yardz

SATELLITE - A SAD FAILURE!

Please excuse photo but it was raining heavily (see rain rain rain rain)

One of my failures of the year, Fuchsia Satellite.(see yardzplant 22.5.2008) I thought this new fuchsia would be just right for my tall granite feature pots but it just hasn't come up to expectations. Its growth is very spindly and extremely brittle, you only have to brush past for a branch to break away from the base. Also it has taken a long time to come into flower and there seems to be more foliage, the leaves being large, than flower. Not one I'll try again.

WATCH THIS SUNRISE

Carex trifida 'Rekohu Sunrise'

This new golden sedge will be available in garden centres from this autumn and is definitely worth looking out for. A selected form of carex from the Chatham Islands, it has attractive, variegated, arching green and gold foliage. It is hardy and evegreen making it ideal for containers.

CONES OR DOMES

 

CONES OR DOMES

For the last two years I have been using cone shaped hanging baskets instead of the traditional bowl shaped ones. To start with it is because I liked the shape and style of the cones - they make a statement even when they have just been planted.

But now I realise that they are actually better in relation to plant growth than the traditional shape. The extended cone shape provides not only a large volume of compost for plants to root into, but also allows a much longer root run which is important in dry weather.

Two environmental benefits is that due to the baskets being made of recyclable materials such as 'banana leaf'' they use up few finite resources in manufacture and also as moss is not used to line the baskets, diminishing wetlands are not being stripped of sphagnum moss.

So what started as a style decision has left me with baskets with better plant growth and flowers.

BALCONY EVERGREENS

Berberis thunbergii Admiration

When people think of evergreen plants, large and dull generally comes to mind. But there are a wide range of evergreen plants that are neither large or dull. In recent years plant breeders have produced some really good additions to this range of plants. Two of them are both in the berberis family - Berberis Tiny Gold and Berberis Admiration. They are both available at garden centres now.

Berberis Tiny Gold is very compact growing only to 30cm. It has amazing yellow green leaves. Admiration though still compact grows a little larger up to 50cm. It has stunning orange red leaves with a yellow edge which change to a nice orange in autumn.

Both these hardy plants are perfect for balcony window boxes or containers. They can be grown and clipped into a low formal hedge or allowed to grow more loosely.

Both are definitely worth looking out for.

 

Berberis thunbergii Tiny Gold

HANGING BASKETS - THE SUMMER 2008 COLLECTION

This years theme for the cone baskets is a multicoloured 'baroque' style using a mixture of purple, pink and carmine flowers offset with lime green foliage. The plants were planted in a specialist hanging basket compost which included water retention granules and slow release fertilizer.

The plants used are:

Verbena magelana Midnight Purple, Petunia Duo Satin Pink, Petunia Hurrah Purple Vein, Geranium Horizon Violet and Lysimmachia nummularia Aurea.

 

PEA UPDATE

 

PEA HALF PINT

 

For those of you who read the YARDZVEG Diary, you will know that I sowed Half Pint peas in these 30cm long plastic troughs. This variety of pea, a very old Victorian variety, is perfectly suited to growing in containers as it is quick to grow and very compact. Up to now they have grown well with only regular watering and keeping slugs at bay. They have now started flowering so I'm looking forward to sweet fresh peas in a couple of weeks.

www.thompsonandmorgan.com

MY SWEET PEAS

Every year I grow sweet peas, mainly for cut flowers but also because for a small footprint you get loads of colour and scent. I grow them in a 40cm square container that has a good depth and volume of growing media. I always try to use a container compost mix that has water retention crystals included, as sweet peas can be very thirsty even on a warm summers day.

They prefer full sun to get the best amount of quality flowers but any spot that isn't in deep shade is suitable. Make sure you keep them well supported with canes and tie the shoots in with string or special wire rings made for the job. The worst task though is to then remove any of the tendrils that grow to support these climbers in their natural habitat. If you don't remove them, they tend to cling and constrict any flowering shoots making them unsuitable for cutting.

The varieties I have grown this year are Cupani and Suttons Early Fragrance Mixed. The summer weather has not been kind to them and as you can see from the photograph, growth has been slow and flowering has only just started.

Though an old fashioned favourite, sweet peas are great for the small garden. The colours vary from strong primary colours to pastel tones, so make an impact were ever you put them.

CANARY WHARF

Spotted these amazing grass swirling banks at Canary Wharf. They moved and swayed in the wind and were so closely planted that no weeds would stand a  chance against them. They would be great in a small garden as a feature or covering the whole area, with a flowering plant such as Verbena bonariensis growing through. The other main benefit is that they are reasonably drought tolerant so would save on watering. Suitable grasses include Hakonechloa macra Alboaurea, Carex comans, Carex buchananii.

www.big-grass.com

EXOTIC BLUE

AGAPANTHUS

This superb container plant is now just starting to flower. It adds an exotic touch to any yard. Available in shades of blue from deepest dark blue to the palest of pale and also in pure white. The large flower umbels are held above deep green strap like leaves. Will survive the winter in sheltered gardens and only needs a liquid feed every 10-14 days during the spring and summer.

Plant in 35cm + containers in a loam based compost such as John Innes.

www.crocus.com

TWELVE MONTHS ON

Last spring my small, 5m x 5m, garden was empty soil surrounding the newly built deck and rill. We had moved into the new build the year before but had waited until winter to start the hard landscaping. Planting started last spring incorporating lots of organic matter into the planting holes. Now twelve months on plants have matured and we have our own green oasis.

The walls are now softened with flowering climbers including Clematis armandii and Hydrangea petiolaris. The main planting consists of grasses, shrubs and perennials. The rill was designed to allow hot feet to be cooled in summer and bottles of beer to be chilled, whist giving a soothing sound as the water falls into a lower tank. The noise also helps deaden any noises outside the garden.

There is still plenty of work to do but we are pleased that the strong deck design has worked well with the in depth planting.