Making the Best of It... (Was 'Blog from an Untidy Garden')

[mark smyth]

One for Angie - Epilobium fleischeri - Thanks Angie.

Is it as small as it looks? Can I beg some seeds?

[tonyg]

Grew to about 10 inches, likely there will be seed in a while.  Send an SAE with your Crocus Group fiver and you'll certainly get some!

[tonyg]

that's a lovely epilobium. how do you grow it? any special conditions?

No special treatment.  Seed sown in spring, potted on in summer.  Would probably have been happier planted out at that stage, the neglected ones, left in pots too long did poorly.  I've seen it in the alps growing in dry places and scree.  Seed for you too?

[razvan chisu]

yes, please.
thanks

[tonyg]

Starting out on the third year of this Blog you might think the garden is tidier now.  Sadly, wrongly!  Family comes first and health issues for two of the family have slowed us down in the last twelve months.  Although things are not sorted I am happy to report that we are back on an even keel now and hope for a better year ahead. 

I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Blog, it's always nice to get your feedback .... and any ideas you have to help me be a better gardener.  A passion for plants does not necessarily make a good gardener, I can do with all the help I can get!

It's been a very strange winter in Norfolk, a succession of plants thinking it was spring in November and early December.  Lot's of unseasonal flowers (in small quantities) mingling with the regular winter flowerers.

In order of appearance:
Androsace languginosa.  Flowers appeared in late November.  The plant had been toasted to a crisp last April and has taken until now to make flowers.  (They succumbed to a hard frost late December)
Clematis orientalis, looking quite attractive without it's clothes petals
Cyclamen coum.  Plenty of flowers now, this was one of the first.
Chimonanthus praecox.  Raised from seed, a nice form which is gloriously scented and in great condition as we have had no extreme cold weather.
Crocus laevigatus 'fontenayi' flowering just before Christmas.
Narcissus 'December Gold' living up to its name.
A Christmas Day bud on Gentiana angustifolia.  It has not fully opened as it gets no sun at this time of year.

[Tim Ingram]

Tony - I can symphathise with health issues; perhaps slowing down a little is not such a bad thing! We have all sorts of things flowering at silly times - Gentiana acaulis, Crocus 'Bowles' White' (about a month early?), some of the tuberous spring anemones and so on. I imagine that plants that don't normally get very severe winter weather in Nature, and are not adapted to a long winter dormancy, have their normal annual rythms quite out of kilter. Most snowdrops, which I thought might be especially early, on the other hand seem to be behaving fairly normally. No wonder gardening continues to surprise us so much!

[tonyg]

At last, a restart of the Grand Plan for the lost garden of Hellesdon!  With hired help we have begun to make the big changes so long planned.  The demolition of the steel greenhouse hit a snag when the angle grinder blade needed replacing but the lock-nut was seized up.  They'll be back another day to finish what they started there.  Andy was a powerhouse, removing the many lumps of concrete used long ago to edge two raised beds and lifting concrete paths, resulting in the mini-everest rock pile.  I had a busy time clearing the undergrowth from the area, filling the white builders bag with chopped arisings and making a good start on a second bag.  Oh, we also removed the stump of a 'dwarf' conifer which was too heavy to lift and had to be further cut up.  A fabulous day weatherwise made it all great fun.

It was a very frosty start but Cyclamen coum is as tough as old boots.  In the surviving greenhouse a fine form of crocus reticulatus, raised from home produced seed is looking good in the mini-net-pot bed that featured in the Blog last autumn.

[angie]

When will the Lost gardens of Hellesdon be opened to the public  Looks as if you are having fun.
Looking forward to see the changes.

Angie 

[Tim Ingram]

Maybe tufa is back on the agenda? My wife is rapidly getting more interested in alpines now so I am hoping a nice batch of tufa will be a good early birthday present (her birthday is in December!)! Will you have members gardens open when you hold your special event this year?

[Shadylanejewel]

This is one topic I've gone back and have been reading from the start (currently about 1/2 way) - unfortunately, I have to work sometimes. 

The subject is one I can definitely relate to.  I just don't know how others seem to find the time to have such perfect gardens - alas maybe someday.

Regardless that your garden may be "Untidy", your flowers are gorgeous!     Keep up the great work.

Julie

[tonyg]

Maybe tufa is back on the agenda? My wife is rapidly getting more interested in alpines now so I am hoping a nice batch of tufa will be a good early birthday present (her birthday is in December!)! Will you have members gardens open when you hold your special event this year?

Yes to Tufa, hoping it is the hard stuff though.  Some that I have from years ago is very prone to frost damage.
Members gardens open on September 9th after our Conference?  I'll let you know ... we're not blessed with any classic 'alpine' gardens in Norwich but there are some nice gardens (members and others) around the county.

[tonyg]

This is one topic I've gone back and have been reading from the start (currently about 1/2 way) - unfortunately, I have to work sometimes. 
The subject is one I can definitely relate to.  I just don't know how others seem to find the time to have such perfect gardens - alas maybe someday.
Regardless that your garden may be "Untidy", your flowers are gorgeous!     Keep up the great work.
Julie

Thanks Julie 

[tonyg]

It's gone!

Next visit from Andy will be after his week off .... I have to arrange "the biggest skip you can get" for Tuesday week.

[Maggi Young]

Remind me, Tony... why did you decide to get rid of that glass house?

[tonyg]

The sun came out mid-morning and I was drawn to the greenhouse.  Neglected for over a year (apart from planting bulbs into one of the plunge beds last autumn) it needs a lot of tlc.  Filthy floor, cobwebs galore and living up to its name Greenhouse!

Now the floor is clean, the rubbish removed, most of the glass washed down (well OK I need to get down on my knees under the plunges next time) and I even found time for some plant-care too.  Oh happy day!

I sowed a lot of my own narcissus seed late in 2010.  It germinated after the early winter cold and I managed (more by luck the judgement) to keep it growing right through until late summer.  After a short dormancy the seedlings are up and growing again, pots covered with a thick layer of moss.  I have removed moss and liverwort from bulb seedpots before and prefer to do this when the plants are in growth.  It is quite easy to peel the mossy layer away from the top and top dress with some fresh compost.  I planted the seeds at depth and when in growth you can ensure that the tine bulbs are not removed accidentally.

I do not grow many alpines in pots at present but Primula marginata 'Dwarf Form' is one that I have had for over twenty years.  It is so easy to propagate from cuttings (inserted in some damp sand - the plunge often works fine if kept moist) and seems very happy in a pot.  It does look a lot better if the old leaves are tidied up during the winter.  Spot the long-nosed tweezers that are a useful tool when fingers are too fat!