|
|
Post by Rosefriend on Oct 3, 2014 5:41:54 GMT
So, we are nearly at the end - how did the gardening year go for you all??
I have to say that I am fairly happy, it was an early start after a mild winter - I got around 20kg of heirloom beef toms for eating, making soups and sauces, then loads and loads of cherries types..soo many cucumbers as well. Peppers were marvellous, two spud varieties were good, two a waste of time and I won't do them again..
Beetroot I could have used as bullets and won't do them again and I bought some Rhubarb for the first time in my life - that should be fun next year...
Slugs were a pain towards the end but the red devils/white fly never bothered me thanks to be spraying twice..
Begonias and Dahlias were not so good which was my fault as I used the wrong fertilizer..Roses shot up high due to the weather. The Lilies have been magnificent...
Never seen so many apples on our trees and we still have one tree to pick.
I am satisfied, there have been far worse gardening years...
RF
|
|
|
|
Post by Ladygardener on Oct 3, 2014 8:56:50 GMT
Good idea for a thread Rosefriend, it's always good to hear what did well and what did'nt for folks. I'll have a little think and come back again. |
|
|
|
Post by Jasmine on Oct 4, 2014 19:16:16 GMT
Lots of apples! grin
My beetroot were rubbish too, carrots didn't even get going - think the S+S were rife this year - and courgettes weren't brilliant but I did get 4 squash.
My cosmos have gone mad, the dahlias in the beds didn't do as well as the dahlias in the pots and some of my older roses were a little bit feeble.
Loved the pot I did with grasses, gaura and erigeron - it was an idea out of The Telegraph pots book and it looks gorgeous now, also loved my Hayloft pots of mixed salvias - they have flowered their socks off for months!
Unsurprisingly - working full-time and trying to keep on top of quite a big garden doesn't work very well. I do miss my time in the garden but now the weather has changed perhaps it won't be so bad! grin
|
|
|
|
Post by Jasmine on Oct 4, 2014 19:17:38 GMT
I didn't read your post properly Rosefriend - you have had lots of apples too - must've been just right for them this year - whatever just right is! |
|
|
|
Post by Geranium on Oct 6, 2014 5:29:55 GMT
Rather difficult to keep everything watered, as it was a dry year, really. I was pleased with my borders but it was tough keeping up with it all and I don't feel on top of things. Looking back, I've made a few major changes, getting rid of two conifers and planting more attractive ones, and removing the Spiraea and replanting the area was good. A catastrophe when the Solanum fell off the wall - we still have to get that sorted. We haven't got round to another major project which is to dig out a huge Escallonia. There's still time though.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ladygardener on Oct 6, 2014 6:41:07 GMT
All years have something that worked well and other things that have been disappointing. For me this year started early and by the end of April the borders were abundant and smelled devine mostly due to the Wallflowers and Stock which bloomed earlier than normal. I have spring bulbs blooming from late Feb / early March right through to the end of May. It was a wonderful year for the Roses, Angelface has bloomed since springtime and Grace is blooming still. I was delighted that the Begonia I overwintered came back again and have bloomed their socks off for me. I will overwinter them again this year and hopfully keep them going. Philadelphus Belle Etoile bloomed for me and the scent was every bit as delicious as I was led to believe, many thanks again to theinsidegardener for buying it and many of my bulbs and plants and tubers and....  Cornflowers were smashing, all sown in the autumn and grown outside all winter. They provided early flowers and the ones in the bottom border are still going. Sweetpea went over very early this year, might be down to the very dry July. I've started sowing again for next year already. I'd taken advice from Jilly Jasmine and planted the Buddlea Buz which originally came from Jasmine as a tiny plant years ago. It has bloomed non stop since early springtime and is blooming still. I've seen loads of butterflys on it lately. I was worried that although it was a buzz one, it would outgrow it's space but no, it has kept within the boundaries and will be cut back to keep it in check. On the downside, I had to remove a Lavender I'd had for years, it had grown way too woody and was blocking the light from the rest of the bed. I do have others coming on 'tho. I'm sure there are loads of other things I've not mentioned. The Dahlia have taken over the garden but I will be better prepared next year for the size of them and get my supports/strong sticks in early. Overall it was a very good year for the garden and it's still full of colour and waftiness. cheesy |
|
|
|
Post by Jasmine on Oct 6, 2014 16:58:20 GMT
You're right Geranium, I spent hours watering. Every year I say less pots and every year I ignore my own advice! |
|
|
|
Post by Jilly on Oct 6, 2014 17:13:45 GMT
 Same here Jasmine,. The one thing I've noticed this year is I'm quite a lazy gardener anyway, not much choice working full time, but due to circumstances beyond my control in the main bit of July to September when I'm usually out there every evening doing something, I hardly did a thing & you know what, the garden was quite happy to carry on without me. I've had to water with a hose rather than a can so I haven't fed anything since July & I've not even put any slug pellets down and & everything has still looked great. Think the hot weather helped, but the Dahlias have been marvelous as have the Begonias in the hanging baskets (& I usually feed those once a week at least) |
|
|
|
Post by Tig on Oct 6, 2014 19:05:11 GMT
The year started well with much more colour than usual thanks to Jasmines spring flower challenge. I had not really bothered putting spring bulbs in containers before, but the displays of tulips, iris and narcissus really lifted my spirits all those months ago.
After what was a very mild winter, for once we seemed to have a 'summer' and nearly everything performed better than usual. A lot of time was spent trundling around with watering cans and we could have done with a bit more overnight rain, but lots of my permanent plantings are mature enough to cope, and because we did have a lot of rain early in the year the ground stayed reasonably damp below ground until the middle of July.
Things that usually die over winter didn't, noticeably my gauras, the musa basjoo banana and even some osteospermums! I was really pleased to overwinter the colocasias in the WIG! Some things went a bit mad on the self-seeding front, and I have had to take out lots of grasses, echinacea, calendula and orlaya grandiflora or they would have taken over other plants. Roses, begonias, gladdies, dahlias, lupins, echinaceas, clematis, heleniums, and hellebores were wonderful this year. In fact nearly all the flowering plants have done well.
Not so good on the veg front were my sweetcorn, aubergines & runner beans which were covered in blackfly. The courgettes & pumpkins have done OK, and although the garlic weren't huge they were tasty. The two earlyish cauliflowers & 1 cabbage I harvested were lovely but the cabbage white caterpillars got to the rest or they bolted.
The path at the bottom of the garden should have been sorted this autumn, but we haven't got round to it. OH wants to do some work on the stashed turf that was but down by the fence but it still hasn't rotted down enough to tackle. Next year hopefully it will get done. I also hope that my tree peonies will eventually flower, lots of foliage and sod all else!
|
|
