Your Garden

[SuuT]

What are you growing/planning to grow?

I'm doing container gardening this year. Thus far I have Bell Pepper, Banana Peppers, Romain Lettuce, Jet Star Tomato, Roma Tomato, Chard, Garlic, Cilantro, Red Onion, Leeks, Parsely...yeah, that's it for now. I want a lot more herbs, but it's still somewhat cool in the mornings - so I'll wait a month or so before planting.

[The Lawspeaker]

Good one. I am still thinking about what to do with mine. (those couples of inches of soil)

[Loddfafner]

I planted peas and lettuce in one raised bed. I set up groundhog fortifications around another, and composted a third. I have a ways to go in installing the vegetable garden. As for flowers, I put in a white single-flowered peony in a site where it will find the accompaniment of blue irises, baptisia, and foxgloves.

[Allenson]

Still early here for any gardening outside of a greenhouse--but, we'll have the usuals: carrots, peas, green beans, potatoes, broccoli, spinach, herb, summer sqashes, winter squashes. We also have a few apple trees, so those are included, I reckon. Lastly, there's some wild harvesting to do: for example, we have oodles of wild leeks on the property which are some of the earliest herbaceous emergents in the spring and they make for some great eating. They should be poking up through the leaf litter within the month based on how this season has been going thus far. They are abundent in the hardwood copse next to the house:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2063/2487068598_92f9886cc4.jpg

[Skandi]

Bit early yet. The broccoli is just coming good, will be harvesting in a month I would think, the broad beans just went in, as did some more mint seeds..everything else will haev to wait for the frosts to stop..Another month or so I guess

[Arne]

I´ve sowed Chillies and i plan to plant them all out..
The Garden is nearly almost full of Cacti´s from my Collection.

[SuuT]

... As for flowers, I put in a white single-flowered peony in a site where it will find the accompaniment of blue irises, baptisia, and foxgloves.

Do you do annuals, Barbie? I'm doing some containers with Dragon Wing Begonias, Viola, Bacopa, Calibrachoa, Dianthus, New Guniea Impatiens, Coleus, and some Asiatic Lillies. It's amazing how big things get down here.

[Loddfafner]

Do you do annuals?

Annuals are filler. I use nasturtiums, poppies, impatiens, zinnias, marigolds, ageratum, and the like. As for centerpiece annuals, tithonia or Mexican sunflower, and this annual vine, which no one has gotten yet on the Botany quiz. (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showpost.php?p=166819&postcount=799)

[SuuT]

Annuals are filler. I use nasturtiums, poppies, impatiens, zinnias, marigolds, ageratum, and the like. As for centerpiece annuals, tithonia or Mexican sunflower, and this annual vine, which no one has gotten yet on the Botany quiz. (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showpost.php?p=166819&postcount=799)

Mina Lobata.


I used to take you from behind with He-Man as a child, by the way.

[Germanicus]

The furry children can no longer destroy Mrs Germanicus's garden, last summer i built a wooden fence around her plot, they did try to tunnel underneath it, (the darlings) but my Legionaire training enabled me to thwart their attempt at sabotage, i buried house bricks a few inches under the soil around the outside of the fence.
Mrs Germanicus has been buying bulbs and seedling for when the weather warms.

[SuuT]

The furry children can no longer destroy Mrs Germanicus's garden, last summer i built a wooden fence around her plot, they did try to tunnel underneath it, (the darlings) but my Legionaire training enabled me to thwart their attempt at sabotage, i buried house bricks a few inches under the soil around the outside of the fence.
Mrs Germanicus has been buying bulbs and seedling for when the weather warms.

Have you ever tried urinating around the perimeter as well? I did this when I lived in Colorado and it kept nearly everything away, including deer.

[Allenson]

Have you ever tried urinating around the perimeter as well? I did this when I lived in Colorado and it kept nearly everything away, including deer.

Some people use coyote urine, which can be purchased.

Preadtor pee, lol: :thumb001:

http://www.predatorpee.com/

I've had success with cayenne pepper as a deterrent for deer.

[SuuT]

Preadtor pee, lol: :thumb001:

http://www.predatorpee.com/



^:D. Who knew. :D

You know what I bet would work: Eating nothing but rabbit and venison for three days, and then pissing on the perimeter:D.

[Liffrea]

I’ve just finished digging over the front garden, that’s going to be for wild flowers….low maintenance, looks pretty.

For the allotment, potatoes (early and maincrop), tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, parsnips, leeks, lettuce, cabbage, sweed, runner beans, beetroot, onions.

Planted a couple of fruit trees last year apple, pear, won’t get much off them till next year though. Also put in a few berry bushes, might need a cage to keep the birds off.

[Arne]

Isn´t it too cold in the UK for potatoes ?
I heard some things about the Climate..
But Tomatoes dislike the Rain and it´s yet here a big fight..

These Birds are the Thieves of the Air..
And they are everywhere..
Better prepare and care for your berries :p

[The Lawspeaker]

Isn´t it too cold in the UK for potatoes ?
Well.. The Irish used to be a bunch of potato munchers and Ireland's climate is somewhat wetter (and perhaps just as cold/warm) as the UK. Potatoes can actually grow in Denmark and Sweden as well.. so.

[Loddfafner]

One should plant potatoes a few weeks before last frost. They like it cool.

[Germanicus]

This thread has reminded me to do a job i put off at the end of last summer, when i bought my house in 1997 i bought a brand new 15"blade petrol mower.
Changing the engine oil has not been one of my priority jobs, but as soon as it possible i will give the mower a makeover...:)

[Liffrea]

Originally Posted by Ead
Isn´t it too cold in the UK for potatoes ?

Heck no! It’s one of the primary crops the spud.

It’s not to cold for slugs either…bastards, that and the blight wiped out most of my crop last year…..I’m trying Foremost this year, supposedly slug resistant.


I heard some things about the Climate..

England is the Gods own country, that’s why just about every bugger from Norway to Italy has invaded it.:D

In July/August I pull up my recliner, a good book, shirt off and relax in the sun with the sounds of the world of nature at work around me….which usually means I’m being bitten to buggery within half hour….


But Tomatoes dislike the Rain and it´s yet here a big fight..

You can grow them outside in a cold frame, but they are better off in the greenhouse. I grew beefcake and stoner last year, tomatoes straight off the plant, glory itself.


These Birds are the Thieves of the Air..
And they are everywhere..
Better prepare and care for your berries

My friend across the way has an air rifle, ever had barbecued pidgeon? Tasty, just don’t shoot at them when they are on someone’s green house……

[Bloodeagle]

My family is going all out this summer with our garden. We can only grow vegetables here that are considered cool weather vegetables, without the aid of plastic mulch or a greenhouse.
We plan to grow cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, potatoes, carrots, and onions.
Maybe I might get lucky and grow some huge cabbage like this.http://www.everingham.com/family/images/bigcabbage.jpg

Have you ever tried urinating around the perimeter as
well? I did this when I lived in Colorado and it kept nearly everything away, including deer.

Urine is a great fertilizer if you can get past the odor!:D

[Aemma]

Annuals are filler. I use nasturtiums, poppies, impatiens, zinnias, marigolds, ageratum, and the like. As for centerpiece annuals, tithonia or Mexican sunflower, and this annual vine, which no one has gotten yet on the Botany quiz. (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showpost.php?p=166819&postcount=799)

Ohhh, this is that other thread! I finally stumbled upon it! LOL

Uhmmm you're up SuuTie in the Botany Quiz thread (methinks!) :D

Great thread SuuTie; I can't believe I've just found it now. But anyway...

Well our garden is forever in a state of flux as my philosophies on gardening and life in general tend to evolve. With a big thanks to Lodd, I've become a fan of Michael Pollan's which in turn has propelled my interest in food security issues to new heights, not to mention new labour initiatives around the home (much to hubby's chagrin, I'm afraid to say :P).

This year I'm resolute in finding new homes for most of the plants that are merely decorative and not serving at least another purpose, either being edible or staving off pests (preferably both!). The sole exception to this rule is the keeping of my three lilac trees/shrubs, the peony, the Persian somethingn or other and the Turtlehead plants in the veggie bed. They stay. It would be sacreligious to get rid of my lilacs! This means that a rose has been dug up and will find a new home in the front yard, making way for yet more vegetables. And the herbs themselves will find a home in a huge pot (as they do every year). They only overwinter in the actual veg bed so I can keep them for the following year. I've already used some of the chive and spicy oregano this week! Exciting, I know! (:P)

I'm a huge fan of container gardening as well. Provided you have the right size container and great soil and that you are diligent in watering, container gardening is the cat's meow! I usually grow spring onions in pots (Number One son likes to pick these to put in his omelettes); they take up no room and are the easiest thing to grow. I also have pots full of herbs, as I've mentioned. I usually sow green bush beans in a huge pot; these have always worked extremely well for me. And of course tomatoes in pots! It wouldn't be a normal year without seeing a monstrous Sweet 100 in our backyard. Oh and lettuces in pots!! Can't have enough of that either, the cut and come again kind and mesclun. :)

We plan on purchasing a cherry tree as well this year, a Lapins variety which is upright and can fit compactly into a small yard and garden. Next year, I plan on purchasing a plum tree for the front yard (lawn-B-gone!). These are great fruit trees for small yards since they are self-fertile. I also hope to invest in some Colonnade apple tress one day.

As for other containers that I plan on having this year, container zucchini, peas and melons. I've never tried these before so we'll see how all of that goes. I'm also tempted to grow potatoes in a sack of some kind (youtube has interesting videos regarding this type of potato growing). We'll see.

Oh and I just unearthed my strawberry hanging basket this week as well and the plants seem none the worse for wear. We'll see how it manages.

This year we've also bought and planted two currant bushes, one red and the other black. I've been wanting some currant bushes for a while now and they are doing extremely well already...wee fruit is starting to develop! Oh and I just bought a rhubarb plant this week as well. Finally, I will be able to get my own!

Hmm I think that's it for now...

Again, nice thread SuuTie! Thanks! :)

[Loddfafner]

This year I'm resolute in finding new homes for most of the plants that are merely decorative and not serving at least another purpose, either being edible or staving off pests (preferably both!).

Merely decorative? Don't underestimate the importance of the decorative in nourishing the soul.

[Aemma]

Merely decorative? Don't underestimate the importance of the decorative in nourishing the soul.

Wrong choice of adverb I guess. :embarrassed I meant simply more so than merely. I find ALL plants decorative in their own right so my purpose is to zero in on double-duty plants as best as I can. As I said, I am keeping my lilacs and peony and turtlehead and Persian aster where they are in the veg bed. :) I do recognise the importance of such things, dear Lodd. :) I just don't have acreage to be able to do everything I'd love to do here: my backyard is only 20X30--and a chunk of that is eaten up by gazebo and garden shed and small deck off the back patio doors. :)

In the end, all of it nourishes my soul. :) This is why I can be found lazing around in my gazebo most of the summer (day and night), just sitting and looking around and thinking/daydreaming, or reading, or listening to the birds and watching them eat and bathe from the feeder and birdbath, respectively, or I can be found hanging out amongst the plants and weeding and watering. And yes I do watch bug life doing its thing as well: my favourite is watching bees get lost in the depths of snapdragon flowerheads. They open the door, close the door, do their thing and then, I'm quite sure, thank their hostess for the lovely nectar and are on their way to the next neighbour for a social call. It's all such a civilized community. :)

I'm not just a "veg barbarian", really I'm not. :D It's all good, Lodd. Really, it is. :thumb001: :)

[Loddfafner]

Here is a shot of my broken tulip next to a tulip of the kind it was supposed to be. As a Rembrandt tulip, ironically it was bred to resemble one broken by the virus, but then it got hit with the real thing.

[Brynhild]

Urine is a great fertilizer if you can get past the odor!:D

It's also a great weed killer. I noticed after my son had urinated in one particular spot a few times. :D

I've focused mainly on native plants at this stage, but a vegie garden would be great to do at some point. In the meantime, here is my wee garden:

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm30/brynhild64/FrontGarden.jpg

I bought the majority of these plants at the end of last year from the botanic gardens, where they allow home owners to buy up to 50 plants each year at dirt cheap prices.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm30/brynhild64/Grevillea.jpg

One of my favourite natives - a type of Grevillea.

[Arne]

It's also a great weed killer. I noticed after my son had urinated in one particular spot a few times. :D

I've focused mainly on native plants at this stage, but a vegie garden would be great to do at some point. In the meantime, here is my wee garden:

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm30/brynhild64/FrontGarden.jpg

I bought the majority of these plants at the end of last year from the botanic gardens, where they allow home owners to buy up to 50 plants each year at dirt cheap prices.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm30/brynhild64/Grevillea.jpg

One of my favourite natives - a type of Grevillea.
Archontophoenix is also native Australian palm, so why do not plant a Palm tree if the Climate allow it ?
Plant tomatoes,Aubergines,Paprika and Aubergines if you like it..

As long my part is not ready for showing.. overgrowed.with weeds
This i will able to show..two weeks ago..
There´s not mucht to present, only wet soil :(


Originally Posted by bloodeagle View Post
Urine is a great fertilizer if you can get past the odor!
I missed that :p

[Brynhild]

Archontophoenix is also native Australian palm, so why do not plant a Palm tree if the Climate allow it ?
Plant tomatoes,Aubergines,Paprika and Aubergines if you like it..

Actually, I do have a native palm - just not in the photos. Besides, I'm not planting any more until I've prepared the yard some more. It's too cold and there is bugger all sun at this point. Around August/September is a good time to get back into the swing of it.

[Arne]

Some Ferns out of my Collection and a terracotta pot with sedum plawnts.

http://img64.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=bild1234555004.jpg

[Svipdag]

Sorry I have no pictures, but my garden is doing well. My weeping cherry tree has already shed its blossoms, but they were lovely. My azaleas are flourishing, contributing a blaze of red colour. I have two others which will bloom later, one white and one orange. The lilies-of-the-valley are trying to burst the boundaries of their plot. My day-lilies are not in full bloom yet, but, already they are as tall as maize plants. Already, there are tiny buds on some of my rose bushes.

[Bloodeagle]

The last of the snow has melted and I have 2 more weeks till our last frost. Then I can set out my 10 flats of Brassica's.
I will also plant sweet peas, lettuce, carrot, radish, and a few others directly in the soil.

[Bloodeagle]

Here is a few pictures of my garden as of yesterday. It has been 3 weeks now since I have planted.
We have had very cool and rainy conditions since setting out. I hope the rest of the summer will shape up with a bountiful harvest in store.

[Germanicus]

Remember the potting table i made? i had to put together quick a polythene wood framed shelter for the plug plants, they had to be potted before Mrs Germanicus could plant them in her hanging baskets at the front of our house.
The weather turned wet and cold for a few days, i just finished it before another heavy downpour.
The plants are mixed Bizzie Lizzies, all in all she had 95 pots on the potting table, top and bottom.


http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/003-9.jpg

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/004-5.jpg

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/005-9.jpg

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/007-5.jpg

[Piparskeggr]

Well, less of a garden this year than last...

Our hop vines do quite well: 3 Kent Golding, 1 Willamette and 1 Northern Brewer of 4 bines each...over 18 feet tall (which is the height of the trellis I built).

We have blueberry bushes and strawberry plants we've put in this year for future hope.

...grapes, mulberry and blackberry grow wild along the property line.

...and we have a huge bush each of oregano and sage...

[Aemma]

Here is a few pictures of my garden as of yesterday. It has been 3 weeks now since I have planted.
We have had very cool and rainy conditions since setting out. I hope the rest of the summer will shape up with a bountiful harvest in store.

It's all looking so awesomely, bloodeagle! Very nice and neat and healthy!! :)

What kind of soil do you guys have over there? Must you amend it much?

[Bloodeagle]

It's all looking so awesomely, bloodeagle! Very nice and neat and healthy!! :)

What kind of soil do you guys have over there? Must you amend it much?

Thank you Aemma!
Our top 18 inches of soil are comprised of a silt loam made from airborne glacial silt dust and volcanic ash accumulation. Below that is a mix of sand and gravel.
Our top soil is comparable to clay when wet but turns to dust as fine as talcum powder when dry.
It is relatively nutrient free and acidic.
Phosphorous being almost absent.
I amended the soil with 1 part steer manure and one part peat moss mixed with dolomite lime.
I have also been using Alaska fish fertilizer when I water.

Next Spring we plan to construct permanent raised beds and possibly a greenhouse.
In the greenhouse we will grow veggies that can't cope with the cold.
I would love to have a fresh tomato.:D

[Germanicus]

Here is the fenced off little patch i made for Mrs Germanicus to stop the furry children from ruining her flowers, also little Phoebes memorial plaque is in there...:)
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/005-10.jpg
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/003-10.jpg

My wife likes her potted plants a lot..;)
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/004-6.jpg
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/008-10.jpg

She has also has hanging baskets outside the front of the house.
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/006-8.jpg
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/007-6.jpg
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/009-7.jpg

[Albion]

I'm starting my garden from scratch, it had chickens in it for about 2 or 3 years and they ruined it so a lot of its bare earth at the moment.
I'll mostly cover it with a lawn and it slopes up a hill where there's a willow tree which I'm going to take a few cuttings of and plant a few willows near the patchy hawthorn hedge.

I'm also going to plant some trees which have blossom on, apple or cherry trees but they don't produce the flowers in the first few years.
There's two problem areas, a large patch of Cheshire's sand at the top of the hill and it's clay at a small area of the bottom. I'll perhaps plant some heathland plants at the top and make a rockery (this area was traditionally a heathland anyway) and at the bottom I'll put a topsoil over the clay to give grass a better chance.
Most of it will consist of a large lawn but under the trees there's already a few strawberry plants, I'm leaving them since I've noticed my dog marking his territory on them! :rolleyes: I'm going to grow strawberries from hanging baskets this year instead.

In the hedge I'll also plant a few species of berries as well as a few additional hawthorn plants and around the edges of the lawn I'll plant some wildflower bulbs such as bluebells and daffodils (the British varieties).

So the top of the garden I will thicken the hedge with additional hawthorn plants, berry bushes and a few small willows and the awkward sand patch I'll put a heathland rockery.
The clay patch I'll work to allow grass to grow and most of the garden will consist of a lawn with wildflowers growing through the grass next to the fences (I don't like borders).
It'll be a mixture of heathland, woodland and meadow species (and by British standards I have rather a large garden :p )

[Albion]

Isn´t it too cold in the UK for potatoes ?
I heard some things about the Climate..
But Tomatoes dislike the Rain and it´s yet here a big fight..

These Birds are the Thieves of the Air..
And they are everywhere..
Better prepare and care for your berries :p

Potatoes grow great here, I was growing them one year but my cat taking a dump in the potato patch repeatedly and the dog marking his territory on them put me off the idea of ever eating them :D
Potatoes come from Chiloe island in Chile who's climate happens to be similar to - the UK! :p

I always thought tomatoes were OK with the rain, they seem alright in it to me.

Strawberries are easy enough to grow here too, I planted some around trees since they're a woodland plant. Again they grow well here since Garden Strawberries are hybrids of a Chilean strawberry which again grows in Chiloe and a Virginian strawberry. The dog wizzed on them as well, so this year I'll be using hanging baskets for strawberries and a few other kinds of berries :D


Well.. The Irish used to be a bunch of potato munchers and Ireland's climate is somewhat wetter (and perhaps just as cold/warm) as the UK. Potatoes can actually grow in Denmark and Sweden as well.. so.

And they're beginning to cultivate them in Southern Greenland, Global warming is giving them a more "British" climate.

[Albion]

We need a Gardening Thread, so here it is. So is there any gardeners on here, what grows in your garden and what needs doing to it?

