Wildlife update

I have lots of ladybird larvae in my garden this year (first photo) and they are turning into ladybirds like the one shown in the second photo. At first glance they look like 14 spots but I'm pretty certain that they are Harlequins as they are too big for our native species.

The Buddleia has been out for about a week but the only butterflies I've seen are large whites. I'm really disappointed. On the other hand I'm still getting plenty of bees and hoverflies so it's not all bad news.

I have not seen my second froglet all week so it's either dead or it's turned into a frog and hopped out of the pond. I do hope it's the latter. The pond plants look healthy but there is no sign yet of seed heads on the Typha Minima.

And on the bird front the only regular visitors are the pair of wood pigeons who are eating me out of house and home! They are comical though and their regular visits cheer me up, if only because they take absolutely no notice of my cat who sits under the feeder lashing his tail at them and mewing pitifully!

Georgie

Another busy day

We had one or two short sharp showers here this morning but since then it has been a perfect day for gardening. So I had no excuse and spent the best part of the day outside.

Ornamentals

This week has seen a number of flowers come into bloom including Borage (photo), Passiflora, Verbena Bonariensis and Fuchsias Tom Thumb, Lady Boothby, Beacon and Ant & Dec. I moved three of the Tagetes plants into the greenhouse to join the Tomato Micros and hit on the idea of standing them in a tray of horticultural sand as an experiment to see if it will deter the slugs and snails.

In the sunny border I planted out three Centratherum plants behind the Aquilegias which I've cut back now they have finished flowering. The Centratherum is billed as 'attractive, fluffy, lavender-blue, button-like flowers produced all summer on bushy plants with unusual, pineapple fragrant foliage. Very heat and drought tolerant, attracting butterflies and adding fragrance.' So I just had to try it! The border is parched so I made the planting holes much bigger than the size of the pots, filled them with water and once they had drained added potting compost and bone meal before I popped the plants in. Then I gave them a very good soaking to ensure they were settled.

The Pansy seeds I sowed a few weeks back have germinated well so I pricked them out into modules and popped them in the greenhouse where I hope they will make nice sturdy plants for my winter hanging baskets. I noticed that the Solanum (Winter Cherry) had self-seeded everywhere in the window box so I pricked out some of the seedlings into modules to make more plants for winter containers. I sowed self-saved seeds of Dicentra Alba and collected Aquilegia and Pulmonaria seeds as the cases were beginning to open. I'll let them dry out completely before sowing.

The Pelargonium Candy Dancer plants have all had a growth spurt so I potted them up into their final containers for the year. I potted on a few other things too including three Box cuttings I took last year which now have nice strong roots.

Edibles

I've pegged down more Strawberry runners into small pots to increase my stock for next year. And with a bit of reorganisation I've manged to find room for the two Courgette plants - one in the border and one in the veg plot. I had a good look at the Broad Beans today and I've got about ten pods in total. I hope they'll reach eating size soon because I really could make much better use of the space the two containers are taking up. There are lots of fruits on the Physallis, a good few green Raspberries and some green Tomatoes on Micro and Whippersnapper. But sadly I've had to throw away most of the pots of red onion sets as the slugs have eaten all the foliage and I've had to move the Parsley too for the same reason. Grrr!

Georgie

Yes, it's a rose!

Ornamentals

I know I'm unusual but I'm not a great fan of roses: some smell beautiful and the simpler forms can be pleasing to behold but quite frankly I don't think they 'earn their keep' in a small garden so I don't grow them. But the one in this photo caught my eye at Hatfield House yesterday because it was such a delicate shade of apricot. Mind you, it was covered in tiny black beetles which I had to blow away before taking the snap. So typical of roses, if the wind and rain doesn't ruin the petals the pests and diseases will get them!

