Comments for The Potting Shed

Comment on Winter Flowering Climbing Plants by admin

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 08:39:26 +0000

Well, the tropaeoleum is not at it’s best in winter and will perform a lot better in a conservatory. But all the same, it should add some colour in a sheltered spot in the garden during the cooler months. I have also found that the Chilean Glory Vine (Eccremocarpus scaber) performs to a similiar degree.

Comment on Winter Flowering Climbing Plants by LandscapeLara

LandscapeLara — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:16:22 +0000

Lovely choices. Didn’t know that there was a winter Tropaeoleum. Lonicera purpusii is one of my favourite scents.

Comment on A Highly Scented Garden Jasmine by Garden Girl

Garden Girl — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:29:55 +0000

Saw something similar in the South of France. The scent in the evening was simply overwheming.

Comment on Garden Flowers for the Bees by admin

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:39:59 +0000

An unusual flower, but lovely in the garden all the same. The Honeywort is classed as a hardy annual but can survive as a perennial and is a prolific self-seeder.

Very nectar rich. Thanks “Seed Parade”. If there are any other bee-friendly plants that anyone can think of, please do add your comments. I’m sure there are 1000′s!

Comment on Garden Flowers for the Bees by Seed Parade

Seed Parade — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:07:50 +0000

What a great source of helpful plants for the bees. One other plant which is not very well known is the honeywort or cerinthe. The plant itself is very attractive and the honey bees love the blue flowers. Strangly mine self-seeded in the autumn and sprouted as weel and to my surprise the plants survived the winter and were among the first plants to flower in the alotment.
Thanks for sharing!

Comment on Pruning Fruit Trees by admin

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:09:17 +0000

Sorry, I misread your comment. Most fruit trees will benefit from a little prune. Winter is the perfect time to prune your apple tree.

If you didn’t prune your fruit trees, they will become less productive, year on year. Just try and open out the branches a little. You can cut last years growth back, but if you want a crop this year, try and reserve at least a third of such growth.

Comment on Pruning Fruit Trees by admin

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:05:24 +0000

I don’t know about Damsons, but my advice would be to at least thin at the branches a little. Try and achieve a hollow centre to the tree, removing old or diseased branches as you go. Remember, last years growth will provide this years fruit, so don’t prune all of that away.

Comment on Pruning Fruit Trees by Marie

Marie — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:34:59 +0000

I have just recently moved house and the garden has both a damson and an apple tree. The damson is not too bad, however the apple tree needs a serious prune. Should I do this now or wait till Autumn?

Comment on Potash for healthy growth by admin

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:09:56 +0000

Any kind of wood ash is a good source of potash. Just remember – if you have a bonfire, don’t let the ash get wet. Once this happens, the ash is fairly useless as the potassium will leach out of it on contact with water.

Comment on Potash for healthy growth by M Strachan

M Strachan — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:35:10 +0000

Even better than potash is a product called Takesumi Bamboo Biochar.

It is an advanced charcoal – excellent for improving growth and reduces your carbon footprint.

Comment on Grow The World’s Hottest Chili From Seed by Naga-Alex

Naga-Alex — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:47:19 +0000

This chilli is my favourite and is so hot. They are well worth growing and I really recommend that you give them a grow. Geddit?

Comment on Composting with Worms by Composting – Worm Bins

Composting – Worm Bins — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:15:21 +0000

Composting does take time and a lot of effort to get good results. Rotating waste to produce a good compost takes a lot of discipline, not to mention hard work. However, there is an easier way of making this most valuable garden commodity – Worm Bins.

Comment on Begonia Apricot Shades by Storing Begonias Over Winter

Storing Begonias Over Winter — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:30:29 +0000

Especially prize my collection of tuberous rooted varieties, such as Begonia Apricot Shades, Non-stop Mocca, Aromantics and trailing varieties such as Cascading Picotee. Because of this, I always tend to store – as oppose to discard.

Comment on Storing Begonias Over Winter by admin

admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:36:10 +0000

Hi Barbara,

I haven’t heard of ‘tenting’ begonias, except perhaps for propagation purposes. I’m not too sure what kind of weather you have in Bellingham – how cold it gets or general humidity, but I would suggest that digging up and over wintering your begonias is a very safe option. It also gives you the opportunity to perform a little health check on your plant’s tubers. I found a few grubs in mine this year – now I’m glad I checked.

If your begonias are fibrous rooted, then you can either dig them up, trim them back and store as house plants over winter, or take cuttings and keep in a warm spot in your house. Most begonia varieties easily take from cuttings – hardly any labour at all.

I hope this helps.

Comment on Storing Begonias Over Winter by Barbara Fortin

Barbara Fortin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:06:53 +0000

I am new at this gardening thing thing. I was told I can ‘tent’ my bagonia to save it over the winter. Is it that simple. I live in Bellingham Washington. It is still before the frost.
Barbs

Comment on Winter Hanging Baskets by James Middleton

James Middleton — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:22:41 +0000

I recently swapped my summer hanging baskets for Autumn/Winter baskets. The summer ones still looked okay, so I have tidied them up a little and placed them on buckets and put them in the less productive areas of my garden. They look great and have added a splash of colour where there never has been. Shoul last a month or two – the area is fairly frost free.

Comment on Professional garden design on a budget by Building Materials Supplies

Building Materials Supplies — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:11:02 +0000

Professional garden design on a budget!

Thanks for sharing

Comment on The weather & the garden, 2009 by admin

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:38:53 +0000

I forgot to mention – Begonias: Plant them in pots of compost in early spring and protect from frosts. Begonias are pretty sensitive to frosts. You may have gathered from this blog – I do love my begonias

Comment on The weather & the garden, 2009 by admin

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:37:37 +0000

Hi Ivana,

Protecting Fuchsias
If I were you, I’d put both the fuchsias (if they are not winter hardy) in a frost free place over winter…they are perennial so they should last for many, many years. Cut them back to 1/3 or 1/2 of the branch length, remove leaves and flowers. Pot them and place in a well lit and cool place. Alternatively, take plenty of cuttings for fresh plants next year.

Protecting Begonias
If they have tubers, then dig them up now, remove the top growth, dry them out and store in a frost free environment. You check for tubers by scraping a little compost from around the base of the plant – you should easily find a hard, woody, almost beetroot-like growth. The tubers (and plant) will get bigger each year, so do protect them!

If your begonias don’t have tubers, then they are fibrous rooted. In this case, you could try taking cuttings – very easy, but must be kept in a frost free environment.

Comment on The weather & the garden, 2009 by Ivana

Ivana — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:59:32 +0000

ps – the other one is a begonia, I just found out

(Regarding: I have a couple of hanging baskets, one with fuchsia, the other one I’m not sure what’s called, but I am unsure what to do with the plants now the cold is setting in.)