# Anyone On Here With Green Fingers?



## luckywatch

Just thought I would see if anyone has green fingers. These are my own work and are in flower today. Show us what you got or havenâ€™t got! :thumbup:


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## RTM Boy

Have to take some photos...but my Saponaria and Alliums are just going over, Aquilegias, Delphiniums and Dianthus going great guns, Lobelia and Centranthus (Valerian) just coming into flower now...

But no flowering cacti.


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## Roger the Dodger

This thread is right up my street, seeing as it's part of my job....I was going to post these pics in the 'Mowing the Grass' thread, but I guess here will do just as well. First up is my Bird of Paradise plant (Strelitzia regina), which has had a flower bud developing for the last few weeks. On Monday, it finally opened, and the first of the two flowers opened...by today, the second had emerged.


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## Roger the Dodger

Secondly, I have a stand of common Spotted Orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) growing in my garden. This is one of the many wild orchids we are lucky enough to have in the UK.These soon appeared after we moved in, growing in the disturbed soil that the builders left. I moved them into one place so we could look after them better. There are many more growing wild in the fields behind our house and I presume the very fine seeds were blown into the garden.











Great cacti flowers, BTW, Scott! :yes:


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## luckywatch

Well what an impressive start to the thread. You obviously got the touch Roger. Who can better that? :thumbup:


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## pugster

only growing herbs at the moment, my thyme is in flower but i have a bit of a badger infestation going on.


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## artistmike

For me it's the best time of year for the Bonsai and especially seeing some of my accent plants like this dwarf Hosta coming into flower....


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## artistmike

pugster said:


> only growing herbs at the moment, my thyme is in flower but i have a bit of a badger infestation going on.


If you need to borrow a shotgun just shout ! ....


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## Who. Me?

pugster said:


> only growing herbs at the moment, my thyme is in flower but i have a bit of a badger infestation going on.


Great, now I have the Badger, Badger, Badger meme stuck in my head.

So you shall too... http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/


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## Roger the Dodger

A few more pics from work, taken today....first, my pride and joy, the rose arch in full bloom (though about 6 weeks late this year due to the rubbish spring)...





...pink delphiniums...



...and some blue...



...one of the 'cottage garden style' long borders...there are allsorts here...delphiniums, crocosmia, lysimachia, peonies, geraniums, cosmos, campanula, etc, etc.


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## luckywatch

Fantastic Roger. :thumbup:


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## artistmike

Beautiful Roger, it can't have been easy over the last year or so...


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## Roger the Dodger

artistmike said:


> For me it's the best time of year for the Bonsai and especially seeing some of my accent plants like this dwarf Hosta coming into flower....


That's a very unusual subject for Bonsai, Michael...never seen a Hosta used before...but thinking about it, I suppose you can use any plant, and not just restrict yourself to trees?


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## Roger the Dodger

Roger the Dodger said:


> artistmike said:
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> That's a very unusual subject for Bonsai, Michael...never seen a Hosta used before...but thinking about it, I suppose you can use any plant, and not just restrict yourself to trees? Great pic, BTW.
Click to expand...


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## luckywatch

All pictures taken this morning.


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## artistmike

Roger the Dodger said:


> That's a very unusual subject for Bonsai, Michael...never seen a Hosta used before...but thinking about it, I suppose you can use any plant, and not just restrict yourself to trees?


Yes, these days it's surprising what you see Bonsai techniques applied to, some respond better than others of course but Bonsai and Penjing are going through a period of innovation that has greatly added to the old art. I suppose mainly because of the spread of the hobby worldwide....


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## luckywatch

Orange ball bush this morning.


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## Roger the Dodger

luckywatch said:


> Orange ball bush this morning.


...Or Buddleja globosa. One of the more unusual buddlejas. Very nice!


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## luckywatch

Cheers Roger. I planted that myself a few years back. Here's one of my favourites today, Silver Torch or Cleistocactus Straussii.










And a couple more shots from the garden.


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## luckywatch

Captured this afternoon. Some of my Cacti flower at night so I have to sit up or get up at 3 in the morning.


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## Roger the Dodger

luckywatch said:


> Captured this afternoon. Some of my Cacti flower at night so I have to sit up or get up at 3 in the morning.


I love cactus flowers....they are stunningly beautiful...I'll try and get some pics of my Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera) later on in the year.


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## Who. Me?

Does this count...?



















Gardens are nice enough, but I think I prefer water gardens.


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## Roger the Dodger

Who. Me? said:


> Does this count...?
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> Gardens are nice enough, but I think I prefer water gardens.


Fabulous pics of white water lily flowers....... :yes:


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## Raptor

Here's one for you gardeners, we have a ficus elastica variegated which

the 710 clipped the top off last year to encourage some new growth. It

worked perfectly but strangely the new growths leaves are not variegated

but a solid dark green colour?

Anyone know why?

Also we are thinking of taking some cuttings and trying to grow them

but not sure how to do it. Any help would be appreciated.

Oh and the monster pampas grass we had in the back garden was

hacked to pieces by me with the axe last year as it was overtaking its small

area. Out of interest I took two small sections of the dug up grass

and replanted one in the same spot and one round the side of the house

and both have flourished and will need hacked down again, lol.


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## Roger the Dodger

Ficus elastica is the more commonly recognised 'Rubber Plant'. The variegated part was probably grafted above the normally coloured rootstock....if you pruned below the graft point, all new growth will show the normal all green colouration of the original plant, and not the variegation found in the grafted section. Throw it away and buy another one. Sorry to sound harsh, but you can't mess with Mother Nature.


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## luckywatch

Roger the Dodger said:


> Who. Me? said:
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> Fabulous pics of white water lily flowers....... :yes:
Click to expand...

 Very Nice. Who. me? is that yours?


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## luckywatch

Roger the Dodger said:


> Ficus elastica is the more commonly recognised 'Rubber Plant'. The variegated part was probably grafted above the normally coloured rootstock....if you pruned below the graft point, all new growth will show the normal all green colouration of the original plant, and not the variegation found in the grafted section. Throw it away and buy another one. Sorry to sound harsh, but you can't mess with Mother Nature.


Roger sounds about right. Sounds like it has reverted back to its original form. Itâ€™s like cutting a rose bush, which was grafted, too deeply. You will end up with a rose like nature intended.

I would say that if you happy with plain green then just keep it.


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## Raptor

More than happy with it, just wondered about the different

coloured leaves. Definitely not throwing it out, it's about

5 feet tall now and seems very happy.


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## Who. Me?

luckywatch said:


> Very Nice. Who. me? is that yours?


Yes, dug the pond a couple of years ago, bought a few huge water lily rhizomes and bin bags full of oxygenating plants from a colleague with a well established pond last year. This year they've settled in and started flowering again.

Battling with blanket weed at the moment though...










Been playing with depth of field on my new (used) 70-210mm lens to see what the bokeh is like. Makes the pond seem quite small from this angle. It's about 12ft by 9ft at its widest and longest.


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## Roger the Dodger

Had a bit of success with some seeds of Lantana camara that I bought back from Menorca last year. This is the shrubby Verbena that can be seen growing all over the EU countries...especially Spain, Portugal etc. Commonly called the 'Bacon and eggs' plant, this variety (and probably the commonest) gets its name from the flowers that start off bright pink before they open, then as they open from the outside in, they start off yellow, then become orangey pink (peach?) the next day. In this pic you can see yesterdays flowers round the edge have turned this peach colour, today's are yellow and tomorrows (in the centre) are still closed and pink. There are several different varieties with all orange, or all white flowers too.

Seedling plants...



Close up of flower head showing different days colours.





This is a mature specimen in Menorca...and a haven for Humming Bird Hawk Moths.



...and on a completely different note, a tree lily...


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## Roger the Dodger

One of my favourite shrubs, Hibiscus syriacus or the Chinese Hibiscus is coming into flower now. I have several different varieties growing in a bright south facing spot, as they like plenty of sunshine. The flowers are similar to the really exotic Hibiscus with the long, central stigma that you see in places like Spain and Portugal, but unfortunately we can't grow those here, unless they're in a greenhouse or conservatory. These, however, are hardy, and the flowers are just as pleasing.

H. syriacus 'Woodbridge'...a single pink variety.





H. syriacus 'Blue Bird'...a single blue variety...(sometimes sold under the French name 'Oiseau Bleu')





H. syriacus 'Blue chiffon'...a double blue cultivar...



and finally, H. syriacus 'White chiffon'...a double white cultivar.


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## luckywatch

Lovely pictures Roger, those doubles are impressive. :thumbup:


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## Roger the Dodger

Today's offering.....some different tree lilies from work...white and yellow this time...opened over the weekend...



















The spots on the petals are grains of pollen that have fallen from the anthers.


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## luckywatch

My Asiatic lilies are just coming into their own. How they survived up here, outdoors, in plastic pots I will never know.


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## luckywatch

I moved this today from the greenhouse to the conservatory and I was right. Echinopsis, itâ€™s a hybrid bought about two years ago. Itâ€™s called pot luck (excuse the pun) when you buy them like this as you donâ€™t know what colour flower you get. I bought a job lot. I have never seen it flower. First picture 2100 hours tonight.

I am not good at night photography and this is a night flowerer. I might only see this once but at least there are two buds.




























This last picture was taken at 2300 hours with a torch. I am so pleased to see it.


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## Roger the Dodger

Great pics, Scott. Isn't it an astounding moment when something you've been watching for weeks suddenly explodes into colour and beauty?