[Albion]

Okay, I'll start, hopefully it won't just be me talking to myself. I'm a nit of a gardener I suppose and I've been working on replanting my whole garden since late spring.
It formerly had chickens running loose in it, a lot and they killed the grass and basically all life completely and made it into a barren, horrible patch of ugly soil.

Anyway, with the chickens gone I set about planting it again. It's got a two year old Corkscrew willow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_matsudana) which I bought for £2 from a supermarket as basically a twiggy looking sapling. Anway, it shot up around eight foot in two years and now looks very graceful and ornamental, the best £2 I've spent so far. It responds very well to pruning and actually grows back more branches usually.

http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2009/04/28/catcollins/989f25.jpg
http://newcenturycomputers.net/wallpaper/Corkscrew%20Willow%20by%20Tracy.jpg
These pictures aren't mine by the way.

Then there's also a old Yew tree and a young Cherry tree (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sour_cherry) which I planted this year.

http://apps.kew.org/trees/assets/images/tree_taxas_baccata_main.jpg
A Yew. There's a 2000 year old one in a churchyard nearby

The soil was turned barren by Chickens ruining it by scratching at it, eating it, shitting on it and from the subsequent leeching of minerals and nutrients from the soil.
I put grass seed down through most of the garden but stopped short of the awkward sand / shady part at the slope (my house lies on a sand hill which is the highest point around this end of town).
Anyway, my problem here is that it's sandy and shady, the two worst things for planting.
I'm going to get some good topsoil for the sandy / shady area and some grass should grow fine on it and will become established, there's a shady grass seed mix I've seen for it.

At the very top of the garden there is also a battered old Hawthorn hedge. Really I'd like to rip the ugly thing out since they belong in the countryside and make a shit garden hedge, it goes see-through when the leaves fall in winter and is gappy in summer.
If I had my way it'd be ripped out and replaced with a nice Holly hedge, unfortunately I'm not allowed to.

http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/attachments/gardening/13580d1298028640-large-holly-hedge-pushing-over-low-wall-holly-hedge.jpg
Holly makes a nice hedge

Also the hedge is slightly higher than the garden and has a sandy bit underneath it. Since I can't take the hedge out I can't get rid of this ugly patch and it's too tall to build a bank up since that would mean covering wooden fences with soil.
So my only option is to hide it, but nothing much grows there since it is in sand, shade and gets little rainfall because of the hedge.
So I'm trying plants usually regarded as pests to try and hide it, plants which are tough and hardy.
I've taken Ground Elder roots from where they were growing elsewhere in the garden unwanted and put a few in the ground near the hedge. They grow from a tiny piece of root and come back year after year, but so long as it hides the ugly spot I don't care.
Another option would be bracken which is similar to ground elder in its habits.

http://sos-gardening.com/gardening_centre/images/ground_elder.jpg
Ground elder. This picture almost demonstrates my plan, to hide an ugly sand escarpment caused by the hedge being slightly higher than the garden behing prolific plants such as these which are hardy.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GYjsNlk3RkM/RtLDfAQtGLI/AAAAAAAAA0w/xhMGKTG11Ss/s320/P8240057.JPG
Bracken

In the rest of the garden the grass has grown well, it just needs some fertiliser in a few areas and then it can be cut.
I plant to plant some Rhubarb too, it used to grow here when we moved in and my gran made pies from it but it was taken out to make way for a shed. That shed is gone so I want my rhubarb patch back.

http://whimsicalkitten.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/rhubarb-plant.jpg
Rhubarb

Then maybe a few trees and the garden will be fixed. :thumbs up

[gold_fenix]

Great to make this post, tomorrow i will post some photos

[Albion]

I also found a small oak tree growing in the garden too, its now in a pot until it gets a bit bigger. It's nice to see trees re-establishing themselves.

[Arne]

Have Hemerocallis grounded..
Have also some Taxus which are native germanic plants :D

[Arne]

A nice flowering succulent from southafrica :D :D
The other pics are Hemerocallis.

[The Lawspeaker]

I recommend moving this thread to Hearth & Home (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=69) and sticking it (also adding this old thread (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14474) to it). :thumb001:

[Albion]

I recommend moving this thread to Hearth & Home (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=69) and sticking it (also adding this old thread (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14474) to it). :thumb001:

Yeah, might as well. I think it's dead anyway.

[Loddfafner]

Mission accomplished.

In the meantime, I have started the long process of installing spring. I got enough tulip bulbs in to dazzle a XVIth century Dutchman.

[Aemma]

Mission accomplished.

In the meantime, I have started the long process of installing spring. I got enough tulip bulbs in to dazzle a XVIth century Dutchman.

Hmm this reminds me, I need to re-read that bit about tulips in Michael Pollan's book. ;)

Planted some tulips, crocuses and daffodils, as well, in a small bed where my apricot tree is. We'll see how it all looks in the Spring when the bulbs flower and the apricot tree flowers as well. :) Looking forward to it.

I expect to see some pics you know Lodd! :D

[Albion]

Next spring I'm going to get apple, pear and plum trees planted - one of each. I already have a cherry tree in the garden and I like to have trees to break up the monotony of grass.
Fruit trees look amazing in spring with all the blossom on and in late summer and autumn have nice fruit on them and give out a nice fragrance in the air.

Even now coming up to winter I keep going past a apple tree growing wild and it still smells sweet.

I've put in some spring bulbs of tulips and daffodils, I couldn't find any bluebell or snowdrop bulbs which I'd have liked to put in as well.
After they die back in summer I'll split the bulbs and plant more of them around the garden.

I'd also like to spread some wildflower seed over the lawn to have those growing in summer.
I'd like some Common Poppies growing in the sunny areas with Welsh Poppies in the shade (which they prefer).

http://blog.lisacoxdesigns.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/bluebells-at-winkworth-arboretum.jpg
Bluebells - they grow wild in our woods but it's illegal to take wild bulbs. I'll have to look around for a shop which sells them.

http://blog.lisacoxdesigns.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Early-narcissus-at-Wisley.jpg
Daffodils

Both daffodils and bluebells are native to Britain as are Common and Welsh Poppies. I like to use native plants where possible.

Tulips aren't native and neither are snowdrops but widely grown in gardens. Pear trees are native to a tiny corner of Devon, Apple is semi-native - a cultivated form of crab apple, but of the Asian subspecies instead of the European one native to Britain.
Cherry trees too are native, the cultivated varieties anyway and plum trees are a hybrid of two related plants - one found in the UK, one which didn't make it across the channel in time and is found on the continent.

http://www.make-my-own-house.com/images/plumtree.jpg
Plum tree

http://www.ameribestsprayers.com/sprayers/images/appletree.jpg

Most people don't realise that fruit today is grown on vertical, straight-growing trees on a commercial scale too, if you don't have much space then trees such as these are a good option:

http://www.vanmeuwen.com/medias/sys_master/8798168547358.jpg

You can also get trees where more than one variety of the fruit is produce. This is done by grafting branches from different cultivars of the same species of tree onto a single root - the so called "fruit salad trees".

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tz_fJGlsbVY/TcmjeM2lDWI/AAAAAAAACRM/CSRoGirX1KM/s1600/Poppies-Leeds-Churchyard.jpg
Welsh poppies


I would also like a bigger vegetable patch, but that can wait till the year after.


So in essence what I'am trying to create is an aesthetically appealing garden with as many native species as possible and a garden which also provides fruit and is good for wildlife.
England's declined orchards were actually amazing places for wildlife - old growth trees, wildflowers in the grass for insects, blossom for bullfinches and bees and spoiled fruit for small mammals.

A funny little bird called the Hoopoe keeps trying to colonise Southern England, it thrives in orchards in France and has a small presence in S. England and it's range is expanding North in Europe.
The more fruit trees the better.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Upupa_epops_%28Ramat_Gan%29002.jpg/755px-Upupa_epops_%28Ramat_Gan%29002.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Upupa_epops_distribution.png/774px-Upupa_epops_distribution.png

The song of that bird is actually very weird to listen to - it goes "hoop, hoop, hoop - I'd like to see and hear them in the Midlands some day.

I'll soon call my garden 'Avalon' if it all goes according to plan :p

[Albion]

Hmm this reminds me, I need to re-read that bit about tulips in Michael Pollan's book. ;)

Planted some tulips, crocuses and daffodils, as well, in a small bed where my apricot tree is. We'll see how it all looks in the Spring when the bulbs flower and the apricot tree flowers as well. :) Looking forward to it.

I expect to see some pics you know Lodd! :D

How do apricot trees do that far north? My neighbour to the right has some old peach trees which have mixed years and didn't do well this year, my neighbour to the left has a few apple trees which did great though - 40 apples from a tiny tree no bigger than a bush.

The cherry tree I have went in early this year so won't bear fruit for a while. There is a large amount of fruit trees around here though - cherry trees everywhere growing wild and crab apples everywhere too.
Cultivated apple trees have a large distribution at certain area too - they probably sprung up from apple cores discarded by workmen at the site.

[rhiannon]

No garden for me:( I have a brown thumb, and basically kill everything it touches..

[Albion]

No garden for me:( I have a brown thumb, and basically kill everything it touches..

A lawn with wildflowers is easy. Just till the land with a spade, rake flat and then spread the grass and wildflower seed everywhere. I gently went over it again with a rake when I did it so the birds wouldn't see the seed and have a feast.

I then left it to grow for about 3 weeks. After one week the bare earth turns green with shoots of grass, after two there is a lawn, after three it is pretty well established.
I then went over it again with another bag of grass seed to fill in any gaps.

The grass seed typically sold here is native hardy strains which grow anywhere and are also used in dairy farming - ryegrass and perennial red fescue.

You can buy cheap, easy to grow trees such as willow of fruit trees from garden centres too.
The willow tree I have is only about two years old and has done amazingly well with no real care. It's had a cat using it as a scratching post, is planted and terrible soil at the top of the garden and has had to put up with chickens digging around it's roots in the past too.

Spring bulbs are a good option too - tulips are easy, just pop the bulbs in the ground in autumn and wait to see them in spring.

You'll have to wait until spring now to plant a lawn though. Unless you live somewhere with a mild climate like Britain it won't grow.

[Argyll]

My mother has tried repetitively to make a garden, but fails everytime. I guess she lacks the devotion to making it happen. Our latest gardens were nice, growing some herbs and vegetables. But, as usual, she basically gets tired of it and quits tending it.

[Albion]

My mother has tried repetitively to make a garden, but fails everytime. I guess she lacks the devotion to making it happen. Our latest gardens were nice, growing some herbs and vegetables. But, as usual, she basically gets tired of it and quits tending it.

I trick would be to grow things which don't need much looking after - bushes such as cherry laurel, shrubs like cotoneasters or gooseberry bushes and trees like willows or leylandi (just make sure they don't grow too high).

There's a lot of low maintenance plants really, you could probably find a list on google.
A lawn with a few bushes around the edges is probably a safe option for someone not that much into gardening.

[Argyll]

I trick would be to grow things which don't need much looking after - bushes such as cherry laurel, shrubs like cotoneasters or gooseberry bushes and trees like willows or leylandi (just make sure they don't grow too high).

There's a lot of low maintenance plants really, you could probably find a list on google.
A lawn with a few bushes around the edges is probably a safe option for someone not that much into gardening.

I like a lot of more northerly looking flowers- thistles, roses (of various colours), tullips, etc. My favourite trees are evergreens, especially firs, cedars, and other tall and triangular shaped evergreens. I also love mosses.

[Aemma]

How do apricot trees do that far north? My neighbour to the right has some old peach trees which have mixed years and didn't do well this year, my neighbour to the left has a few apple trees which did great though - 40 apples from a tiny tree no bigger than a bush.

The cherry tree I have went in early this year so won't bear fruit for a while. There is a large amount of fruit trees around here though - cherry trees everywhere growing wild and crab apples everywhere too.
Cultivated apple trees have a large distribution at certain area too - they probably sprung up from apple cores discarded by workmen at the site.

Actually this particular apricot tree is called a Morden 64 Apricot developed here in Canada, well in Morden, Manitoba to be exact. If it can grow in Morden Manitoba, it can grow pretty much anywhere in Canada other than in our Northern Territories.

Much to my pleasant surprise, our tree, which was only planted in the Spring of 2010, actually produced some beautiful fruit this year, just one year later. It set approximately 24-some-odd blossoms, about 12 of which ripened to full maturity. I took some pics. Once I download them onto my computer I'll share here. So by the end of July I bit into the most delectable fruit my garden has ever borne. Up until then, I had never bitten into an apricot fresh off the tree. It was almost a spiritual experience! :D

In your own post Albion, you spoke of plums. I envy your hedgerows over there and your ability to glean for so much fruit, from what I understand, especially Damson plums. We were fortunate enough last Christmas to receive some Damson plum chutney made by our niece as a gift. She told us that the plums were just there for the picking. I was truly envious.

[Loddfafner]

I like a lot of more northerly looking flowers- thistles, roses (of various colours), tullips, etc. My favourite trees are evergreens, especially firs, cedars, and other tall and triangular shaped evergreens. I also love mosses.

Thistles are generally considered a nasty weed so they should be easy to grow.
Roses are a little fussier but manageable.
Tulips: Just plunk em in the ground when the squirrels arent watching. Dig in some compost and a little bulb food are they will reward you for the next few springs.

As for mosses: nobody has gotten my easy non-moss in the botany quiz yet.

[Argyll]

Thistles are generally considered a nasty weed so they should be easy to grow.
Roses are a little fussier but manageable.
Tulips: Just plunk em in the ground when the squirrels arent watching. Dig in some compost and a little bulb food are they will reward you for the next few springs.
As for mosses: nobody has gotten my easy non-moss in the botany quiz yet.

:lol: There's a whole squirrel armada down here :D They're cute, but I don't know how managable a garden would be with them. We also have some bunnies that live in the woodsy areas of my back yard, so they might try to go ham on digging them up.

[Albion]

Actually this particular apricot tree is called a Morden 64 Apricot developed here in Canada, well in Morden, Manitoba to be exact. If it can grow in Morden Manitoba, it can grow pretty much anywhere in Canada other than in our Northern Territories.

Much to my pleasant surprise, our tree, which was only planted in the Spring of 2010, actually produced some beautiful fruit this year, just one year later. It set approximately 24-some-odd blossoms, about 12 of which ripened to full maturity. I took some pics. Once I download them onto my computer I'll share here. So by the end of July I bit into the most delectable fruit my garden has ever borne. Up until then, I had never bitten into an apricot fresh off the tree. It was almost a spiritual experience! :D

That's very good. They should be able to do well here too. The thing with Britain is the winters are mild but do get some snow but it never gets mega hot neither.
Most temperate fruits like this climate, a few don't though.


In your own post Albion, you spoke of plums. I envy your hedgerows over there and your ability to glean for so much fruit, from what I understand, especially Damson plums. We were fortunate enough last Christmas to receive some Damson plum chutney made by our niece as a gift. She told us that the plums were just there for the picking. I was truly envious.

Yeah, they're really just a small plum. The wild types we have growing here are smaller than the ones in supermarkets though and not quite as nice tasting.

A lot is found in hedgerows here, but the wild plants are often not as nice tasting as the cultivated ones.
We have wild types of apples (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malus_sylvestris) growing here (you can eat them but they're sour, some people use them in cider or cooking), a wild sub-species of the Pear (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pear#Major_recognized_taxa) used to make the cultivated ones found only in Devon (Plymouth Pear), Two native cherry trees (one for eating, one for cooking) and sloes (the wild plums).

There's also the native strawberry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine_Strawberry) (the type cultivated in Britain and America is an American species, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_strawberry) but our native species apparently tastes better and they still eat them in Europe but they're like gold dust to find in the shops or garden centres here).
Then there's blackberries, black currants, raspberries, gooseberries and cranberries native here too amongst others.

A few vegetables have ancestral wild plants still surviving here - Wild Cabbages (S. Coast of England), Wild Leeks (SW Coast) and wild carrots and parsnips in woodlands.
Cabbages alone gave rise to Broccoli, Kale, cauliflower and many other vegetables as well.

Wild Radishes are native here too, and Wild beet - the ancestor of Beetroot, Swiss Chard and Sugar beet.

There's also Ramsons near rivers which were used as a Garlic or Chives-like vegetable and still are by some people. They didn't catch on outside of England.
In spring and summer woodlands alongside rivers absolutely stink of garlic - because huge areas of Ramsons grow there. :D

People who ever wonder why the French use Garlic so much in cooking whereas English cooking totally lacks it - that is probably why. With such an abundance of wild, similar tasting stuff free to be harvested there was no need to grow garlic (which needs warmth).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_wild_relative#Examples_of_Wild_Relatives

There's a lot of cultivated fruits and vegetables which have their wild versions native to Europe and Western Asia.
There's other things people used to eat as vegetables too such as dandelion roots as a coffee substitute and their leaves as a salad and fruits which can't / aren't cultivated such as bilberries (similar to blueberries).


When I did my bit in conservation I absolutely immersed myself in knowledge of native biota so I'm a bit of a nerd. ;)

[gold_fenix]

Lime bears (citrus latifolia) something damged by cold
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/1953/pb150064.jpghttp://img507.imageshack.us/img507/6559/pb150063.jpghttp://img266.imageshack.us/img266/8710/pb150062.jpg
hand of budha ((Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis)
, the fruit of ctzulhu, hehehe

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/5509/pb150066.jpg
http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/8633/pb150065.jpg

Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis miller) ,

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/4014/pb150067.jpg

[AussieScott]

I will endeavour to take some photo's of some plants in the paddock, that have medicinal use...

[Albion]

I will endeavour to take some photo's of some plants in the paddock, that have medicinal use...

That's what they all say... :D

http://files.sharenator.com/Pegaso_Bell_Pot_Large_RE_Sharenator_is_Growing-s304x301-121342-580.gif

http://www.prague-life.com/media/pics/prague-pot.jpg

[Albion]

I put some strawberry plants outside that had been growing in my window since November some time.
I've got Garden Strawberries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_strawberry) and Alpine / Woodland Strawberries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragaria_vesca) - the first ones are a hybrid of American species, the sort you buy in shops, the other is the much smaller native European species.
The difference is striking, Alpine Strawberry plants are tiny compared to the Garden Strawberry ones which are growing well now even with the frosts.

They're a nice plant, they tolerate so much abuse and neglect. I once threw into a compost heap and changed my mind a few months later and planted it and it grew into a very healthy plant again, back from the brink of death.
They were in a patch behind a shed but I've put them into a pot now because I've put something else there.

I've also planted some Rhubarb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb) crowns, it is another plant that doesn't require much attention and the same can be said for the Gooseberry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gooseberry) plant I've put in.
I've also put in a Tayberry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tayberry) plant which is a hybrid between a wild raspberry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_idaeus) and a blackberry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_fruticosus), it is supposed to taste like a raspberry but be much bigger.
They're only small plants at the moment so I'll post some pictures off the internet instead.

Tayberries
http://bellebouche.com/blog/wp-content/tayberry2.JPG
http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/62348/350wm/B8342235-Rubus_Tayberry_Group-SPL.jpg
http://www.blacklandsplants.co.uk/tayberry.jpg
I hope mine turn out that good.

Gooseberries
http://www.vegetablegardener.com/assets/uploads/posts/5766/kg29-gooseberries-02_lg.jpg
http://carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk/images/565749_red_gooseberry.jpg
Gooseberries have quite a following in Britain, they're native and have been cultivated since the middle ages (harvested wild before that). Apparently gardeners here have developed over 2500 varieties. I've planted a variety like this which is said to taste similar to grapes. Like strawberries they are really a woodland plant and so tolerate some shade and a wet climate.

