GARDENER'S WORD - IDEAS AND TIPS

I ordered some trailing begonia tubers early this year. They have put on a glorious display and I wanted you to see them. I love how these semi-double flowers attract pollinators, and took a couple of shots of a little hoverfly.   IMPORTANT: Hoverflies are not stinging insects, although they are often confused with wasps for some reason.  Hoverflies are a gardener's friend; they eat aphids! You can identify hoverflies easily by their compound holoptic eye structure which  appears to run across the top of their heads. They also have stubby little antennae and they don't buzz; the sound you might hear is a hum, not a buzz. Hoverfly on a trailing begonia flower I placed the begonia tubers in individual large pots and stood them in a window trough under the window on an east facing wall.  Trailing begonias - orange Hoverfly on a trailing begonia flower Hoverfly on begonia. Photo taken in 2015. Hoverfly on begonia flower, 2015 Hoverfly on strawberry flower Hoverfly o...

I've been telling friends for well over a decade that 'next year' I will wind down on any gardening that has become more of a chore than a pleasure. As usual, starting spring, I  ignored my own advice.  However, I am no longer young (that's all I am saying), have a balance disability, and it has come to the point that I must take my own advice.  If there is no joy in doing something, why do it when you have a choice? I have always liked sweet peas  (Lathyrus odoratus) but this year I planted some and found that the daily, constant, dead-heading to keep the flowers coming instead of the plants putting energy into creating pea pods, has been just too labour intensive when I have better things to occupy my time.  Lonicera periclymenum 'Scentsation' (honeysuckle) and Wildeve rose So, this morning, I pulled up the obelisk in the north-facing border and look what was putting on a gloriously but rather untidy, display behind it:  Lonicera periclymenum 'Scentsation...

Earlier this year I ordered several smaller variety dahlias and Park Princess is one of them. Like all my dahlias, they are planted in containers. The smaller varieties, like Park Princess, are grow in 7.5 litre pots.  Because I am high on the Pennine Mountains and in an area where we have been spared hosepipes bans, at least for now (Yorkshire), I have been able to keep them well watered.     Park Princess - a cactus dahlia Park Princess - a cactus dahlia Park Princess grows to a height of about one metre, with a spread of about half a metre.  It enjoys full sun,  south or west-facing aspect, and a sheltered position.  It is unfussy about PH levels and whether it is grown in clay, loam, or a sandy soil.  Mine is grown where it gets full sun from morning until evening, is somewhat sheltered, and the growing medium is multi-purpose compost.  It hasn't needed staking which is a bonus.   Park Princess - a cactus dahlia My dahlias have ...