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## luckywatch

Its been worth the wait Roger. Looking good this morning, got to make the most of it as they dont last long.


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## Roger the Dodger

Just superb. I love the circular symmetry of the ring of male anthers surrounding the (slightly off centre) female star shaped stigma.


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## luckywatch

Thanks Roger. The second bud opened this morning so I grabed this shot.


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## Silver Hawk

Can I cheat? On Wednesday, we visited Great Dixter, Nothiam....home of Christopher Llyod. The house and gardens were stunning:


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## Silver Hawk




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## luckywatch

Wow, wish my garden looked like that. :thumbup:


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## Roger the Dodger

Great Dixter is a fabulous garden to visit. Thanks for sharing the pics, Paul.


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## Roger the Dodger

A few more flowers in bloom from the gardens at work...

The striking flowerhead of Echinops ritro or Globe Thistle...just on the point of opening...



...and one that has just started to open.



The thistle like heads of the Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus)....bees love this plant.





and finally, some colourful Snap Dragons (Antirrhinum sp.)


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## Melville

Crikey, what fantastic gardens and photos! Not much of a gardener myself. Just a few standard roses and a scattering of tubs. This standard rose is right outside my kitchen window so I can enjoy it while washing the pots.


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## luckywatch

Bought this as a little one on the bay about 2 years ago. It opened today. Its a Lobivia, one of my fav's.




























Just wish I had more time to grow stuff and buy watches! :yes:


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## luckywatch

And before anyone says anything! Yes monkey boots are still cool!!!


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## Roger the Dodger

Just perfect.....and so are the 'Monkey boots' :bag:.........wearing some black 'Converse All Stars' as I write this....back in the 60's, my Mum wouldn't let me have a pair of these from Woolworths...we called them Baseball boots back then.


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## luckywatch

Now this one flowered last night but I was too cream crackered to sit up. I captured this at 5 this morning before it closed.










It's another Lobivia.


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## johnbaz

WOW!!

Roger, those pics are fantastic!!

Like Mike i'm in to Bonsai though my trees suffer terribly due to me working 12 hours quite a lot 



















Various tools..










Some dishes..










And some casualties from around three or four years ago!










We had a very extended cold spell in the autumn that apparently stopped the sap returning to the roots so that it could rise the following spring to kick start the new growth, the buds all swelled but they dried and fell off when they were touched..

I lost around 18 trees, a friend at our club lost over forty 

And one distinguished member lost this Yamadori Beech tree valued at Â£2,500










The nebari had a spread of around 14" and was actually collected by the other member that lost a load many years ago...

John..


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## johnbaz

A couple more living ones!!










Well, There are some trees under there!!










A few bigger trees!










An associted hobby is Suiseki or Viewing stones..

They're supposed to resemble mountains in miniature, even better if they have waterfalls!!










The dish in this pic would be filled with silver sand to make it appear like they're surrounded by water..



















They're usually set in to a Dai which is a piece of wood that is carved so that the stone sits securely in it!!

Cheers, John


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## Roger the Dodger

I love your Bonsai, Jon. Here's today's offering. Two related plants, with similar features, now put into two separate groups. Datura and Brugmansia. These were once classified together, but are now differentiated. Here's a wild Datura, commonly known as a Thorn Apple, growing in the grounds where I work. An annual, these spread easily and are quite a nuisance in the wrong place. Completey hardy and survive our winters.



...and the reason for the common name...the prickly seed pod..



Now here's a Brugmansia...most common name is Angel's Trumpet...these have very large flowers...compare to my hand holding a bloom...not hardy in our climate, but easily cultivated from cuttings, or overwintered in the greenhouse.





The main reason that these plants were put into different groups is that Datura flowers always face upwards, and Brugmansia flowers are always pendant.

...and finally, the Cyclamen bed has just started into flower...


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## Roger the Dodger

Roger the Dodger said:


> I love your Bonsai, Jon. Here's today's offering. Two related plants, with similar features, now put into two separate groups. Datura and Brugmansia. These were once classified together, but are now differentiated. Here's a wild Datura, commonly known as a Thorn Apple, growing in the grounds where I work. An annual, these spread easily and are quite a nuisance in the wrong place. Completey hardy and survive our winters.
> 
> 
> 
> ...and the reason for the common name...the prickly seed pod..


I'm really sorry...I told you all a 'porkie'.....the Datura is an annual, and dies every winter...it cannot be kept overwinter like a Brugmansia, which with careful looking after will bloom again in subsequent years.


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## Kevinlesser

Prize winning dahlias, you can't beat em, vibrancy, beauty and pleasure


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## Roger the Dodger

Here's something quite common, yet quite deadly.... the Autumn Crocus (Colchicum autumnale). This lovely plant flowers now, but its leaves won't appear until the spring. The downside of this plant is that the corms provide the drug Cholchisine...a very potent substance indeed. It has the capacity to alter the DNA of plants to enable genetic modification of genes to produce new strains of plants...specifiacaly food crops. I don't have a problem with GM....stronger food crops = more food, but I realize others may not agree. There is more info here.... (Colchicum autumnale). Wash you hands after handling the corms, or you might find yourself growing extra 'bits' :lol:.....and for God's sake, if you're a forager, don't eat the corms....we'll all come to your funeral.... :russian_roulette:


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## Shiner

First time this has flowered in 6 years.


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## Shiner

Still growing.


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## Roger the Dodger

Nice Yucca, Shiner...well done! Just mind the vicious spines on the ends of the leaves! Ouch!


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## Shiner

It's finally flowered.


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## Roger the Dodger

Well done, Mate....that looks superb....but as I said before, watch those spines!


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## luckywatch

Some excellent shots on here from you all. :thumbup: Shiner, looks like it was worth the wait, well done. I wish I had time to have a go at the Bonsai.

Cheers Scott.


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## Roger the Dodger

Do you remember this pic of a Brugmasia from a few weeks ago?....



Well this a double version...where one flower grows inside another...



...and for some reason...this one has mutated into a triple....



Here are this years Pelargonium cuttings, taken in September, rooted already and flowering away. These will be overwintered and used in next years hanging baskets.





...and finally, the boss asked me to keep this cactus planting in the greenhouse this winter, as the house is being extended. Included is this strange red cactus that has to be grafted onto a green rootstock, as it can't make its own food due to a lack of chlorophyl...the green sugar producing chemical found in normal plants. We've had this specimen (indeed the whole display) for over 10 years, now.


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## luckywatch

First of my cactus collection to flower this season and what a beauty it is. :thumbup:


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## RTM Boy

luckywatch said:


> First of my cactus collection to flower this season and what a beauty it is. :thumbup:


Now that's a cracker :thumbup: . Although fairly decent at growing fruit, veg and even trees from seed I've never had much luck with cacti, so I'm doubly impressed.


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## Roger the Dodger

We've been so busy at work this year that I missed taking pics of all the Crocus,Snowdrops and other late winter/early spring flowers. A couple that are out now, are the unusual Snakes Head Fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris), and the 'Mouse Plant',

(Arisarum proboscideum).

The Snakes Head Fritillary has an unusual chequered pattern over it. This example growing at work is the more ususal purple variety, though we also have some white ones. The common name comes from the flower in bud, which looks remarkably like a snakes head.










...and once opened...










The Mouse Plant belongs to the same genus as the common wayside plant 'Lords and Ladies'...ie. it's an Arum. A diminuitive plant, the strange flowers form underneath the glossy green leaves. The reason for the common name will become apparent from the pics.




















__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content










Also in flower now, just in time for Easter, is the Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris)


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## mcb2007

Not as good as your cactus but here we go , it's a Pedro variety


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## luckywatch

mcb2007 said:


> Not as good as your cactus but here we go , it's a Pedro variety
> 
> Youâ€™re not taking this thread seriously.


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## mcb2007

My that's a big one haha , sorry the 710 did it , she says your blooms are great


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## Roger the Dodger

My Wisteria has bloomed over the last week...there's actually two growing together here, blue and pink...


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## luckywatch

This is a Chinese flowering pear. I planted it about 13 years back. Just a small stick in the ground. The picture was taken by the 710 on her phone so it just gives you an idea. Sadly I left it too late to get a good picture but at the beginning of April it was spectacular.

They seem to like it up here. Cold and high up. We are at 1350 feet.


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## luckywatch

*Eheveria Glauca, *just starting to flower.


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## Roger the Dodger

Nice pics,Scott.....


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## johnbaz

I took this pic yesterday, Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum', not a Bonsai and considered a 'coarse' tree and not fit for Bonsai by the puristsi!!

I 'won' it at our club auction last year for about Â£25, the trunk is around 3" thick at the bottom and is planted in a washing bowl! (Happens regularly at our club!!)..

Leaves just changing from the maroon colour to the summer (green) colours










Cheers, John


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## johnbaz

Some more :yes:

Azaleas..



















Some Acers..





































The Acers had suffered by not being repotted, hopefully they should fare a bit better now (Last one was overlooked this year so it will have to wait until next spring :wallbash: )

John


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## artistmike

One of the joys of this time of year is working on the bonsai... Certainly not one of my best but a real favourite is this Chinese Elm


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## artistmike

I've been giving this a bit of a summer clip this morning too.... another Chinese Elm, this time being trained as a Negari.


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## johnbaz

artistmike said:


> One of the joys of this time of year is working on the bonsai... Certainly not one of my best but a real favourite is this Chinese Elm


Beautiful Chelm Mike :yes:

John


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## johnbaz

artistmike said:


> I've been giving this a bit of a summer clip this morning too.... another Chinese Elm, this time being trained as a Negari.


