GMG Green Thumb Club

[Mandryka]

Quite hard to get a good picture, it comes into its own when the eucalyptus is cut down in March.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Quite hard to get a good picture, it comes into its own when the eucalyptus is cut down in March.

Nice!  Do you have to do any kind of mulching/protective coverings for the colder months?

PD

[Mandryka]

Nice!  Do you have to do any kind of mulching/protective coverings for the colder months?

PD

No, it's been fine without anything. I prune the roots once or twice a year, that's all.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

No, it's been fine without anything. I prune the roots once or twice a year, that's all.

Cool! 

I just realized that I missed the last picture that you had posted (fish pond, etc.).  What a lovely and serene garden.  Did you design it all yourself? 

PD

[Mandryka]

Cool! 

I just realized that I missed the last picture that you had posted (fish pond, etc.).  What a lovely and serene garden.  Did you design it all yourself? 

PD

Thanks.

Yes, when I was designing the gardens I tried to find a professional whose work I liked, but failed! So I just had to design them myself. I had a pretty good landscaper who allowed me to experiment and came up with good ideas for implementation.

That particular garden (there are three) is the most used because the water attracts everyone like a magnet!

[Szykneij]

Quite hard to get a good picture, it comes into its own when the eucalyptus is cut down in March.

Very nice! I like the eucalyptus, too. What is it you have growing along the fence? It looks like an espaliered pear tree, but hard to tell.

[Mandryka]

Very nice! I like the eucalyptus, too. What is it you have growing along the fence? It looks like an espaliered pear tree, but hard to tell.

Espalier apple. And there's a Vitis purpurea.


The Eucalyptus is just a gunnii but it's a particularly good one, I once spoke to a Eucalyptus expert about it and he confirmed that there is a considerable amount of species variation. I'd take cuttings, but I was told it's quite hard to propagate - and I can't give it bottom heat etc.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Espalier apple. And there's a Vitis purpurea.


The Eucalyptus is just a gunnii but it's a particularly good one, I once spoke to a Eucalyptus expert about it and he confirmed that there is a considerable amount of species variation. I'd take cuttings, but I was told it's quite hard to propagate - and I can't give it bottom heat etc.

I like how that pool has curved sides.

Did your landscaper build that or did you have to hire someone who specializes in water features?

Looks also like you put in some drip irrigation?  At least for the in the Phyllostachys vivax in the black container?

PD

[Mandryka]

The curved sides are a camera effect!  When we were making the garden I wanted an elliptical pond, but the landscaper point blank refused!

Drip irrigation is in all containers in the garden, and there are a lot of them. I find that some of my favourite plants do better in containers with irrigation than in the ground. Things like Teuchrium fruticans and Magnolia grandiflora and Hydrangea quircifolia.

[Szykneij]

I find that some of my favourite plants do better in containers with irrigation than in the ground.

I agree. I have many shrubs and trees in pots that do very well. The soil in our upper yard has a lot of clay (our city was famous for brick-making in the past) as well as many tree roots. I have whiskey-barrel type containers in those areas where planting in the ground is less than ideal.

The lower yard is the land we purchased a few years ago that was riddled with Japanese knotweed. After spending an entire summer digging out the roots, I came to the realization there was no way I could get it all. I at least got rid of all of the major crowns and have been able to keep it at bay by removing any sprouts that pop up. Little by little, I've been moving some of the potted shrubs into spots that appear safe.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

The curved sides are a camera effect!  When we were making the garden I wanted an elliptical pond, but the landscaper point blank refused!

Drip irrigation is in all containers in the garden, and there are a lot of them. I find that some of my favourite plants do better in containers with irrigation than in the ground. Things like Teuchrium fruticans and Magnolia grandiflora and Hydrangea quircifolia.

Oh, hadn't thought of that! 

With your drip system, how do you have it set up re faucets, etc.?  Is it all on one system--as in when one pot/plant gets watered, they all do?  Or have you figured a way to just water certain ones at one time?

I agree. I have many shrubs and trees in pots that do very well. The soil in our upper yard has a lot of clay (our city was famous for brick-making in the past) as well as many tree roots. I have whiskey-barrel type containers in those areas where planting in the ground is less than ideal.

The lower yard is the land we purchased a few years ago that was riddled with Japanese knotweed. After spending an entire summer digging out the roots, I came to the realization there was no way I could get it all. I at least got rid of all of the major crowns and have been able to keep it at bay by removing any sprouts that pop up. Little by little, I've been moving some of the potted shrubs into spots that appear safe.

I hate Japanese knotweed!!!  Ugh, such a pain to deal with!  Glad that you have been making progress with yours.

PD

[Mandryka]

They all get watered at the same time - what I believe is that (assuming good drainage) it's very hard to overwater.


It finally rained cats and dogs here last night, this is the view from my bedroom window, you can see the agonising Vitis coignetiae, which has gone into premature autumn mode. Light a candle for it.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

They all get watered at the same time - what I believe is that (assuming good drainage) it's very hard to overwater.


