It’s been a bit of a week. Not a day has passed without plants arriving (some enterprising chap even turned up on Sunday!). The icing on the cake was the arrival of three big boxes containing a total of 360 garden ready bedding plants from the lovely people at Thompson and Morgan. They very kindly let me have an email to let me know that this somewhat large consignment had been despatched and that I should expect delivery in around four days. Their kindness was much appreciated, especially given that they sent the email twelve hours after the consignment was deposited in my hallway as I wondered what the heck I was going to do with it.
I’ve also worked out that by adopting a sort of conveyor belt system I can pot on those little plug plants at the rate of 200 an hour. Which is good to know if you have 700 little plug plants to pot on. I cheated by rehydrating some bales of coir before I started timing myself.
Betwixt and between all the fun and games I have managed to find time to put a six of sorts together in homage to the all-powerful Mr Prop. I found the time because I ran out of coffee beans for my grind and brew gizmo and had to resort to instant coffee which is a lot less tasty but a lot quicker to make. So here we go.
1 Geraniums
A couple more of the perennial Geraniums have come into flower.
Up close, you can see the difference in the centres of the flowers. But from a distance this isn’t so easy to see. But most people will point to the easy indicator between the two Gs – the foliage.
I have three or four or maybe five (I’ve lost count) more Geraniums to come. Please be patient.
2 Born to be Wild
Wild Edric to be precise. The first of my roses to flower. These early flowers are less than perfect – I find that the first blooms on any rose show some difference when compared to the decent ones that come a bit later. Still, I’m not complaining about half a dozen early rose blooms, even if they’re not quite right.
3 The Best Things Are Welsh
Meconopsis Cambrica, the Welsh poppy. Can be a bit difficult if it doesn’t like its spot. This was originally planted about twenty feet away. The plant died. Then I planted one about six feet away. That plant died but not before performing some kind of magic trick to make this plant appear where it did last year and has done again this year. It is clearly happy in the home it has found for itself. Who am I to argue.
4 Sometimes the English Do OK Though!
I’ve been trying to eradicate the Spanish invaders for years. As my methods got more drastic, this involved completely removing bluebells from most of the garden and I now only have one patch of “oldies” left. I buried 150 new bulbs of certified English stock in the autumn of 2017 and was rewarded with about ten sets of leaves last year. This year, though, they’ve managed a better performance. Now I wait to see whether they remain English next year.
5 Mummy
Last week the Notorious GH included a photo of an opening Osteospermum. This is a fully open flower from the mother plant. Just so you know what they look like when they wake up completely.
6 Just When You Think It’s All Over
I’d thought that the display of Narcissus was over for the year. But I was wrong. These late birds have just appeared amongst the jungle of declining foliage.
Right I’m off to shift a couple of thousand (2,250 to be precise) kilos of soil and stuff from my drive. With luck it will all arrive at its ultimate destination today and I’ll have covered it with plants by the end of the weekend.
Meanwhile, you can all nip over to Mr Prop’s place where you’ll find (repeat visits advised) a growing list of links to other sixes. Be warned, though, the experience may damage your wealth!
Until next time, enjoy your garden.
I love Welsh Poppies but have never had any luck with them. My mother in law gives us some of her spare seedlings every year and sometimes they seem to do well but they never reappear or seed themselves around. Pity.
You are not alone in having difficulty with them. No-one really knows why something that can spread like mad in one place just refuses to co-operate up the road.
Welsh Poppy shows no such reticence in this part of the Celtic fringe. I could send you some seed, how many kg would you like?
It doesn’t grow in the wild in these parts and, surprisingly, in other parts where it does grow, people often complain that it’s picky as to location and difficult to grow successfully in the garden. I’m happy with the one decent plant I’ve got tho will be collecting seed later. The weed “poppy” around here is Californian!
I feel like I’ve missed the boat again on the bedding front. There is room for it in vacated pots and in the very front row. I shall have to buy some bigger plants in. I’m sure yours will all look fab.
Get thee to Van Meuwen’s web site (vanmeuwen.com) where, until midnight tomorrow (6 May) you can pick up 4 packs of garden ready bedding – 120 plants in total – for £30+a fiver p&p, at least according to today’s emailed offer. You can always get generous and order multiple 4 packs of course. Mix and match – your choice of plants. Advert ends.
Geraniums and roses, it must be summer, but no wait a minute the narcissi are still flowering… I admire your stamina with all those plug plants!
I’ve eased off with plugs now. About 12 years ago I was actually on the telly as then I grew about 7,000 bedding plants each year from plugs. Potting them up is very therapeutic.
Nice to see Osty Mum, on that subject how is Peggy getting on? Have you ordered even more plants than last year? I’m sure it will all be worth it in the end. Love the Welsh poppies, so anarchic, they just do their own thing and don’t care what anyone else thinks. 🙂
Uh, I may have surpassed Mr P in plant purchases. The arrivals are easing off now – only another 733 to come. I seem to have double-ordered yet again. Who needs grass?
I read your discontent on Twitter about T & M….Glad you get all the pallets
Thank you for the differentiation clue of geraniums. What I thought was a G phaeum is actually a G samoboor.
I’ll let you go back to your plantings because there must still be a lot …
Yesterday was pallet emptying. Today, tomorrow, next week is planting.
Ok, patience may be required on your part, Mr K, but I’m confused as to why you’d have to plant Welsh poppies. They have always & happily taken over parts of my garden, most especially my large pots. Are we talking distant cousin poppies? Or perhaps immigrant Welsh poppies, similar to myself, an American descended from a Welsh grandfather, but not truly Welsh. I’m simply flabbergasted you’d have to plant Welsh poppies. In Wales. Beyond that, your rose is perfect as is. Happy hard work weekend to you.
Welsh poppies don’t grow in many parts of Wales and they can be idiotically difficult to grow in the garden. Welsh poppies are from the celtic fringe which includes Cornwall (which used to be known as South Wales). We do have American poppies, from California apparently. They grow anywhere like weeds. Plant one this year and you’ll have a garden full next year. Meanwhile feel free to bask in the glory of your Welsh ancestry.
I’m not very happy w/having inherited my Welsh grandfather’s nose. I would much rather’ve had his gold tooth.