Hi Mike

Another lovely tree :thumbup: I'm not 100% certain but I think the term is spelled 'Neagari' The Neb is Coming on splendidly :notworthy:

John


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## luckywatch

*chamaecereus silvestrii. *The ''peanut cactus'' from Argentina. Mankey old thing but its just come to life.


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## mcb2007

Loads of these keep popping up


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## Roger the Dodger

mcb2007 said:


> Loads of these keep popping up


That's the incredibly beautiful Welsh poppy (Mecanopsis cambrica)..........(Cambrica..in Latin, means Welsh)....here in the usual yellow, but can also be orange. It's a relativeof the Himalayan blue poppy,

Mecanopsis betonicifolia......


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## Iceblue

The 710,s garden her little piece of heven only her and the dogs allowed lol


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## mcb2007

Roger the Dodger said:


> mcb2007 said:
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> That's the incredibly beautiful Welsh poppy (Mecanopsis cambrica)..........(Cambrica..in Latin, means Welsh)....here in the usual yellow, but can also be orange. It's a relativeof the Himalayan blue poppy,
> 
> Mecanopsis betonicifolia......
Click to expand...

Thanks for that Roger the dodger , thought it was some kind of poppy they come back every year in vast numbers


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## luckywatch

This Lobivia just opened this morning.


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## Roger the Dodger

Mesembryanthemum, (which means midday flowering) or to give them their common name, 'Livingstone Daisies' are just starting to flower now. A great plant for dry places such as rockeries, or a dry south facing border, the succulent leaves appear to be covered in ice crystals, and the flowers appear to be almost metallic with their bright colours.


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## luckywatch




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## luckywatch

This outdoor Fuchsia usually suffers up here. This year itâ€™s covered in flowers and a month early. Height is about 8â€™ by 10 to 12â€™.


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## mcb2007

Lovely flowers ours has been out a couple of weeks


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## luckywatch

*This is Euphorbia Enopla. Loves being outside this time of year and tonightâ€™s bath night.  *


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## luckywatch

Bought this a couple of years ago and grown it on. Itâ€™s an Echinopsis named â€˜Pats Raspberry Rippleâ€™ namesake of the 710. Well it flowered during the night and I was up early to catch it. First time I have seen this one. Well pleased with it. Blooming mealy bug are giving me grief at the moment.


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## Roger the Dodger

luckywatch said:


> Blooming mealy bug are giving me grief at the moment.


Have you tried a product called 'Savona' available from such companies as 'Harrods' (No, not the London store! :lol: ) or LBS (a commercial wholesaler).....basically it's a solution of fatty acids that you spray onto the plant. The solution coats the invadaer with an inpenetrable sheath that prevents it from breathing. I use it all the time in a professional capacity, and find it great against greenfly, blackfly, whitefly...and perhaps the worst of all, red spider mite. It's a totally organic, chemical free solution.

Have a look here


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## Roger the Dodger

Roger the Dodger said:


> luckywatch said:
> 
> 
> 
> Blooming mealy bug are giving me grief at the moment.
> 
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> 
> Have you tried a product called 'Savona' available from such companies as 'Harrods' (No, not the London store! :lol: ) or LBS (a commercial wholesaler).....basically it's a solution of fatty acids that you spray onto the plant. The solution coats the invadaer with an inpenetrable sheath that prevents it from breathing. I use it all the time in a professional capacity, and find it great against greenfly, blackfly, whitefly...and perhaps the worst of all, red spider mite. It's a totally organic, chemical free solution.
> 
> Have a look here
Click to expand...

...and as a quick tip....don't spend money on a spray bottle....just wash out an empty 'window spray' or 'Mr. Muscle' spray bottle and use that instead....works every time!


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## luckywatch

Cheers Roger, will have a look at that as its driving me nuts. :yes:


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## Roger the Dodger

There is an aside to this product, Scott....and that is that they recommend you don't use it on certain plants...like Fuchsia or Euphorbia (Pionsettia) for example...I did check the instructions today, and saw no mention of cacti or succulents in the 'avoid' list so you should be OK. If you do get some (and it works really well) just check the instructions for susceptable plants before use.

It's really good against some of the lesser known pests like mealybug...and especially Red Spider Mite which is resistant to most normal insecticides....even systemic ones. The Savona works by coating the pest with an impenetrable coating thus preventing it from breathing.....rather like the modern 'headlice' treatments available for kids.


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## luckywatch

Roger the Dodger said:


> There is an aside to this product, Scott....and that is that they recommend you don't use it on certain plants...like Fuchsia or Euphorbia (Pionsettia) for example...I did check the instructions today, and saw no mention of cacti or succulents in the 'avoid' list so you should be OK. If you do get some (and it works really well) just check the instructions for susceptable plants before use.
> 
> It's really good against some of the lesser known pests like mealybug...and especially Red Spider Mite which is resistant to most normal insecticides....even systemic ones. The Savona works by coating the pest with an impenetrable coating thus preventing it from breathing.....rather like the modern 'headlice' treatments available for kids.


 Thanks must have a go at that. Would you believe 2 years to grow it on to flowering size and the flowers last for 24 hours! :taz: Wish I took more pictures.


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## ANDI

Some amazing flowering plants in this thread.Love the the look of the Bonsai trees too. I do like gardening but i dont really have anything in flower as our whole garden ive made mostly evergreen/sub tropical ..............


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## ANDI

Oops,here is one of the few flowers;Agapanthus with tree fern behind and very out of focus electric blue Seamaster


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## Roger the Dodger

A couple of interesting things out at the moment....as Andi showed above, we also have some 'Lily of the Nile' (Agapanthus africanus) in flower at the moment. A bulbous plant, this comes in many shades of blue from pale sky blue to almost purple, and also white.



















Secondly, the Indian Bean Tree (Catalpa bignoniodes 'Aurea') has just burst into frothy exuberance...this is the golden leaved cultivar, hence the 'Aurea' (meaning gold) epithet at the end of the name. Close up, the flowers look almost orchid like, and are very pretty. The common name comes from the fact that the tree will produce bean like pods which contain the winged seeds.




























...and lastly, the Bear's Breeches (Acanthus mollis) has just started into flower.


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## ANDI

Brilliant pics as usual Roger. Your Indian bean tree is magnificent.I wanted that gold leaved variety but couldnt get one ,i settled for the darker variety that leaves are purple to start and then turn green. Mine too is in flower but not covered in blooms like yours yet. How on earth do you keep the slugs and snails off the Acanthus they look stunning too. You can just about see my Indian bean on the left of this snap


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## Roger the Dodger

Thanks, Andi...strangely, we don't seem to be troubled by slugs and snails on the Acanthus...I've certainly never had to use any pellets to keep them at bay. As to the Indian Bean Tree, a quick Google found this site, where they appear to have the tree for sale...and I expect there are plenty of others with a bit of searching. I once tried growing some seeds from that tree above, and whilst I ended up with several plants, only 2 had the golden colouring....the rest had the normal dark green leaves. I have had more success by taking cuttings, using the young soft shoot tips for the cuttings.

Todays offereing is a bit of a cheat....as I bought these plants already in bud. Having just returned from Menorca, I was thinking of trying to get hold of some seeds of the Chinese Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) you see all over place there and in Portugal. Having done a bit of online research it transpired that 1) the seeds are very hasrd to get hold of, and 2) If they do germinate, they rarley come true to the original plant (which basically means you could end up with a different colored flower to the orginal). The best way of propagating the plants and getting what you want is to take cuttings (as with the Indian Bean Tree, above), because the cuttings always resemble the parent plant...in effect they are clones.

Anyway...I was walking round the local Tesco yesterday, and there in front of me was a trolley full of said plants. Closed inspection revealed that these were indeed semi-ripe cuttings...three to a pot. I bought a couple...the idea being to keep these in the greenhouse until I can grow them big enough to take my own cuttings next year. I bought a vivid orange one and a pale rose pink one....although the pink one didn't open until today. The plants come complete with a ceramic pot, which when you consider they only cost a fiver each seem like extremely good value to me....I'm going back today to see if there are any other colours available.

Hopefully, over the course of a couple of years, I'll be able to grow these into much bigger shrubs, which can stand in large pots on the patio duting the summer months.....though they have to come into the heated greenhouse for winter over here. Wish me luck!!!

This is the pink one yesterday as I bought it...the buds are just on the point of opening...










...And this is how they look today.


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## luckywatch

Lovely pictures Roger. I just ordered some Savona. Thanks.


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## luckywatch

I left this night flowering Echinopsis outside last night, trying to replicate conditions in the wild. I got my reward when I came down this morning.


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## Roger the Dodger

Great pics, Scott...well worth the wait. :yes:


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## Roger the Dodger

I did eventually get back to Tesco, and found another, darker pink variety of the Chinese Hibiscus to go with the others pictured a few posts above...


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## Roger the Dodger

In full flower now are the hardy Hibiscus, or 'Rose Mallow' (Hibiscus syriacus), which belong to the same family as the Chinese Hibiscus (above). I posted pics of these at the start of this topic last year, but since then, they have grown much bigger. I don't think you can get better 'bang for your buck' with these shrubs...especially when planted in full sun (south facing is best). There are several colour forms available, some doubles. Fully hardy, and a long flowering period...July through to September.

