Time to plan

The new school term sparks a desire to plan for the year ahead.  There are plants that need lifting and dividing and this time I have decided to make a note of what where and when on my blog.

I cut all the hardy geraniums (cranesbill) back to next to nothing last month.  This has resulted in a flush of new growth and new flower buds.  I came across this tip a couple of years ago quite by accident and it works for all my hardy geraniums.  

Later this month I am going to dig this one up and divide it to make new plants to fill gaps in other parts of the garden, along with a good few other perennials.

Japanese Anemone - root cuttings from the new young roots.

Astrantia major Ruby Wedding - divide in spring

Fuchsia (unknown, light pink over dark pink) - Tip cuttings in a glass of water - anytime on the kitchen windowsill.  From seed to get possible different variations - cut open ripe pods, scrape away jelly and sow seeds onto moist compost.  Cover with damp vermiculite, pop somewhere warm and light and do not water until germination.

Daylilies - division later this month.  3-4 fans for each new planting.  Cut the leaves back to 1/3 to prevent water loss.

Another clump of hardy geraniums, magenta this time.  Taken just after the haircut, but this clump is going to also be divided this month.

Astrantia major, unknown white variety - divide in spring

Heuchera - Division, tip cuttings or leaf with heal in autumn or spring

Bergenia - baby pink flowers - divisions with at least 1 rosette in autumn or after flowering

'Grandad's rosettes.  I cannot for the life of me remember what this low-growing plant is, but if memory serves, grandad just pulled up clumps of this to give to us...

Saxifrage - masses of tiny pink flowers.  Propagate by pulling away a few rhizomatous clumps.

Another Bergenia.  This is just starting to settle and increase, so this could probably do with being left a while longer before dividing as before in autumn or after flowering.

Not long before the roses get their winter trim.  This is a light going over to remove anything rubbing or diseased.  The proper pruning is done in March.

Sedum.  This isn't particularly happy here and apart from a interloper with the odd yellow flower, this one has yet to flower.  It needs somewhere sunnier, so I will dig it up, divide it and replant in full sun.

Crocosmia  - division in spring ideally.  Replant the corms about 10cm deep in full sun.

A quick respite from the recording to enjoy the yellow violas that will hopefully greet us throughout the coming colder seasons.

Muscari - lift bulbs this month and replant at same depth in full sun.

Fuchsia - light pink over dark pink - tip cutting in water as before.

Hellebore - can be divided, but this might be a bit small yet. Late spring or early autumn.

More sedums - bright pink fading to white, as before pull out clumps and replant.  Other ways of increasing stock include leaf cuttings.  Potentially each leaf can create a new plant if you pull it off with a 'heel' and pot up.

Euonymus.  Dreadful shot. - semi-ripe woody cuttings with heel

Box - after its first haircut.  These should begin to thicken up now that they will be trimmed regularly.  Heel cuttings.

Bottom bed - stem cuttings from non-flowering shoots in spring.

Hydrangea - deep pink - in autumn by non-flowering stem cuttings

Potentilla - semi-ripe cuttings in mid summer

Weigela - semi-ripe cuttings in mid summer
Hydrandea - stem cuttings in autumn
Hardy geraniums - this one is too small at the moment, but I might lift it and replant it somewhere sunnier as it doesn't seem to like it here.

New box hedge is taking shape.

Hardy geranium, pale pink - divide later this month.

Euonymus - heel cuttings

More sedums, this time large fleshy upright ones.  A green leaved with pink flowers and a purple leaved with purple flowers - these will be propagated with leaf cuttings with heel.

The Man That Can busy spreading a thick layer of bark mulch at the lawn borders.

I must admit, the neighbours patch at the bottom of our garden is beginning to annoy me.   They have never bothered with their garden in the 6 years we have been here.  We cut back, nay HACKED back their thicket of brambles and weeds well into the rear of their garden when we put the new fence up.  Unfortunately, plants of this nature have a habit of re-growing and they are beginning to become a nuisance again.  We've tried the 'wipe-on-the-leaves' type of systemic weedkiller, but it's not done a great deal.  We've bought some heavy duty stuff now to water onto them.  

