Germinating Strawberries

Posted on February 5, 2013 by davidsgardendiary

When I finally got down to sowing the Toscana F1 strawberries from DT Brown, I read a few reviews and blog items and it seemed that germination was a bit tricky, particularly at this time of year, even in a propagator. However, I came across a “surefire” way of getting the pesky little seeds to germinate on an american homemade youtube video which looked promising so I decided to give it a try and……………….it worked!

A week after placing the tiny seeds on damp kitchen paper sealed inside a ziplock plastic bag kept in a warm, light place, seven out of ten have germinated. I am not bothered about the others at the moment, experience has shown they can be erratic so they can stay in the bag a bit longer.

In the meantime, I have just carefully transferred the seedlings by toothpick into a pot of sieved seed compost. Fingers crossed!

Snow!

Posted on January 20, 2013 by davidsgardendiary

Garrya elliptica catkins in the snow

After 3 bitterly cold days, it warmed slightly and the snow arrived. Not much, 10cm or so, but enough to keep us indoors. Most low lying shrubs and emerging bulbs are now sleeping under a warm blanket but tall shrubs like the Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ look even more stunning when the long catkins are covered in snow.

Eranthis hyemale, the Winter aconite

These little aconites are reliable early winter stalwarts, emerging before everything else and gradually spreading to all parts of the garden. I must have disturbed them during the renovation because they are appearing in the strangest places. I think this one must have been in the root ball of the primula I transplanted last year.

The woodland path!

Just outside our bungalow, the one you can see in the distance in this photo, there is a lovely woodland path which winds it’s way up the hill on to Charlton Kings Common and then into the old stone quarry and beyond. Most of the year it is an enjoyable, dry and interesting walk but in recent winters, and particularly this one, it has turned into a stream bringing flood water and debris down from the hill and depositing it on to the road. More worrying is the fact that the first storm drain it reaches is the one outside our drive, 200 metres from the end of the path. By the time it reaches that, it is more of a raging torrent than a stream. So far it has not caused any significant damage but ……….. we’ll see!

Echinacea seed heads stripped by the birds

I only saw the finches a couple of times but it seems they made a meal of the Echinacea purpurea seed heads I left in the front border. We also had some strong winds which must have blown more away to be eaten by the Wrens, Dunnocks and Pied Wagtails which are always scratching around looking for stray seeds. Who knows, some may even germinate and give me some free plants.

Frosted Echinacea

This image is not one of mine but I thought it was nice to end this piece. I guess this must have been taken in a place which suffers very early frost because all my Echinaceas lost their petals weeks before our first cold snap in October. It reminds me of crystallised fruit dusted with icing sugar!

Turn up the heat – the response!

Posted on January 8, 2013 by davidsgardendiary

Had a lovely reply from DT Brown today, it went as follows:

Dear Mr Simpson, I’m down on my knees, how silly of us, 200 degrees! Was it the printer or was it just missed It could be the designer who had a slight lisp. Your email has given us all a big laugh and therefore I say on all our behalf However it happened we really are sorry And am sending a packet that will cost you no lolly.

Regards Deb Nicholls

It just goes to show that even in big business there is a place for humour and time to have a laugh!

Thanks Deb. You made my day!

Turn up the heat!

Posted on January 5, 2013 by davidsgardendiary

Just received these seeds from DT Brown. Was about to sow them and suddenly noticed the germination temperature! Thought I would ask their advice so I sent them the following:

I bought some ‘Toscana’ strawberry seeds, I thought I would try something quirky, I looked forward to a summer of delicious soft fruit, And went to the greenhouse all perky.

But when I read the sowing instructions, In despair I sank to my knees, It said that in order to germinate, They need a temperature of 200 degrees!

Oh Mr Brown, I am now in a pickle, I don’t know what I should try, I’ve turned the knob as far as I can, But my propagator won’t go up that high!

Perhaps it’s a typo that nobody spotted, It can sometimes happen you know, Or maybe it’s true and these special seeds, Need roasting to get them to grow!

So please Mr Brown let me know what to do, I’ve tried but I can’t raise that heat, If there’s something to try, apart from the oven, Your wisdom would go down a treat!

2012 in review

Posted on December 31, 2012 by davidsgardendiary

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 2,600 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 4 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Red Berry, Yellow Berry

Posted on December 23, 2012 by davidsgardendiary

Viburnum opulus

I have always believed that garden birds generally take the red berries first followed by the yellow berries, then, if they are hungry enough, the pink berries and finally, almost reluctantly, they might take the white berries.

Sorbus hupehensis

I therefore found it strange that this year the pink and white berries of my Rowans, Sorbus hupehensis and Sorbus cashmeriana are already stripped bare while the Hawthorns, Cotoneaster and Pyracantha are still laden with red and yellow berries!

