March: I'm back! current growth and an overview of how things were protected

Sorry for being a rubbish blogger....my blogging is a bit like the garden in that as the year begins and plods on there is loads to do and everything is exciting. The season then reaches its climax and I sit back and enjoy it, and then as winter extends its icy grasp I hide inside and put off thoughts of doing anything until the new year.

Suddenly it is once again sunny and things are growing again, including about a million sycamore seedlings. Being outside with the sun warming your soul and earth between your fingers is an amazing tonic and the oomph has returned. In this post a few pictures of how things are at the moment and a bit of an overview of how the more tender things have been looked after

So much of what makes the garden is annual growth and things are pretty desolate at the moment

One thing looking amazing is giant fennel....a bit of an experiment and something I grew from seed. They emerge at this time of the year as a huge frothy mound and then die as summer starts. Below the Tetrapanax starts to re-emerge

This is the sparce terrace with the Schleffera keeping us entertained. The big Musa sikkimensis are still wrapped for winter in fleece and covered by a piece of bubblewrap, very loosely, to keep the rain off. In the corner is a simple plastic greenhouse to keep the worst of the cold off in a very sheltered part of the sunken terrace. 

Although it is incredibly moist due to rain draining into the area and huge amounts of condensation, things have survived.

The big experiment this year is can I keep the red ensete in pots with leaves and roots and will this get them started quicker than the ones which I chop all the leaves and roots off. This is inspired by my neighbour whom just left his out all winter unprotected and it survived! Amazingly so far they all look fine. 

This is the Ensete whose leaves and roots were removed....looking very sorry for themselves, but alive!

The other place I keep things is in a covered sideway....you can see the red Ensete and also a tree tomato which is still in leaf. Sadly one of the tropical musas (bordeleon) seems to have rotted at the base

Winter is coming....

So last Sunday night we had the first frosts, not a little gentle dusting but a full on kill everything frost.

Although it looks like most of the garden here is tender, there are actually only a few things that need to come in namely:Brugmansias and Musa sikkimensis which were moved under cover with the huge M. sikkimensis being pushed up against the side of the house and wrapped in fleece.

Although they look like they are bubble wrapped this is only on one side to keep the worst of the rain off and to keep the fleece becoming sodden

Cannas and Hedychiums in pots were all cut down and put in the plastic
greenhouse to keep them dry


The big thing to do was sort out the Abyssinian bananas, Enstes, which have a slightly unusual way of keeping them safe namely

1)      Cut off the leaves and dig up

2)      Cut off the roots back to the basal plate
3)      Hose to wash off remaining mud and cut off dead bits

4)      Store upside down for a week or so to drain off excess moisture
5)      Keep somewhere entirely frost free until spring!

finger crossed all survived ok

The terrace before the big winter take in *sigh*

Near the end..everything in pots cut down the base. emptyness!

and after....all clear with the polythene greenhouse in the corner and Musa's pushed up against the house

Inside the greenhouse, hopefully all dry and warm!

Awakenings

A slow day gardening, pondering and planning whilst the effects of last night’s special ‘Gin and Hogarth’ evening at the Tate wears off.

 

Things in the garden are hotting up and now we are past the Spring Equinox the days are getting longer than the nights. This has embedded a slight fear of being behind and as such I have released my sleeping Enstes into the light and planted my Ricinus seeds.

These are the Ensetes which have been stored in a dark frost free place since the end of November when they were dug up (see before and when they were prepared here). 

 

 

The next steps were to clean them up and cut away the dead/rotting leaves. They aren't really potted up, more loosely rested on pots of fresh soil.....burying them would probably just encourage rot. But they now have light and warmth

 

 

This is inside the polythene greenhouse on the terrace...the experiment has gone well and there have been no negative effects of the cold at all. The bananas and Hedychiums have kept their leaves, Begonia luxurians looks healthy as does the Brugmansia.

 

 

In fact the Brugmansia gave me a surprise by flowering!

 

 

 The Musa sikkimensis on the terrace has also been unwrapped.

 

 

Good news in that the Giant Echiums all seem to be ok......

 

 

The other project was to plant a giant bamboo to give some protection from the neighbours...

 

 

This seemingly simple job turned epic when the 'soil' was just buried rubble and reminded us of clearing the land of old..... this picture is misleading as the rubble was HUGE at least the size of a mini....