There is a vine that grows from within a tumble-down greenhouse somewhere in the depths of a scene from Sleeping Beauty, winding itself around blackberry smothered brambles and what worryingly seems to be bindweed.

Leaves a-changing with the season.

Buttercup.  Briefly allowed to show off, before being unceremoniously ripped from the garden.  How very dare it!

I included this shot of my tiny white flowered fuchsia as it looked almost like a host of fairies dancing in the wind.

Bliss.  Bring on the autumn!

August, no rest for the wicked

How many gardeners actually rest in their garden?  I bet you sit with your favourite tipple to hand for just a couple of minutes before your spot something needing your attention.  I also bet that you don't just make a mental note to do it when you're next pottering around either. No, you have to leave your comfy seat and pull the weed, deadhead that flower or pick off that snail and dispose in your usual manner immediately, otherwise you whittle about it until it's done.

One or two jobs however aren't the kind you can do immediately, whether it's due to time or the weather.  A couple of dry hours is all it took for The Man That Can and I to protect these couple of fence panels on the patio from the impending summer rain.  The aging bench got a lick of paint too, and a new home at the bottom of the lawn by the new bed.

In its place we treated ourselves to a new companion set.  We looked at (and sat on) a great deal of benches before we settled on this.  It's just perfect for that after-work cup of tea.

We also treated ourselves to an Easter Island Head.  Say hello to Ernie.  We're unsure where to place him at the moment, but for now he shades himself on the bottom shelf of the companion set above.

Butterfly heaven...

The newly planted box hedgelings.

The previously planted hedge is now beginning to take form.  It shall receive its first trim shortly.

The passionflower is a strange one.  It was badly hit by two harsh winters.  Hacked back to reshape and this year is full of flower buds.

I have given up trying to kill the plant below.  It's some sort of arum lily I think.  It came with the property.  The leaves looks attractive, but then suddenly collapse.  The flowers are nondescript, but are followed by these vivid berries.  Something is eating them.  Perhaps our blackbird who lives in our conifer hedge?

Everlasting pea...scrambles through the confer hedges behind the garage.  They stayed until we trimmed the hedges this week.  I tend to wait until August when I know the blackbirds have fledged along with any other birds that may have chosen our garden to nest in.

The weigila has found it's feet and is romping away.  It shouldn't take too long to fill out its spot.  Maybe I should have given it more room. I usually cut back hardy geraniums after flowering, but this one is still to settle in, so I shall leave it to use its energy for roots.  I'm absolutely certain I bought a pink hydrangea for this spot...

Nope, definitely blue.  I will let it stay for now.  Perhaps the soil will make it pink in future years.  I'm pretty sure it's not acidic enough to keep it blue.  But boy, what a blue!  Even the blue ones in my front garden are not this vibrant!

 

My much-wanted greenhouse stands empty and unused this year.  I have been so busy with my new job that I haven't had time to use it. It will need a really good clean and a bomb in it before I use it again.

With the fence now dry, the maroon viticella clematis that once grew beside the garage has been attached to it.  When the time is right, I will prune her.  In the 3 years I have had her, I think she has only had a single flower.  I hope that this spot will be more suitable and she will repay us with more flowers.  The other pots contain the ruined lilies.

The garden is never finished.  There is always something changing or needing change.  There have been a great many changes made to this one.  We filled in a pond.  We removed a dirty great dog house and added a greenhouse.  We cut back the massive hedges by a good third in the back and in the front gardens.  We have planted trees and removed trees.  We have made flowerbeds and moved them.  We have had a go at growing our own fruit and veg and kept chickens.  Plants have died, been replaced, divided and added.  And all the time we are planning the next change.