A little bit of shopping!

I just knew I should never have bought those begonia plug plants, fortunately they weren't to expensive. Since my last post I just kept thinking and thinking about them. I have never had a reaction like this before regarding plants, I actually have a knot in my stomach just thinking about them.
So I did what all good gardeners do and searched 'Best plants for shady window box' on Google. Good old google. Right at the top you get 10 best flowers for window boxes in shade

Right at the top is Impatiens, Busy Lizzie, I have done these before and they where gorgeous and did very well. Then came the dreaded Begonia, I will say no more. Then we have Caladium,

not the best picture in the world but definitely different. Followed by Forget-me-nots, Ivy, Coleus,

 Petunias, Fuschia, Snapdragon and finally Verbena.

You can see where this is going can't you, I like Coleus I had never thought to grow them in my windowbox, I quite like this idea.

But ..... just look at the Caladiums, well not the ones i the picture above, these ones

How absolutely stunning are they!! So which have I decided to go with????????

I cheated, I have bought both lol!! I ordered  40 Coleus  plug plants £7.99, easy to bring on and if I decide against them they can go around the garden.
I ordered 3 bulbs of each of the 2 Caladiums photographed above. They are very different and I do like a talking point, a bit more expensive but they can be over wintered or dry stored, ready for use the following year. I am hedging my bets as I am not sure how they are going to grow, time will tell.

So the seedlings I started off just 2 days ago

have come through!! In just 2 days! I was gob smacked. I have never know any seeds to come through so quickly. The only thing I can think may have helped, is this year I stored them in a tupperware box in the fridge. Anyway, they need to grow on a bit more before I pot them on. Then once these are potted on I will start some more.

I am hoping this will be a good year in the garden. it is a great distraction for me, to all the issues the world is having with Coronavirus. My escape!

Stay safe xx

Happy New Year 2019, Seed sowing already!

I have gardened for years and am hopeless at being organised. I have been given beautiful gardening books where you can log down all the seeds you buy, when you sow them, when they germinate etc etc. I always start to use them then forget or don't write things down and out the window it goes.

I follow an avid, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable tropical gardener on Facebook who sources seeds from all over the world. He has the most amazing set up a 'Dewpoint Cabinet' which seems to germinate anything he puts in it, yes I do yearn for one but if I had to choose between one of these and a new wirehaired dachshund puppy, the puppy would win hands down.

Anyway I digress, this year I shall be trying harder to log down my successes etc, as I have been finding over the last few years that by the time planting out into the garden comes along, that quite a few plants have not quite reached the right size or are way too big and have all gone leggy. Had I kept good records I could have adjusted sewing times etc. etc.

The only problem I have found is the inside is not set up as I would like.

I like the idea of a nice book, maybe I should make one?

I expect I will probably end up using a spread sheet. 

So the first seeds are sown, did you know that very fine seeds need to be sown early, these are Nicotiana Sylvestris. I still need to buy some coleus seeds as I haven't got them yet and they need to be started now too.

The Ensete Hiniba in the greenhouse are doing really well, I am thrilled how good they look.

I split them up and have half in the house and they are ok but not as good. I would move them out to the greenhouse but I think the change in temperature would be too much for them, so they will stay inside, for the moment.

Boring? I hope not!

I was on one of the many forums I go on, finding information and new ideas for my tropical look garden. There was a discussion about the types of plants people use to get the effect. I mentioned that I used a lot of annuals. The response I got from one member was :-

'Boring'!

It quite flummoxed me, so much so, I never even responded.
Since then I haven't blogged, and to be honest, I have commented that much on the forums either. I thought, maybe it is boring and people won't be interested. So I continued in the garden but just followed the forums.

I know I am lacking structure in the garden over winter and it is something that I would like to improve. But due to the frost pocket I live it, I have lost a lot of rather expensive plants over the years.

I saw a garden a couple of years ago that had a lovely Loquat 'Eriobotrya japonica' in it. An impressive plant/shrub/tree with very large leaves that looks very at home in a tropical setting due to its large leaves. So I bought 2!!! Well, it was buy one, get one free.

They where slightly bigger than I had anticipated, but once planted, especially since the neighbours, have had the top half of the garden's fence done, I think the look quite good.

What I hadn't really thought about, was actually how big they will get, but with judicious pruning, I am hoping to keep them an 'OK' size.

Having planted these, and bearing in mind how many seeds I have sewn this year, (keeping costs down)

I realised how much you can do with seed grown plants and how amazing it is that something like this

Can grow to something like this, that is taller than me (5ft 10) in just 5 months!

Plus, I don't have the hassle of lifting heavy pots or digging out heavy plants to move them into the warmth of the frost free greenhouse for winter. The other advantage of course, is, I can try different seeds as well as my favourites. 

But then this last year I did dig a couple of plants out...

Cyphomandra corymbiflora, was dug up in the autumn, although it is big and wide it is also light so easy to move.

A bit of a challenge for me to overwinter as there where so many leaves, every time you knock against it, it gives of a very strong smell.

I also dug up my Sonchus arboreus ' Tree dandelion', and Solanum betaceum 'Tamarillo', both have been badly affected by whitefly

this was back in February, they are on the right and I have had to remove most of their leaves and spray them to eradicate the whitefly. Which I didn't, but I think I have saved the plants, we will see.

Note to self:- read up on how to reduce whitefly in greenhouse!! 

