[Help] Gardeners Question Time.

[Coldeanseagull]

Things are so much later this year. Last June, my canna musifolia was 6ft high, this June it's not even 6 inches! Other bog standard cannas are just starting to move.
Things will catch up, but just a bit frustrating

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

I love an Echium. I've only got 3 in my garden in flower this year, but the ground is covered in thousands of seedlings for next year.
I've just ordered 3 packets of these;

Echium X Wildpretii 'Red Rocket' Seeds (15 seeds) (Tower of Jewels) - Plant World Seeds

Echium X Wildpretii 'Red Rocket' Seeds (15 seeds) (Tower of Jewels) - Plant World Seeds. The amazing show-stopper, Echium wildpretii, is one of the world's most impressive plants with its 3 to 4 foot spike of raspberry-red flowers erupting from a swan's nest of thin, grey hairy leaves. But it...

www.plant-world-seeds.com

Tried a decent sized wildpretii plant in Liverpool in the early 00's. Died as soon as any kind of frost hit. Pity as I love them! They are not nearly as hardy as pininana and are truly tender imo. Although the RHS says as hardy as pininana?

 

[Weststander]

Saw these borders stunners at both Great Dixter and Sissinghurst on Friday, the PlantNet app identified them as Common Gladiolus, whereas another source names them as Eastern Gladiolus.

@Jack Straw what’s your considered opinion please?

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Saw these borders stunners at both Great Dixter and Sissinghurst on Friday, the PlantNet app identified them as Common Gladiolus, whereas another source names them as Eastern Gladiolus.

@Jack Straw what’s your considered opinion please?

View attachment 162081

Great Dixter was the place that inspired me to create an exotic looking garden.

 

[The Grockle]

Saw these borders stunners at both Great Dixter and Sissinghurst on Friday, the PlantNet app identified them as Common Gladiolus, whereas another source names them as Eastern Gladiolus.

@Jack Straw what’s your considered opinion please?

View attachment 162081

I have exactly the same plant that popped up through a patch of Crocsomia.

I assumed the Crocsomia had just started flowering early but when they bloomed they turned out to be Gladiolus Byzantinus

​

 

[Jack Straw]

Saw these borders stunners at both Great Dixter and Sissinghurst on Friday, the PlantNet app identified them as Common Gladiolus, whereas another source names them as Eastern Gladiolus.

@Jack Straw what’s your considered opinion please?

View attachment 162081

I'm afraid my knowledge on Gladiloli is probably no greater than yours! Sorry.

 

[Jack Straw]

Great Dixter was the place that inspired me to create an exotic looking garden.

The chap who runs it - Fergus Garrett, used to work under me in the Valley Gardens Area in Brighton in the mid-eighties. I'm told that I was quite influencial in how he developed in to the horticuluralist he is today! That's my only claim to faim.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

The chap who runs it - Fergus Garrett, used to work under me in the Valley Gardens Area in Brighton in the mid-eighties. I'm told that I was quite influencial in how he developed in to the horticuluralist he is today! That's my only claim to faim.

I remember Fergus on TV. Didn't he live in Hastings? I am genuinely grateful to you for passing on your knowledge and love of plants to him. I always had it in my mind, that he was the main instigator of the tropical garden there.

 

[Stat Brother]

I'm afraid my knowledge on Gladiloli is probably no greater than yours! Sorry.

Don't worry - the thing about this thread is there's always an expert on hand.

Gladioli are green leafed plants with assorted colour flowers.
Some flowers are white, some are yellow, some can even be red, in fact the list is almost endless.

Not a problem.

 

[Stat Brother]

Anyhoo my reason for popping in was 1066's then and now shots.
Ive been outside over the last couple of weeks, and have once again tamed the jungle.
I did buy some bits and bobs yesterday, so ought to probably wait for them to fill out before doing this but hey the encouragement from looking back is a good thing.

Ive missed the last two 'lawn windows'and am determined to not miss the third.
(Sure I was equally determined to not miss the previous ones)

Anyway here's half of Stat Towers back garden 17 months apart.
(The other half hasn't changed much)

Forgive the fence, or lack of.
That's a combination of the government taking all my money and a son who spends half his week fencing only talking a good game.

 

[1066familyman]

I remember Fergus on TV. Didn't he live in Hastings? I am genuinely grateful to you for passing on your knowledge and love of plants to him. I always had it in my mind, that he was the main instigator of the tropical garden there.

He still does, as far as I'm aware. He and his team came and designed a couple of our beds at work. We used to over winter some of their stock in our polytunnels too.

