Crammed Greenhouse

On a cooler, wet day the place I like to be most is in the greenhouse. Its warm and I love the earthy smell. Checking on all the seeds I have planted, wondering why some have come through and others haven't.

The shelves are filling up.

The plants are getting bigger.

Then there are the Ensetes I have over wintered, you walk a fine line when getting them going, to much water and they can rot.

The Cyathea in the corner is big, every autumn I chop off all the fronds, they are to big to over winter, every spring they grow back bigger. The pot takes up so much room that I stand pots with Dahlia's in on the soil in its pot, sort of like a shelf.

My propagator full as always, the large pots at the back are Dahlias then in the covered propagator are all the seeds I have on the go.

Even underneath I have succulents and aeoniums being propagated.

In the 'dryish' corner my more tender palms, which still require watering but not as much as the rest of the greenhouse.

Just a few of my cactus and agaves.

I am growing Caladiums for the first time this year, I grew 3 of each, this is Rosebud. 

which will hopefully look like this.

But Red Flash is still in the propagator in the kitchen, grown in exactly the same conditions, but as you can see there is only one shoot just popping through and that is only in one pot!

This is what they will hopefully look like.

My plan for these is to put them in the front garden trough. Very different, just hope they work! 

We shall see.

#staysafe

#stayhome

Frost has arrived!

The cold weather arrived rather quickly so it was a great rush to get everything covered

and cut back so I could put the frames up

to offer some protection to the palms

that I have in the garden.

Although I probably didn't need to rush quite as much, it is far easier to push the poles into none frozen ground than it is to push it into frozen ground.

We have already had a -5C, but at this time of years it usually goes down and comes back up quite quickly so no time for any damage to occur.

I have dug out a lot of my dahlias this year especially some of my favourites. They are all now potted up in dry compost and being kept in a frost free greenhouse.

We have had our wood delivered, so we are ready here as well.

The greenhouse is a little empty this year, compared to previous years that is. I have cut back on the amount of Ensete's  I am keeping. Now hubby can't help as much in the digging out I have tried to buy more 'hardier' plants. I have also been very pleased with m seed grown plants this year so have decided to fill gaps with these as some can grow to the most amazing sizes in one season.

 On the heat mat (which is not switched on) are my carnivorous plants and quite a few cuttings I have taken this year.

A number of palms Cycas Revoluta, Washington Robusta the larger thread palm which are not as hardy and two new plants which are hardy but I am being kind to them this year.

The Agave and succulents have reduced quite considerably.

Lobelia Tupa and a Hardy Tomato being over wintered in here too.

In the garden, I am surprised by what has and what hasn't been affected by the frosts we have had, which have been more or less on a daily basis since last weekend.

The 'TRex' is beginning to wilt.

A Ricinus has definitely collapsed.

As has the fig.

One of the big surprises to me is the Solonum Laciniatum which is grown from seed and has easily hit over 8ft has not been affected by the frosts.

No wilt to be seen on the leaves at all. I am going to leave it and see how long it lasts. Where as right next to it is

The Hardy tomato has totally gone.

Meanwhile the Cypomandra corymbifolia has also come through totally unaffected, so far! Apparently this is a hardy tree tomato from the Andes mountains and can take -10C, we will see. Last year I over wintered this in the greenhouse and had the most awful infestation of whitefly. It has got so big this year that I decided to leave it out.

Till next time x

Busy old month!

It is a while since I blogged, well blogged here that is.  I, as I have mentioned, I have now started my Million Step Challenge and started a blog to recall my journey, something I can look back on and see what and how I achieved it.

It has been so hot that gardening has taken a bit of a back seat, watering has been the main priority, fortunately we do not have a hosepipe ban, but to help I have stopped using a sprinkler.

Back in May 2015 the Arid bed looked like this

How much has changed in 3 years, it has filled out so much

The Agave Montana is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! you can really see just how big it has grown, when it was first planted it was no where near the edge of the bed, now it has reached the edge and overhangs it.

My spiky pompom, lol! Yucca Rostrata considerably bigger than when first planted.