Its been a tough old winter, I have lost most if not all of my elephants ears, there corms are mush. Yet the cannas I forgot to get out seem fine. We will see.

So do I have a boring garden? No, I don't think so, it might be empty in the winter, but in all honesty how often do we go outside at that time of year and by growing annuals I can bring in a lot of different types of plants, it might not be everyone's choice, but it suits my garden.

Plus I have my arid bed, which has come through the winter remarkably well, more in my next post.

Seeds Sown today

Cerinthe major 'Purpurascens',
Ipomea, mixed,
Lobelia Queen Victoria,
Solanum Laciniatum,
Solanum Mauritianum,
Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan',
Cyphomandra abutiloides,
Ipomea Grandpa Ott,
Nicotiana sylvestris,
Sonchus Arboreus,
Sonchus Canariensis,
Cosmos Bippinatus 'Rubenza',
Zinnia Red Spider,
Calendula officinales,
Fuchsia Boliviana Carriere,
Lobelia Bridgesii,
Dark Cosmos mix,
Amaranthus Early Splendour,

Yesterday I planted ALL my Ricinus Seeds

My new growing light...

The greenhouse could be a bit full in the next few weeks. Not that its not full now!  Could be a tight squeeze!

Play or Chores?

Its all happening here!

Yesterday my daughter and her boyfriend came over and helped me collect compost, sand and gravel.

 We had a lovely time, we did lots more than this and had a load of laughs as well. I still managed to have an 'alright back' at the end of it.

So I am now ready for when the gardener comes on Friday and starts constructing the new bed.

We had an extremely heavy frost last night fortunately I realised it was going to be cold when I took the dog out for his night time constitutional so covered up what needed to be covered up.

The TRex is sending out new growth I just hope it can deal with this plus its replanting as it gets bigger.

If you remember I started sowing my seeds last week, and they have all decided to come through in a rush.

I love the fact that I have helped these seeds burst into life, but I hate all the pricking out it involves. I think I have been clever this year as I have only sown a tiny sprinkle of each type, whereas last year I sowed in trays and had far, far too many.

These are the most exciting though, I have never ever grown Canna from seed before, its a bit of a palava. You need to scarifyor nick the seed till you see some white, soak for 48 hours then plant. You try scarifying or nicking a seed smaller than a pea, with out losing your fingers. Not easy. But I obviously did ok cos I have so far 3 coming through!!!

So today will be spent, potting up the bananas, as I need the stand they are in for the new seedlings.

But, before I start that I need to hang out the washing and go and do some shopping. A few years ago I made myself this rule, 'No Playing, till the chores are done'. So on days like today I do the bare basics of chores, so I can get out and play, but my chores have to be done otherwise I would spend all my time playing!!!

New Life

Don't you just love watching seeds burst into life?

I do

I just hate all the fiddly pricking out

except when you plant single seeds into pots

then you can nurture and watch them grow and grow. My planting plan has been started, I just hope I have enough room in the greenhouse later in the season!

Seedlings

I always love planting seeds, but when they start poking there little leaves through the soil in large numbers, I begin to dread the pricking out.

Don't get me wrong, I love the initial pricking out, but after seedling number 100 (not that I count) it becomes boring, well it does to me.

but then they get bigger and I start to get excited as they grow bigger and stronger

then I start to get excited again.

I want to plant more seeds, but I am having to hold off for a week as I am off to my mums for a few days at the end of next week and hubby would probably kill any new seedlings. So seed planting will re-commence at the end of Feb!

Meanwhile out in the garden, the tulip and allium bulbs I planted in the autumn are already bravely poking there heads through.

Propagator & GroLight plus.

You will remember my lovely huge propagater and beautiful growing light,

well, I have had problems with the plugs, they are quite odd shaped and did not like my sockets,

so I have done something all electricians will be telling me I shouldn't, I have plugged them into an extension!

I can assure everyone that I wish to be alive on the opening of my garden and that these cables are well out of the way of any water!

As you can see I have also put a time switch on the light plug. This has made switching on and off alot easier as I didn't have to remember when to do it. Initially I did wonder how long I should put the light on for. On the box it said 18 hours a day. But which 18 hours do you use? I plumped for 4pm to 10am, why? I have no idea it just seemed a good idea at the time. My daughter made me laugh when she said, don't the plants need to sleep? My answer 'I have no idea' lol! Do they?

Well it has worked I planted a load of Coleus seed and Nicotiana on 8th and they are all through.

Top 2 Nicotiana 'Only the Lonely' and 'Variegatum'

Kong varieties

Bog standard Bedding Coleus. I shall use this to fill gaps.

Basjoo, still upright and still firm. Not frozen firm if you see what I mean. Fingers crossed.

Fatsia, been hit by the frost, always looks bad but usually springs back quite quickly.

Inside the house I have one or two plants (wish I had a conservatory)

Lots on the trolley, 2 Bird of Paradise in front, one sending out a new leaf! I am sure they should be bigger?

My Cycas Revoluta I won off Ebay and some baby Alocasia's.

My big Alocasia, which flowered late last year and a couple of weeks ago was looking decidedly ill. So I moved it to where it is now, right by the radiator and it is looking so much greener and healthier.

an assortment of plants, including on the left another Strelitzia.

My Bougainvillea, is flowering, quite how I got it to do this I have no idea, neglect and watering, it really should be potted up.

Orchids, my daughter and I have a few of these. We each grow some and there is a bit of a challenge going on between us as to how many we can get to flower. She currently is better at it than me grrrrr!