Hibiscus syriacus 'Blue Bird'










Hibiscus syriacus 'Woodbridge'










...and two doubles...Hibiscus syriacus 'Blue Chiffon' and 'White Chiffon'...



















This next plant is more commonly seen growing on roadside verges....it's Common Chickory (Cichorium intybus). The beautiful sky blue flowers open early, but close by midday. A coffee substitute can be made from the dried and roasted roots. This particular plant was grown from seed collected from one of the roadside plants.


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## luckywatch

Great pictures Roger. Amazing to think that people once had to endure coffee substitute and now the supermarket shelves are packed to the ceiling. :yes:


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## luckywatch

The light is just beginning to fade and I have 3 night flowering Echinopsis and at least 2 will open during the night. I will get up about 5 am just to capture them.

Here they are at this moment flowering for the first time.


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## Roger the Dodger

The breath is bated.....looking forward to tomorrow......for Gawd's sake don't miss it, Scott........


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## luckywatch

2 out of 3 opened during last night. 























































One more to come tonight, I hope. The last one, I bought frost damaged from a well respected grower. Cant wait to see what colour it will be. I have been waiting for 3 years to see it.


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## luckywatch

Just as I had hoped for in its purest form. Not a hybrid this is *Echinopsis Eyriesii*. 3 years and well worth the wait. :thumbup:


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## Roger the Dodger

Just superb, Scott. :notworthy:


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## luckywatch

Any mushroom experts on here? Rodger, do you know? I was out the back today spraying bracken in a paddock we keep for wildlife and came across this.


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## artistmike

Those are one of the Agarics, probably the fly agaric which somewhat poisonous and also hallucinogenic . The normal white spots aren't much apparent but the rain can wash them off and then they end up looking like something edible, so best to be wary unless you're sure....


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## luckywatch

Thanks. I got all sorts of mushrooms up here but I am not brave enough to try them. :yes:


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## Roger the Dodger

Red spells DANGER to me....but then I hate any kind of mushrooms anyway and never eat them. A good bit of advice from Ray Mears' book 'Bushcraft'....when looking at fungi to eat, if in doubt, leave it out.


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## luckywatch

The weather up here has been just fab. A few Cyclamen round the back of the house to kick off.



















We have been gathering in Hazelnuts and it seems to be a bumper crop this year.










We cut for hay about 3 days ago and they turned up today to bale. It just seems to complete everything in life for me at this time of year. The smell of cut hay is magic.



















The end of an absolutely perfect weekend and summer now is on the wane but it has been good.


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## Roger the Dodger

luckywatch said:


> The weather up here has been just fab. A few Cyclamen round the back of the house to kick off.


....Just the one, Scott..... :tongue2: .....our little Cyclamen bed at work is coming on a treat...




























.....sorry...couldn't resist Mate....these were all tubers (over 100) that I dug up from a site our company was developing....they would have been scraped up by the digger and skipped if I hadn't got in there first and rescued them. I planted all of them under a fallen Blackthorn tree back at work, and covered them with bark chips.....they've been in about 3 years now and seem to be thriving, and multiplying, judging by the number of new plants which are filling in the gaps.....

.....and must add that it's been a bumper year down South for Hazelnuts and Cobs....I've already stripped our trees before the [email protected] squirrels get them.....guess they'll be going hungry this winter! :lol:


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## luckywatch

What a sight Roger, really heralds the advent of autumn. IMO. I wish I had more time to create a bed of Cyclamen like that.

Shropshire Damsons are doing well this year and we have just started some Damson jam making this afternoon. Obviously the 710 works under my supervision. :yes:


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## Roger the Dodger

luckywatch said:


> What a sight Roger, really heralds the advent of autumn. IMO. I wish I had more time to create a bed of Cyclamen like that.
> 
> Shropshire Damsons are doing well this year and we have just started some Damson jam making this afternoon. Obviously the 710 works under my supervision. :yes:


Nice work, Scott....(and Mrs. Scott, obviously! :notworthy: )....we've also had a bumper crop of Sloes down South, and I will be picking those on the estate for Sloe gin in the next few weeks. Last year's brew was the best ever, so hoping for good results this year. Due to the mild Spring, everything is about a month in advance, so the Sloe gin will have an extra month to mature before Christmas.


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## KevG

A few of mine nothing exotic but been a decent year











Kev


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## luckywatch

Great pictures there Kev. Thanks for posting.


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## boiler0780

Some beautiful pictures guy thanks for sharing with us, I like doing a spot of gardening myself :thumbup:

ATB

John


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## luckywatch

My nuts are ready! No that don't sound right. My Hazelnuts are dried out and cleaned up, ready to eat. Â£6 a kilo at the Ludlow food centre and they are charging Â£5 a kilo for Damsons.  Must be having a laugh.


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## Roger the Dodger

I like the look of your nuts, Scott.......no......lets not go there! :lol:

The wife's Phalaenopsis (Moth) orchids have just started to bloom again, having taken ages to produce new shoots. She bought these a year ago, and obviously the original flower spikes died off a few months later. By careful feeding and nurturing, two have produced new flower spikes, and a third is just startng to produce one. There are some lovely flower forms and colours available, and these are one of the easiest orchids to grow and get to repeat flower. Be aware that the bright blue ones you sometimes see are actually white ones that have had a blue dye introduced into their stem, usually by injection, or via a notch cut in the stem. New flowers will revert to white.




























New flower spike starting to grow.


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## rhino2k

Hmm well I put some flowers in to keep my 2 Ladies happy, But do chilli's count?

My current pride and joy is a huge Trinidad Scorpion plant, Boy those things are hot


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## luckywatch

Come on you mushroom experts. This is over a foot across and the sheep have left it and eaten around it.  Name please as they say on Crimewatch........ :yes:


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## luckywatch

Not much in flower at this time of year but this Euphorbia marks the start of the new season for me. Tiny yellow flowers. This is *E. Enopla.*


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## Roger the Dodger

luckywatch said:


> Not much in flower at this time of year but this Euphorbia marks the start of the new season for me. Tiny yellow flowers. This is *E. Enopla.*


They look bloody vicious, Scott! :assassin:


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## luckywatch

The sap is poisonous so you have to be nice to them...................


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## Roger the Dodger

Remember this Indian Bean Tree from last year?...










Here it is in the middle of Winter, and you can see that all those flowers turned into the 'beans' that give the tree its common name.


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## dobra

Lovely specimen Rog. Grow to 50 feet, so tooooo big for my garden.

Mike


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## Roger the Dodger

Well....Spring is on the way...only a couple more weeks to wait (March 21st) so here are a few of the first flowers on show at the moment.

Beautiful Crocuses...



















Winter Aconite....these grow in great profusion, but this is just a single specimen. I like the way the flower balances on top of the ruff of leaves.










Snowdrops...










Hazel catkins. These are actually the male flowers...the female flower is a tiny ruby red feather that protrudes from the tip of a bud. They're not showing yet, but I'll get a pic of one when they do.










...a few more to follow...


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## Roger the Dodger

Iris reticulata. This is a diminutive little iris that's only 4" tall.



















Dwarf narcissus 'TÃªte Ã TÃªte'. Another small (5") Spring gem. These are unusual in that they produce multiple flowers on a single stem....most Daffs only produce one per stem.










Finally, the 'Christmas Rose', Helleborus niger. Strange that the white flowered plant has a specific Latin name that means black. Most white flowered plants have a specific name like 'alba', 'albus' or 'blanca'


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## Roger the Dodger

Roger the Dodger said:


> Hazel catkins. These are actually the male flowers...the female flower is a tiny ruby red feather that protrudes from the tip of a bud. They're not showing yet, but I'll get a pic of one when they do.


Had a look at work today, and found some female flowers out. They are much smaller than the catkins, and protrude from the tip of a bud. Once fertilized, each one will become a cluster of three or four hazel nuts. They are wind pollinated, no insects are involved....in fact if you tap some newly opened catkins, great clouds of pollen are released.



















Here's a bit of a closer look, and a size comparison to the catkins...


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## luckywatch

Nice start to the season Roger and put a smile on my face. :thumbup:


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## Roger the Dodger

Thank you, kind Sir! :yes:


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## luckywatch

I do hope we get all our pictures back. Today *'Flowering Bramble'*

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*

*







*

*







*


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## Roger the Dodger

So do I, Scott....it will be interesting to see if the threads completely re-build themselves. If not, at least we still have the pics on PB and can re-post them.

So what have I got out today?

The pair of windmill palms (Trachycarpus fortuneii) that I planted at work in 2001 have just come into flower. These were already 20' tall when we transplanted them from a site we were developing. They arrived with rootballs weighing over a ton, but the transplant was successful, and they've flowered every year since.



















The flowers look a bit like yellow cauliflower...










This next tree is a bit of a strange one, and not seen very often. I bought it as young specimen about 10 years ago. I'm just going to give a bit of background to it so bear with me. In the plant world there occurs a situation that, AFAIK, never occurs in the animal kingdom. This is the inter-generic cross, where two generically different species combine to form a new plant. This is unheard of in the animal world ...it would be like a monkey and a dog mating and producing a viable offspring. True, there are inter-specific animal crosses, where two members of the same specific family mate and produce offspring (for instance, the lion/tiger cross which produces a 'tigon' or a 'liger', or a donkey and a horse to produce a Mule or a Hinny, depending on the sex of the parents.)