It seems that almost every day I have something new in bloom. Over the weekend the first of my dwarf Sweet Pea 'Cupid mixed' flowers opened and they are a lovely shade of deep purple. The Jasmine is a 'white froth' now and smells heavenly, particularly in the evening. I have massive flower heads out on the Buddleia which is far too big for the garden at over 9 feet high, even 'though it's on dwarf root stock and was heavily pruned back in February. I haven't touched it since (apart from reducing wayward branches blocking the path) because I wanted to see if it would bloom earlier, but it hasn't made much difference. So next year I'll go back to pruning out the growing tips after every four leaves in the hope of a shorter, more managable shrub. And all the Tagetes on the kitchen windowsill are out too. I'll be moving them to the greenhouse and outside over the next few days as I find room for them - then watch the slugs and snails arrive. :(

Wildlife

Some good news and bad news. Thanks to a thread I saw on A4A I've noticed that I have a number of ladybird chrysalises in the garden. They will probably turn out to be Harlequins but that's the way of things here in London these days.

The sad news is that I found one of my froglets dead in the pond today. I gave it a checking over but couldn't see any obvious reason for its demise. It had back legs and tiny front legs and the tail was beginning to wither. It's such a shame that it got that far but didn't make it.

Georgie

Learning lessons

It would be very dull if I only ever grew the same plants year in, year out, but I do wish I'd take more notice of the notes I make about things that thrive and those that don't do so well for me. In the case of this lovely Chilli in the photo I was sensible. It thrived on my sunny windowsill last year and is doing well again this year. But on the other hand why did I put Chilli Trifetti out on the veg plot this year when last year I noted it was damaged by snails when young? Who knows, but I moved the two plants today and replaced them with bush Tomatoes.

And following the pathetic showing of the Peas (which I know full well are a waste of time in containers) earlier in the year, the Broad Beans are also beginning to look like a waste of space (just as they were last year). Okay, I've got a few pods setting, but that's hardly going to be meal is it? So that's it, I will not be growing Peas or Broad Beans in containers again.

As I've mentioned before I've been holding back the Cucumbers for as long as possible before planting them out - three to a half barrel - because of the snail problem. Checking the plants today I decided that I couldn't wait any longer as the roots were coming out of the bottom of the pots. So they have been planted out and topped with horticultural grit and I'll have to go out as dusk for the next week or so and pick off any naughty snails who are looking for a tasty snack!

Georgie

Beautiful weather

It's been a very warm and sunny weekend with just a shower last night so I've taken full advantage of it and spent most of the time in the garden. The photo is of a common Poppy which opened today.

Wildlife

I have spotted lots of insects this week, thankfully most of the them 'friends' (although I had to squish a couple of Lily Beetles). I'm getting a little bit better at identifying things now, like the Rosemary beetle in my last post. I was delighted to see a lacewing near the Lonicera, Ladybird larvae on Raspberries and Strawberries, a fair number of buff-tailed bumble bees on the Rue, a host of different hoverflies all around the garden, more large red damselflies and a very pretty little moth which has been identified as a small magpie. But sadly still no butterflies to speak of yet. That said, the buds on the Buddleia are colouring up and there are the first signs of flower buds on the Verbena Bonariensis so hopefully that will bring them in.

Edibles

I'm picking a fair few Strawberries each day and pegging down some of the runners into small pots for next year's stock. There are lots of flower buds on the Courgettes and plenty of flowers out on the Tomatoes, Chillies and Physallis. And joy of joys, I have the first bean pod forming on the Broadies. The Cucumbers are still in the greenhouse to protect them from the snails for as long as possible and I've run out of Radish and forgotten to sow any more! Most of the herbs are doing well but I do wish the slugs/snails would leave them alone. They seem to love the Parsley and Thyme at the moment and have pretty much finished off the Pineapple Sage. I've moved the latter to a 'safer haven' in the hope that it will recover and taken a couple of cuttings just in case.

Ornamentals

I'm continuing to empty out containers of spring bulbs and have six remaining to sort out. As I do this I'm able to pot on other plants for the summer display but it's very time consuming bagging up all the spent compost and drying off the bulbs etc and also quite tiring lugging the pots around. Still, I've got quite a few of the annuals out now (although some will still need potting on into their final containers).

