I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but everything in my (walled, London)
garden flowers really early - even stuff that's supposed to be September
flowering is finishing about now. After mid-June, the only things that
really thrive are the great big thugs (a gigantic wisteria, a renegade hop
that covers everything when my back is turned) - so I buy in colour during
the summer just to cheer it up, with the result that it looks like an
inferior car boot sale. Perennials flower beautifully in years one and two,
then just produce masses of foliage in year three, giving up altogether in
year four. Depressing and expensive.

I'd be so grateful for anyone's advice or pointers to further information -
thanks in advance

In article , Lorna lorna@removethis
bitgradden.com writes
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but everything in my (walled, London)
garden flowers really early - even stuff that's supposed to be September
flowering is finishing about now.

It's an early year. All my garden has been early this year - I have
things finishing now which don't usually *start* till august.

After mid-June, the only things that
really thrive are the great big thugs (a gigantic wisteria, a renegade hop
that covers everything when my back is turned) - so I buy in colour during
the summer just to cheer it up, with the result that it looks like an
inferior car boot sale. Perennials flower beautifully in years one and two,
then just produce masses of foliage in year three, giving up altogether in
year four. Depressing and expensive.

I'd be so grateful for anyone's advice or pointers to further information -
thanks in advance

Are you sunny or shady? Dry or damp?

Fuchsias are good for late flowering in shade and damp, and grow readily
from cuttings. If sunny, try things like brugmansias and ginger
relatives - showy and tropical looking, and the brugmansias are scented
too.

Use climbers to give a second 'flowering' to early shrubs.

Also think away from flowers and grow a few things for their berries -
that extends the season a lot. Viburnum, cotoneaster, rowan, rose hips,
pernettya, skimmia - these are all good for flowering too.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , Lorna lorna@removethis
bitgradden.com writes
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but everything in my (walled, London)
garden flowers really early - even stuff that's supposed to be September
flowering is finishing about now. After mid-June, the only things that
really thrive are the great big thugs (a gigantic wisteria, a renegade hop
that covers everything when my back is turned) - so I buy in colour during
the summer just to cheer it up, with the result that it looks like an
inferior car boot sale. Perennials flower beautifully in years one and two,
then just produce masses of foliage in year three, giving up altogether in
year four. Depressing and expensive.

I'd be so grateful for anyone's advice or pointers to further information -
thanks in advance

A final thought - it has been said that the average UK garden peaks in
May because that is when everyone gets the urge to go out to the garden
centre. Turn this around, and go to the garden centre once a month
throughout the year (except maybe not may or June), and take your choice
from what's looking good. That way you should end up with a garden which
looks good for a much greater part of the year!



--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"Lorna" wrote in message ...
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but everything in my (walled, London)
garden flowers really early - even stuff that's supposed to be September
flowering is finishing about now. After mid-June, the only things that
really thrive are the great big thugs (a gigantic wisteria, a renegade hop
that covers everything when my back is turned) - so I buy in colour during
the summer just to cheer it up, with the result that it looks like an
inferior car boot sale. Perennials flower beautifully in years one and
two,
then just produce masses of foliage in year three, giving up altogether in
year four. Depressing and expensive.

I'd be so grateful for anyone's advice or pointers to further
information -
thanks in advance


A walled London garden is almost a tropical area as far as plants go. If you
plant the sort of things normally associated with English gardens then they
will have a problem, it's too hot, and they will flower early, go over early
and never look happy.
Olive trees grow successfully outside in London gardens.

Go for the sorts of plants you see in Mediterranean, South African or even
Australian gardens if your garden is hot and dry, if it's hot and wet (or
you are prepared to water a lot) then look to the more tropical lush plants,
cannas etc.
One problem is overwintering because a lot of these plants don't take any
frost.

Hopefully Jenny will be along soon with lots of URL's ( I lost all mine) and
Pete the Gardener with all his professional experience of London gardens
too.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 15:04:32 +0000 (UTC), Lorna wrote:

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but everything in my (walled, London)
garden flowers really early - even stuff that's supposed to be September
flowering is finishing about now. After mid-June, the only things that
really thrive are the great big thugs (a gigantic wisteria, a renegade hop
that covers everything when my back is turned) - so I buy in colour during
the summer just to cheer it up, with the result that it looks like an
inferior car boot sale. Perennials flower beautifully in years one and two,
then just produce masses of foliage in year three, giving up altogether in
year four. Depressing and expensive.