There are few inter-generic hybrids that I can think of...Mahonia/ Berberis to produce x Mahoberberis, but the most common and well known IGH is undoubtablly _× Cupressocyparis leylandii, _which was an accidental cross of the Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) with a Nootka cypress (_Chamaecyparis nootkatensis)_ The big problem with IGHs is that they are usually sterile. While Leylandii does sometimes produce viable cones, it is nearly always propagated by cuttings, therefore all Leylandii are in effect clones.

Now we get onto my tree above. Although this is a combination of two completely different genera, it's not a true inter-generic cross. This is an example of a 'graft' hybrid. Back in the Victorian days, plant breeders experimented by grafting one species onto another to see what would happen. One such breeder, M. Adams in Paris, grafted Purple Broom (Cytissus purpureas) onto common Laburnum (Laburnum anagroides). The result was a 'graft chimera' (Chimera = a joining of two individuals). The cells of the graft do not unite and become one as in a cross, but remain seperate within the structure. Thus + Laburnocytissus 'Adamii' has Labrnum as its core withe the Broom surrounding it. Now here's the cool bit. The tree flowers with a mixture of three flower types. Some branches carry the pure yellow flowers of Laburnum, some have the purple Broom flowers. But the majority of the flowers are a mixture of the two, and appear as a dusky pink colour.

Finally, the 'x' before the Latin name indicates an inter-generic hybrid, and the '+' indicates a graft hybrid. Sorry for the botany lecture, but I couldn't think of a way of explaining the situation more simply.

Here are the pics.

+ Laburnocytissus 'Adamii'.....if you look really hard you should be able to see a few yellow flowers...the rest are pink, but hard to spot...it's not a very good pic.










All three flower types....purple Broom at the bottom, the pink mix in the middle, and the yellow Laburnum at the top.










...and again...


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## Roy

The posts are re-building, it will take approx two days to complete then all images should be back :smile:


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## Roger the Dodger

Nice one, Roy!


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## dobra

Very interesting discourse Roger - thank you

Wight trumpet....










Early birds in May


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## Roger the Dodger

dobra said:


> Very interesting discourse Roger - thank you
> 
> Wight trumpet....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Early birds in May


 Thanks for the kind comments, Mike, and if you want to put a Latin name to your beautiful African or 'Calla' lilies as they are sometimes known, just quote Zantedeschia aethiopica and you won't go far wrong. :biggrin:


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## Roger the Dodger

Just wanted to add a couple of better pics to my last thread. Here's a shot of the +Laburnocytissus 'Adamii' tree...hopefully, you can make out the pink and yellow flowers a bit better on this shot...for the sharp eyed...(or more interested.....STAY AWAKE AT THE BACK THERE!), you will observe that the Broom sprigs (in this pic and the ones in the post above) carry the tiny three leaved clusters typical of Broom, and not the large three or four leaf clusters associated with Laburnum.









...and here's a shot of a sprig of the purple Broom flowers that this tree will sometimes produce....this is the only flowering sprig of pure Broom on the whole tree this year...


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## Roger the Dodger

A few weeks ago, I posted some pics of my fernery, and said I would put up some more when things had developed...so here we go...

Two weeks ago....










...now...










Two weeks ago...










...now...










Two weeks ago...










...now...










....pretty cool...eh?....


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## luckywatch

Pretty cool indeed..................... :smile:


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## dobra

Impressed! Thanks Rog.

Flower heads at first light.


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## Roger the Dodger

dobra said:


> Impressed! Thanks Rog.
> 
> Flower heads at first light.


 That looks like a variety of Osteospermum, commonly known as 'Rain Daisy'. South African in origin, these only open in bright conditions....if it rains, they close up, hence the common name. And for Scott, here are the orchids at the moment.


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## luckywatch

What lovely Orchids......................... :biggrin:

Just a few years ago this was a bare rooted, cheap, Aldi special. Its not done bad.


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## Roger the Dodger

Another two weeks on, and the fernery is still filling out. This was two weeks ago...









...and today...









Two weeks ago...









...and today...









...and the orchids have just started to throw up their flower spikes...


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## Roger the Dodger

We have a lot of Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) out at the moment. These plants are mainly biennials, meaning that they take two years to complete their life cycle. In the first year, the plants grow srongly, producing large leaves and well developed root systems. After overwintering, they produce a flower spike, set seed and die. Very occasionaly, some Foxgloves may survive another year, but then they produce several weaker spikes, instead of a good strong one. The drug Digitalis, used to treat heart conditions is extracted from the plant.There are lots of different colours available from the original wild purple through various pinks to pure white. Selective breeding has also produced yellow and chocolate brown versions. Some cultivated varieties have been bred to have flowers placed all around the spike, as in the first three pics.Wild Foxgloves tend to have fewer flowers all on side of it, as in the last two pics. Here are some of our colour variations out at the moment.


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## dobra

Nice shots Rog, but I only thought there were red ones...

Nearly the end -










Mike


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## Roger the Dodger

dobra said:


> Nice shots Rog, but I only thought there were red ones...
> 
> Nearly the end -
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mike


 That's a very unusual, but lovely Clematis, Mike....do you know its name?....


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## dobra

The same as above without petals which have dropped off, but older. Haven't a clue about its name, came from a garden centre a few years ago, but lost the label :wacko:










Mike


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## Roger the Dodger

Getting ready to prune the dead leaves off the Windmill palms....the older yellowing leaves, and some dead ones need removing. Ladder and lopper needed! The trees are in full bloom now.


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## Roger the Dodger

The Common Spotted Orchids have just started to flower......


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## chocko

Spotted this in lanzarote next day it had gone .sorry about photo 710 took it.


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## luckywatch

24 hours is normal *chocko*, nice one.

Roger those Orchids look a treat*,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,* :biggrin:


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## Roger the Dodger

luckywatch said:


> Roger those Orchids look a treat*,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,* :biggrin:


 Looking forward to seeing yours in the near future, Scott.....................oo-er missus! :laugh:


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## luckywatch

*Starshine*. (Laurentia}


----------



## Alas

My clematis are late this year










and was away last week so missed this in full bloom, been battered by wind and rain so half the flowers are on the ground but it still looks good.


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## Roger the Dodger

As an addendum to the post I made about Foxgloves (above) here's one I spotted in amonst all the others that appears to have mutated. It's got the usual pink flowers, plus a completely white one, and then a few half and half ones. I've never seen this before.


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## Roger the Dodger

A few more things out at the moment...Purple Tansy or the Fiddleneck plant...great for attracting bees...









Sisyrinchium...









The rockery, showing Campanula, Welsh Poppies, Mesembryanthemum, Foxgloves, Red Hot Poker, Aqualegia etc.









These are rows of annual flowers sown about 6 weeks ago. I sow them in diagonal rows so I know which are plants and which are weeds...it makes it easy to hoe the weeds out from between the rows as well. When viewed from the front in a few weeks time, the rows will not be noticable.

















I've stopped putting in the Latin names for the plants, because I'm sure the majority of people looking at these posts don't really care. If you would like me to continue with the proper botanical names, let me know by PM.

I spent 4 years at college learning Latin names. We weren't allowed to call plants by their common names, it had to be Latin.....even for weeds. Though I must admit, the Latin names intrigue me, especially the specific part (the second bit) For instance, I just posted a pic of Sisyrinchium above. It's full Latin bi-nomial is Sisyrinchium striata, striata meaning 'striped'...and if you look at the underside of the flowers pictured, you will see that they are in fact striped. Specific names can mean anything from country of origin, colour, leaf shape, habitat, appearance, etc.

When ever I look at a plant in the garden, I'm always thinking Latin. To me, a Dandelion is Taraxicum officionalis.... a Foxglove is Digitalis purpurea etc

It's a whole science of its own, and I love it.


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## luckywatch

You keep them Latin names coming for all us Grammar school boys Roger....................... :biggrin:

My Snowball bush today. *Viburnum Opulus Sterile. *

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*

*







*

*







*

*







*


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## Roger the Dodger

Great example, Scott....ours finished flowering about 3 weeks ago....the difference, I guess, between North and South....


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## luckywatch

Night flowering Cactus at about 9 PM this evening. Just starting to open, will be at its peak in total darkness tonight. Only last for 24 hours and that's it till next year.


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## luckywatch

And 12 hours later at nine in the morning....................... :biggrin:


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## Technium

WOW some lovely flowers and plants here. No idea about green stuff and the wifes always going on about putting in some plants but at the moment I have a big square of mud. I wish I had your skill to make the garden usuable like yours.


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## luckywatch

Get stuck in. Take a picture of that square of mud for a before and after shot. Loads of advice on YouTube and its a lot easier than you think.

Start with some height, small tree/shrubs and work down and don't forget to ask questions................. :biggrin:


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## luckywatch

Clematis 'Nelly Moser' yesterday.










and 'The President'


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## Technium

> Get stuck in. Take a picture of that square of mud for a before and after shot. Loads of advice on YouTube and its a lot easier than you think.
> 
> Start with some height, small tree/shrubs and work down and don't forget to ask questions................. :biggrin:


Thanks Mate, youre right I might do it, now I know theres advice here then I may just start. I will try to post a picture this weekend and go from there.

Thanks

Colin


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## Roger the Dodger

Great pics, as usual, Scott. Love the cactus!


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## Technium

Hi

OK managed to get a picture today of the area im talking about which is out the front of the house. The area is about 5' x 10' in size and gets sun all afternoon until sunset.

Currently there a yellow flower bush thing, cant remember what its called and a Rhubarb plant and some others we just chucked in just to stop it looking to plain but that can all change with your help 

I love the look of Roger the Dodgers fern area but dont know if thats something you guys would suggest. Ideally I would like hardy plants that are green all year rather than me having to plant each year.

