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Post by Dutchy on Nov 8, 2006 18:40:32 GMT
I need some help finding what zone I am in.
I have been drooling at some plants shown on the board and saw references to zones. Like this plant grows in zone 6 to 8.
I think I am zone 9 but how on earth do I find out if this is really the case? Is there a simple rule or a site that says ... THIS IS YOUR ZONE. Similar to the division of latitude and such.
Also does one take into account the lay of the garden, how sheltered things are etc. etc.
Dutchy
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Post by Plocket on Nov 9, 2006 10:07:53 GMT
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Post by Chuckles on Nov 9, 2006 10:21:06 GMT
Thanks for that P, always wondered how these zones worked and if they are a worldwide thing. Seems most of the UK is a Zone 8 then.
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Post by Plocket on Nov 9, 2006 10:44:28 GMT
I think so Busy Bee, yes - being on the safe side!!
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Post by Dutchy on Nov 10, 2006 8:25:57 GMT
Seems I am 8 as well. Thanks Plocket. Nice site too I added it to my favs to have a browse once I have got time. p.s. I am keeping my fingers crossed for your hospital visit today. Hang in there  Dx |
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Post by Plocket on Nov 10, 2006 17:43:52 GMT
Thank you Dutchy! All seems to be ok!
I use Wikipedia quite a lot - it's amazing the information you can find on there!!
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Post by Rosefriend on Nov 10, 2006 17:56:36 GMT
hi plocket - pleased to hear that all is well - looks as though we are Zone 7 then - great.
Rosefriend
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Post by Dutchy on Nov 11, 2006 9:53:15 GMT
Plocket, good to hear you are OK. Yes Wikipedia is great.
Rosefriend, so we were right in thinking you got the colder weather. I think the warmth of the North sea keeps me in 8 but I noticed a "tongue"of zone 7 poking into the Netherlands so when in doubt I'll keep that in mind. We did get winters of minus 20 C for a couple of days so...
Lets see what this one brings us.
Dutchy
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Post by Rosefriend on Nov 11, 2006 10:02:55 GMT
Hi Dutchy,
Yes I think that we are a bit colder - where we live I suppose you could say that we are 7/8 but I tend to think in Zone 7 for all my plants and do try to get a lot from Japan - they cope better here.
Years ago I brought over loads of English plants and like so many people lost them all - it is just too cold.
I have never been here when it has been colder than minus 25 and it is amazing how many plants can survive that for a couple of days, but if it carries on then most things are gone.
Rosefriend
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Post by Dutchy on Nov 12, 2006 16:58:20 GMT
It is the same here but I think I loose most to sitting in wet soil for weeks on end. I keep trying daffodils in the back garden and ending up with interesting yellow gunk instead of flowers.
I have planted new ones again this year and made the holes deeper and with double the amount of grit and sand. Fingers crossed. Some of them are poking through right now so it looks like I am going to loose them again. This is not the time they should be coming up. Or with a little luck I will have dafs in bloom at X-mass ;D.
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Post by Rosefriend on Nov 12, 2006 18:43:11 GMT
We have mostly sandy soil except for one bed that originally was a pond and when we filled it in we got earth from somewhere else and it is awful stuff. No bulbs will grow in it - they all go rotten. I have done everything to get the soil better and nothing really seems to help somehow so I have just planted the appropriate plants there.
Daffs for Xmas - nice thought - bet mine just go rotten again - bit like yours.... The dwarf ones seems to do well but the normal ones.........
I am a bit jealous of some of the things that can be planted in the UK I must admit ..... just too cold for so many things here.
Rosefriend
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Post by Plocket on Nov 13, 2006 8:58:43 GMT
How about trying to grow daffs in pots in a cool place rather than outside where it's really cold? You could then put the pots out when they flower for a bright display but risk losing them afterwards.
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Post by Rosefriend on Nov 13, 2006 13:45:06 GMT
Actually Plocket what I have been doing for the past couple of years is instead of buying expensive bulbs which I lose - I buy sacks full of cheapy ones and dig them up and throw them away each year.
It is a hell of a lot more work but at least I know that a large percentage will flower the first year - why dwarf bulbs behave better is still odd though.
Rosefriend
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Post by Plocket on Nov 13, 2006 14:22:24 GMT
Bulbs are funny things and I have to be quite careful with them in my clay soil because often they get too wet. We planted a load outside the garden gate last year and they came up well - it will be interesting to see how they do this year. We got a tub of daff bulbs free from Wyevale this year and I've put them in pots to see how they do - hopefully they'll last better than the loads of bulbs I've put in the lawn over the years! The ones in the borders do reasonably well because I've worked the soil quite a bit.
Fingers crossed with yours Rosefriend!
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Post by Dutchy on Nov 17, 2006 9:31:34 GMT
Hi Plocket,
Did you plant daffs in your lawn? The leaves have to die down naturally for the plant to survive, just like tulips. So how did you go about mowing your grass then?
Hi Rosefriend,
The dwarf bulbs are probably the variety fit for growing wild. They have not received the boosting treatment the growers give to bulbs. Therefore they are more likely to survive and give a new show next year.
Dutchy
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Post by Plocket on Nov 17, 2006 11:35:10 GMT
Hia Dutchy! I've planted daffs in my garden lawn for the first time this year (in two clumps) but have had snowdrops successfully for a year or so now (again, in clumps) - OH is under strict orders to mow around them!!! The ones outside the garden gate do eventually have to be mowed because they are scatted about and mowing is more difficult - we do hold off for as long as possible though!
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Post by Rosefriend on Nov 18, 2006 8:55:00 GMT
Hi Dutchy
I never thought about the dwarf bulbs - you are very possibly right.
The one thing that I cannot grow here are tulips - no matter how cheap or expensive or good the bulbs are, they only flower the first year. I have taken them out, put them back - you name it - but I never have any luck. So I haven't planted any for about 5 years now.
Rosefriend
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Post by Dutchy on Nov 20, 2006 16:36:25 GMT
Hey Plocket, Since you planted the daffs in clumps you might try tying them in a bunch before mowing. Make life easier for your OH.
Rosefriend, My friend who lives near Celle has the same problem. Her tulips never make it to the next year. In her case it is mice that discover the bulbs that she leaves in and have a ball. Even her squirrels take a swing at the bulbs. Her sandy soil makes for easy access.
A trick that sometimes helps is planting in planting baskets for Tulips. But instead of planting the basket straight into the ground you make a chicken wire basket around it with the finest holes that mice can't get through and then plant so the mice can not get to or wander off with your bulbs.
I always lift my big tulips after flowering and leave them somewhere to die down. I than store the bulbs in old newspapers in my shed. As long as they stay dry they are fine for replanting.
Dutchy
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Post by Chuckles on Feb 13, 2007 23:40:58 GMT
Time this came back up the list, might be useful again  |
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