How Did Your Garden Grow This Year?

[Lesley Jay]

It has been a pretty miserable cold and wet summer so how did your garden fair? This is my first year in charge of the flower garden and I am really pleased with the results. The sufina's and petunia's (especially the ones in pots) have grown great, so have the begonia's. I bought some trailing begonia's with flouncy red flowers and they are huge, but I don't know the variety! 'Sun Patience' is lovely (it should be at £4 a plant!) and the marigold's have stopped the ground elder growing through from next door!

I'm still hoping for the buds to open on my passion flower but the coleius haven't grown, small marigolds just disappeared in the rain and the fushia haven't really grown much.

What have been the good and bad plants in your flower garden?

[Nick the Grief]

crap ...... unless you count the weeds !

[cajary]

Hmm! Dead opposite to you. Surfinias Have been absolutely rubbish. I've never had such a good showing of Fuschias before. I tried 3 varieties of Morning Glory and only one faired O.K.( Grandpa Otis.) It's been a funny old season. I live on the South Coast so location might have something to do with it

[seaspud]

My hanging baskets packed up several weeks ago, but strangely my sweet peas have been the best ever, still going strong.

Unfortunately i picked rubbish varieties. Last years choice was much better, but due to the scorching summer finished begining of July.

Cannot win.

[bramble]

In spite of the wet summer had a lovely show of fuschia's. They are still a mass of colour and no sign of them finishing yet. Hav a great displau of Dahlias both show and bedding ones. My Nirene are starting to flower now although they are a little early. Have a couple of pots ofGeraniums also still blooming. Allk in all not a bad display in spite of all the rainy weather.

[Bubblewrap]

LJ My passion flower has done well this year having many blooms & at the moment at least 6 fruits(1 ripe)Last year I pruned the plant quite heavily but it grew back well the area the plant is in was given a good dose of manure in March My sun flowers did well too.

[Amanda.luther]

Hi guys,
sadly my flowers have been poor this year and everything has gone over so quickly, I think its all the rain we have had during June and July. Lavendar has done really weel and thrived this year as have shrubs but hav'nt had much luck in the way of cutting flowers at all, also hanging baskets didnt fare well. Never mind, better luck next year. Just come back from Norfolk and my friend hasn't had much luck either!
Amanda

[herbyajh]

I'm not a big flower grower, but I did try some Sweet Peas this year - what a joy! Took a while to get going but now they're smothered in flowers and totally wonderful

[mostlybegrowing]

I tried a few old seed packets on the hope that something might germinate. The only thing that did was Cosmos (the mixed pink and white ones) They have gone banana's in the borders and reached a height of 5ft which is briliant as we only bought a few shrubs for the empty garden this year, so they have made a feature out of themselves. I have even used some as cut flowers to brighten up our kitchen.
As for my hanging baskets I forgot to water them again like I do every year.

[Bubblewrap]

I have collected my poppy seeds this year & have about half a pint of them.
I intend to scatter them where I can.(not just on my lottie) Most of the seeds are opium poppies with a few (Flanders?)& California poppies.

[seaspud]

Originally Posted by Amanda.luther

Hi guys,
sadly my flowers have been poor this year and everything has gone over so quickly, I think its all the rain we have had during June and July. Amanda

I agree, during July we had a huge hail storm here in Leicester, it did so much damage, much of it lasting, Strawberries, Hosta and most other plants with leaves fairly flat just got shredded.

My Delphiniums got smashed down just in full flower, sweet peas got pulled off the supports and to cap it all the hail blocked a drain on my patio which blocked an outlet pipe to my Combi boiler causing water to travel the wrong way in the boiler. Cost £106 to fix.

[cajary]

Hi, seaspud. What varieties of Sweet Pea did you try. I'm looking for the "perfect" one for us.
1. Heavily scented.
2. Long-lasting.
3. Long stemmed

[TPeers]

...or even one which will actually grow....

I'm not that fussy! Got fresh seed, planted the lot, most germinated and have grown reasonably but I have had one flower.

That's it, just one.......

Any variety which is bomb proof in terms of flowers will suit - scent would be a bonus.

[seaspud]

Originally Posted by cajary

Hi, seaspud. What varieties of Sweet Pea did you try. I'm looking for the "perfect" one for us.
1. Heavily scented.
2. Long-lasting.
3. Long stemmed

The ones i grew this year were from Kings seeds, Very good germination but poor colouring.
Last years seeds had poor germination but were much better colours, i got from different suppliers, for some reason I have the empty packets at work. Will seek them out.

I'm am also still seeking for the 'ultimate sweet pea'.

[cajary]

Hi, seaspud. This year I grew "Mutacani" and "Elegant Ladies". The Mutacani was good. Very heavily scented, nice colour (purplish), long enough stems to put in a vase and fairly long-lived.
The "elegant Ladies" was very heavily scented but the plant wasn't very vigorous, or long-lasting and the stems were fairly short.
Next year I'm going to try "Cupani" with the "Mutacani"
Hi, TPeers. Sorry they didn't go so well. Try the "Wavy Mixed" variety, they grew well for me last year. I know all Sweet Peas are heavy feeders and require a lot of water. You could try starting them "in situ" in the Autumn and letting them overwinter. I do that with half of mine so I get some early flowers but that does depend on what nature chucks at us during the Winter.
Good Luck

[TPeers]

Slugs mainly!

Thanks Cajary - I'll search around and see if I can find them.

Terry

[cajary]

Slugs mainly? Never get much trouble from the slime brigade on S.P's but I do chuck loads of pellets in the troughs. If you plant them in the Autumn then the slugs etc. shouldn't bother them through the Winter and in the Spring they should be tough enough not to attract the slime Brigade, well, that's the theory

[jlottie]

I got really fed up with my garden during June as everything seemed to have grown leggy and was falling over I've had this week off work and I'm very happy with my garden at the moment, Morning Glory, Rudbeckia, Heleniums, Crocosmia, Cosmos, Monarda and Dhalia's are really pulling out the stops and the Yarrow and Verbena bonariensis have been flowering their heads off for ages, Kaffir Lillies are just starting and I've still got late sunflowers and crysanths to come and some the clems are just starting their second flush of flowers. Brilliant end to the summer

[cajary]

Hi jlottie. Which Morning Glories did you grow. My Grandapa Otis has been great but the others are, only now, showing some promise. I think that their growth is triggered by the falling light levels after the Solstice. I'd love someone with a bit more Knowledge to confirm or deny this. I've tried "Googling" this but I've had no joy.

[jlottie]

This is the first time I've grown them and got a mixed packet of seeds from Alan Romans for 50p, brilliant bargain. They have covered part of my back fence where I had dug out some Hypericum which couldn't stand the full sun. I was surprised to see that the slugs and snails took a liking to "posh" bindweed though.