[TV] Gardeners' World This Evening, BBC 2. Different to Usual.

[Jack Straw]

Guess what I've seen? As rare as rocking horse droppings they are, haven't seen one since maybe 2003.
A fleeting glance as, with wind assistance, it fluttered into my gazebo then out and gone

A purple emperor!

That's amazing. Perhaps they live in Coldean / Stanmer Woods? They breed on Sallow trees (Salix caprea), so if they grow there, there could well be Purple Emperors there.

 

[Weststander]

Indeed it is. It's very difficult to get the spacing of a lot perennials right first time. My planting distances for most of the list of perennials I posted above was about 9 to 12 inches. It's best to plant too close than too far away, and then thin or transplant some if necessary, which is what I will be doing next spring. The beauty of perennials is that after you've seen how they've performed in the summer, you can move them about the following spring to get the spacing exactly right. If you space your plants too far away, they will never meet up. It is a dark art!

Cheers Jack.

That’s what I planned to do ... but now I have the professional backing that plan

 

[Jack Straw]

Cheers Jack.

That’s what I planned to do ... but now I have the professional backing that plan

Thanks! Sorry, I misread your previous post. The photo I posted IS the scheme I sent you a link to previously.

 

[Creaky]

Indeed it is. It's very difficult to get the spacing of a lot perennials right first time. My planting distances for most of the list of perennials I posted above was about 9 to 12 inches. It's best to plant too close than too far away, and then thin or transplant some if necessary, which is what I will be doing next spring. The beauty of perennials is that after you've seen how they've performed in the summer, you can move them about the following spring to get the spacing exactly right. If you space your plants too far away, they will never meet up. It is a dark art!

I’m not sure we’d manage that level of detail even if the wife and I spent every free moment in the garden!

Our garden is far from being an exhibition one! We prefer to sit and enjoy what we do have.

We probably break every rule in gardening by just plonking plants in and they either survive or die!



We’d love to have the time and money to sort out the area down by the river but I don’t think I’ll see that done in my lifetime!

 

[Jack Straw]

I’m not sure we’d manage that level of detail even if the wife and I spent every free moment in the garden!

Our garden is far from being an exhibition one! We prefer to sit and enjoy what we do have.

We probably break every rule in gardening by just plonking plants in and they either survive or die!

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We’d love to have the time and money to sort out the area down by the river but I don’t think I’ll see that done in my lifetime!

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That is exactly my type of garden! It looks absolutely wonderful. My own "garden" measures 4 m x 0.75 m so not a lot of scope to do anything. It does have a Buddleia, Agapanthus, Sedum and other bits crammed in, but it's hardly Kew!

 

[Coldeanseagull]

That's the beauty of gardening, you can pretty much do it however you feel you want to. You can carefully plan if you want, but that's just too anal. Get a plant, plant a plant and move a plant if you're not happy. It's worked for me for the last 40 odd years
Oh, I forgot to add, buy loads of plants........... and a shoehorn
If you can't afford loads of plants, buy a few and propagate them, easy peasy

 

[Jack Straw]

Yesterday's episode included a lot about this "garden".
https://www.germany.travel/en/towns.../duisburg-nord-industrial-landscape-park.html
What an absolutely amazing place. See what nature can do without a lot of encouragement.