Anyway let me know what you think guys.


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## Roger the Dodger

Technium said:


> Hi
> 
> OK managed to get a picture today of the area im talking about which is out the front of the house. The area is about 5' x 10' in size and gets sun all afternoon until sunset.
> 
> Currently there a yellow flower bush thing, cant remember what its called and a Rhubarb plant and some others we just chucked in just to stop it looking to plain but that can all change with your help
> 
> I love the look of Roger the Dodgers fern area but dont know if thats something you guys would suggest. Ideally I would like hardy plants that are green all year rather than me having to plant each year.
> 
> Anyway let me know what you think guys.


Hi, Technium. The bush appears to be a Hypericum (St. Johns Wort), but even after enlarging the pic, I can't make out what the other smaller plants are....I did think the one in the middle might be a small Pieris, but I can't be sure. As the plot gets full sun all afternoon, it wouldn't be suitable for a fernery, as they need shade in the hottest part of the day. What the plot would be ideal for is some drought or dry condition loving plants, and you could have a themed planting here. Most plants in this group are a pleasant silvery green colour. So we are talking various Lavenders, (which you could use to edge the plot) various Santolina varieties (which are evergreen) Stachys (Lambs ears)...and a host of others. If you Google 'Drought tolerant plants, you will see the ones I've mentioned, plus a host of others. Bear in mind that although these plants are 'drought' tolerant, they still appreciate a bit of water now and again, but they are pretty low maintenance if that's what you're after. You would need to thoroughly dig the plot over to at least a good spades depth (I don't think there's any need to double dig it) and try to incorporate some well rotted manure or garden compost before planting. When planting has been done, you could top off the soil with a decorative mulch such as stone chippings (looks better with silvery plants, and mimics their natural habitat) or bark chips, both of which will help to stop what little water there is evaporating away.

That's just one suggestion, I'm sure others will come up with more.


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## Technium

Thanks Roger

As you can see theres loads of stones there at the moment, thats because the previous owners had a whole pile of bricks stored there, not sure where they got them from but it looks like they knocked down a whole wall and dumped it there. Anyway also just where the hypericum is theres a drain which I guess we will stick some kind of concrete ornament on or something to hide it.

The Hypericum is it worth moving that or will it go with the idea you suggested?

thanks

Colin


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## luckywatch

Agree, dig it over, riddle out the stones and debris and get some manure or a soil supplement from the garden centre. I would clear that bed of the plants (maybe keep the St Johns Wort). When your happy with the bed put down a layer of weed block. Cheap as chips and you can plant through it. Top that with a layer of gravel (broken slate bits look a treat) and you are ready to choose your plants.

Lavender is easy and you get a lovely smell to touch. Mint's are useful, but plant in a large bucket as they are invasive. Rosemary bush, useful plant and again great aroma and nice small blue flowers.

You could cover the drain with a planter. Nice blue or green and white striped Hosta look good in a tub.


----------



## Technium

Thanks guys, some good things to go on and I like the look of some of those plants.

OK so Do I mix in compost at the time of doing the whole dig over or do I just put some compost at the bottom of the potting hole?

I popped in my local B&Q and they had nothing like youve mentioned  do you buy online for from garden center?

thanks again


----------



## Roger the Dodger

Colin, Hi.....I think as the Hypericum is established, (and hiding the drain!) it's probably worth leaving it where it is, as it will have established a good root system and digging it up will only stress it. It's an easy shrub to manage...a quick prune after the flowers have finished to shape the bush is all that's needed (and there's nothing nicer than a neatly trimmed bush! :laugh: ) Scotts's suggestion of putting a weed blocking membrane down before planting is a very good idea, as it also stops whatever mulch you apply mixing in to the soil below. The video was interesting....I'd not seen the first plant mentioned, but the Eryngium was a good idea, as was Scotts idea about a Rosemary bush...another evergreen, and useful for flavouring as well. In Portugal, they quite often grow a Rosemary bush right next to the BBQ so you can just pick a few sprigs off and throw on the coals for loads of flavour.


----------



## Technium

ok will leave the Hypericum where it is.

I think I will try maybe digging it over tomorrow if the weather is good but as said, do I mix in compost or just put some at the bottom of a potting hole when I get the plants?

Next problem is finding the plants as I bet I dont find any of these plants at our garden center 

Forgot to say the front garden is to the North so does that mean North facing? If so when Im looking for those plants it keeps saying they like shade etc.


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## mcb2007

Last time I had green fingers a was picking my nose. But here's some flower things

http://http://http://

Bet they are as rare as hens teeth eh!


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## luckywatch

mcb2007 said:


> Last time I had green fingers a was picking my nose. But here's some flower things
> 
> http://http://http://
> 
> Bet they are as rare as hens teeth eh!


There is hope for you yet........................... :biggrin:


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## mcb2007

Thank you master :king:


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## luckywatch

Technium said:


> I think I will try maybe digging it over tomorrow if the weather is good but as said, do I mix in compost or just put some at the bottom of a potting hole when I get the plants?
> 
> Forgot to say the front garden is to the North so does that mean North facing? If so when Im looking for those plants it keeps saying they like shade etc.


Dig it over and remove all the debris as best you can. Then incorporate your manure/peat/ compost. That means digging it over again and scatter in a few handful's of bone meal or blood, fish and bone mix. Its cheap and provides nutrients.

When you plant incorporate some fresh compost in the whole for each plant. Sounds like you have a north facing garden but I wouldn't worry too much about that.

I grow Hosta's in sun and shade. Sometimes gardeners tear up the rule books and write their own.

Experiment and see what works for you.


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## Roger the Dodger

Have you any stables or riding schools near you? They always have loads of manure, and are usually willing to part with it for free or a nominal sum. You would only need a couple of barrow loads on that plot. failing that, you can buy bagged manure at most garden centres, but it's quite pricey....about £4-£5 a bag....you'll probably need about 3 or 4 for that plot.

All of the plants mentioned so far (and there are lots of others) should be available at any good GC. If you want to edge the plot with Lavender as I suggested earlier, a good dwarf Lavender is a variety called 'Hidcote'....you will need a plant for every 9" of linear run....ie. if you need to edge a total of 12', you will need 16 plants.


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## Technium

ok thanks guys, been out for the day but on the way home I popped into a GC and they talked me into buying the following so hopefully they are all ok. The next help I need from you guys is where to place everything within the plot so once they start to grow they look fine or not out of place.

OK the 3 plants other than the yellow one in the garden now are :-

Francis Mason - Obelia Grandeflora

Pieris - Forest Flame

Pieris - Katsura

All of which can be moved or removed so see what you think.

The plants I purchased today from GC that I need your help with are

Lavender - Snow Man

Lavender - Purple Wings

Vibernum "french white"

Cecinothus thrysiflours var - repens

Diosma ericoides "pink fountain"

Laphomyritus "black pearl"

Santolina chamaecy parissus

Hibe wiri charm

Elaeagnus ebbingei compacta

Choisya dewitteana "aztec pearl"

Sambucus "black lace"

Santolina "primrose gem"

Cotinus "royal purple"

Pennisetum "purple majesty"

Thats nearly £150 spent but at least with your help I can please the wife and the street.

I hope theyre all spelt right LOL

I will go back tomorrow and buy weed control mat along with the slate but we already have chicken pellets I think for the wifes greenhouse, would that work or shall I still buy the meal mix stuff?

I think thats it, so if your willing, could you let me know what to go where. The blue plastic tub in the garden pic shows you where the front of the house is and the sun comes from behind the house round to the front.

Thanks for all your help so far.


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## Roger the Dodger

Wow! that's a substantial set of plants. Some I know, some I don't, and Google is your best friend here. What I can say is from the plants you've chosen, you will need to grade them by height, and plant the tallest at the back, the mediums in the middle and the smallest at the front. The Ceanothus that you have in your list has 'repens' after its name. 'Repens' means creeping or very low growing...so this should go at the front..you can Google all of the names you've listed and find out about them...for instance, here's the link for that Ceanothus...https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/94754/Ceanothus-thyrsiflorus-var-repens/Details?returnurl=%2Fplants%2Fsearch-results%3Fform-mode%3Dfalse%26query%3DCeanothus%26aliaspath%3D%2fplants%2fsearch-results.

Lavender 'Purple Wings' is a well known 'French Lavender', also known commonly as Rabbits Ears. French lavenders have a few long florets at the top of the flower spike, giving rise to the common name. They are also fairly compact, so will do well in the front of your plot....and once again just to show how easy it is to find out about your plants, just Google the name... http://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/lavandula-stoechas-purple-wings

Look at the plant labels...they should, as a matter of course, tell you the ultimate height if the plant. As a general rule of thumb, anything from 15cm to 50cm goes at the front. Up to a metre goes in the middle, and anything taller goes at the back....


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## Roger the Dodger

luckywatch said:


> mcb2007 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Last time I had green fingers a was picking my nose. But here's some flower things
> 
> http://http://http://
> 
> Bet they are as rare as hens teeth eh!
> 
> 
> 
> There is hope for you yet........................... :biggrin:
Click to expand...

Welcome to the gardening club, Rob....the first ones are a nice purple Geranium, the second lot look like a Campanula (Bell flower) of some sort, and the white daisies look like 'Marguerites', but not sure of the variety.


