The Potting shed

Seedlings, seriously, Send em back if not happy. Poor for RHS eh.

 

Oh very sad...

 

I left the poor thing on our porch widow sill overnight with the thought of taking a few photos but something found a tasty snack and it was gone.

 

I realise i was taken in by the website....... and have bought some periwinkle and other semi wild species that will do well around the trees ...but not quite what I was expecting.... I have planted a flowrring hebe too.... and need really another couple of semi-ornamental variegated flowering shrubs to add some presence to the area.... eunonymous?

 

Skimmia, evergreen, white scented flower in spring, red berries later. Not sure if there is a variegated version but I dislike most variegated plants anyway, something wrong with them!

 

ah... and ok in a bit of shade ??
sounds good !

 

We discovered this most beautiful nursery up in Cumbria yesterday.. (you MUST go there if in the area).. with the biggest selection of plants I have ever seen and a cafe to die for all built in some sort of walled folly garden:

https://larchcottage.co.uk/

...and we were standing in the midst of row upon row of plants and I suddenly remembered...

" We must look out for a plant called Skimmia," I said " ...recommended by a message board friend who really know his plants..... "

I was just thinking how to start the long task of looking... and my wife immediately said " Look here..... we are standing right by them..." .... and there they were.... at our feet....

We are now the proud owners of one Skimmia Fragrant Cloud!

 

Larch cottage was set up by a school girl I knew from Harrow with her husband, I am not sure if they still own/run it.
We went there several years ago and purchased a Liquidambar styraciflua (sweet gum tree) - a small tree with lovely maple shaped green leaves which go deep red in the autumn. it smells peculiar too in a nice way. I never met her when we went again, but did not inquire if she was there.
I think you will enjoy the Skimmia and am honoured that you think I really know my plants!

From the website it seems they no longer own it!

 

Think the owners have been there 34 years?

 

I wonder if I have the wrong nursery then, hmmm. Defo bought the tree though - a few years back a big dump of snow split the crown , a tree expert friend said it's probably had it, it will rot. We decided on surgery to the damaged limbs and whilst still split it's growing away fine and a new leader has appeared so all is well, nice bushy tree.

 

Dahlia pulling time.
I have never chosen to grow them until this year

This looks sensible:

https://www.wikihow.com/Store-Dahlias-over-Winter

Do they need the checking over winter suggested here??

 

I tried digging them all up for a couple of years then got fed up with all the work which I didn't really have time for. What I have done for a few years now is to cut the plant down to just about ground level, put a good mound of compost over each plant and then an upturned hanging basked over the compost otherwise the birds and mice etc will destroy the mound in a couple of days. This seems to protect the tuber from all but the very hardest frosts, including snow, and gives it a feed from the goodness in the compost over the winter. I don't lose many, if any, come the spring. I live in Norfolk. If you cut the plant down with shears it is easy to cut it into small pieces which will rot down easier on the compost heap. I use a 1-2 year compost cycle so this year's compost will be ready to use at in a year's time or in spring 2021.

 

Thanks for this. I just wonder, in Yorkshire where we can get very cold, if the plant will survive...

 

Try it on a few tubers and see.

 

Yes half left in and half pulled up

 

Cornish's is a good idea if you don't get the ground freezing hard to the depth of the tubers. Pull up the ones you don't mind loosing.

I have to dig mine up, I knock excess soil off and leave them out in my greenhouse which is heated on frosty nights. If you have any with Skinny tubers I pot them up and if they start to dry out give then a little water.

Check for mildew, mould and rotting tubers occaisionally and cut off dead or rotting bits. Dusting with sulphur can prevent further problems.

I love Dahlias.

 

Oh if you dig them up turn them upside down so any moisture in the stems drys away so it does not potentially rot the tuber.

Any excess tubers can be Eaten!

 

Those nasty celandines are starting to show themselves it is so mild this winter....
Any views on a good lasting weed suppressant mulch?

 

I think they are rather cheerful.
If you don't want to use weedkiller then anything organic if you put it on thick enough 2" plus. Weed suppressing fabric?
A longer solution would be to cut down everything that appears which over time will weaken the plant and kill it.

 

Another idea Yorkie, how about one of those flame thower weeders, make em toast!