Gardening Resources & Tips

[Pepper Pig]

It is a long time since I gardened and, whilst I know some basic techniques, I am now strictly a shrub and container gardener so bear with me.

First question:

I over planted crocus and tulips and although they looked lovely for a few days I am now left with a lot of floppy foliage. Should I cut them back or pull them up?

Second:

I’m not going to subscribe to the garden bin collection as it will take at least one season to fill. The previous occupants left it a quarter full and that has decomposed quite nicely. Is there anything I shouldn’t put in?

[herbidacious]

You should really leave them until they have died back if you want them to flower well next year, I'm afraid. This is why I don't have loads in the garden. I don't want all the foliage.
Wait as long as you can bear to, then cut back if you must? (I often end up doing this with ones in the garden but it doesn't matter as much if they don't flower the next year.)


Not sure about the bin. I don't put certain weeds in my compost bin but a) I might be being over cautious - whether it's ok probably depends on how hot the bin gets and b) not sure how hot your bin will get!
Someone else will know better than I do.

[Suffs]

I agree with Herbi … leave the crocus leaves as long as you can … and keep them watered … ideally until they start to die. Giving them a dose of fertiliser now while the leaves are still alive will help ensure good blooms next spring.

[Pepper Pig]

Thanks both.

[scullion]

I’m not going to subscribe to the garden bin collection as it will take at least one season to fill. [...]Is there anything I shouldn’t put in?

we don't have a garden bin collection or food waste one either. we use a worm bin for cooked waste and the compost bin for the rest - we also use shredder for the woody waste that then goes in the compost. you shouldn't put cooked waste into the compost as it attracts rats.
if you put citrus peel into the compost i suggest you cut it up a bit.
avocado skins are slow to break down as are corn husks those are all the sort of things that should go in the food waste collection (if you have one) along with cooked waste, if you aren't going to have a worm bin.
your compost bin will also like the addition of cardboard along with the green waste.
the no-no's for the compost bin are things with blight or pernicious weeds - although i'm pretty sure charles dowding says you can - but then i don't suppose you'll get many of those in your containers.

i agree, as long as the bulb leaves are green they're putting back nutrition into the bulb that it used to make them flower and what they need to grow and reproduce the bulbs. leave them until they've died back.

[Pepper Pig]

Food waste won’t go in as that is collected weekly. I do seem to get a lot of cardboard though. Thanks Scully.

[Amber]

Does anyone else still fold daffodil leaves over, and use one leaf to loosely tie them together?

[scullion]

nope. never have, nor cut them off.
if you want them to grow strong and bloom next year let them photosynthesise as much as possible.

[Earthmaiden]

Does anyone else still fold daffodil leaves over, and use one leaf to loosely tie them together?

Yes, I've a very small garden and stops them taking up too much space. There are usually some the following year.

[Stokey Sue]

I couldn't tie my daffs up as they are all in pots, crammed into "lasagne" layers with other things, but I didn't when I had a garden either.

[herbidacious]

I just discovered that what I thought were (a bit boring) Nigella self-seeders are actually poached egg plants. V pleased as the ones I sowed didn't come up. I needed a bit of cheer today. They are better plants than the ones they came from, not surprisingly.

[Stokey Sue]

That’s nice Herbi, my limnanthes came up everywhere except where I thought I’d put them.

[herbidacious]

I did yank quite a few out thinking they were nigella. If I had had my head on straight, I would have attempted to relocate them. (They needed thinning, really.)

[herbidacious]

I have just spent about an hour and a half doing garden things: potted up dahlias at least and put in greenhouse, sorted tomatoes to give away (and given away half) and potted on the ones to keep, and planted out a Thalictrum delavayi. I also brought the sweet peas out of the greenhouse to continue hardening off. This is a pain as they are planted up in final (big) pots. My back is feeling it. I started the process last week but forgot to do it for a few days. They may end up staying out after Wednesday

I wanted to prick out some annuals, but ran out of energy and it will be raining later and tomorrow. It's not urgent, but good to tick things off my long list (and it's something I enjoy doing).

Major hardening off session will be taking place when I get back from Paris. The greenhouse is very full. The greenhouse is also very shaded While the top half of the garden basked in sun, the bottom was in total shade. The trees in neighbours' gardens must have reached critical point. The main culprit is the house-sized oak which sits on the boundary of the field and a neighbour's garden.

Sunflowers are mostly coming up (starting in doors). I will have one last batch (or two) of flower seed sowing then that's it. I have yet to do morning glory and nasturtiums, which I may start outside. I also want to sprinkle some past their date seeds.
After that it's just courgettes and cucumbers.

I have clearly not managed to scale back as intended… But it's making my life Worse case scenario, I give things away.

[herbidacious]

I just took delivery of what should have been three aubergine plants (I have given up on the ones I sowed in January. Don't know what went wrong) but it turned out to be one aubergine and two peppers. A phone call seems to have sorted it out, and I get to keep the peppers. I don't need them, as I have ordered three already (the ones I grew are not doing well either), and indeed they arrived today, too, but I am not displeased! Different varieties. The one I actually ordered is Flamingo, which looks fun.
https://www.suttons.co.uk/vegetable-fru ... go_mh10537
Of course I have somewhat mixed up the labels now... (not entirely my fault).

I knew that Suttons and Dobbies had been taken over by Thompson and Morgan, but it seems that the Organic Gardening Catalogue (from where the aubergines should have come) have been too. I only realized when I saw the packaging. Not sure I approve of this, but at least the plants seem strong and healthy. Suttons went through a disastrous patch the summer they were taken over. I had order after order arrive dead. This was before I started growing med veg from seed in a wholehearted manner.