It finally rained cats and dogs here last night, this is the view from my bedroom window, you can see the agonising Vitis coignetiae, which has gone into premature autumn mode. Light a candle for it.

Delighted to hear that you finally got some decent rain. 

Poor vine!  Is there no way that you can water it?  Maybe using some waste water?  Or setting up a rain barrel?

Thankfully here, we've received a bit of rain off and on over the past few days which has been most welcome.

I believe that you said some time ago that you also grow some fresh herbs?  Do you bother with any veggies?  I'm trying to find a balance between watering potted plants enough and not overwatering them (which I think that I might have done with my bell peppers....though the hot ones are fine.    Eggplants are looking good though flea beetles did a fair bit of "pin holing" to the leaves.  And something is attacking my cucumbers....ah, the never-ending battle!

PD

Your infinity path is very cool by the way. 

[Szykneij]

They all get watered at the same time - what I believe is that (assuming good drainage) it's very hard to overwater.


It finally rained cats and dogs here last night, this is the view from my bedroom window, you can see the agonising Vitis coignetiae, which has gone into premature autumn mode. Light a candle for it.

What a gorgeous view! The vine adds some nice color and I'm sure it will bounce back as strong as ever.

[Szykneij]

I'm trying to find a balance between watering potted plants enough and not overwatering them (which I think that I might have done with my bell peppers....though the hot ones are fine.    Eggplants are looking good though flea beetles did a fair bit of "pin holing" to the leaves.  And something is attacking my cucumbers....ah, the never-ending battle!

PD

I think it's time for me to start transitioning to an early autumn mode. I had a great cucumber crop, but the vines are just about done. My tomato production has slowed way down, too.

[Mandryka]

I don't grow vegetables any more, I do grow some herbs - Rosemary, sage, thyme, winter savoury and marjoram. The savoury and marjoram are fabulous ornamentals too.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I don't grow vegetables any more, I do grow some herbs - Rosemary, sage, thyme, winter savoury and marjoram. The savoury and marjoram are fabulous ornamentals too.

Nice!  I love having fresh herbs around.  Don't believe that I've ever grown *winter savory before--I've grown summer savory though it's been some time.  Marjoram is wonderful.  I've discovered the tasty delights of using it with mushrooms along with tarragon [I had to replace my patch of that this year.].  I have pots of rosemary and thyme which I overwinter inside.

*What dishes do you like making using it?

PD

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I don't grow vegetables any more, I do grow some herbs - Rosemary, sage, thyme, winter savoury and marjoram. The savoury and marjoram are fabulous ornamentals too.

How has your garden recovered?  What has the rainfall been like lately?

Very happy to harvest yet more tomatoes today--not a ton as I don't have a lot of plants and was also a late starter, but happy that they are now rolling in.  On the whole, small varieties...wondering if I can make sauce out of them?  I have given away some to a friend and am planning on making a tart soon using some of them (also some purchased heirlooms).  Mostly, they are used in salads and for sandwiches.  As a side note, I am incredulous that my system this year using tall metal fence posts plus bird netting, wooden stakes and hoops, and ground cloth pins actually worked this year in terms of keeping out chipmunks and squirrels.  And, for the most part (once I got used to it), it's been fairly quick at removing some of the netting in order to harvest tomatoes (weeding a bit more awkward but still doable).  I'll have to make some notes for future gardens. 

How are the rest of you fairing?

PD

[Mandryka]

Skin and deseed the tomatoes. Chop roughly.
Melt a salted anchovy in copious amounts of olive oil.
Add the toms.
Let them heat through slowly, but hardly cook at all.
Add lots of chopped parsley and some pine nuts
Serve with linguine.


Apart from that, the vine looks dead, the bamboo was given its second root pruning of the year over the weekend and looks well, there's a big quantity of apples. And a huge quantity of pears, which have been stewed with cider and raisins and are mostly in the freezer.





This past two weeks, I have planted a replacement Vitis coignetiae, a couple of Salvia officinalis 'Berggarten', a handful of Balotta  pseudodictamnus and a hedge of 50 Teucrium x lucidris.

Oh and some Eucalyptus gunnii. I'm trying an experiment, I want to grow eucalyptus in pairs about 1m apart, and pollard one of each pair every two years in spring. That should leave a eucalyptus tower permanently. I don't know how well it will work, they may not like growing so close to each other.

But the thing I'm most proud of of this.



What you see is a Buddleja colvillei and an Echium pininana. The Buddleja was planted a year ago, the Echium was planted out in May. Both seem happy.

They are nestling in a corner, protected on three sides by brick walls, against the proverbial south facing warm wall in Surrey (you probably don't get that unless you've read Graham Stewart Thomas.) 

I now need to work out what I have do to exactly get the Echium through the winter, and to make sure that flower buds of the Buddleja aren't burnt off by cold winds in March.

[Szykneij]

I just finished my annual task of taking all my tender plants into the safety of their winter home in my cellar. It's a bit earlier than I'd like, and there haven't been any frost warnings for my area as of yet, but watches have been issued for places not too far to the north and west. I didn't want to be caught off guard.