Rhubarb
http://lowgidiet.org.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/rhubarb.jpg
http://snakeroot.net/farm/PixPerennials/Rhubarb_800.jpg
Rhubarb is mainly grown in the North and Midlands in the UK. It's originally from China and was a important crop during WWII for people growing food in their gardens. It is mainly used in pies.

Strawberries
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3546/5825770641_6a7c6c09fb.jpg
Alpine/woodland strawberries.

http://www.gardenfine.com/vegetable-fruit-herb/assets/strawberry-plant.jpg
Garden strawberries


I've also germinated some sunflowers in the window and they're shooting up already. They're giant sunflowers, I wanted multiple-headed sunflowers but couldn't find any seeds apart from those.
Maybe I could turn the useless patch of grass in the front garden into something like this in summer: :D

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/%C5%A0umdaija_sunflower_fields.JPG/640px-%C5%A0umdaija_sunflower_fields.JPG

The bees and birds such as goldfinches would love it.

All these plants that I've planted tend to be very "hungry" though meaning that they need plenty of manure or compost to do well. I use rabbit manure, it is said to be the best one. I want spring to hurry up and arrive, I need greenery again. England is at its best in spring and summer.

[Albion]

http://www.portkellsnurseries.com/images/plantdb/fruit/m/Malus_Domestica_Elstar.jpg

http://www.portkellsnurseries.com/images/plantdb/fruit/p/Pyrus_communis_Conference.jpg

I bought two fruit trees like I’ve been on about. I went the garden centre and they wanted £35 for them, but then I saw them in Aldi for £4 each so got them from there. They’re not that much younger than the ones at the garden centre.
I’d read a bit about them before buying, I wanted to get some that wouldn’t be a hassle to grow, wouldn’t get too big, provide decent fruit and would be suited to the climate.

I settled for an “Elstar” (http://www.mailordertrees.co.uk/Malus_'Elstar'_(Elstar_Apple_Tree).htm) apple which is supposed to be a Dutch cross between a Cox’s and a Danish variety and then crossed again with a Golden Delicious. I have no idea what it tastes like so far, I'm looking for it at the shops. I'm just hoping its good and more leaning to Cox's than Golden Delicious.

I wanted something like Cox’s (it’s the most popular type in Britain) but I’d read they’re temperamental to grow, only really doing well in the South of England (where they originally came from) and they didn't look up to much anyway.
Golden Delicious too doesn’t like northern latitudes (it won’t ripen well), but apparently the Danish variety gave the cultivar hardiness whilst Cox’s gave it the taste and Golden Delicious improved the taste further (Cox’s is quite acidic itself).
A part of me wishes I would have gone for Cox's instead, but its in the ground now so we'll see what it's like.

The pear tree is of the cultivar “Conference” (http://www.mailordertrees.co.uk/Pear_Tree_(Pyrus_'Conference')_1.5-2.0m.htm), a hardy English variety which apparently is suitable for Northern England and Scotland. I’ve seen one of the same variety overhanging someone’s fence last year and it looked to be doing great. "Conference" is the most popular variety in Britain and the easiest and most widely one grown here.
It is also able to partially pollinate itself which is handy because there are lots of apple and hardly any pear trees around here.

I was originally going to get a Victoria plum tree instead of a pear, but they didn’t look up to much at the shop. I’ve already got a Sour Cherry tree (Morello - cooking type) and a few willow trees, so I think there are enough trees now.

They’re in my garden now anyway so hopefully they do quite well. There's probably enough nitrogen in the ground to last them a few centuries thanks to the chickens that used to be on it. :D
I may put some manure or mulch around them latter in the year though, fruit trees need a lot of nutrients. More nitrogen will lead to better growth of the tree's leaves and structure and will make it grow faster, the other important one is potassium which is important for fruit formation.

Apples and Pears have always been grown for eating raw, cooking and producing alcohol in Northern Europe and many different strains exist. Many of the newer hardy strains for eating raw are created by crossing English varieties (for the flavour and hardiness) with Scandinavian varieties (for the greater hardiness).

I don’t know if I can be bothered with growing strawberries any more though, every year they disappoint me so I’m about ready to stop growing them.
The rhubarb I put in has started growing, but very slowly. I suppose it’s early yet.

I'll post some pictures of my own in spring and summer when things are growing and looking nice.

[Germanicus]

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/P1030438.jpg

[larali]

Our space is dug now, it's 8 ft by 8 ft. I need to put a border around it and fix the dirt, then we'll start planting. I want to plant tomatoes, pole beans, a few melons, okra, and I can't remember what other seeds I've collected.

Eventually I want to put three more identical spaces aligned with this one, with a walkway between them, as well as plant some citrus trees on the side.

[ficuscarica]

Nice topic.

Here´s my biggest fig tree: http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/8287/img3840sy.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/img3840sy.jpg/)

In our almost submediterranean wine climate here in Baden I can grow peaches, almonds, figs, pomegrenades and mediterranean herbs, such as rosmarin. Gotta post more pics later.

[ficuscarica]

Here in the southern Rhine valley the almond blossom has begun... :thumb001:

[Aemma]

I think I owe Albion some pics of my apricot tree (you know the Canadian Morden 64 tree?). Anyway, here are some pics....

http://i39.tinypic.com/8yvzvq.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2eg5p2x.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/r74r5y.jpg

Now you can't tell me that this apricot doesn't look absolutely perfect! :D

It seems to have fared well over the winter and I am looking forward to even more of a crop this year! More than 12 anyway! :D

[Albion]

Nice topic.

Here´s my biggest fig tree: http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/8287/img3840sy.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/img3840sy.jpg/)

In our almost submediterranean wine climate here in Baden I can grow peaches, almonds, figs, pomegrenades and mediterranean herbs, such as rosmarin. Gotta post more pics later.


Here in the southern Rhine valley the almond blossom has begun...

Those trees look great, you must really have a nice climate for growing those things.
Around here I'd actually forgotten how many cherry trees there were, but now they're all blossoming they seem to be everywhere. There's the ornamental types in peoples gardens and then lots of the native species all around. There's pink and white blossoming trees all over the place.

My apple and pear tree are slowly starting to come into leaf. The neighbours have a fear apple, pear and cherry trees too but one has five old peach trees which look nice in spring. I think they failed to crop last year, but it was after a hard winter when the blossom got damaged.


I think I owe Albion some pics of my apricot tree (you know the Canadian Morden 64 tree?). Anyway, here are some pics....

Very nice, it looks like it's doing very well. :thumbs up

[Germanicus]

Yesterday i bought 8 chillie plants, 2 different varieties.
The greenhouse should bring them on nicely.:)
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/chilli-plants.jpg

[ficuscarica]

@Albion: You could grow a fig tree in England, too, I guess, at least in some parts of it. I just don´t know whether the ripe fruits would have enough sugar.

We have much warmer summers than the UK, but the winters often are colder then in London or Cornwall... it´s more continental (similar to the Northern Burgundy in Central France), which allows us to grow great red wine, but makes it difficult to cultivate palm trees.

It´s cherry blossom time now, yeah. The japanese ornamental variations look amazing. Gotta post a pic of one big tree in my village soon.

[Barreldriver]

Won't be long and the tilling will begin. As usual we'll be planting green beans, green peppers, and maters. Essentials.

Back in TN we planted much much more but until we may return this is all we feel like planting.

[Albion]

@Albion: You could grow a fig tree in England, too, I guess, at least in some parts of it. I just don´t know whether the ripe fruits would have enough sugar.

They're grown on a small scale in Southern England, I'm at a similar latitude to Hamburg or Gronigen though so I'm not sure how they'd do here.
I wonder if they could be grafted onto a oak rootstock, figs and oaks are related.

I've never seen them for sale where I live though, people plant lots of cherry and apple trees and a few plums and pears too and sometimes the occasional peach.
The craze at the moment is for grape vines, more specifically the hardier German cultivars. They seem to grow fine here, all our own (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/blog.php?b=318) varieties were lost after the little Ice Age and thanks to French competition.


We have much warmer summers than the UK, but the winters often are colder then in London or Cornwall... it´s more continental (similar to the Northern Burgundy in Central France), which allows us to grow great red wine, but makes it difficult to cultivate palm trees.

A lot of fruit needs very warm summers to ripen and do well, continental climates get much colder in winter than us but also much warmer in summer. Often it is not winter that is the problem, it's usually cool springs and summers which some fruits don't like.

Palm trees I'm not sure about, they should be able to stand cold at night, I suppose it is the prolonged cold in winter that kills them. A few years ago most of the "Cabbage Palms" (Cordyline australis) were wiped out around here in a cold winter and went very ugly and brown.

[ficuscarica]

@Albion: A fig tree will regrow rapidly when it freezes back. It doesn´t make sense to graft them on somethinge else. It´s possible to earn figs where you are. You need to get an early variety that can tolerate wet wheather. The variety "Dalmatie" would be a good choice, Brown Turkey is pretty common in England, too. At least the latter should be found in many UK plant nurseries. I only don´t know whether the fruits will taste well, but it´s worth giving it a try. Just plant it in front of a wall where it is protected and gets full sun.

As the climate changes it´s very well possible that more and more English wine will be produced. Regions that used to grow white wine will grow red varieties and regions that didn´t grow wine at all will be able to grow at least white wine in the next decades. Some winegrowers here have already started growing more mediterranean wines like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

And concerning the rippening of fruits you should simply try what works in your climate. Peaches could work, too, just give them a warm and sunny place.

Winters here are to cold for Cordyline australis, we often get colder temperatures than -15. +40 in summer are worth nothing with nights that cold in winter, at least for a Cabbage Palm. I can only grow the Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) without protection. Our climate is great for wine and mediterranean fruits but sucks for palms.

[Albion]

Winters here are to cold for Cordyline australis, we often get colder temperatures than -15. +40 in summer are worth nothing with nights that cold in winter, at least for a Cabbage Palm. I can only grow the Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) without protection. Our climate is great for wine and mediterranean fruits but sucks for palms.

The Isles of Scilly, Cornwall and Devon are mild enough in winter, yet warm enough in summer to grow a few palms.

These are Canary Island Palms in Tresco, Isles of Scilly:

http://www.tresco.co.uk/Library/images-top-single/Phoenix-palms.jpg

http://nacsonline.tk/uploads/tresco-abbey-gardens-scilly-isles-uk-palm-tree-lined-paths-in-this-sub-tropical-garden-11-of-12--36085.jpg

As for climate change, well I hear a lot of nonsense about it. In my opinion it is likely that Southern England's climate would become more like North / Central France with the Scottish and Welsh climates becoming milder too.

[Loddfafner]

In Philly, one can grow figs in very sheltered yards. A lot of the Italians have them behind their rowhouses.

[ficuscarica]

@Albion: I´ve heard of the special climate in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The gulfstream works like a natural heating system there. It´s unbelievable what they can grow that far in the north (from my perspective and compared to where those palms usually grow). South-Western England is an astonishing place.

@Loddfafner: I think figs in Philadelphia will freeze back to the ground from time to time. But they easily regrow from the root system and as you have rother warm summers in Philadelphia they should be able to quickly become a nice bush again after freezing back.

[Ouistreham]

@Albion: I´ve heard of the special climate in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The gulfstream works like a natural heating system there. It´s unbelievable what they can grow that far in the north (from my perspective and compared to where those palms usually grow). South-Western England is an astonishing place.

Quite right. There are palm trees in Salcombe and other places along the Southern Devon and Cornwall coasts.

Without forgetting the Isles of Scilly:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xFi2-OeR3t0/TA9cc23thYI/AAAAAAAACJw/qP9iPKMenvw/s1600/Scilly+200.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xFi2-OeR3t0/TA9cd5jjoLI/AAAAAAAACJ4/rDJrd6iG2DY/s1600/Scilly+199.jpg
http://www.visitcornwall.com/sites/default/files/styles/product_image/public/Tresco%20Abbey%20Garden_0.jpg

Due to better exposure to the sun (and to the Gulf Stream) and better protection from north-westerly winds the English side of the Channel enjoys considerably milder conditions than the Norman coast.

There's a similar contrast between Brittany's Northern and Southern coasts, the latter being in summer under an almost Mediterranean climate.

[gold_fenix]

amazing is in Inverewe, Scottland the gulftream is amazing, in Vigo NW of Spain they have a amazing weather the plants grow there better in mediterrenean zones and in that zone have the influence of Gulfstream

[Albion]

@Albion: I´ve heard of the special climate in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The gulfstream works like a natural heating system there. It´s unbelievable what they can grow that far in the north (from my perspective and compared to where those palms usually grow). South-Western England is an astonishing place.

@Loddfafner: I think figs in Philadelphia will freeze back to the ground from time to time. But they easily regrow from the root system and as you have rother warm summers in Philadelphia they should be able to quickly become a nice bush again after freezing back.

How fast do they regrow roughly ficuscarica? Will they be a bush again by a year or two latter or will it take about 5 years or so for them to grow back to their former state?


Due to better exposure to the sun (and to the Gulf Stream) and better protection from north-westerly winds the English side of the Channel enjoys considerably milder conditions than the Norman coast.

There's a similar contrast between Brittany's Northern and Southern coasts, the latter being in summer under an almost Mediterranean climate.

Yeah, compare the Isles of Scilly to one of the islands in the Thames or the North Sea coast of England and the contrast is striking.
The Isles of Scilly, Cornish and Devon coasts are in a milder plant hardiness zone to the rest of the country along with a area of SW Ireland. In this zone you find some Mediterranean plants at the Northernmost frontiers of their range such as the Strawberry tree in SW Ireland.

http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Maps/Maps_EuropeHZMap.jpg

http://files.shroomery.org/files/09-007/438299007-uk_hardiness_zones.jpg

The Isles of Scilly produce a lot of early flowers and the Tamar Valley between Devon and Cornwall used to be packed full of market gardens.

[ficuscarica]

Well, how fast figs will regrow depends on the size of their root system. An old fig tree can regrow to more than 2 metres if it is cut back to the ground in spring.
Maybe it´s less in your climate, as figs grow best in heat, but an old fig tree should become a nice bush in one year after freezing back.
Just give it protection for the first three years, and most important in the cool UK summers a wall where it gets really hot and where it gets sun all day.

[Albion]

I kept saying I'd post a few pictures, so here are a few. Those fruit trees I put in just over a month ago are starting to grow and with spring just starting everything is starting to turn green again.

As I said here before (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showpost.php?p=325350&postcount=37), my garden is only about a year old since before that the chickens I used to keep devastated it.
A willow tree went in whilst the chickens were still there but had to be heavily protected since they'd eat anything that was remotely edible.

http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/5131/dscf0478m.jpg
Look at my poor grass! I'm too ashamed to show you the rest of the garden, it was basically mud, soil, dead grass, stones and chicken shit everywhere. On the plus side, we had quite a good cottage industry selling eggs, that is until we started buying them wholesale from a farmer and selling them on...

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/2058/20120401130950.jpg
The 3 year old willow tree and my new shed. And look how green the grass is! ;)

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/6383/20120401130804.jpg
Some of the trees - from front to back - the cherry that went in last year just before the grass, the apple that went in about a month ago and the Corkscrew willow

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/708/20120401131534.jpg
The apple tree

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/9838/20120401130649.jpg
A tulip and daffodils at the bottom of the Cherry tree. The daffodils are starting to die off now.

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/9455/20120401130906.jpg
More tulips and daffodils growing under the willow

[Albion]

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/8917/20120401131501.jpg
The Gooseberry bush is still a very humble affair, but it should starting growing soon.

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/6136/20120401131010.jpg
My rhubarb's gone from a dead looking root (crown) to a fast-growing plant. I was disappointed with it for a long time until it suddenly started growing very well.

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/7708/20120401131613.jpg
The little pear tree has at last started to develop tiny buds

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/6128/20120401131727.jpg
The rhodedenron which will eventually go in one of the gardens

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/4593/20120401131431.jpg
The cat used to use this as a scratching post so I had to protect the trees before he ring-barked them all.

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/4595/20120401131940.jpg
The interesting shape of corkscrew willows


The garden is still very much a work in progress. It still hasn't got many flowers and is missing a few things I'd like.
I've scattered some cornflower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornflower) seed which should come out in some and some foxglove (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxglove) seed which should come out next year.
Creeping buttercup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creeping_buttercup) and red dead nettles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_purpureum) occur naturally as do wild pansies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Pansy), one which I found in my garden posted here (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showpost.php?p=809035&postcount=43).
Before some comes I'm going to scatter some Common Poppy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Poppy) seed in the sunny areas and Welsh Poppy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_poppy) in the shady areas.

In autumn I'll aim to put in Snowdrops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowdrops) along with crocuses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocus_vernus)and more daffodil and tulip bulbs.

The Tayberry plant I put in still hasn't started growing though.


Anyway, I'm not going to have a veg patch or anything like that. I'm just going to work on creating a mini, mixed orchard - fruit trees and flowers mainly.
There's currently 6 nectarine trees in my neighbours garden with two crab apples, three fruit trees in mine and an apple and a pear in my other neighbour's. I think together we've got a bit of an orchard anyway. There's only ever nectarines every other year though, I'm not sure if the trees have gone biennial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biennial_plant) bearing or just don't like the climate.

I'm tempted to go and buy a Opal plum tree as well, but all I can find are ones on dwarf rootstocks which will grow more like a 4 foot high bush. I may get one, apples, pears, plums and cherries are like our traditional temperate fruit trees here.
Other species are grown too though, there's often grape vines at the garden centre. If I had a pergola (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sLO0IXN_ueY/TOBnAb_KRGI/AAAAAAAAC6I/rU4Oy0LwkWE/s1600/Pergola%2BGrapes.JPG) I'd grow hybrid grapes up it.

And the pictures should be a lot brighter really, it was very nice and sunny at the time, the camera on my phone is just crap.

[Albion]

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/474/20120401131050.jpg

I've tried raking a bit of soil over it and growing grass, it doesn't work. I've tried introducing ground elder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_elder) which can grow as a weed almost anywhere but not even that will grow.
Where grass does exist at the top of the garden it is thin because the soil goes from a rich loam (with areas of clay) to sand at the top.

The problem is that plants that grow in sand usually like full sun and hate shade whereas plants that will grow in shade like a rich soil. There are very few plants which will withstand both!
I would plant gorse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_gorse) for the insects, its hardiness and how nice it looks in flower, but it won't tolerate the shade I don't think. The same goes for broom. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytisus_scoparius)

I've heard Rhubarb can tolerate shade, but it needs a rich soil. I might try putting in a few rhubarb crowns by putting plenty of compost and manure in the spots where I plant it. So long as they're well-fed they should grow with a bit of luck.
That spot may as well be used for something rather than being an ugly mess.

Anyone have any other ideas?

[Loddfafner]

Have you tried hostas? Some of them seem to thrive anywhere that is at all shady and moist. Also, Pachysandra or myrtle might work. Rhododendrons like sandy soil so long as it is acidic enough.

Gypsum can break up the clay.
You can try replacing some of the soil, or if the dirt is really bad, cover it with a layer of newspapers and put raised beds on top, and fill those with a truckload of better soil. Then plant lettuce or impatiens.

You can try putting potted plants in that area. I use a lot of potted sword ferns and geraniums.

[gold_fenix]

My cactus
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/9619/p4010391.jpg
My cherry tree flowering
http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/151/p4010393.jpg
lemon grass, after of winter now is starting to be green again
http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/8341/p4010395.jpg
lemon verbena sprouting, this plant has a wonderful fragant to lemon
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/7867/p4010396.jpg
the flowers of a quince
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/4800/p4010397.jpg

[Albion]

Have you tried hostas? Some of them seem to thrive anywhere that is at all shady and moist. Also, Pachysandra or myrtle might work. Rhododendrons like sandy soil so long as it is acidic enough.

