I spent today in the garden – here’s what I did.
Salvia Amistad after the snow and storms.
These stumps are what’s left of salvia Amistad which flowered 5ft high from June to Christmas. The snow and storms finished it off. I suppose I could sit and look at these sticks for 6 months and see if they burst into life next spring. Really you can’t do that in a small garden, space is too precious. I could take them out now and buy new ones next May. That’s what I did, with the help of a 12 year old neighbour earning some pocket money for hard work. Hurrah for child labour!
Lovely new shoots of sedum
I left the old sedum heads till now but cut them back today and look what was underneath. Lovely new shoots are coming up, looking like little cabbages. They will get to about 18 inches by late May when I will Chelsea Chop them down by half or more. They will then grow more sturdy and flowering will be delayed till October/November when the garden needs colour and food for birds.
New copper- looking trough as a raised bed for shrubs
I needed a raised bed to plant shrubs to form a screen between us and the road. Instead of railway sleepers I found this wonderful copper coloured trough, light at a feather, from Primrose. 1m x 45cm x 45cm. The shrubs are different varieties of pittosporum and nandina domestica, evergreen and interesting. When it’s planted up it’ll be so heavy I defy anyone to pinch it.
Grasses – neither looking great
These two grasses are the same variety. The snow crushed all the stems. Just after cutting down the one on the right I remembered too late that the last time I did that, the grass died. I have a horrible feeling it’s one of those grasses you are supposed to comb out with your fingers rather than cut down. I have a garden diary of course, full of lessons to learn. Why oh why didn’t I…….. ?. I’ll stick it in a corner and see what happens.
Wildlife haven/dumping corner
I’ve set aside this corner for piling up all things brown and green. I tell myself it is a haven for wildlife as well as a dumping corner because I am trying to keep all waste within the garden rather than pay the Council to take it away. With this pile and my compost bins maybe I can avoid sending anything organic out of the garden. We shall see.
Ta-daaa!
I must be deluded to think these cloches from Crocus will keep squirrels off my tulips. They will just lift them off with a flourish, like a waiter lifting the silver dome off a plate at a fancy restaurant. Tulips – yummmmmm
Pop over to the propagator for more Sixes on Saturday where other bloggers show their Six on Saturday.
So lovely to be doing things in the garden. We did the same last year with the beautiful plant Amistad. Sadly it did not come back Replaced it again . Will do the same this year. Good luck to you and your garden this year. Can’t wait! Can you.
Hi Patricia, thanks for your interesting reply. I am lucky that there is a local plant sale here every May and they always have Amistad for £4 so what could be greater value than that, when they flower from June to December non stop! I am out in the cold sunshine today planting shrubs – this is the calm before the busy period isn’t it. As my previous blog said, we gardeners are always looking forward as well as remembering last year and enjoying the present. Best wishes, Julie
That’s the most attractive dump site I’ve ever seen.
Yes, I really like it. It’s getting bigger by the day and chucking things in a corner is jolly satisfying! Thanks for commenting, best wishes Julie
I just love your cloches! Just stick some bamboo stakes through them to keep the squirrels away.
That’s a good idea – thanks very much – I wage constant war with squirrels who eat all my bird food whatever I do. They laugh in the face of so called squirrel-proof feeders. Ha!
Lovely Six,onky getting around to reading it now. I am growing amistad from seed this year. Probably won’t come true but if I get 5 feet and months of flowers I’ll be very happy.
Thankyou Jonathan, must admit I buy my Amistad in a 9cm pot for about £4 each May at a local plant fair. Fantastic value I think. Good luck with your seed but will the plant survive your winter? Julie
I live in Carshalton and Amistad never fails to come back here. Sometimes it won’t show until June, but then grows very quickly. Like most salvias it’s very easy to take cuttings and overwinter.
Thanks for that. I think I will put next year’s in the border then I can leave it in from year to year. In a pot it looks pretty sad till June. So we learn from year to year.
I like your copper raised bed and tulip pot covers even if the squirrels lift them, they look good. We have to battle with squirrels and badgers to protect our bulbs and fruit.
Yes Brian, I rush out waving my arms about when I see them pinching my tulips!