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The dawning of a new era and idea.

2ndhand

By 2ndhand

6 comments


I haven’t minded the weather of the last couple of years. I have just gone with the flow. This year was the final straw in the plottie, So much money on failed seeds and plants.
The garden looks lovely, even had a few Clems flower for the first time in years that I thought hadn’t survived.
But my plottie was a disaster. Even though I used the rotation system.

the garden is doing really well. But all my little plants are being swallowed up by the larger plants that have gone mad. So had this idea………………..
I’m going to move the small plants to the PLOTTIE. yeah, and i can buy more perennials too. My heart is in perennials.
The veg might fit in spaces in the plottie if there are any.
The polytunnel veg is doing well, but unfortuantely not a lot of sex going on in there. Lots of lush growth, but not many fruit. But that’s another story. :-)


The overall plottie looks bare and Beety Legume was rather unemployed all summer.


My five year old Asparagus bed from seed and this spring the crowns rotted. Not one single spear. but then a mole tunnelled under both rows, where i had mulched and the worms were busy. Then the tunnels filled with water for a week or two.


The Cucurbita bed. All plants put in dissolved in a couple of days. This will be the peony tree bed. With the irises i moved yesterday due a mole having covered the rhiz’s with hills. and tunnelled under them all.


The Legume bed. A block of broad beans yeilded 4 pathetic plants. and the climbing peas haven’t gone above 3’ 6" This is going to be the new pink and white bed.


The Goji bed. I throw all the stones i dig up as I find them from all the other beds. So as it is free draining, I have planted a load of Lavender and irises (a while back) that I will have to replant.


The Legume overspill bed. Now my new spikey bed. The arch was for the r. beans, there were 18 bean plants now there are 6 with lots of other stalks, and no height to them.


The Brassica bed. Some failed. Only the PSB growing well. This is the start of the purple and blue bed.


Some of the summer cabbages are ok but they will be winter ones before they heart up. :-)


The roots bed. All the beetroot, turnip, parsnips, in fact all sown here several times haven’t germinated. The only success is the spring onions never worked before. But even they remain looking like grass after a couple of months. this going to be the new Hot bed. all reds oranges and maybe just maybe a yellow or two. (yuk)


The Globes on their last year, before I have to take root cuttings and start them off again.


The honeyberry bed. 2yrs old. 1 berry (yuk) but doing well.


but the borders in the garden are going great guns. This is the Pieris bed, I have to move the smaller things at the front as they are being swamped by the taller stuff thats gone mad.


the boggery has loved the weather this year and the Darmera has gone nuts.


the Geranium bank (to save me mowing the steep bit) has finally taken off. Some bits are slow to spread like the ‘Midnight Reiter’, but we’ll get there.


the shrubbery bed with it’s perennial sweet pea i can’t get rid of. The root is in one of my more delicate shrubs, so i just let it ramble.


The lillies dotted round the garden are flowering surprising late, but will have gone over by the next open day.


The Kitchen border, and the plants have gone semi wild, but i like the look. Although I must admit they don’t all go together well. The Ligularia has survived suprisingly well, considering it’s not in a particularly wet border. But it’s been there 9 yrs, so sommat must be right.


A mole tunnelled under both clems on the squiffy arch, but I managed to save one of them.

the two on the other side of the squiffy are not faring quite so well with all the damp conditions, but they are flowering their socks off. He didn’t get to them.


the echinops are making a take over bid, in there somewhere is one of my clumps of corydalis, which will have to be oiked out and put in the shrubbery.


My purple Hydrangea, that due to the rain, the acid has been overtaken by the lime from the workshop wall and the newer blooms are now pink. But i like the overall effect.

So all in all, from a disaster a new dawn of perennials is beginning and my mouth is watering at the plans I have.
i will endevour to grow things on my arches, like sweet peas and climbing peas. I planted my purple climbing beans in the tunnel this year. Just as well I did.


they didn’t even germinate outside.

More blog posts by 2ndhand

Previous post: PLAN B. Blooming brilliant out of Misery

Next post: Isfryn, Bethania, Open garden 19th August 11- 5



Comments

 

I feel for you with moles. You have so many lovely plants and lots of new planting space to move some and give them room to grow. You are going to have a very busy time when they are dormant, so lets hope we have a kind winter for you. So good luck with your 'New Dawn'.

8 Aug, 2012

 

Hope everything works out for you 2ndhand....Im sure it will...:>)

8 Aug, 2012

 

Great looking garden; agree about the perennial sweetpea, once they're in, they're in, impossible to take out. Your echinops are pretty tall - mine are at least a third taller this year with all this rain, but still not quite as tall as yours look to be.

8 Aug, 2012

 

I must admit everything is taller this year. hence the need to move the smaller plants. And as for leaving the moving til things are dormant. Too late. I always move plants about if the soil isn't too dry, No fear of that at the min. Everything is going great guns in their new positions. But I must admit autumn has already started up here. My early indicator (my spindle tree) started to turn maroon 1st week of July. So the things that were late coming into flower, are rushing to get it done before it's too late.

8 Aug, 2012

 

What a beautiful garden you have 2ndhand. Not doing veggies myself - all too much hard work for me - but I do feel for you. Better next year and with all those perennials now on your plottie - it will look great!
Wish my echinops would make a bid to take over. They are just rather pathetic looking specimens with a couple of green balls stuck on top for luck!!!!

9 Aug, 2012

 

Your garden looks really varied and interesting,2nd. Veg aren't having the best year, really, tho' I'm only trying a 50p bargain pumpkin myself, most of which has been eaten by the usual suspects - The SAS aka Slugs And Snails.
I love your echinops. I can't grow them myself but enjoy seeing them on here.

9 Aug, 2012

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