I am determined to get on top of powdery mildew this year and have been spraying the affected plants with a bicarbonate of soda solution every few days. So far it seems to be working and the Monarda, Ajuga and Pulmonaria are looking a lot better for it.

I mowed and edged the lawn then tackled some serious pruning in the tiny front garden. I also weeded the driveway again and as I did so I was pleased to see that the containers are looking good with a number of the broadcast seeds coming up, Lychnis in bloom and flower buds on the Borage. They are going to be a riot of colour at this rate and I can't wait!

Georgie

Rosemary Beetle

These so called pests are making a right meal of my Sage (Salvia officinalis) and to a lesser extent my Lavender but strangely they are ignoring the Rosemary, tricolour Sage and purple Sage. But apart from having a good nibble they are doing little damage. And as they are so beautiful why would I harm them?

Georgie

Tadpoles

The tadpoles have developed their back legs and as you can see from the second photo (click to enlarge) are now able to get out of the pond. I've still only seen two together at any one time but even if that's all I have, I think I'm very fortunate that they have reached this stage of development.

Advice seems to vary as to whether or not they should be fed but I think I will leave them to their own devices for now. At this stage they become carnivorous and there are plenty of tiny insects around for them to eat. So I see little point in supplementing their diet with fish flakes or raw meat as some websites suggest.

Georgie

Ornamentals update

Dutch Iris is one of my favourite flowers but sadly I have only a few left in the garden now so I must but some more in the autumn. Also recently in bloom are Sambucus Niger (Elder), Alchemilla Mollis, Rue, Lychnis, Thyme, Digitalis and Viola. And next to come out will be Lily Lollipop, Hosta Tokudama and Fuchsia Ant and Dec.

I've been harvesting Pansy seeds again so sowed another lot in pot which I've put in the greenhouse. I've taken some Box cuttings (last year's are only just beginning to root!) and potted up a Fuchsia cutting which has rooted in water. And I've continued with the potting on including Heliotrope, Sunflowers, Cyclamen and Centratherum.

At last I've finished feeding all the containers and I've pretty much finished mulching the border with cocoa shell mulch except in the areas where I've sown seed direct. Of these direct sown seeds, so far only Nasturtium Empress of India has been successful - all ten seeds germinated and are making nice sturdy little plants. What came up of the Calendula have been eaten or failed to germinate and there is no sign yet of the Ipomoea. Perhaps the ones I broadcast a couple of weeks ago will fair better?

I'm just waiting for the early flowering plants such as Hesperis and Aquilegias to go over, then I'll be able to replace the containers with the scented Pelargoiums and Skimmias which are currently on the patio and that will make a bit more room for the annuals which are still in the greenhouse.

Georgie

Edibles and wildlife update

Edibles

The photo shows part of my veg plot and goes to show that edibles can be at least as attractive as ornamental plants. The Chives flowers are going over now but the Broad Beans behind them are looking splendid and I was pleased to see the bees taking a lot of interest.

I've got the first flowers open on some of the Tomatoes and Chilli Trifetti and I think what might be a flower bud forming on the Courgette which I potted on and put outside because it was getting a bit too big for the greenhouse. The first fruits are forming on the Physallis and I'm delighted to see that one of my Alpine Strawberries has put out three runners.

I've potted on two of the Passiflora edulis I started from seed earlier in the year and they are looking nice and glossy if a little slow growing. I've also potted on Coriander and Chenopodium giganteum (Tree Spinach) but have yet to find homes for them.

Wildlife

I'm happy with the progress I'm making in the wildlife area of the garden. A young frog is now living in the pond - I think it must be one of last year's - and there are lots of insects enjoying the native plants I'm growing. But best of all the Lonicera I grew from a cutting in 2007 is covered in buds and will liven up the Forsythia no end. It joins the Ivy and Passiflora which are also growing up the Forsythia - talk about cramming 'em in!

Georgie