Gypsum can break up the clay.
You can try replacing some of the soil, or if the dirt is really bad, cover it with a layer of newspapers and put raised beds on top, and fill those with a truckload of better soil. Then plant lettuce or impatiens.

You can try putting potted plants in that area. I use a lot of potted sword ferns and geraniums.

I think I might try putting a rhododendron, rhubarb or some ferns up there. I'll get a lot of compost and try to establish a bit of a topsoil. Once they start taking root they should do fine I think.

[ficuscarica]

@TiBi: I don´t live in Bavaria, but in the upper Rhine valley area (around Strasbourg in Alsace), which is warm-temperate with submediterranean influence, quite similar to the Northern Burgundy in France. Figs grow well here, it´s just important to take harder varieties like Dalmatie, Brown Turkey, Negronne or Ronde de Bordeaux. But I also have a big Brogiotto nero that brings great fruits. It´s important to have the figs near a wall or at least in a warm place here, then it works and they can become higher than 5m. These are fig trees in my area:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/88/hpim0955le3.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/88/hpim0880kd3.jpg

[TiBi]

A gardening thread! I never had thought...nice!


@TiBi: I don´t live in Bavaria, but in the upper Rhine valley area (around Strasbourg in Alsace), which is warm-temperate with submediterranean influence, quite similar to the Northern Burgundy in France. Figs grow well here, it´s just important to take harder varieties like Dalmatie, Brown Turkey, Negronne or Ronde de Bordeaux. But I also have a big Brogiotto nero that brings great fruits. It´s important to have the figs near a wall or at least in a warm place here, then it works and they can become higher than 5m. These are fig trees in my area:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/88/hpim0955le3.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/88/hpim0880kd3.jpg
Thank you for explaination...you lucky guy!
Gonna do a bit of searching but I never saw a figue here in Eire...I'd guess to little sunlight for nice fruits.
Yep, in Italy too you often find figues planted close to stone walls and such, didn't know there was a botanical reason.

[ficuscarica]

Yeah, the Irish winters are mild, but summers could be to cool and wet for good figs.

Planting them near a wall could also help to prevent the ground under the house from getting to wet. The roots draw much water from the ground.

[Albion]

I'm starting a few seeds off indoors in a window box - two types of melon - Honeydew and Cantaloupe and Kiwis.
If they sprout I'll grow them indoors for a while and then transplant them outside once they start getting big, probably train them up wires along a shed.

I also picked up some bulbs and seeds for my parent's garden which they want me to plant for them. They're not bothered what so long as it's colourful and looks good so I bought some Freesia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freesia), Anemone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone_coronaria) and Gladioli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladioli) bulbs along with a seed mix which contains Lupins and a few other things. These will go in a flowerbed. I wouldn't really have them in my garden, they're not my thing but they're okay.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/AnemonesIsrael1.jpg
Anemone

Once the plants what I'm starting indoors have gone outside I'll probably plant something else indoors. Strawberry plants do very well in a window.

[Foxy]

Well, I don't have a garden. I have a terrace of 30 m. It was of my grandmother who had many vases (too vases maybe). The terrace has been abandoned for 2-3 years so I asked my parents to entrust it to me and they accepted with relief.

I plan to grow flowers and vegetables/useful plants or herbs. For the moment I have some plants of: mint, parsley, chilli peppers, even some onions and geraniums.
I want to plant other flowers and maybe a plant of small tomatoes. I'd also like to buy a wisteria and cover a portion of the terrace with it. But I know that wisteria needs even 10 years to flower.
I have still so many vases in which I don't know what to put. Any suggestion?
I want to plan also some shrubs and decorative stuff.

[ficuscarica]

You could get a dwarf pomegrenade or a pomegrenade (just cut the normal version down from time to time). There are both ornamental pomegrenades and pomegrenades with great fruits.
http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/58752/530wm/B8302370-Punica_granatum_var_nana-SPL.jpg

Also, you could get a dwarf palm (chamaerops humilis).
http://www.terracegardener.co.uk/gifs/chamaerops/chamaerops_camelia_8.jpg
Oleander is a must have for terracotta pots.
http://www.casadelgraupi.com/assets/images/oleander.jpg

Agapanthus is awesome, too.
http://www.gardenworldimages.com/ImageThumbs/JLY6075/3/JLY6075_AGAPANTHUS_IN_PULHAM_POTS_SANDRINGHAM.jpg

And of coure citri grow well in pots.

[Arne]

My cactus
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/9619/p4010391.jpg

That´s a Sanpedro Cacti.

Albion i´d recommend to you more the evergreen shady plants like cordyline and treeferns which resist better the moisture weather of Ireland.

[gold_fenix]

perhaps we should to make a euro interchange of seeds

[Arne]

perhaps we should to make a euro interchange of seeds

http://de.seedfinder.eu/pics/01seeds/Afropips_Seeds/Afropips_Seeds_-_Nigerian.jpg

[Riki]

Unfortunately,since dividing my live between Portugal and England I don't have much time to look after a farm.But I do have a back yard garden in England(Most do anyway) with about 25m per 15m where my Wife plants some flowers.(Very British:))

But I always go back to Portugal in the harvester of dad's vineyard's.And to the making of the wine.I really enjoy the ritual.And the Wine:D

[Albion]

perhaps we should to make a euro interchange of seeds

I think there are websites where you can do that. I've swapped a few tulip bulbs for a few seeds with someone I know recently.
Quite a good crop of tulip seeds as it happens, I planted 3 and was able to split 3 or 4 off each bulb I originally planted.
I've distributed a few around the garden and given a few away.

The daffodils (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_pseudonarcissus) I haven't bothered splitting, I just left the bulbs as they were. They're Tête-à-Tête daffodils, I didn't know when I bought them - a small variety probably more like the wild plant, I wanted the large ones really.

In autumn I'll dig the bulbs up and sort them out for next year. I'll keep the tulips in (they're red and pink ones) and keep the Tête-à-Tête daffodil bulbs but add some English bluebell, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_bluebell)snowdrop (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galanthus_nivalis) and snowflake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake_(plant)) bulbs to the mix and rearrange the bulbs in a circle around the trees (at the moment they're in a row in front of them.
I'll probably include some Crocuses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocus) too.

I have all of these bulbs from a old garden I dug up but they're tired and worn out and were never split so I'm going to buy new ones in autumn and reinvigorate what is already there.

They're spring / early summer bulbs - I'd say they flower in about this sort of order - Crocuses, Snowdrops, Snowflakes, Daffodils, Tulips and finally Bluebells.
I need to think of some summer flowering bulbs too but a lot of temperate flowers that grow in summer are from seed.

All of those plants are found everywhere except Tulips which are only ever in gardens. Crocuses and Snowdrops aren't native but have been here a long time and naturalised (usually around old settlements), Daffodils, Bluebells and Snowflakes are native to England and Wales and Tulips aren't from here, thrive here but are never seen outside of cultivation.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Narcissus_T%C3%AAte-%C3%A0-T%C3%AAte.jpg
Tête-à-Tête Daffodils

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Wild_daffodils_-_geograph.org.uk_-_727244.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Keltanarsissi.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Cornwall_Daffodils.jpg
I wanted these ones really. I also like the bright yellow ones, not the pale yellow verging on white or the ones with the orange.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Bank_Hall_Snowdrops_Feb_2009.JPG
Snowdrops

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/resources-rx/images/1049/hyacinthoides-non-scripta-01_56913_1.jpg
English Bluebells

[gold_fenix]

I think there are websites where you can do that. I've swapped a few tulip bulbs for a few seeds with someone I know recently.
Quite a good crop of tulip seeds as it happens, I planted 3 and was able to split 3 or 4 off each bulb I originally planted.
I've distributed a few around the garden and given a few away.

The daffodils (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_pseudonarcissus) I haven't bothered splitting, I just left the bulbs as they were. They're Tête-à-Tête daffodils, I didn't know when I bought them - a small variety probably more like the wild plant, I wanted the large ones really.

In autumn I'll dig the bulbs up and sort them out for next year. I'll keep the tulips in (they're red and pink ones) and keep the Tête-à-Tête daffodil bulbs but add some English bluebell, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_bluebell)snowdrop (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galanthus_nivalis) and snowflake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake_(plant)) bulbs to the mix and rearrange the bulbs in a circle around the trees (at the moment they're in a row in front of them.
I'll probably include some Crocuses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocus) too.

I have all of these bulbs from a old garden I dug up but they're tired and worn out and were never split so I'm going to buy new ones in autumn and reinvigorate what is already there.

They're spring / early summer bulbs - I'd say they flower in about this sort of order - Crocuses, Snowdrops, Snowflakes, Daffodils, Tulips and finally Bluebells.
I need to think of some summer flowering bulbs too but a lot of temperate flowers that grow in summer are from seed.

All of those plants are found everywhere except Tulips which are only ever in gardens. Crocuses and Snowdrops aren't native but have been here a long time and naturalised (usually around old settlements), Daffodils, Bluebells and Snowflakes are native to England and Wales and Tulips aren't from here, thrive here but are never seen outside of cultivation.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Narcissus_T%C3%AAte-%C3%A0-T%C3%AAte.jpg
Tête-à-Tête Daffodils

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Wild_daffodils_-_geograph.org.uk_-_727244.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Keltanarsissi.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Cornwall_Daffodils.jpg
I wanted these ones really. I also like the bright yellow ones, not the pale yellow verging on white or the ones with the orange.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Bank_Hall_Snowdrops_Feb_2009.JPG
Snowdrops

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/resources-rx/images/1049/hyacinthoides-non-scripta-01_56913_1.jpg
English Bluebells

I am in French page for interchange of roots of fruit trees , but it isn't the best because i am from out of France

[Corvus]

Here is a picture of my garden, but it`s only the front site, which is just 1/3 of the size:
http://www.bilder-space.de/show_img.php?img=e2e0b5-1336315016.jpg&size=thumb (http://www.bilder-space.de/bilder/e2e0b5-1336315016.jpg)

[PetiteParisienne]

The bluebells are so lovely in London right now! I look forward to them all year.

[Albion]

I bought some strawberry plants to go in a window box today - 2 Cambridge Favourite and 2 Red Gauntlet.
The melon seeds have started growing as have the few gladioli and anemone "bulbs" I put in the window box to see what they're like.

The strawberry plants actually have a lot of flowers on so should produce a fair few strawberries.
The Elsanta strawberry plants I had last time were grown in poor soil and were tired plants which is why they were a disappointment I suppose. But strawberries are hardly the most high yielding of plants as it is but they grow fine in a window so I thought I'd grow them again.

http://www.gardenbestbuys.com/Portals/7/product/images/prd%7BB1ED58E1-4494-4E37-AD04-0A9F10D866E8%7D.jpg
Red Gauntlet

http://www.crocus.co.uk/images/products2/PL/20/00/00/89/PL2000008914_card2_lg.jpg
Cambridge Favourite

[Albion]

Anyone know any good house plants that don't need much sunlight?

All I can think of so far are Dracena Marginata, "Lucky Bamboo" (another Dracena), Yuccas and Spider Plants.

http://www.foliera.com/upload_img/var_img403.jpeg

[Arne]

Anyone know any good house plants that don't need much sunlight?

All I can think of so far are Dracena Marginata, "Lucky Bamboo" (another Dracena), Yuccas and Spider Plants.

There are many Ferns which grow under shady Circumstances.
http://bilderupload.de/bild.php/72658,dscf11012PSA8G.jpg

two Treeferns which has shady needs.
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/72659,dscn7545382FKN.jpg

A Strelitzia which will start flowering
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/72660,strelitziadscn7703IT76H.jpg

[Albion]

I found two interesting houseplants but they need full sun by a window. Both are Citrus so won't do too well outside here but will do good indoors.

Calamondin "Orange" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamondin)

Technically not an orange but a relative of them. The fruit is quite sour though.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_21_UkiqioPk/TJjZWD73n1I/AAAAAAAAARQ/RprnPm2_HnY/s1600/citrus-+calamondin.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_21_UkiqioPk/TJjZYDC6cJI/AAAAAAAAARY/n2N5TMP9-C8/s1600/citrus-kumquat.jpg
Kumquat

http://images1.americanlisted.com/nlarge/calamondin_orange_tree_30_metairie_8677311.jpg

Meyer Lemon tree (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meyer_lemon)

http://amarillotableland.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/mosmini-meyerlemontreejan2005.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HARQZTptkbI/TC4ELmceHVI/AAAAAAAAEfo/pHBN8oFsbCo/s1600/MeyerLemonTrees-containers.jpg

Both of these trees would be good in a conservatory (I think Germans call them "Wintergarten") in full sun. Both would be hopeless in shade though.

[gold_fenix]

i have a kumkuat, they need sun but are hard to cold, anyway any citrus need a lot of hour of sun

[PetiteParisienne]

My mum-in-law bought some redskin dahlias today. She's going to be planting them in her back garden soon. I'm looking forward to seeing them bloom.

[Arne]

http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/73550,dscf1268471FR.jpg
My Aquillea Hybrids

http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/73545,dscf1300MMQ3R.jpg
Treefern today is recovering
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/73543,dscf1346M4UOU.jpg

[Albion]

@Albion: A fig tree will regrow rapidly when it freezes back. It doesn´t make sense to graft them on somethinge else. It´s possible to earn figs where you are. You need to get an early variety that can tolerate wet wheather. The variety "Dalmatie" would be a good choice, Brown Turkey is pretty common in England, too. At least the latter should be found in many UK plant nurseries. I only don´t know whether the fruits will taste well, but it´s worth giving it a try. Just plant it in front of a wall where it is protected and gets full sun.

As the climate changes it´s very well possible that more and more English wine will be produced. Regions that used to grow white wine will grow red varieties and regions that didn´t grow wine at all will be able to grow at least white wine in the next decades. Some winegrowers here have already started growing more mediterranean wines like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.


I came across Fig plants and Grape vines at a plant nursery today. The only Fig variety they had was Brown Turkey. The plants were small and didn't have many leaves and the figs were pointing upwards. The plants were quite brown but had figs on, one fig I looked at was quite hollow and water came from it. Have they been damaged by rain do you think, would they recover if planted?
I though I could have one as a shrub in a warm, bright conservatory (wintergarten). They're quite reasonably priced and I prefer picking my own plants to ordering them online (you can't see what you're getting).
Should I bother with those plants or do you think they're ruined? The other plants looked similar but the figs were firmer.

The grape vines were Müller-Thurgau and some Muscadine from the Americas, Vitis labrusca I think. I don't think I'd bother with grapes outside this far north and west, far too wet and cloudy. I don't think I want any in a conservatory just yet either.

The Fig plants were a bit like this but with less foliage and a bit smaller:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3083/2849375582_b4593ec1d1.jpg

Regarding keeping them in a conservatory - other species of Ficus are grown as house plants and a conservatory would provide heat and sunlight which the plant would need. I don't see why in theory it shouldn't work.

[ficuscarica]

Hm, figs are famous for their ability to recover. If the price is low you could give it try. You can´t make a mistake with Brown Turkey.
I have no experience with figs in a conservatory, though. If I were you I would keep them in a pot for two or three years (with normal, black earth), just until they have a good size, and then plant them in front of a south-facing wall.

You can buy them and then post a picture, maybe I can tell you how to support the recovering process.

Müller-Thurgau doesn´t need much heat compared to other grapes.... south-facing wall...?? ;)

[Albion]

Hm, figs are famous for their ability to recover. If the price is low you could give it try. You can´t make a mistake with Brown Turkey.

Cool, good. I might have a go then.


You can buy them and then post a picture, maybe I can tell you how to support the recovering process.

Yes, that'd be good. By the way, what do you use your own figs for?


Müller-Thurgau doesn´t need much heat compared to other grapes.... south-facing wall...?? ;)

Yes, I have a warm, south facing wall but I'm going to leave that for this year.

[Allenson]

Good to see folks doing some gardening. Always a fine hobby, I say.

The season is underway here now although technically we could still see a light frost or two, so tender stuff should be covered or brought inside if frost is in the forecast.

Otherwise, we have carrots and peas planted and now just waiting the the seedlings to emerge. We also have lettuce, spinach and broccoli seedlings coming up--2" high or so now. My next project to finish getting the potato bed ready. Prob'ly do that tomorrow.

The apples are blooming, the lilacs soon to follow and the forest trees, other than white ash, are almost all leafed out now. We've had plenty of rain lately, so all is lush and green.

[Arne]

Good to see folks doing some gardening. Always a fine hobby, I say.

The season is underway here now although technically we could still see a light frost or two, so tender stuff should be covered or brought inside if frost is in the forecast.

Otherwise, we have carrots and peas planted and now just waiting the the seedlings to emerge. We also have lettuce, spinach and broccoli seedlings coming up--2" high or so now. My next project to finish getting the potato bed ready. Prob'ly do that tomorrow.

The apples are blooming, the lilacs soon to follow and the forest trees, other than white ash, are almost all leafed out now. We've had plenty of rain lately, so all is lush and green.
Our Apples aren´t blooming i guess..
That´s nice..
I love Chilli,Tomatoes,Spinaci and Broccoli :)
Apples,Cherries,Plums,Apricots (which have a hard time here in Germany for my Part),Peach (not so easy to grow here)

[Holle Bolle Gijss]

My garden;

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/9183/1335298034.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/585/1335298034.jpg/)

Okay the grass needs a bit of seeding but for the most part it looks alright no?

[Arne]

My garden;

Okay the grass needs a bit of seeding but for the most part it looks alright no?
I guessed your Green to be greener when you ´re on the other Side.. :D

[Arne]

spring flower :D
http://bilderupload.de/bild.php/74243,dscn7676UI342.jpg

[Albion]

spring flower :D
http://bilderupload.de/bild.php/74243,dscn7676UI342.jpg

Nice, some sort of Crocus. It's nice when you see them poking up through melting snow, it heralds the end of winter along with Snowdrops (Galanthus Nivalis).

[Arne]

Nice, some sort of Crocus. It's nice when you see them poking up through melting snow, it heralds the end of winter along with Snowdrops (Galanthus Nivalis).
White Crocus at the Spring Season..
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/74250,dscn76780ENR4.jpg
Good i didn´t had snow back then :D

[Albion]

White Crocus at the Spring Season..
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/74250,dscn76780ENR4.jpg
Good i didn´t had snow back then :D

They can be grown any time of year like most flowers from bulbs by "forcing".
To do so you put the bulbs in the fridge for a few weeks so that they think it's winter. Then once taken out and planted they should germinate. Spring flowers won't do too well in the heat of summer unless somewhere cool like in partial shade or Scotland. ;)

I've thought about forcing some indoors in autumn and winter when there's not much else around. A few Crocuses, Daffodils, Snowdrops and Tulips would brighten the place up.
Our winters are usually mild and rainy until december so they could possibly go outside until the snow set in, to them it'd be a poor spring.