Pyracantha berries

The Blackbirds, in particular, relished the white berries and performed incredible feats of balance and ingenuity to get them from the very ends of the wispish branches, bending them double and often jumping from one stem to another or taking them on the pass as they descended.

I read that flocks of Waxwings are coming to Britain this year due to the poor berry harvest in mainland Europe so I am hoping to see my first one this year. We have already had Redwings, Fieldfares, Blackcaps, Jays and Woodpeckers, partly attracted by the variety of food we put out daily, but also the wonderful feast of berries in Gloucestershire this year. Incidentally, we have found that one of the favourite foods is leftover raw pastry from the mince pies and the trimmings from marzipan.

Another idea I like the sound of is an old coconut shell filled with super-saver crunchy peanut butter (340g jar is 62p from Morrisons or Asda) mixed with birdseed and porridge oats. It’s a different take on using suet and seeds but even more delicious! Watch out for squirrels though, they love peanuts so try to make it inaccessible to them.

The Girls!

Posted on December 22, 2012 by davidsgardendiary

Yula, Yana & Lake – ‘The Girls’

No blog about our garden would be complete without at least a passing reference to our three wonderful Labradors, Lake, Yana and Yula. They are such a big part of our life that they deserve a category of their own which I will update from time to time with the inevitable highs and lows! Continue reading →

Favourite Dahlia & Chrysanthemum of 2012

Posted on December 20, 2012 by davidsgardendiary

Bishop of Llandaff

Probably my favourite Dahlia of the year, Bishop of Llandaff. The sturdy stems holding gorgeous deep red flowers contrast with the dark foliage and, with regular deadheading, went on for months. A really good front of border dahlia and very attractive to bees. Started from seed this year, this was grown from a packet of ‘Redskin Mix’ from Suttons Seeds.

Orange Allouise

Undoubtedly my favourite Chrysanthemum of 2012, the gorgeous buttery yellow ‘Orange Allouise’ which captivated me every day in the early morning sun throughout August and early September. Strongly recommended if you like that sort of thing!

Happy Accidents & Pleasing Combinations

Posted on December 20, 2012 by davidsgardendiary

The weather is cold and wet and so I’ve been indoors looking back over this year’s photos and deciding what needs to change in the coming year. One thing that struck me was the number of good plant combinations, some planned and some ‘happy accidents’.

Lychnis coronaria alba with Knapweed

I was pleased with the Lychnis amongst the birches and the staddlestone but had nothing to do with the Knapweed which chose just the right spot to add a touch of colour.

Purple Beech and Clematis

I have no idea of it’s name but this clematis was £1.99 from Morrisons and I decided to let it mingle with the young Beech hedge and the colours worked beautifully together. Being a viticella variety I should prune it right back to a pair of buds in February but I’m just going to let it do it’s own thing and see how it performs.

Echinacea with Ricinus communis

I wasn’t sure about this combination but the daisy flowerhead of the Echinacea mimics the large palmate leaves of the Ricinus and the colours compliment each other well.

Cosmos bipinnatus with Hesperis matronalis

The Hesperis matronalis was supposed to be the usual lilac colour but this one turned out to be pure white which acted as the perfect foil for the dark pink Cosmos.

Lychnis coronaria alba with Borage

Another accidental blue and white combination, the pure white Lychnis with the unique purple and blue of Borage.

Cosmos ‘Seashells’ with Bupleurum

These two were planted a metre apart but, as often happens, as the summer wore on they fell into each other creating an unusual but pleasing combination.

Bells of Ireland with Echium ‘Blue Bedder’

The Echium grew exceptionally well and was covered in bees all summer. I wasn’t sure about the Bells of Ireland (Molluccella laevis) but the yellow/green bracts work with the blue and the touch of bright white from the Echium.

Echium ‘Blue Bedder’ with Zinnia ‘Lime Green’ and Bells of Ireland

The addition of Zinnia ‘Lime Green’ and Nicotiana langsdorfii brought a ‘zing’ to the same combination.

Geranium pyrenaicum ‘Bill Wallis’

This is one of those unplanned but pleasing combinations where two colours of the same variety appear side by side and look good together.

I am sure all these could be planned but I am just as pleased when it happens by accident!

Framberry!

Posted on December 11, 2012 by davidsgardendiary

Those nice people at Spalding Plants and Bulbs are keen for horticultural bloggers like me to join their club and trial new products. They have kindly sent me a free gift of 100 Spring bulbs for joining and have asked me to review one of their newish plants next year. I have chosen to trial the ‘Framberry’ which is a strawberry that tastes like a raspberry!

Pineberries (Photo credit: Michael.Camilleri)

The Framberry – a strawberry that tastes like a raspberry!

How anybody managed to hybridise those two is anyone’s guess but that is not as weird as the Pineberry, a Strawberry that tastes like a Pineapple!!!!!

So, yesterday my two rooted runners arrived along with the bulbs and although it is -3° outside, they will be potted on and kept in the greenhouse until April when I am expecting great things!