Thursday 31 May 2012

Add water and Chicken Pellets

The first pic was taken 20th May
this was taken this morning
Its amazing what water,chicken pellets and blood, fish and bone can do. Mind you the sudden rise in temperature has helped too.

Saturday 26 May 2012

Planting the Jungle

As the weather has been so good, we took the opportunity to 'plant the jungle' on Saturday morning. As I don't do 'working in the heat' we had an early start being outside and ready to start at 7am. Fortunately we had a lovely breeze which helped.

I forgot to take pictures as we where going along, as we wanted to get it all done before it got too hot.


I always like the planting stage, then I stand back and feel disappointed, every time I feel the same


it will fill out in time and look amazing, I just want it now!


Tonight I shall give it a thorough soaking, then get some more bark chippings, if the weather continues like this all the moisture will be soaked up by the sun.


it was to hot for 'Mr Darcy'


The Brugmansia's are enjoying the heat and have begun to flower already,


these are amazing when in full bloom


Still lots more to do, plenty of plants that need to be re-potted and bedding plants to go in. I may have another go early tomorrow morning.

Wednesday 23 May 2012

....and we're off.....

Good old 'Mother Nature' takes us from one extreme to the other! So from 10C  to 20C+ in just 3 days. It is not only shocking to me, but to my plants as well!! Believe it or not I do not do 'hot sun' so you will find me working in the garden from about 5am - 10am then again in the late evening. Our garden is south facing so gets hot, hot, hot!
Earlier in the week found me clambering over my coal bunkers setting up an irrigation system for my living wall. I then went on and planted it up.

Doesn't look much at the moment but hopefully it will develop and fill out, some plants will work and others not, we shall see. The only problem I envisage is the irrigation system......... I forgot to test it worked before I planted up doh! This is the bed that will become the jungle, not much at the moment, but I can promise it will look better by July


and just to give you a peek at last year in July...


well strictly speaking this wasn't last July as we were having a load of building work done, this was July 2010 but you can see what may happen given good weather.
This weekend we will be digging this area over adding loads of manure, chicken pellets and blood, fish and bone (Tropicals are greedy) and planting it all up.
Then most of these.......





 will go in. Then come autumn, out they will all come again to be over wintered in the greenhouse. Sadly we are in a frost pocket so these cannot stay out.
This Musa Basjoo has been in the ground for many years now, and comes back even after the really bad winters we have had, these leaves have grown since the sun came out 3 days ago.


This is my Ricinus and by September should reach 10 - 12 ft not bad bearing in mind its an annual!

Right must get on.....

Thursday 17 May 2012

We are Playing the Hokey Cokey

with the plants, in the greenhouse, or out, depending on the weather.
By now in the past years I had already hardened off and some plants had started to be planted out, but with bad frosts on a nightly basis they keep going back in the greenhouse at night!


Its getting a tighter and tighter fit.
Especially as I have had to pot on again and you can see the shelves bending under the weight!


Some plants have had to go into BIGGER pots and are now on the floor, hence the squash.


more shelves, overflowing


 Hosta's
 

My Olive bush


Sanguinea


My other New Brugmansias


My old Brugs are at the very back in the corner hidden by the prop! But being watered and fed.


 My new Ensete montbeliardii

Maurelli

Meanwhile just look how clear the pond is


Prior to this it had been getting pretty gunky, and after a visit to the local pond place we found that our filter box  wasn't big enough so we have purchased a new filter box, and what a difference it has made.


More plants have been added too, plus more to come.
As you can see there is lots more to do up the top of the garden

Monday 14 May 2012

Happy Times & Sad Times too.

I haven't blogged for ages as we have had so much going on, my mums 80th one weekend, the next weekend my brother in laws 40th and this last weekend we lost one of our cats
I found Jake unable to use his back legs on Friday after a visit and short stay and a few tests at the vets, he was diagnosed with heart failure. So very sad as he was only 6 years and 1 month old. He was very much T's cat and used to follow her around and chat away to her. She misses him dreadfully. Not much else has changed here, I keep getting the plants out of the greenhouse to harden off, then end up having to put them back in because of the threat of frost. Lyneham's weather for cast for this week Today Max 11C /Min 4C Tuesday Max 11C/ Min 3C Wednesday Max 12C/ Min 3C Thursday Max 12C /Min 3C it had better start warming up otherwise the open garden is not going to be a very good tropical show!
Jake 11th April 2006 - 11th May 2012

Sunday 6 May 2012

Airing the Plants.

I decided to start putting my bigger plants outside during the day to start hardening them off. So I popped them around the entrance to the greenhouse, gave them a very thorough watering and hoped it would rain (it didn't)







Inside and under the prop. somewhere we haven't seen much of. In the bery back corner are 2 Brugmansias.


The shelves, abit more visible.


A few gaps here and there, but I still have veggie seeds to plant.


Coleus, Heucheras, Nicotiana plus petunias and other bedding plants for the front window box.


Really not sure what is going on with my Begonias, not alot it seems.


 My cyperus papyrus

So come on Mother nature I can cope with rain but please could you warm it up a bit.

Friday 4 May 2012

Raining Again........

its not that I don't like the rain! I know we are desperate for it, (my water butts are overflowing) even with all the watering I am doing in the greenhouse. I just wish it would warm up abit. We are due another frost this weekend, according to the weather forecast.
But some of my plants that like the rain....


the tree ferns, pushing up crosiers although some of their fronds have been browned by the frosts


I am pleased to see my 'Shuttlecock' fern. I had forgotten I had planted one up here and they are sprouting up all over the place.


Due to the dry winter I thought this had had it too, but obviously not!


As for the lawn, well what can I say, except it is very lush and extremely long and far to wet to mow. The dog hates going on it at the moment.


More 'Shuttlecock Ferns'


On the right of the filter box is 'Rheum palmatum' it spent the last 2 years in a pot, it looks so much happier in the ground.. The Gunnera is on the left of the filter box and is not liking the cold, I must remember to cover it this weekend before the frosts.


A fern I got from 'Freecycle' so I have no idea what its like.


Another 'Freecycle' fern.


and again, don't you just love the fronds unfurling, its probably one of the reasons I have so many


This fern was in front of the old shed and grows really tall, it spent most of last year in a big bucket and really only went in the ground December. With the dry winter we had I wasn't sure if it had come through as my watering of it was very erratic, so I am thrilled to see it unfurling. I think I must get a book on ferns.
I spent a lovely morning in the greenhouse, but that will be for another day as I don't want to overload you with photos.