[ficuscarica]

This year I have 15 tomato plants. Most are cherry tomatoes, as they simple taste better and I mainly eat them directly from the plant. I have them on the balcony that is connected to my bedroom. Until September they will climb 3m high, that´s why I have the wires. Most plants are in big plastic boxes which are usually used at construction sites, as they are much cheaper than pots and don´t take away much room on the balcony.
http://www.abload.de/img/img_09731du84.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_09731du84.jpg)
http://www.abload.de/img/img_0974a1uzl.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_0974a1uzl.jpg)

I also planted paprika, chillis and peperoni, altogether 13 plants.
http://www.abload.de/img/img_0983k6u11.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_0983k6u11.jpg)

[Albion]

Today I bought a grape vine (Vitis vinifera "Muller Thurgau") and a small fig plant (Ficus carica "Brown Turkey").
Both are in pots at the moment, I'll probably leave the fig plant in the pot until it matures a bit. The grape vine I'am going to grow up a trellis or on wires up the side of the house. The plants weren't expensive.

http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/5818/vitisvinifera.jpg
http://img546.imageshack.us/i/vitisvinifera.jpg/
grape vine

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/1984/figs1.jpg
http://img607.imageshack.us/i/figs1.jpg/

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7493/figs2.jpg
http://img207.imageshack.us/i/figs2.jpg/
Fig plant

@ Ficuscarica - the plant looks quite bare at the moment but at the bottom are green shoots. Do you have any advice on how I should proceed?
I don't know what the conditions were like where it was grown but I think it should pick up in the fertile compost and full sun. I want to grow it as a bush / shrub against a wall in a pot for a year or two.

[ficuscarica]

Albion, those plants look good and I think they will do great once they have become accostumed to their new "home". I wouldn´t do much for the fig, just keep it in the warmest and sunniest place you have for it. Apparently it has not yet received enough warmth and sun to start waking up from winter dormancy. Keep the soil moist but not wet and don´t give it any fertilizer. That black soil has more than enough nutrition for a fig.

If it grows fast and you overwinter it without damage you can plant it near a south-facing wall in the end of next May, but if it grows well in that pot you can leave it in the pot for another year. When you plant it outside it is better to have a poor soil, as this will help the fig become less "juicy" and thus more winterhardy. But the soil you have in the pot is fine as long as it is in the pot.

And may I ask how much you paid for each plant? :)

[Albion]

I wouldn´t do much for the fig, just keep it in the warmest and sunniest place you have for it. Apparently it has not yet received enough warmth and sun to start waking up from winter dormancy.

I did wonder why it had no leaves on yet, you've seen how cool our weather has been from what I posted on the weather thread though. But that's surprising, it seems quite late - sometimes our summers are slow to warm up though, but they do eventually.
I noticed the roots when planting it were very abundant indeed and there are green shoots as I've mentioned and that immature fig you can see in the picture.


Keep the soil moist but not wet and don´t give it any fertilizer. That black soil has more than enough nutrition for a fig. [/QUOTE
]

I already have mixed in a bit of fertiliser because the tag which came with the plant said to. I remembered you saying they were vigorous enough without it but I thought it looked a bit sickly.

[QUOTE]If it grows fast and you overwinter it without damage you can plant it near a south-facing wall in the end of next May, but if it grows well in that pot you can leave it in the pot for another year. When you plant it outside it is better to have a poor soil, as this will help the fig become less "juicy" and thus more winterhardy. But the soil you have in the pot is fine as long as it is in the pot.[/QUOTE
]

The south facing wall has paving all the way along so it wouldn't go directly in the ground, just in a very large container.
Alternatively there is an area of lawn where it could go - full sun, next to a boundary fence. About 3 foot down is a thick layer of building rubble, I found out when I wanted to put an apple tree there. It would have stunted an apple tree, but maybe that would be a good spot for a fig plant.

By juicy you are referring to moisture content in the plant? I suppose a plant with a lot of water inside would be at risk of cracking in winter.
I may bring it inside over the first winter, it depends how the plant is doing at the time and how cold it gets.

[QUOTE]And may I ask how much you paid for each plant? :)


£10 for the grape vine, £5 for the fig - I don't think there's much difference between £ and € when discussing small amounts.

With the two plants I know there's the risk of failed years when the fruits don't ripen. I'm growing the fig primarily as an ornamental shrub but edible figs would be a bonus.
The grape vine too could be very ornamental (especially in autumn when the foliage turns red) but I really want fruit off that.
The grape vine is grafted too, it's not always done here because the cooler climate and lack of vines makes it largely unnecessary. I always hated trying to explain the concept of grafting to other family members.

All my fruit trees are doing fine so far - as expected the Cherry and Apple much better than the others though. The apple tree has amazed me, already it is sending out many branches and lots of leaves and blossom. I bought it at the same time as the Pear tree, at the time I thought it the weaker of the two but it's quite the opposite.

[ficuscarica]

Hm, in the worst case the branches have died back. But your description of the overall condition doesn´t sound that bad. Just scratch away a little bit from the wood´s surface with your fingernails if you are not sure. If you see a vital green everything is fine and the bush only needs more heat and sun.
I think it is a rather bad idea to plant a fig bush just on a lawn, away from protecting walls. The figs will ripen late (if they ripen at all) and the bush will die back much more easily in winter. Even if it is not directly south-facing, it should at least be sw-facing or se-facing, and the fig should be as near the wall as possible. It makes a tremendous difference.

You can remove the fruit, it is from last year´s autumn and won´t become ripe anymore. In your climate, giving it has a warm and protected place, Brown Turkey will bear fruits in late August and again in late October. The second fruits will only become ripe when you have a warm, sunny autumn. Otherwise they will end up like that fruit on your bush. You can remove them before moving them to the conservatory or garage or wherever you overwinter them.

Yes, with juicy I was referring to the content of fluid in the branches, that will be higher when the fig is planted in a heavy, wet soil with lots of organic fertilizer.

The price for that fig is great, I just hope the reason is not that it is already half dead. ;)
The grape wine will have fruits when you have a really warm wall, I just don´t know whether the sugar content will be to your satisfaction, but why not give it a try. ;)

[Albion]

Hm, in the worst case the branches have died back. But your description of the overall condition doesn´t sound that bad. Just scratch away a little bit from the wood´s surface with your fingernails if you are not sure. If you see a vital green everything is fine and the bush only needs more heat and sun.


I did that on one of the dead looking branches and it is green, even some sap bubbled out.


I think it is a rather bad idea to plant a fig bush just on a lawn, away from protecting walls. The figs will ripen late (if they ripen at all) and the bush will die back much more easily in winter. Even if it is not directly south-facing, it should at least be sw-facing or se-facing, and the fig should be as near the wall as possible. It makes a tremendous difference.

You can remove the fruit, it is from last year´s autumn and won´t become ripe anymore. In your climate, giving it has a warm and protected place, Brown Turkey will bear fruits in late August and again in late October. The second fruits will only become ripe when you have a warm, sunny autumn. Otherwise they will end up like that fruit on your bush. You can remove them before moving them to the conservatory or garage or wherever you overwinter them.

I'll keep it against a wall then. I've already removed that fig, most websites say I'd only get one crop a year in this climate.
The autumns have been warm for the past few years.

[Arne]

I also planted paprika, chillis and peperoni, altogether 13 plants.

That´s not quite much Chillie, i counted over 20 of them.

[Albion]

The grape vine is growing fast, I'm going to have to start thinking about training it.
I don't fancy training it on wires or a trellis so I might just grow it on one of these and prune every winter:

http://www.sunderleigh.com/images/index_image.jpg
Not this one though - I'm not drilling for oil.

http://www.thelichfieldplantercompany.co.uk/images/slideshow/Lattice_Wooden_Garden_Obelisk_2.gif

http://www.home-dzine.co.za/garden/images/obelisk-1.jpg

I also helped someone dig up their front garden today - they're replacing it with a drive. They gave me this spindle plant, it's either a variegated version of Euonymus fortunei (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euonymus_fortunei) or Euonymus japonicus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euonymus_japonicus):

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2655/img00107201205290727.jpg

[ficuscarica]

Albion, why so complicated? Simply let it grow on the wall, you only need a few thin wires. It also gives the grapes additional heat.

http://www.weinstrasse.com/images/cms/DSC08247_Urrebe_Margreid_Wein_Trauben.JPG

[Albion]

Albion, why so complicated? Simply let it grow on the wall, you only need a few thin wires. It also gives the grapes additional heat.

http://www.weinstrasse.com/images/cms/DSC08247_Urrebe_Margreid_Wein_Trauben.JPG

It'll be near a wall anyway. How would you secure it to a wall, with wires or will it just follow it without wires?
I thought about having it on one of those things above because it should be quite manageable that way and easy to move if I ever need to move it.

[ficuscarica]

After a few years the roots will be too deep in the ground to move it.

Just take a small nail and place it at the highest point that you want the plant to reach. Wrap a wire around the nail and then connect that wire to the plant so it can climb on the wire. Basically you should stretch out wires just where you want the grape vine to stretch out, just like drawing lines which the grape vine can follow.

[ficuscarica]

Basically the grape vine will have one main shoot and smaller shoots that grow out of it. The main shoot will grow along the wire and will not be cut. The smaller shoots are cut back in January, two buds remain:
http://www.fassadengruen.de/uploads/pics/rebschnitt_zapfen_180.jpg
http://mediaserver01.stockfood.com/wmpreviews/MzgwMDk2Ng==/00292382.jpg

(the dark brown wood is growing exactly where the wire is)

[Albion]

After a few years the roots will be too deep in the ground to move it.

Well it's currently still in the pot and I'll probably leave it in that for a year or two. After that I'll probably re-pot it to stop it getting root bound and put it in a larger one.

Planting it by a south or west facing wall is kind of awkward because on the south, west and east sides by the wall of the house is paving and beneath that a thick layer of building rubble probably.
The north side has a small garden, the front garden but it has building rubble a foot down, not much sun and isn't fit for much apart from grass.

So I'm growing it in a pot against the house. I still like the idea of that obelisk thing though. The natural habit of the vines seems to be to grow upwards and it offers them a support.
Obviously the size of the plant will be restricted by the size of the structure and pot, but I'm not too bothered because I'm not attempting to start a vineyard. I'm pushing my luck as it is with grapes and figs this far North. ;)


Just take a small nail and place it at the highest point that you want the plant to reach. Wrap a wire around the nail and then connect that wire to the plant so it can climb on the wire. Basically you should stretch out wires just where you want the grape vine to stretch out, just like drawing lines which the grape vine can follow.

I had thought about that actually. I was going to attempt it the other day but thought the plant was too small to do that yet.
I still like my new idea of growing them up that obelisk structure though.


Basically the grape vine will have one main shoot and smaller shoots that grow out of it. The main shoot will grow along the wire and will not be cut. The smaller shoots are cut back in January, two buds remain:

Yes, this is the general idea I had about pruning.

[Albion]

The Hawthorn is blossoming around the countryside at the moment. It's practically everywhere in the more pastoral areas of England.
There's two species native here - the Common Hawthorn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_hawthorn) (which forms a hedge in my garden) and Midland Hawthorn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_Hawthorn).
They sometimes hybridise and these hybrids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crataegus_%C3%97_media) can be a beautiful plant when they bear blossom. Instead of the usual white blossom they bear deep red blossom instead. The naturally occurring hybrid has a few cultivated versions, notably "Paul's Scarlet".

The red hybrid hawthorn is what interests me - the other two are common as muck but I've seen lots of the red hybrid planted along roadsides as standards just out of town. There's also a few others in the suburbs but they're not nearly as common as the Common Hawthorn.

So I'm going to take a few cuttings and attempt to graft some onto a Common Hawthorn hedge to get a mixture of the white and red blossom.
Hawthorn is fairly good for grafting, you can even graft Pears onto it apparently (some may require double working though).

If grafting fails then I'll just buy some cultivated versions and plant them in some gaps in the hedge. Humble hawthorn can look pretty nice sometimes.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_7D1MyJsmqe4/TYuyiSzaydI/AAAAAAAAb4w/qsD96dqLPvk/IMGP6930%20Crataegus%20media%20'Paul's%20Scarlet'% 20-%20G%C5%82%C3%B3g%20po%C5%9Bredni.JPG

http://www.crocus.co.uk/images/products2/TR/00/00/00/10/TR0000001050_card2_lg.jpg

http://www.cherrymenlove.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Hawthorn-Crataegus-laevigata-Pauls-Scarlet-2.jpg

http://www.pinus.net.pl/foto/crataegus_x_media_pauls_scarlet_m1.jpg

http://www.iglaki24.pl/galerie/6/60bf91a1a704b6d108cef3591369785631747.jpg

http://img.visionspictures.sodatech.com/BLWA/cprev/blwa00055.jpg

http://pieknyogrod.skoczow.pl/allegro/lisciaste/glog_pauls_scarlet/1.jpg

I was just going to fill gaps in the hedge in with bog standard Cherry Laurel, but Crataegus x media looks much better!

[Albion]

The Japanese Rose (Rosa rugosa) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_rugosa) also makes for an interesting hedgerow plant.
I've seen a few around here in hedges, I prefer them to all those wild roses we have here or the garden roses. They're a lot more robust and more vigorous - not something for a manicured lawn but they look nice in a hedge with the flowers and rose hips.
Along with the native dog rose the rose hips of the Japanese rose are very rich in Vitamin C and other such elements. If you eat them you have to watch out for the tiny hairs inside the hip - apparently they've been used as itching powder in the past.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Rosa_rugosa_Tokyo.JPG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Rosa_rugosa_2010.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Rosa_rugosa_Fruechte.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Hips_of_Rosa_rugosa.jpg

Probably the best thing about it is how tough it is - it'll grow in most soil types and even grows on sand dunes in it's native land. It tolerates both full sun and shade and isn't a disease-riddled weakling like most cultivated Garden Roses.

[ficuscarica]

Albion, you can still let the grape vine grow on the wall, just create a "bridge", for example like this:

http://imageseu.fewo-direkt.de/vd2/files/VV/400x300/14/120845/38633_1295123440499.jpg
http://www.holidaycheck.de/data/urlaubsbilder/mittel/33/1156932295.jpg
Just let the little grape vine climb one of the iron bars (but you can also build something similar with wood) and protect it with some twigs in its first winter. It will be a great place to relax as well.

I really think growing them on a south-facing wall would make a huge difference and it would be much more likely for you to get sweet grapes.

That obelisk thing you posted certainly isn´t bad, but imo you can get more out of a grape vine.

[Albion]

Albion, you can still let the grape vine grow on the wall, just create a "bridge", for example like this:

http://imageseu.fewo-direkt.de/vd2/files/VV/400x300/14/120845/38633_1295123440499.jpg
http://www.holidaycheck.de/data/urlaubsbilder/mittel/33/1156932295.jpg
Just let the little grape vine climb one of the iron bars (but you can also build something similar with wood) and protect it with some twigs in its first winter. It will be a great place to relax as well.

I really think growing them on a south-facing wall would make a huge difference and it would be much more likely for you to get sweet grapes.

That obelisk thing you posted certainly isn´t bad, but imo you can get more out of a grape vine.

I like that idea and it had occurred to me but I don't have a pergola (that's what we call them) and they're pretty expensive to buy. I have a carpenter / joiner in the family who could probably knock something together, but it's a lot of hassle just for a single vine. I'll think about it.

Th onions I planted are starting to do nicely now anyway. It's strange, the ones in dry shade are doing better than the ones in a rich soil in full sun. I don't know how the ones in shade will do once they stop living off the bulb though - they might have to be used as Scallions. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scallion) I might put in a few Chives (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chives) as well - they're good for bees, and maybe a few late potatoes.

The Gooseberry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gooseberry) plant has given up, the only plant to fail. I suppose I shouldn't have expected much from a £1 bargain. In autumn I'm going to put more rhubarb in it's place. Rhubarb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb) just loves it in the cool shade at this time of year and in autumn it'll be in full sun once the leaves fall off the trees. It thrives.

The garden is half an acre in total so I may start a veg patch in part of it away from the little orchard I'm attempting.

[ficuscarica]

My paprika and chilli plants are doing well, so are the tomato plants. First fruits are ripening:

http://www.abload.de/img/img_1234kfujs.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_1234kfujs.jpg)

[Barreldriver]

Our planting this season is not to the scale of the past (mind in Antebellum days back home in Tennessee it wouldn't be garden but a proper field then cattle grazing). Given our circumstances while currently displaced in Ohio we only have a few acres to work with and considering the ailing health of pappy there's little will to plant beyond a few rows of green beans, green peppers, and tomatoes. We still get enough produce to fill two deep freezers and have left overs for a few relatives and associates.

[Albion]

The weather has been awful for the last week, I'm starting to understand why this part of the world was traditionally apple and damson (plum) country rather than grape or pear. :rolleyes:

Anyway, that slow starter fig plant has been in my window for a few days and seems to have done well from it. The room it's in is very warm most of the time (radiator under window that takes hours to cool down).
It's come into leaf and I'll probably put it outside in a larger pot once the weather warms up.

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/5531/img00043201205211929.jpg
Fig plant a few weeks ago when I bought it

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/8648/img00111201206060218.jpg
2 days ago

http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/9969/img00159201206082255.jpg
This evening. I've just put it against the wall to photograph, it's usually in the window.

As for the grape vine, it's doing well despite the poor weather. I had an old planter whilch I forgot about in the shed so I've decided to use that to support it. Obviously it will outgrow it pretty quickly so I'm going to have it growing up that fence behind it too.
The permanent branches can stay on the planter whereas all the vines that grow up the fence shall probably be cut back in winter and grow from fresh each year.

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/4358/img00038201205211927nnuz.jpg
The grape vine a few weeks ago when I bought it

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/7808/img00129201206070344.jpg
That pigeon is in there because he and his missus are sitting eggs at the moment. They'll be in the pigeon cote quite soon though.

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/7173/img00130201206070344.jpg
See what I mean about it starting to grow up the fence?

[Albion]

The rhubarb is doing great at the moment. If well fed it is fast growing and a very undemanding, easy plant to grow.

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/484/img00053201205250019.jpg
A few weeks ago

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/12/img00116201206070342.jpg
Today. The rhubarb there is enough to pay for the cost of the rhizome.

I'm going to get more rhizomes in autumn and plant a lot of it. It's nice with strawberries and cream or in pies, I also recommend strawberry and rhubarb pie - they go together very well indeed.

[ficuscarica]

Grape wine and flowers decorating my balcony:
http://www.abload.de/img/img_1416flevt.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_1416flevt.jpg)

From the balcony I see this nice willow tree which usually has a lot of birds in it:

http://www.abload.de/img/img_141449e8o.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_141449e8o.jpg)

[Arne]

i have one of these :p
not the ordinary stuff
it´s a passiflora
http://forum.planten.de/galerie/d/100687-1/Passiflora+Amethyst+08_07_2007.jpg

[gold_fenix]

The rhubarb is doing great at the moment. If well fed it is fast growing and a very undemanding, easy plant to grow.

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/484/img00053201205250019.jpg
A few weeks ago

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/12/img00116201206070342.jpg
Today. The rhubarb there is enough to pay for the cost of the rhizome.

I'm going to get more rhizomes in autumn and plant a lot of it. It's nice with strawberries and cream or in pies, I also recommend strawberry and rhubarb pie - they go together very well indeed.

too is very good against insects , for example the miner who attacks the tomate or peppers

[Arne]

once i owned this one.. http://u.jimdo.com/www101/o/s196705fda7b28333/img/if0f1e4e1edf53a1f/1284454931/std/passiflora-caerulea-constance-elliot.jpg

[gold_fenix]

once i owned this one.. http://u.jimdo.com/www101/o/s196705fda7b28333/img/if0f1e4e1edf53a1f/1284454931/std/passiflora-caerulea-constance-elliot.jpg

lol a passiflora, there are some passifloras that their fruit are very taste, there is a variety who in the South of Germany would grow very well, Passiflora ligularis is one of my fav fruits

[Arne]

lol a passiflora, there are some passifloras that their fruit are very taste, there is a variety who in the South of Germany would grow very well, Passiflora ligularis is one of my fav fruits

they don´t grow nor adapt for a longerlasting time.
Many people had those in the Ground but they didn´t survived
btw. mine blue carulea had fruits aswell..

