THE NEW SEASON IN THE GARDEN - 2019

[LovelyLadyLux]

@H - Yes I must. The daughter was coming over to pick some which is when the elimination of flower heads was going to happen but 'yes' she hasn't appeared so I do need to get out there.

@H - what is the directly benefit to cutting out the flowers? I know to do it but why? Does that strengthen the roots? Stop the stalks from going bitter? It is one of those things I know to do but have never really understood the 'why.'

I am kinda hoping for rain today as we dry out quite quickly here. Spent an hour yesterday hand watering all the pots out front and out back. Even if it rain they don't capture enough water to stay wet for long so always need extra which is ok as I add a bit of fertilizer each time.

This is the terrible terrible begonia I started as a tuber last year. It grew long pale green and so totally spindly it basically got tossed. 'Cept it got tossed into my soil and re-found this year. Took pit and planted it and so far it has been growing short and bushy and now flowers are almost out.

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The marigolds are doing well (the white stuff is sevin dust aka pyrethrum to keep the cut worms off). I bought a pack of 'mixed' although every year I do go out and save my favourite seed heads but never seem to then start marigolds from seed.

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And I've got this helper nastursum growing from seeds I did plant into the garden two years ago. Last year I had four or five pop back up but so far this year only 1.

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[Horus]

All looking very nice in the sunshine LLL My Nasturtiums are all self seeders and they come up every year, I allow them to drop seeds into the surrounding soil and just hoe them in when I'm tidying up, always remember that Nasturtiums thrive on being neglected. As to pinching out the flowers on your Rhubarb, well as the stalks actually grow directly from the root then anything you can do to build up the root is beneficial, the flowers are useless to you and the plant will put a lot of effort into producing them hoping to go to seed, the same goes for flowers, the more you 'dead head' them the more flowers you are likely to get as they strive to produce more seed again by flowering.

[LovelyLadyLux]

@H - that is basically what I thought that removing the flower head was simply to beef up the rest of the plant BUT was just wondering if you knew any other reason. Will be out there cutting the flowers off and was going to do that when the daughter was here to pick the rhubarb. She loves it and uses it all throughout the year in her baking and cooking although nobody eats straight rhubarb pudding.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Oh - AND - I have left the nasturtium seeds to self-sow. They were planted in the veggie garden for some colour down there. Some have gotten raked and shoveled around the tomatoes which do get good care so ??? This one (in the picture) has popped up in a front corner that is going to dry out periodically, won't get fertilized and will not get care around it like those in the middle of the garden.

Have never picked or eaten nasturtiums however have thought about it.

[Horus]

You can eat the leaves and the flowers in a salad, taste a bit peppery. Should you move any unwanted plants to another location dig up as much soil under them as you can and drop that into a pre-made hole. They have very fragile roots so you need to be delicate, once replanted keep them well watered for about a week, they will usually wilt, but after a few days they will pick up again.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Just came up from running down and whacking off the rhubarb flowers and counted the nasturtiums and while there is one growing in the middle of the green bean rows most have now made their way to the outsides of the garden and I probably only have 6 total. They'll all flower at some point and I will just let them drop the seeds to grow again next year. Never realized they had really fragile roots.

Trivia - I've only ever planted them from seeds although last couple of years I've seen them brought into the plant nurseries in the 6 pack for transplant already sprouted and growing. They're so easy from seed I wouldn't have bothered buying them already growing.

[Horus]

Seed is best and if you look at all your plants when they are flowering you may be lucky and spot a 'Sport' of another colour variations, they do that quite often. Then if you make a point of saving some of that seed (just pick them when plump and let the seed dry out on a window ledge and plant when they are dry at the back end of the year when its gone colder.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Will do re: nasturtium. If memory serves I bought "jewel dwarf mix" which gave me mostly orange or yellow flowers. I didn't want the really large nasturtiums that vine and trail. I think I've seen some cherry red variety here in seed but have never tried them.

[Horus]

I reckon you will get some Red coloured sports from your 'Jewel Mix'.
You will find that even the non trailing varieties will spread willingly across open ground, just let the runners go and they will flower right up until the frost kills them off.

[LovelyLadyLux]

@H - they definitely have spread and trailed which is why I look for the dwarf variety cause I'd hate to see the ones they say DO trail!