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## mcb2007

Thanks Roger , we planted the geranium and campanula ages ago and they come back year after year .710 put the daisies in this year. Wish I had your knowledge it's all hit and miss with us :sad:


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## Technium

Thanks Roger, what about the chicken pellets, are they ok to use instead of the meal stuff or shall I just buy that tomorrow anyway when I visit the garden center again?

thanks

Colin


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## Technium

ok did some checking and found the following details for their height - (does that sound right?)

Francis Mason - Obelia Grandeflora 5ft

Pieris - Forest Flame 6ft

Pieris - Katsura 3ft

Lavender - Snow Man 2ft

Lavender - Purple Wings 1ft

Vibernum "french white" 3meters

Cecinothus thrysiflours var - repens 4ft

Diosma ericoides "pink fountain" 2ft

Laphomyritus "black pearl" 4ft

Santolina chamaecy parissus 1ft

Hibe wiri charm 2ft

Elaeagnus ebbingei compacta 5ft

Choisya dewitteana "aztec pearl" 5ft

Sambucus "black lace" 7ft

Santolina "primrose gem" 2ft

Cotinus "royal purple" 2meters

Pennisetum "purple majesty" 4ft

So it looks like I have a good selection dont you think?


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## Roger the Dodger

You've obviously done some great reseach, Colin, and if you apply the height details I mentiontiond earlier, you won't go wrong. If you find that you've got one to many for a particular size zone, just shift it into the next one....as Scott said, sometimes you have to make up your own rules....you can always make a plant do what you want it to do, not what it wants to do!

I haven't seen any thing about chicken pellets though......give them to the birds.....all you need is NPK.....

(Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium.)


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## Technium

Thanks Roger, once planted I will take some pics so I can finally contribute to this forum 

cheers

Colin


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## luckywatch

Chicken pellets are fine. I use them all the time. I would still use bone meal as well when preparing the bed.......................... :biggrin:


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## Roger the Dodger

luckywatch said:


> Chicken pellets are fine. I use them all the time. I would still use bone meal as well when preparing the bed.......................... :biggrin:


Having taken a bit of my own advice and Googled 'chicken pellets', I found that they weren't chicken feed as I first thought (hence the reference above about giving them to the birds!), but dried and pelleted poultry manure for use as a general fertilizer! So yes...it will be fine to use on your plot.

Beause I garden on such a large scale, all my stuff comes from wholesalers such as LBS Horticulture. I buy Vitax Q4 (another very good general purpose NPK fertilizer) by the pallet load....and grass seed comes in 25kg bags! I hadn't noticed Chicken pellets in their catalogue before (probably because I've never looked for them...after 16 years I tend to stick to my own favourites!), but I just had a look at their on-line book and see that they do 20kg bags of the stuff!

Anyway....good luck with the planting, and look forward to some pics in the future.


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## Technium

WOW this is hard back breaking work!!! Ive filled 3 external bins with rocks and bricks and im about 75% done but ive had enough for now. Every fork full hits a rock which makes it almost impossible to dig over. Ive got blisters on both hands and I can now see why some people including me have left doing the garden


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## mcb2007

I've been chopping branches off these soddin things all afternoon. I hate looking up sawing it's a nightmare. Don't know what I'm going to do with the trunks.anyone got a log burner :biggrin:

http://


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## Roger the Dodger

mcb2007 said:


> . I hate looking up sawing it's a nightmare........
> 
> http://


.....some sort of goggles would be a good idea! :laugh:


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## Roger the Dodger

Taken this week at work...various Delphiniums...


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## Roger the Dodger

Various Campanulas (Bell flowers)...


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## Roger the Dodger

Other stuff out ATM...
Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker)








Coreopsis (Tickseed)








A couple of Salvias (Sage)
















...and one of the most deadly plants in the garden...Aconitum (AKA Monks hood or Wolfsbane). If it all becomes a bit too much and you decide to end it all, just chew on a sprig of this and you'll be dead before you hit the floor! Contains lethal amounts of several powerful alkaloids incuding aconitine and mesoconitine which are highly toxic.

















Quite a few plants contain cyanide in varying quantities...peach stone kernels, and Laurel being a couple. I remember very vividly in my early days as a gardener cutting a huge Laurel hedge on site and then picking up the clippings with a rotary mower. This chopped the clippings up really fine, and I then packed them into those big one ton bags that sand comes in. Loaded them into the van and started driving back to base. I was vaguely aware of a strong almond smell, and it wasn't long before I felt really very dizzy. It was only the fact that I had read that early insect collectors used to use crushed Laurel leaves in their killing jars to stupefy thier specimens, that I realised that I was being gassed with cyanide coming from the chopped clippings. Thankfully, opening the windows sorted the problem, but I've never done it since... :laugh:


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## mcb2007

Roger the Dodger said:


> mcb2007 said:
> 
> 
> 
> . I hate looking up sawing it's a nightmare........
> 
> http://
> 
> 
> 
> .....some sort of goggles would be a good idea! :laugh:
Click to expand...

funny you should mention goggles I've just put my beer goggles on, need one after that ordeal :beer:


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## mcb2007

Poor show this year

http://

http://

http://


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## Technium

OK how does this look for a layout? Looking at the patch they will be in this order, with the existing Yellow plant staying where it is.

FRONT of Garden




Santolina Prim. Gem - Yellow 2



Pieris Forest Flame red 6ft



Current Yellow plant in Situ



Lavender Purple Wings 1ft



Pruple Majesty 5ft

 

Pieris Katsura Red 3ft





Cottanus Royal Purple 10ft



Hebe Wiri Charm Purple 2ft



Sasinofus Var Repens Blue 4ft

 

Lavender Snowman 2ft



Black Pearl 4ft



Sambucus Black Lace 10ft



Pink Fountain white 2ft



 



Elaeagnus Ebbingei green 5ft



Vibernan French White 7ft

Franis Mason - Yellow 5ft



Santolina Parasus - Yellow 1ft



Aztec Pearl White 5ft

 

HOUSE

I went and got Horse Manure today along with the bone stuff and and some Purple slate which I think will look better than the lighter stuff that was available.

Tomorrow I should finish the final 20% of the digging and then mix the other stuff in with the next pass of digging and if all goes well then I should be able to plant them and show pics.


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## Roger the Dodger

I think you've worked it out very well for a first attempt. Always remember that you can move things around if they don't look quite right in their first position.


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## Technium

ok after 2 days hard graft heres the finished look. The rest of the drive needs to be cleaned up but at least that pointless square now looks alot better. Will give it a decent water later tonight when the sun goes down abit.


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## luckywatch

Hey look at that, you sure you not done this before? That slate will look lovely in the rain. Nice one................ :biggrin:


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## luckywatch

Couple more shots from the garden.


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## luckywatch

I like to have plants that have a use just outside the house, fragrant, edible etc. Nice just being able to step out and pick or cut something. Got some well hot Chilies on the go.



















This is the first Strawberry this year. It is my Strawberry and it will be ready to eat when I get home from work tomorrow. The 710 and the Herbert have been warned.


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## Roger the Dodger

Technium said:


> ok after 2 days hard graft heres the finished look. The rest of the drive needs to be cleaned up but at least that pointless square now looks alot better. Will give it a decent water later tonight when the sun goes down abit.


Nice job, Colin...and great to see that you've staggered the plants. This bed is going to look really good when the plants have established...will be good to see it in a couple of years time! :biggrin:


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## Technium

Thanks guys, I couldnt and wouldnt have done it without your help and without being inspired by your regular photos. I will try to post pics now and again with updates.

I still need to paint the wall around the plants to tidy it up abit and then I will move onto the back garden abit later.

Thanks again guys


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## Roger the Dodger

At the risk of everyone going 'Oh no...not again'....here's what we have out this week at work. You may remember that a few weeks ago, I posted some pics of annual plants sown in rows...just to jog your memory...









These seeds were from Lidl....£1.64 for a large box of mixed wild flower seed. Some of these are just starting to flower now, and I can't believe what's coming into flower! There are a lot of 'Corncockle'...once a fairly common flower in corn fields, but now extremely rare in the wild..








Purple Tansy, or Fiddleneck plant...








...and this lovely flower...I don't know what it is...I've tried everywhere I know to find out, including googling 'Pink flower that resembles a butterfly' to no avail! It's a lovely little thing that looks like...well....a butterfly, and I've got it in two shades of pink. The plant is about 50cm high, and the leaves resemble a Fuchsia. The flower is about 30mm across. It must be one of 'zoes very effeicient German plants, ya?' :wink: . Any help with ID would be gratefully accepted.

















Also in the Lidl box were several different coloured annual Cornflowers...
Blue...








Pale blue...








Purple...








Maroon...








White...









There's also a pink one, but I haven't got a shot of it...


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## Roger the Dodger

Other stuff, that's not from Lidl...!
A really common garden plant that has lots of interest.....silvery grey leaves (would look good in Colin's drought garden) and really vibrant pink/magenta colours. This is Lychnis coronaria....or Rose Campion, here shoiwing the two common versions, magenta and white








Another plant from the same family is Lychnis Chalcedonica or 'Maltese Cross'. The first variety is 'Scarlet' and the second 'Salmon'.

















...and finally, here are the Orchids, finally in full bloom...