[Arne]

Salomonsspiegel
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/79233,dscf132522T8LN.jpg

[Albion]

From the balcony I see this nice willow tree which usually has a lot of birds in it:

http://www.abload.de/img/img_141449e8o.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_141449e8o.jpg)

Yeah, there's a weeping willow growing in the trees behind the houses here too. Behind mine are some very tall beech and sycamore perched atop the summit of the hill and casting a long shadow.
You have a nice view from your window though.


i have one of these
not the ordinary stuff
it´s a passiflora

Very nice, do you grow it indoors or outside? I've got some gladioli and anemones at the front of the house that are beginning to creep out.


too is very good against insects , for example the miner who attacks the tomate or peppers

Yeah, that's a good use for the leaves.


lol a passiflora, there are some passifloras that their fruit are very taste, there is a variety who in the South of Germany would grow very well, Passiflora ligularis is one of my fav fruits

There's passion fruit in that genus but it's not hardy at all. My book basically says don't bother unless it's in a greenhouse (for England that is, it'd probably be fine in coastal Iberia).

[gold_fenix]

they don´t grow nor adapt for a longerlasting time.
Many people had those in the Ground but they didn´t survived
btw. mine blue carulea had fruits aswell..


passiflora linguralis is from the mountains in tropical countries

[QUOTE=Albion;942779]Yeah, there's a weeping willow growing in the trees behind the houses here too. Behind mine are some very tall beech and sycamore perched atop the summit of the hill and casting a long shadow.
You have a nice view from your window though.

http://www.abload.de/img/img_141449e8o.jpg
i am seeing a Weeping willow, that tree contains a high concentration of AIB ( hormone for to root cuttings) in their branches, you can make a maceration and you will get a product to root

[Albion]

Passion fruit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passion_fruit

[Arne]

Very nice, do you grow it indoors or outside? I've got some gladioli and anemones at the front of the house that are beginning to creep out.
It is grown as a pot plant outside at a sheltered location in full sun.
They love Sun and nutrients a constant humidity and a watering cycle to prevent drought of them.

I have some Montbretia which look a bit dead.


There's passion fruit in that genus but it's not hardy at all. My book basically says don't bother unless it's in a greenhouse (for England that is, it'd probably be fine in coastal Iberia).
they won´t tolerate any freeze at all..
http://www.golatofski.de/Pflanzenreich/gattung/p_bilder/passiflora/p_quadrn.jpg

[ficuscarica]

Albion, the pic is made from a bridge, not from my window. I see the willow from another angle (you can even see the bridge on the pic):
http://www.abload.de/img/img_1228wzc24.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_1228wzc24.jpg)
Here is the view from the bigger balcony on the north side of the house:
http://www.abload.de/img/img_1239d9ijv.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_1239d9ijv.jpg)

Would be nice to see pics with your view from the window!

[Arne]

typical landscape here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/endie1/4097872516/

[Albion]

I have some Montbretia which look a bit dead.


I don't know, that stuff is pretty tough. I remember the orange montbretia my parents used to have at their house when I was a kid was pretty tough.

Do you have the red one or the hybrid orange one? I think the orange one is a bit tougher, it is only recently that people have started planting the red one here.

[Arne]

I don't know, that stuff is pretty tough. I remember the orange montbretia my parents used to have at their house when I was a kid was pretty tough.

Do you have the red one or the hybrid orange one? I think the orange one is a bit tougher, it is only recently that people have started planting the red one here.

If i remember correctly they were orange..
But maybe i´m wrong :p

They are lovely and gracile but still immigrants :p
http://www.gartencenter.co.at/wp-content/uploads/Montbretien.jpg

[ficuscarica]

just found another pic with the view from the balcony... i love those lillies
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/6288/sdc10678j.jpg

[Arne]

Mahonia media charity
Very exotic for this Part :D
http://bilderupload.de/bild.php/79236,dscf13282KM4LC.jpg
One winter it suffered hard cause of the freeze.
It´s not totally hardy but for most milde areas like this it suits well.

Trichterfarn
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/79237,dscf131725FMTD.jpg

[Albion]

i am seeing a Weeping willow, that tree contains a high concentration of AIB ( hormone for to root cuttings) in their branches, you can make a maceration and you will get a product to root

I've tried that with my Corkscrew willow (they're sometimes classified as a sub-species of weeping willow) and it didn't work. I've tried rooting cuttings from it and they failed too.
Maybe this species doesn't have as much in?

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/6905/img00117201206070342.jpg
My corkscrew willow. Picture taken on a very rainy day.


Albion, the pic is made from a bridge, not from my window. I see the willow from another angle (you can even see the bridge on the pic):

Would be nice to see pics with your view from the window!

Well the only one I have to hand is that fig plant in the window earlier but you can't see much in it:

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/8648/img00111201206060218.jpg

I'll take another when it's not raining. ;)

Behind those trees are a few fields with some woods where I walk my dogs. I did take a few pictures of them the other day. There's a bit of old parkland and then farmers fields after that:

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/3627/img00055201205251838.jpg
I love these Laburnum trees - they're native to the Alps and Balkans but widely planted here. They do get spoilt in poor weather though, but look lovely in the sun. I used to climb the one behind this one when I was a kid.

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/8553/img00056201205251838.jpg

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/7086/img00085201205281013.jpg

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/7234/img00087201205281013.jpg
The sand bank and the stream at the bottom

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/1162/img00092201205281014.jpg
The Hawthorn flowering

And these pictures were taken in very early spring. I noticed Horse Chestnuts growing in the woods, interesting because years ago when I was a kid I'd scattered 100s of conkers (horse chestnut seeds) there. There are no other horse chestnut trees near these, I like to think they grew because of me. Such a high mortality rate though, there's about ten of them out of hundreds of conkers which were scattered. The squirrels must have eaten them perhaps.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/5546/img00019201204250850.jpg

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/8531/img00022201204250851.jpg


I can only see my garden from the back windows though - the trees block the view (and the sun in the top of the garden!), and at the front are more houses.
Ficus, your view looks a bit like the village my gran used to live in. I love that place but it's too expensive for me to live in now.

Anyway, these pictures basically show why I wouldn't live in a city.

[Albion]

If i remember correctly they were orange..
But maybe i´m wrong :p

They are lovely and gracile but still immigrants :p
http://www.gartencenter.co.at/wp-content/uploads/Montbretien.jpg

They're from the Cape in Africa.


just found another pic with the view from the balcony... i love those lillies
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/6288/sdc10678j.jpg

I've always wanted a balcony.

[Arne]

http://bilderupload.de/bild.php/79508,dscf1576JVGI4.jpg
one of my chillie plants
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/79509,dscf1525KSGPV.jpg

[Arne]

My oleander cream champagne white http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/79513,dscf163725JS24.jpg

[Arne]

typical english flowers :D
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/79515,dscf16422278UO.jpg

[Arne]

There´s some kind of poppy flower growing wild
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/79517,dscf1602H4QT9.jpg

[Arne]

Did some Adjustments on this pic.
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/79518,unbenannt6Y47I.jpg

[Albion]

You seem good at growing exotic plants Arne, they take more work than ones adapted for our cooler climate.
The most "exotic" I have at the moment is that fig plant but I may get some plants for the house some time. I quite like Gebera. (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Gerbera)

[Arne]

You seem good at growing exotic plants Arne, they take more work than ones adapted for our cooler climate.
The most "exotic" I have at the moment is that fig plant but I may get some plants for the house some time. I quite like Gebera. (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Gerbera)
I had no luck with Ficus ..
You should try to get some Epicactis like i have posted..
They are great flowering in many various Colours from white to red and orange.
And sometimes with Fragrance.
Cactis aren´t too complicated.
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/79521,unbenannt2XSLE3.jpg

Paeonia in the Garden
http://www.bilderupload.de/bild.php/79520,unbenanntG110N.jpg

[ficuscarica]

The chilli season has begun... quite late, because it was rather cool the last weeks. Pretty hot stuff those chillis, what am I going to do with so many chillies? :D

[Arne]

The chilli season has begun... quite late, because it was rather cool the last weeks. Pretty hot stuff those chillis, what am I going to do with so many chillies? :D

Sell those Chillies ....
Imagine more than 30 of them growing like weeds..


Btw. i found a very nice tropical garden
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amoeba/6239976868/in/photostream/

[Osprey]

You seem good at growing exotic plants Arne

Arne is our Cornelius van Baerle

[Albion]

I was just looking into how I'd restrict the size of my fig plant and came across some Italians using Ficus carica for Bonsai. I've seen other Ficus species used for this (Aldi are even selling some right now) but never carica.
It appears they do okay but can't be restricted to such a small size as some other Bonsai species, but there are quite some interesting pictures:

http://www.bonsaiclub.it/public/data/trender/2009822224056_IMGP2088.JPG

http://www.bonsaiclub.it/public/data/trender/2009822224216_IMGP2090.JPG

http://www.bonsaiclub.it/public/data/trender/2009822224330_IMGP2089.JPG

I think that is a nice looking plant and is a nice size - it could be outside on nice summer days and indoors on the crappy ones and throughout winter (I'd perhaps leave mine in a shed to go dormant for a month or two).

There's quite a few people using them for Bonsai, I'm quite amazed that such small plants can actually produce fruit (especially the one below). My interest isn't in Bonsai though, I'm just interested in restricting my plant's size so it can be moved easily.

http://members.home.nl/alessandro.danieli/fico%20carica%20jpg.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6214/6284021225_69a1ee60ab_b.jpg

http://www.parlonsbonsai.com/IMG/jpg/ficus_carica_APPRENTI_PONG.jpg

The websites seem to suggest that the leaves don't get as large if they're not watered or fertilised with nitrogen too much. On the other hand I'd guess that Potassium and Phosphorous could induce figs into fruiting.

http://www.feigenland.de/images/feigeAlsBonsai2.jpg

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/gardening/ficus%20carica%20%27petite%20negra%27.jpg


I think I want to grow my fig plant a bit taller than this one, tall enough so that the foliage is at window height for when it is brought indoors. At the moment it is small and I just have it in a window box in the window where it seems to thrive. As it grows I'm going to try and grow it with a tall trunk to reach the window from the floor so that the canopy is actually at the level of the window and receives full sun (it's south facing in a warm room).

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn170/mernkey123/Fig.jpg

It's ironic, originally I doubted if I'd get a fig plant and wasn't overly interested, but now it's the plant I devote the most attention too. I still don't trust then climate here in the Pennines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennines) far too wet, grey and cool for me to have much faith with a fig plant outdoors all year.

So like I said - grow it tall enough for the canopy to reach window height, kind of like these house plants below (not Ficus carica btw):

http://www.coventgardenplants.co.uk/images/products/ficus-elastica-corn-plant-dracaena-marginata.jpg

http://cdn1.preen.com/illustr/articles/jan08-houseplant-window.jpg

To grow it tall I plan on initially allowing it to grow tall in the window and once it gets too tall then I shall place it on a stand by the window. Gradually as it gets taller I shall lower it closer to the floor until finally the container will be on the floor and the canopy at window height. Then once the size and shape are perfected I'll just occasionally prune it to maintain the desired size and shape.

Here's how mine is doing at the moment:

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/2871/img00186201206152116.jpg

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/9792/img00188201206152116.jpg

I probably could grow it outside, I doubt it'd be killed in winter. But I also doubt it'd grow much and would probably not thrive.

[Albion]

I bought some more strawberry plants today, I was at Aldi and they had some fruit and veg plants (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and strawberries) along with a few flowers (dahlias, impatients, I forget the rest).

I already have some strawberry plants but brought these because they're everbearers and have the nice pink flowers instead of the usual white.
everbearers have a longer season but don't fruit as much as some other types. I've put them beneath the grape vine until I've got some spare containers, they should be alright there for a few months - they're small at the moment.

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/7803/img00193201206191114.jpg

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/5624/img00192201206191114.jpg

They're a variety called "Fragoo":

http://www.ozarksgardens.com/jpg/d/x/RgFYQNBooqAJ/tlGewaCoHOQaIzB/fragoo-pink-strawberry.jpg
Hopefully mine grow as good as that

I also bought a Cherry tomato plant. I couldn't be bothered with growing a lot of them because I may bring that one in if the weather deteriorates again - people grow them in greenhouses here, my neighbour has a lot which they grow as perennials in one.

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/3690/img00189201206191114.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/9540/img00190201206191114.jpg

[ficuscarica]

Lilly blossom time. They are always quite late compared to other lillies here, because I grow them in exposed pots on the terrace. Also, June was cool this year. But finally they made it a few days ago:

http://www.abload.de/img/img_1787k4ou7.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_1787k4ou7.jpg)
http://www.abload.de/img/img_1785e0o4f.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_1785e0o4f.jpg)
http://www.abload.de/img/img_17869wqlh.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_17869wqlh.jpg)
http://www.abload.de/img/img_17918tpv8.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=img_17918tpv8.jpg)

[Albion]

The grape vine keeps creeping along the wires though but the grapes themselves I don't think will mature this year if the weather stays cloudy and wet. The tomato plant is in the window and the fig has been in a window for weeks and seems to like it there.
These are really the only cold sensitive plants I have, most of the others are fine so long as blossom in spring doesn't get damaged by late frosts.

The strawberries are doing well, of the three varieties one of the plants is "Cambridge favourite" - it is bearing fruit but there's very little foliage to sustain the plant, it's not as good as the other two varieties. Some of the strawberries are ripening despite the rain but I've noticed the largest, ripest one has been pecked by blackbirds so may have to put a net over the plants now.

Out in the countryside the cherries and apples are growing fast, the cherries are a few weeks behind those in Spain (I ate theirs last week :p ) but should be ready soon (my own trees are too young to bear fruit yet - they pretend to be forming it, then drop it - they're 1 and 2 years old).

[Albion]

I've realised the garden is pretty devoid of flowers beyond the spring bulbs. So I'm thinking about perennial and annual summer flowers, some that will grow in dry or rainy summers.
The poppy and cornflower seed I scattered doesn't seem to be doing anything this year (many flower seeds will grow the next year) so I might buy some flowers ready grown and transplant them.

I need something bright but not particularly out of place, something that will contrast with all the greenery.
Some of my neighbours have lupins, they've got an old cottage garden feel to them but seem to thrive no matter what - the species commonly planted in the U (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupinus_polyphyllus)K even grows well in Tierra del Fuego! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flores_de_lupino_(Ushuaia).jpg)
Roses are out everywhere - the many types of wild rose and lots of "English" roses which seem to do better than I thought. Maybe these old classics have something going for them after all.
One of the neighbours also grows chives which look nice in summer and attract a lot of bees. I've helped both neighbours clear nettles and cut hedges a few days ago, I might ask them if they have any spare seeds. ;)

So does anyone have any suggestions for what flowers to grow in summer?

[Arne]

I've realised the garden is pretty devoid of flowers beyond the spring bulbs. So I'm thinking about perennial and annual summer flowers, some that will grow in dry or rainy summers.
The poppy and cornflower seed I scattered doesn't seem to be doing anything this year (many flower seeds will grow the next year) so I might buy some flowers ready grown and transplant them.

I need something bright but not particularly out of place, something that will contrast with all the greenery.
Some of my neighbours have lupins, they've got an old cottage garden feel to them but seem to thrive no matter what - the species commonly planted in the U (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupinus_polyphyllus)K even grows well in Tierra del Fuego! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flores_de_lupino_(Ushuaia).jpg)
Roses are out everywhere - the many types of wild rose and lots of "English" roses which seem to do better than I thought. Maybe these old classics have something going for them after all.
One of the neighbours also grows chives which look nice in summer and attract a lot of bees. I've helped both neighbours clear nettles and cut hedges a few days ago, I might ask them if they have any spare seeds. ;)

So does anyone have any suggestions for what flowers to grow in summer?
yeah
http://www.erowid.org/library/books_online/ayahuasca_apa/images/brugmansia_oz_1.jpg

[Albion]

yeah
http://www.erowid.org/library/books_online/ayahuasca_apa/images/brugmansia_oz_1.jpg

Are you sure they'll grow here? Wikipedia says they grow in frost-free climates so I suppose they'd be brought indoors in autumn.

[Arne]

Are you sure they'll grow here? Wikipedia says they grow in frost-free climates so I suppose they'd be brought indoors in autumn.

Oh, they´d survive the rain possibly..
But won´t tolerate freeze, yes, if taken inside they´d grow over summer without a problem i guess..
it probably needs a sheltered half-shaded placing.

I thought you were speaking generally about "flowers" not outcluding frost sensitive plants.

[Albion]

Oh, they´d survive the rain possibly..
But won´t tolerate freeze, yes, if taken inside they´d grow over summer without a problem i guess..
it probably needs a sheltered half-shaded placing.

I thought you were speaking generally about "flowers" not outcluding frost sensitive plants.

Yes, I'm looking for summer flowers. Do you reckon that would self seed and grow as an annual or would it have to be replanted each year?

[Arne]

Yes, I'm looking for summer flowers. Do you reckon that would self seed and grow as an annual or would it have to be replanted each year?

It will need to be replanted every year if you keep it outside all the time..

You can not reckon it´d self seed.
Not at this Climate..
If you want something selfseeding, try out Datura.

Datura ceratocaula
http://b-and-t-world-seeds.com/images/69028.jpg

Datura innoxia
http://www.feenkraut.de/herbpictures/Toloache/Datura%20inoxia_plant.JPG

i have one datura innoxia and many datura metel..
but they all have upturned flowers which possibly will be sensitive to rain.

[Albion]

It will need to be replanted every year if you keep it outside all the time..

You can not reckon it´d self seed.
Not at this Climate..
If you want something selfseeding, try out Datura.

Datura ceratocaula
http://b-and-t-world-seeds.com/images/69028.jpg

Datura innoxia
http://www.feenkraut.de/herbpictures/Toloache/Datura%20inoxia_plant.JPG

i have one datura innoxia and many datura metel..
but they all have upturned flowers which possibly will be sensitive to rain.

I don't think they're my sort of thing, I'm thinking more like Mediterranean or South African summer flowers.

[Arne]

I don't think they're my sort of thing, I'm thinking more like Mediterranean or South African summer flowers.

they are mediterranean...

[ficuscarica]

Our dwarf goat has destroyed a kiwi plant and two fig trees, although they were protected with a wire fence. It has already destroyed countless plants in the last years. I would love to take an axe and let it earn the destruction it has sown. Arrrhh!!

[Albion]

Our dwarf goat has destroyed a kiwi plant and two fig trees, although they were protected with a wire fence. It has already destroyed countless plants in the last years. I would love to take an axe and let it earn the destruction it has sown. Arrrhh!!

Don't you like goats then? :D The chickens I used to keep ate absolutely everything too, even tomato plants (poisonous) and even some Torbay Palm leaves (Cordyline Australis)!

[Albion]

Today I've sown some Russell Lupins (quite late, but if they don't grow I'll buy them ready grown next year from a garden centre) and I've also planted some Chives.
My neighbour has Chives growing along a wall and I liked how they looked so I've transplanted two Chive plants from the supermarket into a window box and also sown some seeds. If they grow then eventually I want to put them in the ground along a path.

http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/1674/img00224201206281420.jpg
Chives in the window box, tomato plant and the fig plant (the root ball is still small so I nicked the window box).

I went to the garden centre the other day - their grape vines are doing well, but their fig plants still look like this. (http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/9079/img00137201206082252.jpg)

I've also had to protect my strawberry plants - there's a blackbird which helps itself to my strawberries as soon as they ripen. I've let her have a few, she has 2 youngsters in the hedge but for the rest I've constructed a Fort Knox for strawberries:

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/817/img00219201206281417.jpg
A bird cage. I had no netting at the time, I must get some. My ingenuity knows no bounds. ;)

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/3153/img00218201206281417.jpg
I'll need to get some netting for the ones in the grape planter though.

