Bougainvillea and petrea planted together make a great team and create a dramatic impact with their colourful display. They are ideal shrub mates as they come into flower at exactly the same time.
Here is a lovely corner in my garden where bougainvillea and petrea are blooming together.
Both these shrubs like a position in full sun so they are perfect planting mates. But best of all, they come into flower at exactly the same time in spring. And they certainly give a glorious display with their mountains of red and purple flowers side by side.
Many gardeners are hesitant about planting these prolific shrubs as they think they are too overbearing for smaller gardens. But it’s a pity to lose out on Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Bougainvillea and Petrea, rampant growth of climbers, red bougainvillea, shrubs in containers
My clematis is so completely covered in these sky blue flowers that you can hardly see the leaves.
I had no idea that any clematis could be so prolific. Well it is – and I can only gaze in admiration.
Last night it rained heavily and I thought the flowers would be scattered on the ground but by this morning after only one or two casualties it is as bright as ever. To prove it to you I took this photo – after the rain.
As you can see I planted the clematis in a large pot but I have trained some of the tendrils along the black wrought iron fence behind it.
Now this clematis has had a rather interesting history. I bought it about two years ago as a young sapling with three plate-sized flowers.
It grew well and by the end of the summer it needed secure staking. But then winter came and robbed it of every bit of greenery. It looked like a mound of dry sticks. All the stalks were dry and lifeless. So I cut it right down to the base and hoped it would survive. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: clematis, clematis buds, clematis flowers, clematis in spring
I have always pruned my own roses. I like to prune lightly and I always prune to an outside eye.
My roses have grown well and I always buy a few new ones each year so my rose bushes have grown considerably both in number and in size.
Not surprisingly, when pruning time came around this year, the prospect of pruning them myself was a little daunting.
In the past, I have always spread my rose pruning over a few days – a system that made my job a lot easier. But the downside is that it affects the blooming time if you prune at different times. This year I didn’t want to stagger the pruning as I want to have a big flush of roses in October.
In addition to this, my Mr Lincoln has grown to an enormous height – about 17 -20 feet and the canes are not canes but veritable tree trunks. The thought of pruning this monster was more than a little daunting.
So these are all my reasons for deciding to call in: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: heavy pruning, light pruning, prune roses, rose pruning
It’s often tricky to decide what is the best time to start pruning your roses.
When to prune roses depends on so many things: the weather, the location, the variety of rose and so on.
But as a rule of thumb, I generally wait till the end of July until the danger of late frosts is past. During July, you never can be quite sure of the weather.
The problem with pruning too early is that the new growth is very tender and frost can kill off all the baby leaf shoots overnight and that would be a setback for the rose bush, causing die-back and a host of other problems.
Optimally, it’s best to prune just before the roses feel the first growing surge of spring. As you know, gardening has a lot to do with feeling! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: fattening leaf buds, prune roses, rose pruning, when to prune roses
We gardeners know that gardening is therapeutic. It isn’t news to us. Gardens have always been places where you can reconnect with nature in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Gardens are stress reducing.
And as gardeners it comes as no surprise to us when the actual process of gardening is recognized for its healing quality.
Just recently BBC news presented a slide show of pictures called Seeds of Recovery. It’s all about the Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre in Surrey that has started a gardening therapy project for recovering servicemen.
They have a green house, and gardening facilities where injured and recovering soldiers can feel the therapeutic benefits of tending plants and getting their hands into the soil.
Here it is: Seeds of Recovery
Tags: garden therapy, gardening therapy, healing gardens, peace and tranquility, seeds of recovery, stress reducing
Daffodils are my favourite spring flowers. They bring a splash of sunshine to any garden or patio. And they start to bloom when the garden is dull and still recovering from winter.
As the poet Shelley wrote: “If winter comes can spring be far behind?
As you know, gardeners always have to think and plan for the seasons ahead.
So if you want a lovely spring show, plant your daffodils in the autumn when the nights are cool. They actually enjoy a period of cold before the bulbs start to sprout.
Daffodils are lovely planted in drifts under trees where they give a lovely woodland effect. You can even plant them in little pockets in the lawn – as long as you remember not to mow there! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: daffodil flowers, daffodils, Daffodils – Loveliest of Spring Flowers, how to buy bulbs, how to plant daffodil bulbs
