How does your garden grow.

[Mari]

During March I purchased a rose bush [Rosa Europeana] from my local market stall.
It has taken well, and growing happily in the spot where I planted it, It was only about 2ft in height when bought, and now its grown taller than me, with plent of bloom. The only one thing is puzzles me though, it produces red and yellow roses. Could this be because the yellow roses have been grafted onto the 'mother' plant, so to speak?
I'm not a rose expert , but the Rosa Europeana is normally red , as far as I know.

Anyway it is looking healthy and was well worth a fiver.

The red rose is just beginning to open


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[Gladys]

Beautiful, Mari. I am not very good with plants. I did my hanging baskets in April each one with a pink petunia, purple surfinia and a red busy lizzie. One basket has sort of withered with only half of it in bloom unbalancing the rest. All plants were healthy when I put them in and all were from the same nursery so I have no idea what ails it. The others are looking very colourful and brighten up the garden which otherwise would be very bare as I don't go in for flower gardens with borders because of all of the weeding needed. There is a tall crop of lilies coming up in the pot at the head of the pond which has the most magnificent flowers with a wonderful scent. This should be right on cue in the next week or so.

[Shizara]

I have no garden but do have a few pots on the balcony and need to plant some bee friendly flowers.

[Shizara]

Roses generally do well if they are not deprived of water, have the deadheads removed and get a bit of fertilizer. At the end of the flowering and when they were generally ready for it I pruned them as well. Mari, yours are looking absolutely lovely so you must be doing a great job of keeping them happy.

[cathidaw]

With all the rain I havent been able to mow all of my lawns- Last week I did two and it rained but I have some compensations. I have three most beautiful lawns of real buttercups, just like when I was young and we had a buttercup field near where we lived.I walked barefoot through the them in the rain yesterday.

[Gladys]

Cathidaw, you see its the simple things that give children pleasure and the memories adults treasure. Incidentally, does anyone know how to prune an orchid? I have googled the care of them but I can't see anywhere where there is actual information on how to prune them. I do know you have to do it when they stop flowering and cut the stem at an angle but where on the stem do you cut it? Mine has just lost all of its blooms, so it needs doing now. Knowing my luck I'll cut it off at its prime.

[cathidaw]

When my children were very little and the weather was wet, and miserable, and the children were driving us crazy, we would pile them into our old van-Got the picture? 3 kids - no money - and take them to the woods amile up the road, One hour walking through the dripping woods worked wonders, even better than a seaside trip.Othertimes we'd drive to a layby in the countryside nearby and let them climb over the fieldgate and run around in bare feet.or wellies if it was cold.
Children have so much these days they do not realise what it is to be really happy, always desperate for the newest toy..
I went to a niece's wedding some time ago. I hadn't seen her for years.She said she always remembered whenever she stayed with us as a little girl, and it was too hot to sleep we got them all up at near midnight and spray hosed them down on our lawn.
What a thing to remember . She only ever stayed with us once although she thought it was often.

My buttercups are thriving.

Orchids-- horrid little things. I used to have them bought for me . I prune them with scissors to the bottom of the flowered stem -- and they reflower.
I brought one back from the Eden project and it lived on- and on--and on. I put it in the garden in the end. and havent seen it since. It may still be there quietly multiplying to confront me one year with a bed full.

[Mari]

Thanks Shiz, Yes, the roses like plenty of water , but also good drainage apparently, but it seems to be doing well, it is amazing how tall it has grown about 7ft now, I since found out that the particular kind of rose I bought is susceptible to disease. So will have to keep a wary eye, as I am totally new to keeping roses. I think maybe next year I'll buy a hardy , resistant to diseases rose, I didn't even know you can get thornless roses.


Cathi, I smiled when you said orchid's are horrid and you snip the stems back . I think they are lovely plants. Do you know what colour yours are?