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/573/img00220201206281418.jpg

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/8330/img00221201206281418.jpg
I'm hoping to get some runners to set roots off this plant. It's in the ground because the container is a bit crowded.

[Fortis in Arduis]

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk294/fortis28/Snapbucket/90347A8B.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk294/fortis28/Snapbucket/A4EA10E9.jpg

This is the plan, anyway...

It's the back garden of a Georgian townhouse. I share with four other households. Beyond the railing lies a drop of over 30ft to the street below (street X, so far as you are concerned... :D )

The gardens are hanging gardens and therefore it is not possible to plant a tree, so, I intend to have a tree in big pot, surrounded by a circular bench.

In between the outside loo with the window and the garden side wall, I intend to build a gazebo with seating. Two matching benches and urns will be installed and another tree in a pot, near the entrance to the garden. Lovely. :D

[Germanicus]

Just before the Euro-final football kick off i took these photo's of my chillies in my greenhouse.
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/010-21.jpg
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/008-25.jpg
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/007-25.jpg

[Arne]

These chillies are too stretched and don´t look very strong..
I experienced over the years planting them out makes no problems in my area.
The only problem will be the time how long the fruits need to turn red.
Those with the shortest time i encountered take 60 days.


Germanicus
what the fuck does Arne know about growing chillies anyway, he is 15 yrs old, spotty and he lives in a a German council flat in a ghetto.
What is this if not negative ?

[ficuscarica]

Germanicus: I think you should plant them in bigger pots (5-10l), once the roots start to crawl out through the holes of those small pots.

[The Lawspeaker]

Right. I am closing this bloody thread so I can get rid of all the OT. Whoever started this rubbish will face the consequences.

[The Lawspeaker]

Reopened.

[Albion]

Germanicus: I think you should plant them in bigger pots (5-10l), once the roots start to crawl out through the holes of those small pots.

If grown as annuals then they might as well just be left in those parts. If grown as perennials in the greenhouse then I'd repot though.
It could be potasium deficiency I suppose, after a while compost gets worn out so some growmore or tomato food should do the trick. Tomato food is high in p (pottasium) and k (phosphorous) and less in N (nitrogen) so is better for healthy fruits but doesn't lead to too much foliage growth.
Tomato feed is a good all-rounder and both chilli and tomato belong to the same family anyway.

Personally I thought about growing the tomatoes as perennials as they do in Latin America but I can't be bothered to overwinter them. It's not worth the bother when the plants are very cheap to buy each year and the productivity declines each year anyway.

So I wouldn't really bother to repot pot bound annuals unless there's really a need too, just make sure they're fed.

[Arne]

Germanicus: I think you should plant them in bigger pots (5-10l), once the roots start to crawl out through the holes of those small pots.

True, they need bigger pots..
5 l should be enough
They need much Air and Sun..
That´s how they should look like..
Some People shall listen up when People with knowledge are sharing their Experiences..
http://masdudiable.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/chilli-cayenne-plant.jpg?w=460
http://www.cookooboxchillies.com/chillis/chili-chilli-21-lrg.jpg
Look how your Landsmen do it professionally..
That´s how it shall look like..
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/rr153/duckboy1973/The%20Upton%20Cheyney%20Chilli%20Company%20Web%20S ite%20Gallery/DSC00093.jpg

I have some of them ..
http://rajsmusings.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/dsc04934.jpg

[Albion]

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/2166/dracenamarginatatricolo.jpg

I bought a Madagascar Dragon tree (Dracaena marginata) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_marginata#Dracaena_reflexa_var._augustifo lia) the other day for a houseplant.
I've had them before, but just the normal version, this version is the variegated tricolour (http://www.greenhousecanada.com/images/stories/WebExclusives/2010/December%202010/3848_dracaena_tricolor_tips.jpg) one. It was very cheap, £3 including the pot. There were ones for £5 at Aldi a few weeks ago which were bigger but they were the plain, normal ones. Mine currently looks a bit like a Cordyline australis.

I might get a few more house plants depending on what I see. I need a couple of foliage plants but something flowering to break it up a bit. Saintpaulia are okay but I haven't seen any which I truly liked yet.
Everytime I go to the garden centre now there is some jobsworth (http://m.urbandictionary.com/#define?term=jobsworth) that pesters me. He's not bad, he just insists on helping and advising people (aka me) when they're just browsing. :D Maybe I'll just go to the supermarket instead.:rolleyes:

I'm looking for cheap Cordyline australis of the pink varieties to get planted before autumn. Green ones are easy to find, cheap to buy but the pink ones are usually at the bigger garden centres and cost more.
I don't want a green one, the garden is all green and no other colours, I need some things to break it up a bit.
Next week Aldi are selling Lupins quite cheap. I may get a few of them, I thought it was quite late really but they must have been grown in greenhouses. The garden is still pretty empty I feel, it was only last year that I started it from scratch (literally).

[Albion]

Today I bought a Cordyline australis "Torbay Dazzler" for the garden as I said. I didn't get one of the pink varieties because they're very expensive - like over double the price of my one sort of expensive!

Primarily I wanted one with a bit of colour in addition to green so as to break up the green garden a bit. The green ones at the garden centre were crap anyway, they looked wild.

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/2337/img00278201207071143.jpg

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/7776/img00279201207071143.jpg

http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/2337/img00278201207071143.jpg

Some pictures from the internet:

http://www.mgovens.freeserve.co.uk/images/cordyline_torbay_dazzler.jpg
Apparently this one is 8 years old and from Dorset. Not bad, I hope mine does as well as that.

http://www.monrovia.com/img/plants/864/d/2785-torbay-dazzler-dracaena-palm-container.jpg

http://www.landscape-service.com/plants/fullsize/cordylineatd.jpg

http://www.rightplants4me.co.uk/admin/Photos/Cordyline%20%27Torbay%20Dazzler%27~wide%20June.jpg

[Albion]

I think I'm going to plant some Hydrangeas along a wall at the front too. I'd like something like this:

http://catherinedelors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Hydrangea-01.jpg

I didn't used to like them but I'm less fussy now, they grow quite nicely in Britain.

[Graham]

Some of the garden. It's rained so much though. Too wet. :)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/irnbru293/DSCF1806.jpghttp://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/irnbru293/DSCF1804.jpghttp://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/irnbru293/DSCF1803.jpg

[Graham]

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/irnbru293/DSCF1800.jpghttp://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/irnbru293/DSCF1799.jpghttp://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/irnbru293/DSCF1797.jpghttp://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/irnbru293/DSCF1793.jpg

[Graham]

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/irnbru293/DSCF1802.jpghttp://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/irnbru293/DSCF1801.jpghttp://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/irnbru293/DSCF1796.jpg

[Poppy]

Red salvia is my favorite flower. I grow them all around my lawn.

[Aurora]

I love my garden :)

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/65989_10150286053335321_831031_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/31407_10150197648340321_3532204_n.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/416444_10151778094045321_509751865_o.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/462927_10151784317470321_1580327084_o.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/471381_10151883853935321_625383098_o.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/465289_10151778091910321_706480164_o.jpg

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/44817_10150243850390321_120865_n.jpg

[Fortis in Arduis]

http://www.pavilionblu.co.uk/files/products/extra-large/2854.jpg

This fake plastic geranium window box would be ideal. How cheeky is that? :D

[Aurora]

This fake plastic geranium window box would be ideal. How cheeky is that? :D

It looks nice ;)

[Albion]

Today I planted some Cherry Laurel to fill a gap in the hedge. It tolerates dry and shady conditions well which is perfect for where it is (very shady and sandy spot).
I also planted some Transvaal daisies (Gerbera jamesonii). They're perennials and have lovely, large flowers and survive most winters in Britain.

http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2007/06/01/fazizaid/e48379.jpg

http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2005/03/06/htop/34b5c5.jpg

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/128699/

http://www.uvm.edu/pss/greenhouse2/daisy.JPG

These pictures are from the internet btw. I've got red ones and some light orange ones.

I've also started putting in some daffodil bulbs. I've got a large 3kg bag of them so there's plenty. I picked up a mixed bag by mistake though; I wanted the standard yellow ones really (these are yellows, whites and yellow+orange).
In autumn I'm going to get some crocus, snowdrop, tulip and bluebell bulbs too.

[Germanicus]

Garlic, chillies, and green peppers from our greenhouse..

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/009-25.jpg

[Corvus]

Some recently taken pics:

http://www.bilder-space.de/show_img.php?img=171037-1344370616.jpg&size=thumb (http://www.bilder-space.de/bilder/171037-1344370616.jpg)

http://www.bilder-space.de/show_img.php?img=afd0e1-1344370726.jpg&size=thumb (http://www.bilder-space.de/bilder/afd0e1-1344370726.jpg)

http://www.bilder-space.de/show_img.php?img=506657-1344371939.jpg&size=thumb (http://www.bilder-space.de/bilder/506657-1344371939.jpg)

[Germanicus]

Yesterday i assisted helping my wife prepare, and pickle our crop of chillies from our greenhouse :)

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/007-25.jpg


http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/010-21.jpg

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/007-28.jpg

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n449/ruffusruffcut/011-20.jpg

[ficuscarica]

Germanicus, you should let them turn red, they are tastier and hotter then.

[Germanicus]

Germanicus, you should let them turn red, they are tastier and hotter then.

True, but here in the West country we have only had 2 really hot sunny days in 2 months, like today it is overcast and drizzling 21c.
Rather than letting them spoil and go soft we have pickled them, we will add them to curries.:)

[ficuscarica]

Germanicus, something must be wrong with your chili-growing methods. I´ve head my first red chilies 4 weeks ago or so. I know, we have warmer summers, but you have your chilies in a greenhouse... I just saw that some are actually a bit yellow. I think if you had waited for 1-2 more weeks they would have turned red.

[Aurora]

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/412418_10151925350090321_1719448721_o.jpg
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/471216_10151902222210321_833940250_o.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/614672_10151938547415321_1857385981_o.jpg
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/192132_10151979491125321_1822881732_o.jpg
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/323889_10151979491950321_545614076_o.jpg
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/327670_10151979496715321_1319054073_o.jpg
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/266001_10151878628675321_1532841773_o.jpg
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/412286_10151809174940321_1113556659_o.jpg
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/412064_10151778134105321_839652117_o.jpg
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/463588_10151778098125321_1590409869_o.jpg
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/621880_10151935673600321_1486858029_o.jpg
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/461945_10152001509880321_1485779460_o.jpg
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/329482_10151976206610321_1297819849_o.jpg
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/620352_10151974715695321_1158955256_o.jpg
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/622381_10151975987230321_1168245186_o.jpg

[Albion]

Germanicus, something must be wrong with your chili-growing methods. I´ve head my first red chilies 4 weeks ago or so. I know, we have warmer summers, but you have your chilies in a greenhouse... I just saw that some are actually a bit yellow. I think if you had waited for 1-2 more weeks they would have turned red.

Can they ripen in storage like tomatoes?

[ficuscarica]

Nice pics, Aurora. Didn´t know there are kolibris in California.

Do you have an irrigation system? My tomatoes are extremely thirsty and I imagine it to be quite difficult to grow them in your region.

[ficuscarica]

Albion, I never tried that with chillies. I take them off the plant when they are red and this is my first year. The last ones that don´t get red in October should be brought to a warm and dry place. Just wait and see what happens. ;)

[Albion]

..

Great stuff Aurora, you seem good with a camera too. :thumb001: You'll probably miss those hummingbirds when you go to NZ, but you'll be too busy stopping the keas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kea#Interactions_with_humans) from eating your car. :p

Next year I want to try some heirloom tomato varieties, some yellow ones, some beefsteaks and others.

[Aurora]

Nice pics, Aurora. Didn´t know there are kolibris in California.

Do you have an irrigation system? My tomatoes are extremely thirsty and I imagine it to be quite difficult to grow them in your region.


Thanks :)

There are a lot of kolibris here :)

It is very dry, and I have 1.5 acre garden that is irrigated. I grow melons and cucumbers also. My peppers did not do well this year. Last year I grew a lot of peppers.

[Aurora]

Great stuff Aurora, you seem good with a camera too. :thumb001: You'll probably miss those hummingbirds when you go to NZ, but you'll be too busy stopping the keas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kea#Interactions_with_humans) from eating your car. :p

Next year I want to try some heirloom tomato varieties, some yellow ones, some beefsteaks and others.

Thank you :)
Aww, Keas are cute! :) Thanks for sharing that, I did not know about them.

I grow all heirloom, they are good. I like to save the seeds too.

[Albion]

I have a fig growing on the fig plant. The others seem to be dormant, I guess they're next year's. This one could easily be ruined over the winter but I'm determined to preserve it.
The plant is still just about small enough to be moved to a window in the house over winter. I think I read somewhere that figs only need a short winter dormancy so I might bring it in once snow sets in around late November. It would have likely been dormant for a month or so then so should have had enough rest.
So then it might grow indoors over the winter and get a head start for next year. There's less sun in winter but snow reflects it very well and you find that the whole house is lit up on sunny, snowy days simply by the reflection off the snow.

I don't know though, I tend to get sick of house plants after a while (but then again I miss greenery in winter).


Oh, and my potatoes in a bin are growing fast. I think I planted them a week or two ago, I forget when exactly. Hopefully winter sets in late so they can stay in the ground until the plant dies back. If not then they'll have to be earlies.

http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/5678/img00025201208152127.jpg
A fig at last! :D

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/8082/img00010201208150747.jpg

[ficuscarica]

Albion, afaik fig fruits can´t be brought through the winters. I know that you are determined with that fruit, but maybe you should break it out, because it is a waste of energy for the plant.
The mini ones are next years´ breba figs (summer crop for July/August).

[Albion]

Albion, afaik fig fruits can´t be brought through the winters. I know that you are determined with that fruit, but maybe you should break it out, because it is a waste of energy for the plant.
The mini ones are next years´ breba figs (summer crop for July/August).

If it was protected then wouldn't that fig develop in the spring or should it have developed earlier and be maturing now?
Figs confuse me with all these multiple crops. So once they go into winter dormancy any large figs will stop growing? Damn, so close. :picard1: I'll leave it until the plant goes dormant in autumn I see if we get and Indian summer. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_summer)
The plant is a nice size now, not the collection twigs like it was when I bought it.

[ficuscarica]

Brown Turkey will have fruits in July/August and in September/October. Fruits that start to grow later than in July are usually too late to ripen in that year and aren´t edible after the winter. Yours looks really tiny, but maybe you´re lucky.

The very small ones that appear in late summers are the July/August fruits for the next year. I am glad your fig grew fast. With a good soil they can become big and productive quite fast.

[Albion]

I've hot a lot of bulbs to add to the daffodil ones I put in the other day. All that is missing are English Bluebells (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_bluebell) - all I could find in shops were the ugly Spanish ones (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinthoides_hispanica) so I'm not bothering with them.

I have Snowdrops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galanthus_nivalis), Yellow Crocuses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocus_chrysanthus), Purple Crocuses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocus_tommasinianus), Red tulips (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip) and some Windflowers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone_coronaria) (I thought they were Grecian Windflowers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone_blanda) at the time, but they're not).

I'm going to plant them on Sunday if the weather is fine and they should look quite nice in spring and summer next year.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Snowdrop.cluster.arp.jpg/1024px-Snowdrop.cluster.arp.jpg
Snowdrops

http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2007/140307/Crocus%20yellow%20cultivar.jpg
Yellow Crocuses

http://homebase.crocus.co.uk/images/products2/PL/20/00/01/44/PL2000014497_card4_lg.jpg
Purple Crocuses

http://www.tulipworld.com/mmTW/Images/450X450/9000.jpg
Red Tulips

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v189/anneheathen/media/StBrigidAnemone5210.jpg
Windflowers


I've also got a lot of tomato seeds to grow next year. I fancied growing quite a few varieties and seed packets have gone cheap now we're approaching autumn (like 9p sort of cheap).

I have Moneymaker (high yielding), Garden Pearl (cherry tomato), Gardener's Delight, Marmande (beefsteak) and Sunbaby (yellow tomatoes) seeds.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eWH4d4ipqtY/Sr0R4WBwvcI/AAAAAAAAAJk/OUzmgdHBAR0/s400/431.jpg

http://www.heirloomtoms.org/store/media/gbu0/prodxl/sunbaby_xl.jpg

So there should be a lot of flowers in late winter, spring and early summer and a lot of tomato plants growing next summer.
These are in addition to the mixed daffodil bulbs I put in the ground the other day. I think they're mostly the native species with a few Iberian species in there too (many NW European plants have relatives in Iberia because it acted as a refuge for many temperate plants in the last Ice Age).

http://www.tulipworld.com/mmTW/Images/450X450/9020.jpg

I would have preferred the plain old British ones really:

http://www.salfordcouncillors.info/warmisham/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Daffodils1.jpg

The yellow, pale yellow / white ones are the native ones, the ones yellow and orange are hybrids and the white and orange are Iberian species.
I've already got a few Tete a tete (miniature daffodils) and Tulips in the ground.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Narcissus_Tête-à-Tête.jpg

[Albion]

Today I bought a few more plants. I've got a Hebe x fransicana which is a hybrid between Hebe elliptica which grows in South Island (NZ), Patagonia, Arucania and Tierra del Fuego (Argentina and Chile) and in the Falklands with Hebe speciosa from NZ. It's got nice purple flowers and looks pretty hardy. Hebe's are quite a common plant in Britain, they're often alpines and my neighbour has a nice one growing up a rockery.
I'm going to grow it against the side of a shed.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/2120/img00118201208261133.jpg

A fully grown one in Scotland:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xbdkbw8DBhw/Ttg-firPGRI/AAAAAAAAbK4/OanPCMaupFY/s1600/Hebe3.jpg


I've also got a pot of perennial Garden Chrysanthemums. I think I'm going to leave them in the pot and just dead head and look after the plant.

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/2721/img00117201208261133.jpg

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/7351/img00116201208261132.jpg

And finally I've got another Hydrangea macrophylla (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrangea_macrophylla) that I'm going to plant in a large container.

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/373/img00120201208261133.jpg

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/9495/img00119201208261133.jpg

Oh, and I finally found some English bluebell (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_bluebell) bulbs in a shop and so have finished planting them now. I'm not really interested in planting any Aliums, Irises or Colchicum.
Maybe next year I'll put in Autumn "Crocuses" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn_crocus), but I'm mostly done for this year.

Hebes and Hydrangeas really do quite well in mild, Oceanic climates. They seem to thrive in the British Isles and NW Iberia + Azores. I suppose these areas mimic their native climates in Southern NZ / Falklands and temperate areas of Japan.

[Albion]

Today I bought 17 bare rooted roses. They were at Aldi at £2.99 for weeks and I went to buy two this morning and they were 10p each! (the sign still said £2.99, but they'd be reduced and it hadn't been changed). So I bought another 15. I was tempted to buy 30 at £3, but settled for 17 at £1.70.
The woman at the checkout was trying not to laugh when I put so many on the conveyor and a few people looked at me funny. They would have come to £50.83 at the full price. I think they were surprised when they came in at less than two quid for the lot.
A few have shoots on and are growing in the bags, all look healthy enough.

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/2828/pict0273o.jpg
Bare root roses

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/4699/pict0277g.jpg
I realised when I got them home that I'd selected quite a lot of orange ones. These are hybrid tea roses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_Tea), I'm going to train them as shrubs, and maybe the odd one as a standard.

