Midland Blog Number 22  Slow beginnings

Here's a couple of previews

Adonis amurensis
Galanthus Wendy's Gold

[fleurbleue]

Happy to read you again Diane  I couldn't wait for your diary 

[Maggi Young]

Those shots of your well-filled access frame will be getting a lot of folks envious, Diane, and planning to get something similar.

I'm interested to read that you use it as an open shady place in summer.... I can think of quite a lot of plants that I would have in it to protect them from our summer wet, which seems every bit as lethal to some plants as winter wet.

The garden snowdrops here may be a little bit more advanced than yours, though not by much...there is the anxious wait now to see if the hoped for shoots of so many plants that are "missing in action" at the moment will finally pop through the ground or if the winter has meant an end to them.My guess is there are quite a lot of casualties here......I do hope you fare better.