Gran/Grandads Gardening Corner

The President (clematis) finished flowering a couple of weeks ago, but have another smaller purple flowered one still going ( no idea of the name though.)
The one that I want to buy is Dr Ruppell ( or Rupell) as I love the flower colour .
If anyone has one, post a pic on here.

Climbing roses benefit from having the main stems bent horizontally, flowering shoots grow vertically.
Regarding clematis, I tend to buy the ones on the sad shelf, at the end of the season. Often they are missing a label. The flowers are a wonderful surprise!

I'm not a gardener but DH is. Over the years I've managed to persuade him to make a few changes with our dotage in mind but he does love his bedding plants and baulked when I said can't we just have perennials. He said I was spoiling his enjoyment of the garden and he would have time to change things. . . . .
Well he suddenly had surgery beg April and is still not gardening fit so I've had to take over! Lol! Poor plants. I found myself pleading with his geranium cuttings to stay alive. They did AND I planted them out. Took photos into hospital for further instructions. Even tops of plants to check if they were weeds or not!
It's a whole new world for me. My new mantra is "only perennials", "few containers" and "deadhead".
What do you think?

Well, our President has not produced a flower yet this year, although there is some greenery.
I have given it a good talking to and threatened it with the secateurs.

Only perennials in the borders
Deadhead (as and when there is time!)
Lots of containers (adds some colour)

and I would add - water, water, water.
Or pray for rain between 1 am and 3 am.

Jalima

I just keep wondering if our President is in tune with the one over there (iyswim)
Although it was planted many years ago!

in which case I will happily give it the chop.

I have just been cutting back a hop and then picked some more sweet peas for the house, neighbour and mum and it occurred to me that I don't think I can ever remember such a successful year for everything in the garden. It must be something to do with the weather I think

Yes, my sweet peas are the best ever, but they are taking a lot of watering. Now the hot spell has broken, I hope they don't succumb to being ruined by rain.
Newquay I am also in favour of prerennials, hydrangeas, roses, day lilies, astrantia, cranesbill geraniums, dianthus and penstemon are all great plants that look after themselves, by and large.
I do pop in the odd annual to fill in gaps.

Not an outdoor gardening question but does anyone here grow orchids? I've just been given 2 by a neighbour and don't want to lose them as I'm sure he will expect to see them on my window-ledge. I've only tried once before and it did't last long, so how often should they be watered and fed, and do you cut the stem off after it's flowered? I know I should ask him but he has a very limited knowledge of English and my sum total of east-european languages is limited to 'hello' in Polish

1 forget to water them
2 when you remember, stand them in the sink in water for a while
3 when they have flowered chop back the stalk
4 put them somewhere light but not too hot and forget them
5 when you remember them give them some orchid feed

They may surprise you and flower again!

Just cut down my summer raspberries the summer is going too quickly.

I'm a bit concerned about my plums and pears. The plums are beginning to turn colour. I'm sure it was the end of August last year. The pears are certainly not ready for a month or two, but they are turning blush as well.

I think so much of my stuff is a month ahead of normal. Well if they ripen and are delicious -j52 no problem!

Anyone got any tree fruit in tubs. Is it successful, what size tub, and what sort of compost please.

I don't think the pears will be much good. It's a very old tree and only our second year here. Last year they were huge and not ripe until the end of October. I suspect, unless there is a lot of rain they will just turn and fall off.

I wonder if you could rescue it?

We have loads of apples but not a single pea yet!

WHITEWAVE we have peaches and mandarins in pots of John Innes no.3 compost. They are grown on rooting stock and sit on the patio. They are not large but produce plenty of fruit. Every few years we give them some new compost. The pots are about 18 inches across. We feed regularly with chicken pellets or any other fertiliser but not Gromore as this encourages leaves but not fruit. We never had any success with apricots grown in this way. They died after about a year but the others are over ten years old now.

One of my hydrangeas doesn't seem to be going to flower at all this year . It was fab last year though . Don't know what I might have done wrong ? ( photo from last year )

Same plant this year ???

Did you cut it back? Plants do seem to have good years and then like a rest. Did the frost affect it earlier in the year. We had a lot of plants spoiled by two late frosts down here in Dorset. Give it a feed and speak to it severely.

We always cut our hydrangeas back Liase!and didn't do it any different this time. We love very close to the sea (North East) and don't really get hard frosts (I think it must be the salty air ???) although we had a very cold spring this year.

I have fed it and spoke to it both kindly and sternly too. Think I should give up this year as not a bud to be seen .

I have a couple of potted hydrangeas which are a few years old. They became straggly so I cut them back early in the season. They have so far only had two late flowers each. Hope next year they will do better. Did you also cut yours back?

Yes I always do shysal and they are always lovely. Don't know what I have done wrong this year?

gilly we have four hydrangeas and three are lovely, one has only about five flowers this year, and tiny ones too, it's a mystery!