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/2865/pict0278y.jpg
Left - a floribunda rose. I'll train it as a shrub. Right - climbing roses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floribunda_(rose)), I've never been as interested in them (they can look twiggy if not grown right) but they should turn out nice.

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/2856/pict0276bd.jpg
"Hedging rose" - Rosa rugosa. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_roses#Hybrid_Rugosa) They can make shrubs or climb.


Here are the cultivars:

For a rough idea of what they look like.

Climbers:

http://www.crocus.co.uk/images/products2/PL/00/00/00/11/PL0000001181_card2_lg.jpg
Iceberg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SLfbkGn1s3Q/TdZ8G6VoLVI/AAAAAAAACNY/UuAmJR1WUzQ/s1600/climbing-roses.jpg
Galway Bay

http://www.thegardener.me.uk/graphics/roses/blue%20moon.JPG
Blue moon

http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx206/ronymaxwell/clArthurBell001.jpg
Arthur Bell

Flroibunda:

http://www.jacksonsnurseries.co.uk/images/plantpictures/large/roses/ScarletQueenElizabeth.JPG
Scarlet queen

[Albion]

Hybrid tea:

http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2010/06/10/SabraKhan/0292d1.jpg
Lovers meeting

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4zmB7e2GN6w/TLVtOA9LC5I/AAAAAAAAAzw/PFHfao2e7r4/s1600/peace+rose+3.jpg
Peace

No picture for Dorris tyerman rose.

http://www.classicroses.co.uk/gfx/image.php?cropratio=1:1&height=900&width=900&image=/gfx/filestore/roseb/blessings300.jpg
Blessings

http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2012/04/24/Calif_Sue/d3bc96.jpg
National trust

"Hedge roses"

http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/large/rosa_rugosa_3796_2.jpg
Rosa rugosa rubra

http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2008/06/14/rebecca101/ecff20.jpg
Rosa rugosa alba

The orange hybrid tea roses look the best IMO.

[ficuscarica]

Albion, that´s freaking awesome 1,70 pounds for 17 roses. :D

[Albion]

Albion, that´s freaking awesome 1,70 pounds for 17 roses. :D

Yeah, I just need to think of where to put them now. I think I'll have 2 climbing ones growing up the wall of the house and a few more up the sheds. The Rosa rugosa can go in the hedges and grow through it, I'll probably grow one as a bush though. The hybrid teas can grow as bushes, I may grow one as a standard and give one or two to my relatives.
There aren't many good ones left at the shop now - mostly lots of Rugosas and some sickly looking ones. I did leave a few good ones, lots of orange ones (I thought 17 was enough). ;)

[Albion]

A long shot this one folks, but has anyone successfully grown anything from the seeds of a peach?
I have cracked open the hard pit in the middle, and have got the seeds.
I want to plant them and see what happens. Just looking for some tips on what is best for them.
Thanks

In September I thought I'd have a go at germinating peach trees from seed so cracked a few peach stones open with a hammer. I planted them in a window box and left it under the shed from September until late November (I was forcing bulbs in it and they need cold dormancy). I brought it in in November and noticed a week ago that there were these unidentified plants growing. I pulled one up and found the peach seed attached. I'd completely forgotten / given up on them.
I can't remember what variety they were, they were grown in Spain though. So they're probably not a hardy variety, but I was going to grow them on and see which fruited best in our climate and get rid of those that performed poorly. However, peaches often come true from seed, so one doesn't necessarily get a new variety.
They're in my window inside at the moment. They look a bit wilted (probably the 24c heat and lack of humidity). I may move them somewhere else, but I think they'll likely fail before they reach a substantial size.
Now that I've done it successfully, I may try again whilst we're still in winter, and by the time they emerge this time it should be spring and they should be fine outside. I'll look in supermarkets to see if I can find and recognisable varieties or ones grown further north in places like France.

I have actually thought about buying a peach tree - one of the English varieties like Peregrine or Rochester. I'll wait for bare root tree season before I decide whether or not to buy one I think.

So it is possible, but you'll be waiting a good few months for the seeds to germinate. I've heard that peaches take 3 years to have fruit - I'm not sure if it applies to grafted only or bare root as well, but it sounds good.

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1339/pict0351z.jpg

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3971/pict0350i.jpg
The sticks are there to stop them growing towards the light. The bulbs are Hyacinths.

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/9049/pict0352p.jpg


Ultimately I might buy a dwarf, potted peach tree this coming year. There are some varieties specifically bred for England's cool climate by Victorian horticulturalists. 'Peregrine' and 'Rochester' are two that spring to mind, but there are others and a few newer ones from cooler areas of North America.
I think I'll train one against the wall of the house because it stays warm well into the night during summer and you can feel the heat coming off it from about a foot away. I'm trying to find a second hand greenhouse, so a dwarf potted one would be better because it would fruit more reliably if I could move it in there during bad weather.
I'll see how the seedlings go. I'll attempt to grow them on, but I may buy a peach tree next year.

[Albion]

I've also got a few plants for next year. Some Rusell Lupin and Red Hot Poker roots and some Stuttgarter and Karmen onion sets. Oh, and some Red Champagne rhubarb rhizomes. I've also got some Nantes carrot, All Year Round Cauliflower, Leek, various tomato and Giant sunflower seeds.
All I need to get now are the seed potatoes, some pea, melon, runner bean and nasturtium seeds. I think those are primarily what I'll be growing next year, and strawberries too of course.
I've got space for a small veg patch now and I'm going to use a lot of grow bags too.

[simple_guy]

Hey Albion!
Your knowledge and skills are legendary!
One can learn more from you than from a botany textbook!:)

[Albion]

Hey Albion!
Your knowledge and skills are legendary!
One can learn more from you than from a botany textbook!:)

Thanks. I Immerse myself in topics that interest me such as gardening - typical obsessive INTP behaviour. :D

[ficuscarica]

Albion, you should be aware of the fact that most peach trees (and fruit trees in general) aren´t the same variety as the plant where you get the seed from. Only with crafted trees you can be sure to have the same variety. That being said, your peach trees can produce both good and bad fruits, be hardy or intolerant to cold weather. With peach trees you can get everything from seed.

The German variety "Roter Ellerstädter", also known as "Kernechter vom Vorgebirge" is one of the few varieties that can be grown from seed and will become identical trees. They are also quite cold hardy and rather tasty. Maybe you can find one of these.

[simple_guy]

Thanks. I Immerse myself in topics that interest me such as gardening - typical obsessive INTP behaviour. :D

I have read some of your posts while lurking, you are not overtly sarcastic or emotionless. True INTPs are just that.

[Albion]

Albion, you should be aware of the fact that most peach trees (and fruit trees in general) aren´t the same variety as the plant where you get the seed from. Only with crafted trees you can be sure to have the same variety. That being said, your peach trees can produce both good and bad fruits, be hardy or intolerant to cold weather. With peach trees you can get everything from seed.

They come true from seed much more often than other fruit trees, I suppose this has something to do with them being self fertile. The variety I had wasn't the best one I've ever tasted, but was alright nevertheless.
I figured I'd plant the seeds, grow the trees and select the best ones in a amateur, hit-and-miss breeding programme for cool climate reliability and decent taste.


The German variety "Roter Ellerstädter", also known as "Kernechter vom Vorgebirge" is one of the few varieties that can be grown from seed and will become identical trees. They are also quite cold hardy and rather tasty. Maybe you can find one of these.

I'll look it up. Is it tolerant of cool summers? Winter hardiness isn't a problem as far as peaches are concerned in England, it's cool summers and frost when flowering which is the problem.

Varieties I often see recommended for England always include Peregrine and Rochester. A few others are Amsden June, Bellegarde, Duke of York, Dymond, Red Haven and Royal George. A lot of them were bred in England for {Southern} English conditions. It's a shame more people don't grow them and that we don't have the large professional and amateur breeding programmes that we had in the Victorian era. Today it is often countries like America developing new varieties of crops specifically for their conditions (i.e. for winter hardiness).


I have read some of your posts while lurking, you are not overtly sarcastic or emotionless. True INTPs are just that.

In every test I score INTP. In real life I'm not outgoing at all, don't be fooled by my online extrovert persona. ;) What do you think I'am?

[ficuscarica]

@Albion: Yes, with peaches you have a relatively good chance of getting a good tree from seeds. All I am saying is that you don´t know it for sure and that it is not safe. But yeah, putting a couple of seeds in the ground and selecting the best tree is certainly an option. It´s not uncommon to do that.

Roter Ellerstädter/Kernechter vom Vorgebirge is not only cold-hardy but also relatively tolerant to cooler conditions and late frosts. It was bred in the wine country of Palatinate, which of course has more peach friendly conditions than northern England. But still, it is certainly better adapted to your climate than any Spanish variety. Furthermore it is extremely tasty, probably the best peach I have ever eaten.

Another thing you should consider is the leaf curl disease, which is relatively common in cool and moist climates. Roter Ellerstädter has proven itself to be quite resisent to it. You can of course fight the leaf curl disease with special treatments (spraying some kind of copper-based fungicide on the swelling buds in late winter), but that is not what I want to have in my garden.
All these attributes, combined with the fact that you get the identical tree from the sees, makes it my favourite peach tree variety for comparatively cooler climates.

I did a lot of research on peach varieties. Amsden would be the second best choice for you imo, as it is quite similar to Roter Ellerstädter and also rather resistant to the leaf curl disease. In fact, it is one of the two varieties that I planted.

Due to your relatively wet and cool summers (for peach growing standarts) a south-east facing wall would be the ideal spot for the tree(s) to grow.

[Albion]

But yeah, putting a couple of seeds in the ground and selecting the best tree is certainly an option. It´s not uncommon to do that.

Selecting for good flavour, late flowering and early cropping would be good features for them in England. It would take a lot of selection though, better if I could get stones from existing varieties recommended for England instead of selecting from Spanish ones. I'll look out for some.


Roter Ellerstädter/Kernechter vom Vorgebirge is not only cold-hardy but also relatively tolerant to cooler conditions and late frosts. It was bred in the wine country of Palatinate, which of course has more peach friendly conditions than northern England. But still, it is certainly better adapted to your climate than any Spanish variety. Furthermore it is extremely tasty, probably the best peach I have ever eaten.


It sounds great but I can't find anything for it in English and haven't encountered it here. Maybe it's not available outside of Germany, a bit odd considering we cultivate a lot of German grape vines here for their hardiness.


Another thing you should consider is the leaf curl disease, which is relatively common in cool and moist climates. Roter Ellerstädter has proven itself to be quite resisent to it. You can of course fight the leaf curl disease with special treatments (spraying some kind of copper-based fungicide on the swelling buds in late winter), but that is not what I want to have in my garden.
All these attributes, combined with the fact that you get the identical tree from the sees, makes it my favourite peach tree variety for comparatively cooler climates.

I don't want to spray too much either. I'm going to have to next year though, I picked an apple variety (Elstar) that fell to disease last year and will need spraying. I wish I'd gone with Kaja apple instead.


I did a lot of research on peach varieties. Amsden would be the second best choice for you imo, as it is quite similar to Roter Ellerstädter and also rather resistant to the leaf curl disease. In fact, it is one of the two varieties that I planted.

Amsden is available here quite widely, I'll probably get that. I'll still read up on Rochester and Peregrine though, they sound good too. I'll probably leave it till Feb or March.


Due to your relatively wet and cool summers (for peach growing standarts) a south-east facing wall would be the ideal spot for the tree(s) to grow.

It can be trained as a fan on a SE facing wall, or go in a greenhouse if I get one (which I intend to do).

[ficuscarica]

In case you can only find Amsden you can´t make a mistake with buying it. Among the more available varieties it is the best choice for England.

I don´t think planting the tree in a greenhouse would be a good idea. It will be extremely humid there and there won´t be wind - which is an ideal environment for the leaf curl disease. Also, peach trees become quite big. You would need a huge greenhouse.

It is also helpful to have the tree in a not only dry, but also windy spot, so that the wind can blow through the branches and keep them dry. In any case, you will probably have to spray in your climate. Even in the red wine region of Baden the leaf curl disease can be problematic in some years if you don´t spray.

If everything works you should soon have something like this (pic made in vineyards near my hometown)... that´s what a peach tree should look like:
http://s7.directupload.net/images/121227/it8kr5x7.jpg

[Albion]

I don´t think planting the tree in a greenhouse would be a good idea. It will be extremely humid there and there won´t be wind - which is an ideal environment for the leaf curl disease. Also, peach trees become quite big. You would need a huge greenhouse.

I was having it in a container, on dwarf roots and pruning it to keep it at a sensible height. I might just put it in the greenhouse if we get poor weather in spring and if it is failing to ripen outside by autumn to finish off.


It is also helpful to have the tree in a not only dry, but also windy spot, so that the wind can blow through the branches and keep them dry. In any case, you will probably have to spray in your climate. Even in the red wine region of Baden the leaf curl disease can be problematic in some years if you don´t spray.

I'll probably invest in some Bordeaux mixture next year (copper spray), the apple needs it anyway. I was surprised the grape vine didn't get attacked by anything in all that warm, humid and wet weather we had last year. I was expecting mildew. I'll take your advice into account if I do get one.
Like I said, if it's going outside then I'm not sticking it in the ground, it can go in a large container and I want to train it as a fan against a hot wall.

Like this (I know they're not peaches):

http://fruitforum.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/kg-fan-trained-morello-cherry-south-facing-060.jpg

http://www.clairehiggins.com/images/785.jpg

http://fruitforum.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/morello-fan.jpg

I've got a good book coming in the post that should say whether fan training is possible with peaches. I don't see why it wouldn't be.

[Albion]

I've also got some Pot marigold seeds (not sure where I'll grow them), some forget-me-nots seed to scatter amongst the trees and some Cordyline australis seeds. I've seen Cordylines grow from seed, they take a few months to germinate but I hope to grow a few in addition to the one I already have.

I'm pretty sure that the fig is coming out of dormancy too. It hasn't snowed here yet and is quite mild for this time of year (despite the weather forecasters claiming in summer that it was going to be a very cold winter :roll eyes ) The buds seem to be developing and I'm pretty sure the "figlets" on it are growing in size. I kept it in a dark cupboard at 10c but put it outside a few days ago when I realised there'd be hardly any frost. The sunlight might have set it off, I might grow it by a window indoors until spring to ensure a crop. It's been dormant since September, I don't think Med plants need much dormancy in winter.

[ficuscarica]

Albion, you definitely can grow a peach on a wall. I have seen it before. There is one problem with that, though. It will blossom much earlier, which increases the danger of losing the fruits.

Personally - to avoid the leaf-curl disease - I would try to grow it in an open spot that is relatively dry and gets some wind (maybe 5m away from a south-east facing wall). You will most likely still have to spray a copper-based fungicide on the dormant buds in January (it´s a special one for peaches). Amsden is relatively leaf curl resistant, so maybe you could try the first years without spraying. I just fear that your summers are too humid and the sun is not strong enough, which provides a perfect environment for the leaf curl disease. As I said, even in Baden or Southern Palatinate you can have problems with it.
So that´s what I would do: Amsden, 5m away from a southeast facing wall, try the first years without spraying.

Good luck with your fig fruits!

[Albion]

Albion, you definitely can grow a peach on a wall. I have seen it before. There is one problem with that, though. It will blossom much earlier, which increases the danger of losing the fruits.

I'll address that problem as it arises.


I just fear that your summers are too humid and the sun is not strong enough, which provides a perfect environment for the leaf curl disease.

With leaf curl disease the tree will usually shed the affected leaves and grow some new ones. Of course it's not good for the tree, but I don't worry about it too much. I've heard that a garlic and citrus water spray can help keep it at bay to an extend, I suppose the natural repellents in these plants that are absent from peaches must help. I don't put too much faith into them though.

Regarding sunlight - I've considered this many times, it is an obstacle I face with grapes and figs too and is the reason tomatoes take so long to ripen. The English varieties have been bred mostly in Southern England around London and certainly can grow outside there, but it's the warmest and sunniest part of the country. I'm quite far north, at the start of that dark green band labelled as Liverpool on the map, so the sunlight he can be weak. I did think about using mirrors to reflect light directly at the plants, but I researched it a while ago when researching if I could use mirrors to grow Cordylines indoors and came to understand that they don't reflect the full light spectrum. Some of it is reflected though, so outside they might help a little, but I don't think it's worth it.

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4512/2007europe.png

I've researched the different ways that plants photosynthesise (C3, C4 and CAM photosynthesis). Grapes are probably C3 - this method of photosynthesis evolved during an era of greater C02 levels than at present and subsequently these plants respond well to increases in CO2. They yield more and can handle slightly lower temperatures. In a greenhouse the level of CO2 could be artificially raised, outside it cannot so that's another reason a greenhouse would be a good investment.
The plants I keep in the house are kept in a bedroom which is not only warm but also probably sees a significant increase in CO2 levels at night when humans are exhaling in there. Plants grow very well in there - it is 24c, south facing and has a lot of sun through most of the day. I believe a part of the reason for the success of plants in there is the increase in C02. C3 photosynthesisers are only 4% efficient - when carbon dioxide is increased slightly above normal they can become upto 7% efficient - it sounds insignificant, but in marginal climates this can make all the difference.


So that´s what I would do: Amsden, 5m away from a southeast facing wall, try the first years without spraying.

5 meters seems a bit far. I'll see what I can get first.


Good luck with your fig fruits!

Thank you. I hope I get some off it.

BTW, here are those peach seedlings about a week on:

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/1774/pict0358h.jpg
The one on the left is consistently outperforming the other two and the middle one came through latter than the one on the right which isn't doing so well. Strange really, the one on the left was the one that I pulled out and replanted.

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/9753/pict0356m.jpg
They've grown quite a bit since those pictures I posted above. They've slowed a bit now though, they mustn't be drawing as much from the seeds now. The Hyacinths are almost blooming as well, and the paperwhites grew in around a week and a half.

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/2775/pict0378z.jpg
Paperwhite daffodils. They're hardy to Cornwall and SW England, they might have survived the winter here so far, but I wouldn't chance them outside most years. The normal hybrid and wild daffodils I tried indoors haven't bloomed and they've been in since September - I give up and conclude they won't flower indoors.

I've also received 25 strawberry plants through the post of an unknown variety, for free from someone down south. I don't know what they're like yet, I'll have a look at them on Saturday or Sunday.

[Albion]

A part of me is just tempted to give up attempting to grow warm climate crops in a cool climate and to grow typical cool climate ones instead.
I've already got apple, cherry, plum and pear trees as well as strawberries. I suppose other things I could grow would be raspberries, blackcurrants, blackberries, red and white currants and gooseberries - all of which do well here. I don't so much like the small berry bushes though, I want large yields of large fruit like grapes and peaches. I suppose once the fruit trees grow, they should provide that though. Blueberries, cranberries, rhubarb and hazelnuts also grow well here, so maybe I'll look more into cool climate fruit that is reliable here.
I'll still try to get fruit off the grape vine, fig plant and attempt to grow the peach seedlings and melons as an annual. These are more liable to fail though.

[Albion]

Planted raspberries and gooseberries today.

[Han Cholo]

April 29: 5:00 pm
http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af332/arbin_420/seeds_zpsb643378f.jpg

April 30, 11:00 pm
http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af332/arbin_420/DSC01138_zps27c4a5a0.jpg

May 1, 3:00 pm
http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af332/arbin_420/beautiful_zps28d718fa.jpg

Other plant from same date:
http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af332/arbin_420/seedling_zpsea61504d.jpg

This shit grows really fast, it's almost catching up in height with other plant of different origin that was sick, and is about 2 weeks older.

http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af332/arbin_420/fotos_zpsd475dbda.jpg