 

 

Daffodils because its spring, innnit!

 

 

Tetrapanax waking up

 

 

Fatsia polycarpa

 

 

I've got the key, do you have the secret?

 

 

Grrr to the cold, hurry up spring!

 

 

 

 

Over wintering key plants

So frosts are imminent and the weekend was the time to take in most tender of my plants, which mainly consists of Ensete maurelii, Musa sikkimensis, Brugmansia and a few others.

 

I wanted to explain more about how to overwinter the Ensete as this is the one that people seem to ask/worry about, but which is easy when you know how. But, you do need to be brave! So a step by step guide

 

1) Before....the unsuspecting Ensete in all its prime

 

 

2) Take off all the leaves...I did end up stealing a bread knife from the kitchenwhich made it very easy!

 

 

3) Dig up and remove most of the soil and roots taking care not to damage the corm. be brave!

 

 

4) Use a hose to wash off the remaining soil, and cut back the remaining roots. clean up the remaining leaves, but dont take too many off

 

5) Cut the top of the leaves off so that the top is fairly flat

 

 

6) Store in a frost free place keeping them upside down for a few weeks so that any remaining liquid drains out. I keep mine in a dark meter cupbaord

 

 

7) Done! check from time to time (I find mine sometimes get aphids) pot up in spring

 

My final winter prep was about digging up my Musa sikkimensis. There was one year when they survived in the open ground, however since then they were cut back by frosts, and although they were root hardy they never regained their height. I therefore tend to simply dig them up, pot them up and put in my covered side passage where they dry out and have some protection.

 

The Brugmansia (here on the left) was similarly treated...I dug it up, pruned the root ball a bit, cut back growth to the main stem, potted it up and put it in a dark frost free place.

 

 

 

 

The scene of decimation

 

 

The garden at the end of March

Southern England continues to be really mild and looking back on pictures from last year I reckon we are about 2 weeks ahead of where we were last year which is ironic as I feel about 2 weeks behind of where I should be! This is partially due to things having been rather busy as I am about to change jobs, leaving behind the glamour of Elephant and Castle Shopping Center for Camden Town. This is very exciting for me as a plant wise as it means my lunchtimes can be spent wandering Regents Park and all the exotic gems that it holds.

There has been so much going on in the garden....I think I finished my jiggling around early in the month and most things are in their new homes, although I have a lot of plants in my holding pen waiting for a new home. It has been a relief to be able to give away some plants to nice neighbours and local folk as it has avoided the guilt of composting them! Having space for new plants is my major headache at the moment as there is only so much squeezing you can do, and as the current plants get bigger and bigger my planting is getting less dense!

Giant Echiums are alive! this one at the back is now at about 7ft

Melianthus major...fabulously exotic flowers and foliage

Surprisingly things are now drying out fast....all the pots were dry and the Cyathea was a little fried. The Sarracenias needed some emergency help as they were crisp.

I am also quite fried as how fit I think I am is very different to the ragged exhausted person I tend to be at the end of a days gardening.

So big things:

Cannas are all out of the meter cupboard and already growing....even those left in pots are shooting

Seeds are mostly all planted....this year I have about 20 Ricisnus, and the usual Tithonia, Cuphea and Coleus. New exciting things include Giant Fennel (please grow!)

The Ensetes are also now all out of the cupboard and look ok....they are still firm and dry with no rot so I really hope they root easily and come back to life

Etiolated but alive (a bit like me at the end of a days work)

Bees: I am now a three hive family and after much cursing about why I didn't order a pre assembled hive the new one (Balmoral) is now up and running and the bees settling in well. Hive 1 is mega busy and has already ¼ filled a super with honey which is so unusual. Fingers crossed it is a good year.

Hello ladyzzzz

So everything is looking good and it is so nice to be able to loll about outside (the hammock has now been out twice) but lots to do. Happy gardening

Cardoons looking nice and jungly

This area is completely re-organised with a huge bamboo being moved,and now looking so sickly :(

Is that a nasturshum still lowering from last year? why yes it is

Productive beds looking proper! thank you to Sue and Steven

A giant dahlia which is actually sprouting from last years wood!

Although it looks empty there is lots of things coming into life and things to be done