Del's Garden Blog: Summer 9-8-13

[Delboy]

those climbing hydrangeas are just about the slowest climbing plants you can get
and the evergreen ones are not supposed to be all that hardy

should look better when the foliage fills out a bit

That's good to know lol, glad they were only 3 for a tenner.

[cordyman]

is this a new castleboard fence? looks identical to the one i've just had fitted and I could only find one company in 50 miles who did this style

[Delboy]

No mate, fence was bought last year from some online company.
It was never worth the money, its fine in the rain but once the panels dry out gaps appear all over the place.

I had 4 panels replaced, but they went crappe too....next time i will stick to a local place as their panels are brilliant and theres not much in it cost wise.

[Delboy]

Few more pics just taken.
Sunny weather, and NO hosepipe ban here, means everything is going great.

[Ginapspn]

Few more pics just taken.
Sunny weather, and NO hosepipe ban here, means everything is going great.

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Hi Del, just been following your project from start to finish and its fantastic! you must be so proud of yourself!

Can I just ask, is your greenhouse heated over the winter or just kept 'frostfree'?


Gina

[Tom and Shell]

Looking great Delboy

[Delboy]

Thanks both
I'm chuffed with how it's turning out, much better than I expected tbh.
It just needs to grow now, but hopefully as im only 36 I have time on my side and will see everything mature.

My greenhouse is unheated.
I did however line the sides with bubble wrap and the sides and roof with fleece.
I didn't lose a single thing in there, Inc a Phoenix canariensis_CIDP and a washie, tho I did drape fleece over them for the coldest nights.
Lowest I got was -6.7.

Heating it is too costly, unless we get a real killer winter I think most stuff is ok just kept frost free.

My only loss was a lovely ensette I had which I boxed up and stored it in the shed.
It rotted, probably hadn't dried out enough.

[karl66]

Shaping up nicely del, we'll have to arrange garden visits as you live so near to me!!. karl.

[Delboy]

Yeah we are pretty close Karl.
Everything is small/young right now, so not that much to see tbh, hopefully in a couple of years my bamboos will have filled out and my palms grown a bit so there will be stuff to actually show off lol. The Dicksonia antarctica's are making the garden look much better, but its all in very early stages. I'd love to 'buy big' and have the instant impact palms i desire, but the wife would divorce me, and the kids would have to starve lol.

Im cramming stuff in right now to pack the borders out, then when the palms etc start growing i will remove some of the less desirable plants.

[Delboy]

I tried updating this last night but lost the lot just before it posted lol, so here i go again.

We had a sunny DRY day yesterday so i took a few pics and thought i'd add them to my blog.
Everything seems to be growng ok, well everything except my canna as they have come to a stand still. My gingers that i thought were goners are now about 10" high , , so im happy. I still need to buy a ensette, hopefully homebase will get them in soon otherwise it will a internet purchase which sucks as postage is more than the plant!

Build wise i have screened my greenhouse, just need to decide what im growing up it. I know it will block out some light but i was finding it a bit of an eye sore and tbh its only used for overwintering stuff as i can't be bothered with growing from seed, they always die lol.

Anyway,

screened off greenhouse

yucca rostrata

lupin/trex

Dicksonia antarctica

hearts tongue fern/brunnera jack frost

side view inc waggie

twin trunk cordy

lupin/brahea

Not sure why but i seem to lose a lot of colour when i upload

[Mr List]

lovely Dicksonia antarctica fronds, so lush

my jack frost is always all flowers and not just foliage like yours, not really a bad thing but i bought it thinking it was a foliage plant.
do you do anything special with yours?

looking at the greenhouse screening it seems that there isnt room for planting at the bottom?
if it is pots how about tender exotic climbers so they die off for the winter to let light in to the greenhouse?

[Trudytropics]

Gorgeous Delboy, you've some cracking plants, good idea with the greenhouse, they are not the prettiest of things. You have come a long way, great transformation


Mr List its important to nip out all the flowers on brunnera, you will be rewarded with much more foliage and a bushier little plant The flowers are pretty dull anyway, I do this every couple of days.

[GoggleboxUK]

Looks really good mate

Cracking job screening the greenhouse, I suppose you need a deciduous climber really, maybe a few grape vines>

I'm totally with you on the growing from seed, I have the touch of death on practically everything I've tried too

Seeing your Dicksonia antarctica really makes me wish I had the room for one (or 4_, it looks incredibly healthy.

Good work!

[Delboy]

Hey everyone, thanks for the kind words
A tropical climber was my first thought, maybe a passion flower. my local gc have some big 7' wisteria for £30 which are Very tempting.
The jack frost is a fave of mine, it was a tiny 9cm pot plant that was sold as a 1ltr
However I've been nipping out all the flowers and it has tripled in size in a very short space of time.
I'd go out and cut them off,and then watch it thicken up.

Gogs, can't believe you have no Dicksonia antarctica's, I hadn't noticed lol, too busy ogling your temple.
They are stunning mate, every garden needs one.

[Delboy]

Forgot to add, the climber would go in a pot or possibly in the ground next to the post.
Wisteria would be better in the ground I'd imagine,I would need to move my arum lily.