This end has had the most changes, taking out the Aloe Striatula has left a bit of a hole but I purchased a very small Agave Americana which I planted and looking at it now, knowing how big it can get I think I shall move it a bit more to the right.

 As much as I love this bed I have seen one which I would truly love in my garden. This belongs to a friend who lives near Poole, Dorset a far better climate than I have.

What I love about this, is it looks far more natural. I know its wider than mine, and he is on a hill, plus he is also a builder, so constructs a most magnificent shelter for this to over winter it. I think that is where I would struggle.
When we rebuild the edge surrounding mine, later in the year, I have found a gadget which I hope to be able to incorporate into the build to be able to make erecting the winter shelter easier. I do realise I can't have the height of the plants, that is in his bed, as my garden is far more exposed and my shelter would probably take flight in the winter.
But maybe what I could possibly incorporate is some of the large rocks at the lower edge of my bed but then that would probably look odd, if it swapped to the wood that is currently used, Decisions, decisions.

Now the Phormium has gone I have tidied up and planted up the area, I am still waiting for my Solar pond pump which will run the ball pool.

Everything is a bit diddy, but will grow in time.

We aren't quite sure what to do with this area, so whilst deciding we have gathered all the potted plants here. Makes them easier to water too.

So thats what has been going on here this past month.

Patience not me!

I am not a patient gardener, I think I am but I'm not.  How does this affect the garden well probably more than I think.

When I sew seeds or take cuttings, I am forever checking for root growth, thats why when plants/seeds do grow here they are very tough, becuase they have probably been popped out of there pots on numerous occasions.

The Hiniba are a prime example and could explain why only a few have grown instead of lots, serves me right really!

So can I really expect the tree ferns to be sending out new croziers bearing in mind I only blogged about it 5 days ago, I think not! I wonder if it is easy to learn patience (not the card game) I really ought to try harder.

I also change my mind a lot. A grand example here is my arid bed, July last year I plant two new cactus  Pachycereus pringlei and Trichocereus macrogonus, so they have a) survived the winter

b) look relatively happy.

So what do I do? Dig one up! to move it to make space for a new Agave!

it maybe small but I have high hopes,

this is what it 'could' be like. This is grown in the UK and more information about this Agave can be found here

Obviously if it gets this big, I will have to move more than one cactus, lol!

Meanwhile around the rest of the garden, plants I presumed where dead have come to life Colocasia Pink China, I had assumed had been frozen and rotted has poked through

As have 2 other Colocasia

another Pink China

In some way you hope the ones in the ground will survive, but what has totally stunned me is this

a pot on my patio that has had no winter protection whatsoever, was probably frozen through and yet look whats popped up, another Colocasia.
So how does a tiny little plant like this survive when a huge tree fern, that was protected doesn't?

That's gardening for you!

Cacti & Succulents

I can't believe it is 3 weeks since I last blogged. Been so busy in the garden and the greenhouse. I have been busy planting plants out and potting on my seedlings.

Two plants that need repotting but I am not looking forward to doing!

My cactus and succulents have over wintered relatively well. All apart from my Agave Ovatifolia which practically died. I am hoping I have resurrected it. Well it is looking a lot better than it was a couple of months ago!

I have lots of babies, some labelled some not, I really should sell them as its ridiculous keeping so many of one plant!

I enjoy the challenge of assisting them in growing.

as you can see, I have one or two!

So simple to start too, I have a tray of grit, if a leaf falls off, I just chuck it in here. I really do mean chuck as well, I don't place it carefully making sure the end is near the grit, I used to do that, but found that often they would shrivel up and die.

As you can see, some look good and grow on others don't. So I believe, neglect is the answer!

the tray on the right are leaves that fell or where pulled off last year and popped in my grit tray then once they developed little plantlets I potted them on in grit in the autumn, then left them over winter on a back shelf in my greenhouse, and as you can see they are doing well. They came from the Echeveria on the left of the next pic.

Some of my Aeonium's which also need repotting.

My collection of cacti and succulents is not limited to what I have shown you here, I wonder if I have a problem????