 

[1066familyman]

Anyhoo my reason for popping in was 1066's then and now shots.
Ive been outside over the last couple of weeks, and have once again tamed the jungle.
I did buy some bits and bobs yesterday, so ought to probably wait for them to fill out before doing this but hey the encouragement from looking back is a good thing.

Ive missed the last two 'lawn windows'and am determined to not miss the third.
(Sure I was equally determined to not miss the previous ones)

Anyway here's half of Stat Towers back garden 17 months apart.
(The other half hasn't changed much)

View attachment 162095

View attachment 162096

View attachment 162097

View attachment 162098

Forgive the fence, or lack of.
That's a combination of the government taking all my money and a son who spends half his week fencing only talking a good game.

Clever!
It's almost hiding in plain sight on a non geeks thread.

Chapeau!

 

[jevs]

Re the Gladioli above. Memory's a bit foggy but could it be G. byzantina?

 

[Weststander]

Great Dixter was the place that inspired me to create an exotic looking garden.

By coincidence the Carol Klein Great Gardens episode on Great Dixter was on cable TV this morning. They spent time in the exotics garden, Christopher Lloyd planted it to replace a traditional rose garden. Ahead of his time.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

By coincidence the Carol Klein Great Gardens episode on Great Dixter was on cable TV this morning. They spent time in the exotics garden, Christopher Lloyd planted it to replace a traditional rose garden. Ahead of his time.

I love Christopher Lloyd's attitude. Just planting colours that traditionally would be frowned upon as companion plants.

 

[The Grockle]

Am I after the impossible?

A 6ft shrub, preferably colourful, but will live in almost constant shade.

You won't get many shrubs for shade that flower.
One way of getting a bit of colour under shade is to use variegated plants. Some lose their variegation in shade, but this one doesn't. - Aucuba crotonifolia.

Buy Aucuba japonica Crotonifolia (Spotted Laurel) in the UK

Buy Aucuba japonica Crotonifolia (Spotted Laurel) online from Jacksons Nurseries. Guaranteed best value, low prices, fast delivery, special offers.

www.jacksonsnurseries.co.uk

GCCM suggested Aucuba or Fatsia. Both have varigated varieties, but the one above is the one for me.

Do you think @Stat Brother might have some success with Daphne? I know they like some dappled sun but I've seen some grow in shade that are in flower.
Unfortunately most of the late flowering varieties tend to be more compact in height.

I have a virburnum tinus that gets very little sun and is packed with flowers in spring.

 

[The Grockle]

Anyhoo my reason for popping in was 1066's then and now shots.
Ive been outside over the last couple of weeks, and have once again tamed the jungle.
I did buy some bits and bobs yesterday, so ought to probably wait for them to fill out before doing this but hey the encouragement from looking back is a good thing.

Ive missed the last two 'lawn windows'and am determined to not miss the third.
(Sure I was equally determined to not miss the previous ones)

Anyway here's half of Stat Towers back garden 17 months apart.
(The other half hasn't changed much)

View attachment 162095

View attachment 162096

View attachment 162097

View attachment 162098

Forgive the fence, or lack of.
That's a combination of the government taking all my money and a son who spends half his week fencing only talking a good game.

Looks like you've done all the unpleasant stuff now you can focus on cutting the borders out and the enjoyable stuff.

As much as I appreciate our established garden I'm always very envious of someone with a blank canvas, your possibilities are unless!

 

[Stat Brother]

The corner in question is next to my garden storage.

What with the house, fence and neighbours extension there's about 2 or 3ft, next to the Choisya that is almost blocked off.

 

[Stat Brother]

Looks like you've done all the unpleasant stuff now you can focus on cutting the borders out and the enjoyable stuff.

As much as I appreciate our established garden I'm always very envious of someone with a blank canvas, your possibilities are unless!

You haven't seen round the corner!!!!

 

[Jack Straw]

I remember Fergus on TV. Didn't he live in Hastings? I am genuinely grateful to you for passing on your knowledge and love of plants to him. I always had it in my mind, that he was the main instigator of the tropical garden there.

When he joined us in Valley Gardens, he had already made up his mind to make horticulture his carreer. What he got from me was my work ethic, high standards and cracking the whip! He was one of the few staff who were on board with that. Others that were there just to pick up a wage packet didn't enjoy themselves like Fergus did!
I think Fergus may have lived in Hastings for a while, but I think he moved in to Great Dixter when Christo couldn't look after himself as he got older and not so well. I had the pleasure of eating with Fergus and Christo at Great Dixter. Christo had two sausage dogs named Canna and Yucca! That's not what we ate for dinner!!