Gran/Grandads Gardening Corner

One of ours always produces lots of flowers, the other oe is never so good.
We don't cut them back after flowering and tend to leave the flowers on all winter, then trim in early spring.

I have just given the rather sad one a good mulch of shrub and rose compost and it looks greener and has some flowers.

Yours lookshealthy, gillybob but perhaps it needs some potassium which I think is in Phostrogen feed.

Jalima thanks for the orchid info. Think I might be in with a chance if there is so much forgetting involved

It was a bit tongue-in-cheek Swanny but most of mine have thrived like that.

One or two did not survive when we went away one very hot weekend, forgot to move them out of the sunny window and forgot to close the blinds in the conservatory; it was 40C in there when we got home!
So a bit of forgetting is OK but not too much

Starting to eat the tomatoes now, mmmmmn, yummy, small sweet cherry tomatoes.Wonderful with baguette and cheese.

roses enjoy the tomatoes, there's nothing like home grown. I just made a ratatouille of home grown tomatoes, courgette and aubergine. The onions aren't ready so they were shop ones!

gilly I reckon it's too dry. Hydrangeas need moisture to do well. Give it a really good mulch in autumn/spring and make sure it doesn't dry out.

liaise thanks for that. Yes dwarf peaches are a real option, as I can totter them into the greenhouse during winter/spring tonstop silver leaf, I was also thinking of possible apple and pears or cherries as well.

Gilly, two of our hydrangeas had brown curly ends on some leaves. We're north west and usually don't need to water pots, or garden, in the spring. I suspect they'd become too dry. I watered and fed but feel guilty as I didn't talk to them, either kindly or sternly, they've perked up and are in flower now. I never cut them back, I leave the flowers on till spring. I did cut some old wood from the centre of the largest, oldest hydrangear and it seems to have given it a new lease of life.

I have realised that The President has not died but has changed from a vibrant purpley blue to an insipid nearly white mauve.

Any tips on how to revive The President or should I just take the plunge and give him the chop?

Any advice welcome.

This was on some gardening programme and I can't remember what they said, which isn't much help. But it obviously happens. I can't remember them saying dig it up though. Google it

Question for Tricia..do the troughs have drainage holes? Are they lined with black plastic? I really want to try strawberries again..no success 20 years in this house!

I don't think my Hydrangeas are too dry ww as we have had a fair bit of rain plus we water everything well during dry spells. The ones in pots are doing fine . I am wondering if it could be lack of potassium ? The leaves are lush and green and the plant itself looks really healthy just no flowers. I suppose even plants can go through miserable periods .

Jalima do you think there has been a change in the soil structure from acid to alkaline or vice versa. They might react like hydrangea.

gilly could be. I fed my wisteria in the hope it would encourage it to flower, that's the recommended feed for flower isn't it? Not that the wisteria has flowered!! In fact I have a feeling that the graft is failing which will be bloomin' annoying as it cast a small fortune.

My soil has always supported Hydrangeas and Rhododendrons very well so assumed quite acid although a treasured Azalea (sp?) didn't look too good this spring either. It did flower but not as good as usual. Is it possible for the soil to change ? Maybe I need to buy one of those testing kits?

Most of the information online seems to be from American sites so not sure if relevant to a climate such as where I live.

Also Tricia what size troughs work?

Just saw my name on here - I'd forgotten about this thread.
Do you mean the wooden troughs husband made for strawberries?
There are 4 troughs, 180cms long, 30cms apart. Each 18cms deep but sort of sloping back at the base. Wedges of wood to support each end.
Yes they're lined with plastic. Filled with allpurpose compost. No holes but the water drips through cracks in the wood etc.
The first year he had the idea to water them with water mixed with cow manure then strained - he dragged me to a nearby cow farm to ask for some manure and we shovelled it into our trailer
When he has an idea he really goes for it!
It's south facing. The whole thing is on a frame fixed to the wall - about bottom trough is 60cms off the ground

That could be the answer J52 - I think our soil is alkaline so the colour may have changed.
DH would love to have a blue hydrangea and, despite putting hydrangea colourant in the soil, they revert to pink.

thanks Tricia..might pass up on the cow manure though!

Gillybob your garden looks really good.

My hydrangeas are still being chomped. I am hoping when the stems become really woody they may become too tough for slugs to eat. if I cannot get them growing well they will be on my list of doesn't grow for me and give up.

My tomatoes are looking good. They were in pots standing by the side of the house but the pots were too small. (I had been planting them into these small pots for years and they grew well weather permitting) After they had blown over yet again, now really laden with toms that are begining to ripen I took action.
Shot off up the road to B & Q bought six plastic buckets for a £1 each and got OH to drill holes in the buckets and I repotted them. They are looking good.

Good idea, Nellie - I might try it, if it's not too late.
Anything planted in open ground here gets swamped by knee-high weeds in a week or 2.

On the way back from the hairdressers I walked past Aldis and outside they had some lovely clematis for £4.99!!! That is incredible value.

There was Hagley hybrid a soft pink, Mrs Cholmdley a soft blue (one that I covet) and loads of others in beautiful condition. So folks if you have a space get there double quick as I reckon they will go like hot cakes. I must go out into the garden and see if I can make space for Mrs Cholmdley then dash out and buy her

We don't have an Aldi nearby unfortunately because I would like Mrs Cholmdley to join our clematis family.
The President seems to be following the fortunes of its namesake, just useless this year.

ps DH is going to give him the chop, you'll be pleased to hear.

jalima shame it may just be a case of wilt. If you want to save it cut it right down mulch a good couple of inches or so feed in spring and sit back and wait.