[Gladys]

Cathidaw- may be this is another Story- The Orchid Story; like the Triphids-the one that wouldn't die!!! I'll try cutting it back hard then. I just love the beautiful blooms. I have no idea what strain I have. There are two plants, one has white flowers and the other has pink/purple ones.

[cathidaw]

Mine are--were -pinky purple. I didn't really dislike them -I'd better say that if they're ganging up out there with my buttercups- I found them incredibly boring--They never changed, just sat there on the windowsill -looking. Even when the blooms dropped off the colour never changed.
I had a cyclamen like that once. It did grow though-spread across the wide pot it was in, and then in a wider pot. I had it for 2 years.One day I pulled up the venetian blind -and up it went --trapped. There was only about half an inch of soil attached to the roots ,perching on top of the rest of the soil, like a plate of flowers.
I put it in the garden and for a few years we had lots of mini ones spreading.They were quite pretty. A cold winter finished them off.
Now-roses I love them. I neglect them but love them. I give them a trim if they get out of shape, like a hair cut, but always they come out blooming lovely.my favourites are yellow.
My garden is startling at present with a giant--12 foot mock orange in bloom right now- keeping my mind off the weeds.
Mari your roses look perfect. I'm sure your garden does too. I'm not much of a gardener but I do go out wth my scissors and dead head stuff. I like tiffling.-- also I collect ancient bricks.

[Shizara]

A slight diversion from the roses, orchids and cyclamen but in the last week I called at Dartmouth and on the way out of the town passed Lidl, then further up the road I noticed a bed of wildflowers. I was beside myself that the council or somebody had thought to plant with bees in mind. A little bit further and all was revealed. Sainsbury's eco store. Arriving in the car park I looked around. Lots of wood in the building and outside signage apparently from renewable sources. The signs were informing visitors / customers about the ways in which the store was eco friendly. 60% of the water used in the store was harvested rainwater, 100% of power used to run the checkouts where your money was swallowed up was provided by wind turbines, but the thing that had the greater effect was the planting of the wildflowers and I thought, why can they not be planted in more places especially roadsides? The bumblees and other nectar / pollen gatherers would be very thankful.

[cathidaw]

I went to the Eden project a couple of years ago.What they were doing but on an immense scale was like your Sainsbury's project, Shizara. They were hoping that many of their ideas would be taken up. The problem is that most companys cant be bothered, Yes they can recommend not using plastic bags, look how that fizzled out - and stuff like that but not the real issue..Rainwater could be used for flushing toilets and for cleaning,for example. I saw how it was done at the Eden p and it wouldnt have cost too much in proportion to what they spend on over advertising their stores. --and all those lights!!!
Years ago farmers had what they called clover fields-so beautiful. How nice if we could have beds of them around the stores like that Sainsbury's store Shizara mentioned.but it wont happen , they are classed as weeds.
Another thought --when does a plant become a weed?.

[Shizara]

Clover is so beneficial for the bees and for farm animals.

As to cathidaw's thought about when does a plant become a weed? That's a good question because it is still a plant but it's about whether it is wanted or not. There's a however though, because sometimes the unwanted plant or weed can become invasive and take over, choking out the plants you want to have growing and some are very poisonous like deadly nightshade for example, especially the berries.

[Gladys]

I long to see meadows of clover like there used to be. What has happened to them? Anyway, that aside, some of the weeds have medicinal uses. They have compounds used to treat conditions and many form the basis of homeopathic treatments.

[Shizara]

Until I left NZ I had a big, very thick, black book called Vitalogy. Think it was first published at the end of the 1800's. Open up the cover and there were pages that were a head and each page showed you the different layers. Next was the human body. You could open each piece eg the ribs and underneath were the appropriate organs. An excellent learning tool. There was much advice on wholesome and happy living at the time but there were also a lot of photos of what people term as weeds, which, as gladys rightly pointed out. were used to form the basis of homeopathic treatments. My mother referred to this book many times for advice when my sister and I were growing up.

[Gladys]

Shizara,Have you still got the book? I wonder if my Mum remembers it, I'll ask her later.