[Horus]

LLL, I have added a couple of images I took yesterday of a patch of fairly unkempt ground in my garden. As you can see all I have done is to hoe around the weeds to leave the self seeding Nasturtiums that have started to pop up. The other is a small confined corner where I also allow them to grow freely, I often lift young plants from there to plant elsewhere. Later in the year I will try and remember to take more photos of how they finish up, the walled corner part will flow out over the paving slabs and the rough open space will be completely filled up.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Your nasturtiums are looking real good right now H! I'd imagine they'd be beautiful once they're all fully flowered & flowering and crowding up a corner. Always like the look of flowers growing fully into a spot and quite like the contrast of their leaves & flowers against a rougher backdrop.

You've got quite a few growing in your spaces there (talking about photo #1 now). They've definitely gone to town in terms of self seeding themselves.

I can see in my garden I have 1 onion that has decided to continue the march, a small clump of chives (like about 4cm wide clump) growing and 2 carrots that have re-sprouted up new green growth. Everybody else managed to die off over this past winter.

I also actually have in the front corner of the lowest veggie garden that I'm turning into a flower bed a red Japanese maple that is now about 2' high. It couldn't have picked a better spot to seed itself and it is growing there quite nicely. Am hoping it'll continue on because I'd love to have another red maple tree in that area.

[Grandad]

Yesterday was a miserable day with quite a lot of rain. Fortunately I had re-potted the palm on Thursday afternoon. I told that I had bought a large plastic pot but decided it was too big and orderred a smaller one. Well that arrived Thursday and I reverted to the original pot which gives more room for root development.
When I broke the old pot I found, as expected, a pot bound plant.

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At least the broken pot gave me plenty of crock for the bottom of pots. I put about 2" of pea gravel in the bottom and then packed the plant out with a mix of 'Pauls potting mix', he is the local garden centre owner, and John Innes No3.

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I did get a cheap length of trellis and nailed it to the fence to give me something to secure the tomato plants to. I have only put 4 along the sloping fence with 2 more on the slabs.

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I gave 6 plants to my son to grow in a grow bag. The remaining 6 will probably go to my daughter. They are not wilted, as they appear; I had just watered them.

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When things mature a bit and there is some colour on the patio, and we have some sunshine, I will post a picture or two. But that will be in a few weeks.

[LovelyLadyLux]

@Grandad - your palm looks good in that pot and from the photo of the roots it was pretty timely to get it into a larger pot. That pot will give it lots of room to continue to grow.

Your tomato plants are looking good too. Good idea with the trellis behind too. Will make it easy to keep them tied up and that many should provide a really good crop.

Luckily it has been a light rain for the past couple of days so I don't have to be out there watering the garden.

[LovelyLadyLux]

The begonia has finally flowered but this flower sure isn't what I remembered buying which was a frilly edged flower with red stripes however this one is rather pretty so am happy enough with it. Am also happy that it has finally flowered too.

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The hydrangea out front is getting ready to flower but still in the green stage. IF this guy fills up with blooms am going to try and dry and save a bouquet.

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[LovelyLadyLux]

Not that this is my garden, these clematis are actually growing on the chain link fence to the Lawn Bowling area of the Seniors Centre. I think they're quite pretty and I like the darker purple. I think these are the type of clematis that just grow and don't need cutting back. They definitely take the harshness off the chain link fence.

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[Horus]

They are certainly nice flowers for a screen effect.

[LovelyLadyLux]

@H - The Lawn Bowling Club is basically carved out of the field by the entrance to the Seniors Club and surrounded with chain link fencing. These bits of clematis take the harshness of the fence off and are fairly attractive at the same time plus they're allowing for good air circulation which I'm sure the lawns need.

[Grandad]

LLL, you certainly seem to have had the weather to bring on your plants and the clematis at the Bowling Club look really nice. I would like to cover some of my ugly fence in that way but my wife is not keen.
We have just about finished the annual regeneration of the patio pots. Give them a couple of weeks to mature and I will post some pics. About 4pm this afternoon I decided to sit outside, camera in hand and see if any birds would oblige at the feeders.
After half an hour, zilch, but I know they usually 'wake up' and feed around 5pm. On the offchance I put out some dog food hoping to encourage a fox to visit.
NO CHANCE, within seconds our friendly feline visitor ran down to have a feed. She must have been hiding under the bushes. No wonder the birds kept away.

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This cat has diabetes and wears a collar asking people not to feed it. Sorry about that but I can't take responsibility.
After the cat had left I was rewarded with a couple of feathered visitors who chose to feed on the coconut shell filled with seeds and fat.

First a great tit

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and then a starling

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After I had gone indoors daddy fox made an appearance and cleared up what the cat had left

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Not a bad day today but tomorrow is not looking good

[Horus]

I wouldn't complain about the weather Grandad, it has hammered it down here for the last two days with little sign of improvement and here's me off with my caravan soon for a short break.