New raised bed in my garden

[Brian Ellis]

You're treading on dangerous ground Mr Smyth

Yes I'll keep quiet more so because I'm going to Yorkshire in March 

Very wise considering the reputation you say we have

[Hoy]

The old and damaged roof tiles containing asbestos had to be removed. I did the work myself but when I was about to drive to the special waste deposit center where I had had to pay dearly to deliver the tiles, one of my neighbours came and asked if he could buy all of it! I wasn't hard to persuade.

Why would he want them?
cheers
fermi

He would mend an old outbilding roof! (I think he hoped to get it free )

[mark smyth]

I think I said somewhere in this thread that I will not be planting perennials in my new bed. I have edged it with primroses and may add my Dianthus collection also and that will be it. I decided that this bed will be an annual bed every year.

These were sown in April during warm dry weather and more were added 10 days ago. Germination has been very poor probably because I simply scattered the seeds instead of raking them in and then the lack of rain. Hopefully the next three days of rain will wake them.

I sowed
Rudbeckia 'Moreno'
Gerbera 'Feisty'
Mesembryanthemum
Papaver 'Ladybird'
Chrysanthemum cor. 'Polar Star'
Papaver 'Angels Choir'
Cosmos 'Sweet Sixteen'
Linum 'Charmer'
Niella 'Persian Jewels'
Coreopsis 'Mardi Gras'
Dimorphotheca
Chrysanthemum 'Sunshine'
Cosmos sulphureus
Felicia heterophylla
Centuarea cyanus 'Black Ball'
Chrysanthemum ' Bright Eyes'
Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy'

[mark smyth]

The last bulb to flower in the bed is Allium amplectens. Thalictrum tuberosum, is it a bulb?, is looking good just now.

I could do with suggestion for other small summer flowering bulbs

[mark smyth]

Germination was poor!? Not now. It's a jungle now

[mark smyth]

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4269490106447.2175608.1561943316&type=3&l=6f0a8b252a

[Maggi Young]

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4269490106447.2175608.1561943316&type=3&l=6f0a8b252a

 Great pix!

[mark smyth]

Thanks. I'll load some here later

[mark smyth]

I'm so happy with my annual bed. It's alive every day with solitary, not so many, bumble and honey bees and hoverflies. Sadly not many butterflies this year. Only two Green-veined whites have called in

[angie]

I can see why you are happy with this wonderful display  . Just so delicate and so much colour. Pretty good considering the weather we have had this year.

Angie 

[annew]

It looks great, Mark.

[mark smyth]

Thanks

[David Nicholson]

Very pretty Mark.

[mark smyth]

The video doesnt really show how good it actually looks. Next year I'll do the same but sow seeds earlier. I did make one mistake which I told Anne about. I should have planted all my February and March purchases and gifts in the bed before seed sowing the seeds. I suppose I could put the dormant bulbs in the green house to dry out and plant them late when I remove the annuals

[mark smyth]

I can now add it soon became alive with bumble and honey bees

Today was the day to remove all the annual plants. They were still flowering really well. Surprisingly weed free underneath. They had to come out because I have snowdrops, currently in pots, to plant out.

I have settled on the idea to plant either a shrub rose or climbing rose in the middle

Can anyone suggest a well behaved shrub rose that flowers all summer?