Gran/Grandads Gardening Corner

My lovely little Rhododendron "Grumpy" The colours in the petals change. The two tiny petals at the bottom of the photo are from my London Pride which I am really begining to appreciate now. The tiny flowers are on feathery stems and beautifully marked.

I have been weeding around my bottom garden border, collecting seedling plants and off sets and putting them on Freecyle. They were in great demand but I must not give away too many. I hate throwing plants away.

Thank you Shysal the garden is on acid soil, a SW facing slope in SW Scotland. It was already landscaped when we bought the house. I'm trying to conserve it!
I'm nervously pruning the Rhododendrons as they are getting leggy.

I am not posting a picture of my Mr President as it looks very in comparison roses!

DH would like to know the secret - is it good soil or a dollop of manure or just green fingers?

I planted 4 nemesia last week and they have all lost all their flowers - I am wondering if bunnies particularly favour them.

Your garden looks lovely J52. Do you have an acid soil or did you change the pH of the Rhodie and Azalia bed?

Thanks gillybob
I always put the bedding begonias in the garden, the slugs don't like them, just wasn't sure about the house plant variety.
All your gardens are lovely, I have a serious case of garden envy.

I'm hopeless at posting pictures, but you can see what the gardening conditions are like here from this thread, if you have time to read it:
www.thefranceforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=19896
The physallis bit is mine, (Patf), the person who replied is an expert, as you can see.

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Lovely garden Roses. Things seem to be a bit further forward than us, but thank goodness the sun is here now!
Shysal, it is difficult trying to establish a meadow garden, isn't it!
I've just bought some wild meadow plantlets from our NT garden, so I'll see if they work. Sowing seed has come to nothing!
Meanwhile my rockery by the raised pond is looking good and the Rhododendrons and azealia are beautiful, many have been flowering since January. Also included a woodland bed, under a larch, that I reclaimed from some old bushes!

This pic is of a piece of waste ground in the communal car park for the row of terraced houses where I live. It is full of builders' rubble and concrete making planting difficult, but two or three years ago I made the mistake of introducing a few moon daisies grown from seed. They have now taken over and are just coming into flower this year. It will only take a few rain storms and they will be flattened and look an absolute mess. The neighbours and I have thrown 1000s of seeds and plants at the plot in the past but nothing much takes and anything that did establish like border geraniums is now choked out. We had envisioned a wonderful wildish look including poppies. It is wild, but not wonderful!

rose that's exactly what I think. I would also echo the others and say what a lovely garden. I have a President but it is only just winding its way up a Golden Showers rose. I do have other clematis out though. We live at about 2 miles from the Devils Dyke on the Sussex Downs so quite high, and it is amazing how much later stuff in the garden is compared to say my sister who lives on the coastal plain.

Serious garden envy roses

Oh they don't look like poppies.

My North East garden must be miles behind yours roses I have some of the same plants (nowhere near as good as yours though) that have yet to flower.

On one positive note, my grass is looking good after we took advice (can't remember who suggested it but thank you a million times over) and patched the places with turf, where the seed wouldn't germinate following moss treatment. Its now almost back to its former glory although trying to keep it a little longer than usual to let the turf patches take properly.

Jalima. I always plant Lady Di runner beans too, they are very successful. I do not seem to manage to collect many seeds though, so start afresh each year. I remember my father's used to dry on the plant and rattle in the pods before we picked them and stored for the following year.

whitewave, I can identify some of my starlings, a few of which also have very long beaks. The babies line up along the 4 arms on top of the feeding station waiting to be fed. It will only be a short while before they are able to help themselves. They make a terrible mess, flicking the seed onto the ground, but sparrows, robins and blackbirds clear some of it up.

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Some more taken today.
The belgian honeysuckle on the trellis has really taken over, flowers will be out any day now.
Aubretia still going well, and the orange spreading plant I think is Helioanthus, and is a fast grower.

It would be nice if others shared garden pics ( I know you have done gilly)

Poppies gillybob they flower for the day then drop ( when hot) but more come out the next day.We collect the seed and scatter all over the place.They go all Summer long, so really good value and bees love them.

Just having another little peep at your lovely garden roses what are those lovely orange flowers that look like buttercups?

ww that starling should do well in life, it can collect more insects and worms with a long beak!
We used to have a distinctive male blackbird with a white streak, but it didn't manage to find a mate.

I took the pics this morning about 8.45 Jalima as we were having breakfast outside.The President clematis has been in flower for a fortnight! The garden is very sheltered and has plenty of sun.
Thanks all, we really enjoy gardening and the soil is very easy to work and plant in, being sandy soil.
Today bought two patio roses, one is a marbled red and white ( interesting) and the other one a bright orange.
Also bought two different coloured coleus plants for a shady spot.I heard Monty Don say they like sun, but I buy them for a shady corner every year and they always do really well.

Wow roses your garden looks amazing.

I'm so jealous.

I have just put Begonias outside Juliette and I live on the windy North sea coast.

I have a starling amongst many coming into the garden for a couple of months now - it has brought its chicks the last week or two. But, what is interesting is that it has a beak that is at least twice if not three times as long as normal - it is absolutely distinctive.

If I plant this Begonia in a tub outside will it continue to thrive or will it be instant death?
It has flowered consistently since Easter and has been very happy. Thought it might extend the flowering life outside but really not sure, any advice would be lovely.

Lady Di is a good runner bean - they don't get stringy and freeze well which many runner beans do not.

ps I forgot to mention that last year I exchanged some runner beans with someone on here - Alima? Hers are purple, mine are Tarbes.
Have now put them in compost in little pots to start them off - fingers crossed.

Lovely garden Roses
We spent the morning at the garden centre yesterday and came home with loads of plants, mostly for planters. Mixed lobelia, petunia, nasturtium. No reds this year.
The summer climate here is very hot and dry, the soil is almost solid clay, so very few plants survive in open beds.
Santolina is my favourite, just coming into flower now. Roses do well too, but the deer ate ours, so only in large pots next to the house.