[Help] Gardeners Question Time.

[FamilyGuy]

You should be able to stick virtually anything outside by the end of May, bung it in but it might not flower or get very big. Lots of plants have a kind of locked in growth period linked to daylight length, meaning that they store energy up for flowering at the optimum time for the flowers to get pollinated and set seed before autumn. Sow/plant too late and they just go with what energy they have stored even if they are small.

Thanks for that, very helpful

 

[Wardy's twin]

About 20 plus years ago I bought a gardening magazine that had 12 Allium bulbs attached to the front cover.

I now have thousands of Alliums that come up every years for me to dig up and dispose of - and apart from the sackfull of dug-up bulbs that are currently awaiting transportation to the dump (no lie) I know that there are still thousands more bulbs hidden and waiting to come up all over my garden next year, and so the wheel turns.

They're in the lawn, in the raised beds, entwined in the hedges, around the pond, in the patio, inextricably mixed in with and strangling other bulbs, they've even reached the front garden and my neighbours gardens. The bees do love them, I hate them with a passion.

are they the small ones or the big ones. I bought a pack which had a few types including some which came up about 8 inches across...... the ones which are now full of bees are a 2 inch purple cone....

 

[Jack Straw]

thanks.. I will look this up and see if i can get some seeds hopefully they are as easy to grow as the biennials.

Be careful as some shops advertise as Perennial, but may not be. You'd be better off buying plants from a reputable nursery.
There is one called "Firebird" which was runner up in the Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year in 2019.
https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/digitalis--valinii-firebird/classid.2000036093/

 

[Wardy's twin]

Be careful as some shops advertise as Perennial, but may not be. You'd be better off buying plants from a reputable nursery.
There is one called "Firebird" which was runner up in the Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year in 2019.
https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/digitalis--valinii-firebird/classid.2000036093/

i will look them up...

 

[FamilyGuy]

are they the small ones or the big ones. I bought a pack which had a few types including some which came up about 8 inches across...... the ones which are now full of bees are a 2 inch purple cone....

They're the small (about 8" tall) white ones, they look a lot like wild garlic but with narrower leaves (a bit like daffodils) and come out just after the garlic has started to die off. They multiply vociferously. They look lovely while they're in bloom, but inmho the downsides far outweigh the rewards. I'm resigned to fighting the buggers for the rest of my retirement.

 

[Wardy's twin]

They're the small (about 8" tall) white ones, they look a lot like wild garlic but with narrower leaves (a bit like daffodils) and come out just after the garlic has started to die off. They multiply vociferously. They look lovely while they're in bloom, but inmho the downsides far outweigh the rewards. I'm resigned to fighting the buggers for the rest of my retirement.

i know the ones you mean now....

 

[Wardy's twin]

think we will need to embrace these fellas as pollinators.....

 

[Weststander]

About 20 plus years ago I bought a gardening magazine that had 12 Allium bulbs attached to the front cover.

I now have thousands of Alliums that come up every years for me to dig up and dispose of - and apart from the sackfull of dug-up bulbs that are currently awaiting transportation to the dump (no lie) I know that there are still thousands more bulbs hidden and waiting to come up all over my garden next year, and so the wheel turns.

They're in the lawn, in the raised beds, entwined in the hedges, around the pond, in the patio, inextricably mixed in with and strangling other bulbs, they've even reached the front garden and my neighbours gardens. The bees do love them, I hate them with a passion.

Funnily enough, [MENTION=259]Jack Straw[/MENTION] answered (post #1373) a similar post from me, a year ago.

He identified these as https://www.gardenia.net/plant/allium-moly-lily-leek Alliium Moly.

Ours were a freebee from the Telegraph a couple of years ago. They multiply quicker, I still like the colour they give in May.

 

[Jack Straw]

think we will need to embrace these fellas as pollinators.....

View attachment 150062

Brilliant colours. Did you take that photo?

 

[Wardy's twin]

Brilliant colours. Did you take that photo?

Thanks. Yes it is - Olympus om-d e-m10 mk 2 with a sigma 60mm lens sitting on 10mm macro tube using automatic setting and focus. With the macro tube the focal length is strange and of course very narrow so holding steady is the skill. The red and green are quite stunning aren't they - that's how it came out the camera only PP was crop.

 

[FamilyGuy]

Brilliant colours. Did you take that photo?

I'm fascinated by the vast variety of hover flies around the garden (I know that's not one in your photo) their role as pollinators, their vast variety, ability to mimic other insects and their weird lifecycle) is amazing.

 

[Stat Brother]

Well the one they call.Stat Brother has had a busy day

From this



To

 

[Stat Brother]

Wrong before photo

From this



To that!

 

[Jack Straw]

Wrong before photo

From this

View attachment 150242

To that!

You're getting there!

 

[Stat Brother]

You're getting there!

Cheers.

For reasons I really don't want to investigate the back half appears to be all paving slabs.
Hopefully I can just leave that.

Which means I only have about 10ft sq (nearest the camera) to tidy up.

Even then as it's out of sight, round the corner from the house, I'm going to 'wild garden' seed it, next spring, so I don't have to be perfect now.

I want to border that section with Lavender - but there's one small problem.

I f**kin hate lavender.

Which brings me to my question:-

'what can I plant, as a continuous box border, that has all the properties of lavender but isn't a ****?

 

[Jack Straw]

Cheers.

For reasons I really don't want to investigate the back half appears to be all paving slabs.
Hopefully I can just leave that.

Which means I only have about 10ft sq (nearest the camera) to tidy up.

Even then as it's out of sight, round the corner from the house, I'm going to 'wild garden' seed it, next spring, so I don't have to be perfect now.

I want to border that section with Lavender - but there's one small problem.

I f**kin hate lavender.

Which brings me to my question:-

'what can I plant, as a continuous box border, that has all the properties of lavender but isn't a ****?

Only Lavendar has all the properties of Lavender!
Instead, could you let us have ultimate height, and other criteria of the hedge you're after?

 

[Stat Brother]

Only Lavendar has all the properties of Lavender!
Instead, could you let us have ultimate height, and other criteria of the hedge you're after?

I want to plant something all around the edge of the 10" square, not a hedge!

Minimal effort.
Not lavender.
Excellent ground coverage
But not lavender.
About knee height.
I said NOT lavender.
Attractive to wildlife.
Lavender! F##k off

Something that will give this kind of effect around a poppy (and other stuff) patch.



Just not lavender.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I want to plant something all around the edge of the 10" square, not a hedge!

Minimal effort.
Not lavender.
Excellent ground coverage
But not lavender.
About knee height.
I said NOT lavender.
Attractive to wildlife.
Lavender! F##k off

Something that will give this kind of effect around a poppy (and other stuff) patch.

View attachment 150253

Just not lavender.

Personally, I would plant lavender





or Rosemary






or Lavender



It smells nice.

 

[Stat Brother]

Personally, I would plant lavender





or Rosemary






or Lavender



It smells nice.

Hmmmm I hadn't really thought about this lavender, of which you speak.

 

[LamieRobertson]

I want to plant something all around the edge of the 10" square, not a hedge!

Minimal effort.
Not lavender.
Excellent ground coverage
But not lavender.
About knee height.
I said NOT lavender.
Attractive to wildlife.
Lavender! F##k off

Something that will give this kind of effect around a poppy (and other stuff) patch.

View attachment 150253

Just not lavender.

How tall are you…only it would effect the knee height measurement

Ps I wouldn’t plant anything until you sort out the fencing….and then I would wait until late Autumn at least before planting