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## Roger the Dodger

I nearly forgot...! This is something you need to keep an eye out for and destroy as soon as you see it. It will only affect you if you grow Lilies, or in the spring, Fritillarias. We're talking about the Scarlet Lily Beetle. An unwelcome invader, this insect is rapidly spreading across the UK. The adult is a bright red beetle that lays its eggs on Lilies and Fritillaries. The adults are about 12mm (1/2") long, and drop to the ground when disturbed. If you pick one up and hold it to your ear, they make a squeaking sound. Crush them un-remorselessly between finger and thumb to help stop the spread. The larvae, which will decimate the leaves and buds of your lily plants, are disgusting slug like creatures that cover themselves with their own execrement in order to prevent drying out in hot weather. The plants can be treated with a systemic insecticide that will kill both larvea and adults.

Adult beetles...

















Larva...covered in poop, and exposed..and damage to leaf

















...please excuse my filthy thumb and fingers....I have been gardening all day!


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## mcb2007

We used to have a water feature

http://


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## Roger the Dodger

The Campanula is doing a great job of hiding it..... :biggrin:


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## mcb2007

Yes it is and the stone rabbit


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## artistmike

Chinese Elm Bonsai ( Ulmus Parvifolia )

I've been growing this tree now for about twenty years and if all goes to plan it should be ready for showing in about another two or three years when it will be going into its final show pot. Looking good this summer though, all the trees really seem to be growing well this season.








...


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## Technium

> Chinese Elm Bonsai ( Ulmus Parvifolia )
> 
> I've been growing this tree now for about twenty years and if all goes to plan it should be ready for showing in about another two or three years when it will be going into its final show pot. Looking good this summer though, all the trees really seem to be growing well this season.
> 
> 
> __
> https://flic.kr/p/19302778608
> ...


Love it mate, love bonsai trees. unfortunately theyre out of my price range but im really impressed mate.


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## artistmike

> Love it mate, love bonsai trees. unfortunately theyre out of my price range but im really impressed mate.


Thanks, but never feel that they are out of your price range, starter trees are available quite cheaply from on-line bonsai specialists and I have created quite a few trees from standard garden nursery material, garden shrubs and even from seed, all of which have been very cheap indeed.

The above tree is now just over two feet tall and about twenty three years I suspect and probably worth a few hundred pounds but believe it or not started off as one of the cheap mass-produced "bonsai" that are found in Morrisons and the like. I think it cost me about £2 to £3 twenty years ago when I picked it up with a view to using it for cuttings . :biggrin: With a bit of knowledge and time it's easy to create some nice Bonsai and there are some great books out there that will teach you the techniques and even clubs which are happy to give advice to people new to the art..

Have a go, it's fun and extremely satisfying when you start creating your own trees....


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## luckywatch

Unbelievable patience.................... :yes:


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## artistmike

> Unbelievable patience.................... :yes:


Well, you never really grow Bonsai for yourself really. My tree above is starting to look about right, branches are in the right place, the shape is coming nicely etc, but it will look a great deal better in another fifty to hundred years down the line...

The tree below is a case in point though. This tree is known as the Yamaki pine and is in the National Arboretum in Washington after being presented to the American people by a Japanese Bonsai master, Masaru Yamaki, on their bicentennial. What is amazing is that this 400 year old tree was in Nagasaki when the bomb fell but survived, along with some other trees in the same nursery.

A tree like this has been through many hands during it's life, tended and watered daily and is priceless. Our human lives are fleeting compared to a tree like this but if it was not watered or tended by humans it would soon die. ... It's really that relationship that makes keeping Bonsai such a fascinating pursuit.


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## mcb2007

Just started to open up ,I could have sworn they were white last year?

http://


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## luckywatch

:thumbsup:


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## Roger the Dodger

mcb2007 said:


> Just started to open up ,I could have sworn they were white last year?
> 
> http://


Day Lily...or Hemerocallis....(you can get something for that! :laugh: )

Very nice!


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## mcb2007

It's a beauty when they all show, I've just been informed by the 710 that they have always been that colour. Now she's taken my red wine away. Life sucks :russian_roulette:


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## artistmike

Shohin sized Chinese Elm...


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## luckywatch

*artistmike *that is amazing.......................... :thumbsup:

Got some cracking Chilies on the go. This is *Apache.*


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## artistmike

I've only had this young Japanese White Pine (Pinus Parviflora) about five years now and it's still got a hundred years or so to go before it's mature enough to be considered worthy, but it does show that even a young tree like this can be a real delight both to look at and to grow, and the real advantage of young trees is that every year you can see the growth it's putting on and the way it's developing......


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## Roger the Dodger

Sorry chaps...been a long time I know, but just dropped in to see what was happening. Just back from holidaying in Menorca (well...a few weeks ago) and finally got round to getting the snaps onto Photobucket. So here're a few pics of my fave flowers, plus a couple of unusual critturs at the end.

The lovely Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-chinensis). These grow all over the island in various shades.





































One day it absolutely pis....istantly rained. An hour later there were these lovely tree frogs everywhere!


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## luckywatch

Try not to leave it so long next time Rog......................... :thumbsup:


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## dobra

Rodger - very nice piccies, come back soon?

Mike


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## Technium

Thought I would resurect this thread with a question.

Out the back of our house we have a small 3 foot wall which divides us and the neighbours but our neighbours back garden is overgrown so we would like some kind of fencing up, but the problem is our house is quite exposed and a traditional wooden fence probably wouldnt survive long her. Ive heard about a hedge fence or Fedge as they call it.

I was wondering what your thoughts are on it? I want something about 6 foot tall for privacy but I dont really want the fedge to take up too much garden space so the thinner the better really. Ive hear alot about using willow but I also heard something about damaging foundations so need to be wary of mine and my neighbours house although this fedge will start about 8 foot away from my house as we already have decking installed upto that point.

Any advice would be appreciated.

thanks

Colin


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## Roger the Dodger

Don't know if this would be any good, Colin...saw this in the latest Coopers of Stortford catalogue. Looks to be thin enough for what you want, though not tall enough...maybe you could lash one on top of another...? The reviews seem to be mainly good. They use this sort of fencing a lot in Spain and Portugal.

http://www.coopersofstortford.co.uk/coopers-of-stortford-faux-ivy-fencing-prodst09911i/


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## Technium

Thanks Roger that gives us an idea but id rather have something living if at all possible.

thanks

Colin


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## Roger the Dodger

Technium said:


> Thanks Roger that gives us an idea but id rather have something living if at all possible.
> 
> thanks
> 
> Colin


 Well there are plenty of real decorative Ivys...Google 'Hedera helix varieties' to bring up a selection and images. Hedera helix 'Midas Touch' is a particularly good golden leaved variety.

(Hedera helix is the Latin name for Ivy)


----------



## Technium

Thanks Roger, theres some nice Ivy there and thats certainly a better option than the fake ones.

Do you know anything about the Willow and wether it is a danger to the house or foundations?

thanks

Colin


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## xellos99

Technium said:


> Do you know anything about the Willow and wether it is a danger to the house or foundations?


 Yes the willow is a known troublemaker but only in some circumstances. I certainly would not want one within few meters of a property but that's just common sense to keep fast growing plants with strong root systems away from foundations.

You certainly don't need to worry about cutting them down and starting again because they are very easy to clone and grow very fast. I have a load of them I cloned myself.


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## Roger the Dodger

Have to agree with xellos...willow is very fast growing (see some of my other posts on this aspect of them) and will invade drains or anywhere where it's particularly damp. Keep away from the house.


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## Technium

Thanks guys, ok willow is out so I guess it will have to be some kind of Ivy then. Obviously Ivy needs something to climb on but I cant put a fence up as the wind in this area will tear it back down so other than trellis which rots away to quickly is there any other suggestions that maybe I could use?

cheers

Colin


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## Roger the Dodger

Ivy climbs by means of attaching itself to solid objects...fence panels, trees and brickwork for example. I don't think you would get it to climb up wire mesh very easily as it's too smooth for the little aerial roots to attach themselves. If a solid fence is out of the question, you may well have to resort to trellis of some sort....most should come pre-treated with some sort of preserver, and you could always add some more to prevent premature decay before you put it up. The wax based stains/preservers are very good....my fence panels have been treated with it and are over 20 years old!


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## Technium

Thanks again roger

Fence panels are a no go as the wind blows them over and even snapped the concrete fence posts. Trellis and the bamboo type fencing also does not last even treated which is why im thinking of a fedge.

Ive also heard about photinia x fraseri red robin which looks like it could do the job so may be an option instead?

thanks

Colin


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## Roger the Dodger

Actually Colin...you've just come up with the perfect solution to your problem. Photinia x fraserii 'Red Robin' would be the ideal hedging plant for you, and no supporting structure needed either. Ironically, yesterday, I just dug up 40 of these lovely shrubs that we planted at one of our developments, but the new owners didn't want them! So they are now safely back at our base and been temporarily planted in one of our raised beds until we use them elsewhere.

For the uninitiated, this variety of Photinia remains evergreen, so you get year round screening, and the young spring foliage is bright red. Once it reaches the desired height, it can be kept in check by regular pruning. A great choice, and I don't know why I didn't think of it before....

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=photinia+x+fraseri&rlz=1C1CHIK_en-GBGB536GB536&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=979&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwji-N3E0ofLAhVJfRoKHYAZAt4Q_AUIBygC


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## Technium

Thanks Roger, that looks like a winner then, I will try and source a few online as our garden centers have very little variety and start the hedge off as soon as possible.

thanks for all your help / advice.

Colin


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## Roger the Dodger

Just one addendum here...the best red colour is acheived if the bushes face south to west...ie get plenty of sun. North to east facing bushes will have red leaves in the spring but not quite as vibrant.


----------