Do you fertilize your garden? The last two years, I've given my
own garden a general fertilizer around the beginning of
September. I use granular 13-16-10 because it's cheap and it's
sulfate based, at a rate of about one ounce per square yard.
Everything gets it, flower beds, lawn, trees and shrubs.

The results have been remarkable, and have convinced me that many
gardens -- perhaps most -- have grossly impoverished soil due to
many years of taking a heavy crop of growth off the land. Yes,
our flowers are a "heavy crop".

[In coastal BC, there is also serious leaching of soil nutrients
due to heavy winter rainfalls.]

You might do well to follow my example; the particular choice of
fertilizer is not critical nor is the exact amount you apply.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 16:47:19 +0100, Kay Easton wrote:

...go to the garden centre once a month
throughout the year (except maybe not may or June), and take your choice
from what's looking good. That way you should end up with a garden which
looks good for a much greater part of the year!

My own experience suggests that weekly visits are worthwhile. And
look for garden centres that carry something more than "the same
old stuff" that most of them do. Some have stock from small
growers, and will get small quantities of quite unusual items.
These sometimes sell out *very* quickly.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"Lorna" wrote in message ...
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but everything in my (walled,
London)
garden flowers really early
snipped

Hopefully Jenny will be along soon with lots of URL's ( I lost all
mine) and
Pete the Gardener with all his professional experience of London
gardens
too.
Bob

Ha, good job I read this then :~))

http://tinyurl.com/hngi will take you to my walled, roof, patio garden
in the centre of Rotterdam........

Loads of links on the 'history' and roof garden pages.......

Maybe you can go for some big architectural plants Lora that give
interest all year round.

Jenny

Thanks so much to everyone for your advice and good ideas. I feel very
encouraged to press on! I also suspect that I don't feed nearly enough, so
will take Rodger's advice to heart.

What a nice lot gardeners are!
Lorna

Thanks so much to everyone for your advice and good ideas. I feel very
encouraged to press on! I also suspect that I don't feed nearly enough, so
will take Rodger's advice to heart.

What a nice lot gardeners are!
Lorna

Thanks so much to everyone for your advice and good ideas. I feel very
encouraged to press on! I also suspect that I don't feed nearly enough, so
will take Rodger's advice to heart.

What a nice lot gardeners are!
Lorna

Do not ignore the compost option though because although granular
fertilisers do indeed work for a while nothing beats getting the soil
structure right and only good compost will do that
"Lorna" wrote in message
...
Thanks so much to everyone for your advice and good ideas. I feel very
encouraged to press on! I also suspect that I don't feed nearly enough,
so
will take Rodger's advice to heart.

What a nice lot gardeners are!
Lorna

Do not ignore the compost option though because although granular
fertilisers do indeed work for a while nothing beats getting the soil
structure right and only good compost will do that
"Lorna" wrote in message
...
Thanks so much to everyone for your advice and good ideas. I feel very
encouraged to press on! I also suspect that I don't feed nearly enough,
so
will take Rodger's advice to heart.

What a nice lot gardeners are!
Lorna

On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 18:49:29 +0000 (UTC), bnd777 wrote:

Do not ignore the compost option though because although granular
fertilisers do indeed work for a while nothing beats getting the soil
structure right and only good compost will do that

That's absolutely true, but there is no guarantee that compost
will supply the atoms of N, P, and K that are essential for plant
growth. The advantage to such fertilizers is that you know they
have the major nutrients and you know how much they have --
usually in some reasonably balanced formulation.

Compost and fertilizer are complementary, not in opposition.
Compost improves tilth, water retention, feeds microbial life in
the soil, and may suppress weeds. General purpose fertilizers
provide major chemical nutrients that plants must have for
healthy growth.

In addition, general purpose fertilizer stimulates growth of
roots as well as above-ground organs. It seems to me that it
can't but help increase the amount of organic matter in the soil
as roots senesce and decay, and thus indirectly provides the
benefits of compost. Moreover, the more abundant top growth
provides greater supplies of material for compost proper -- if
the OP, with her small walled garden, has room for a compost bin.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

"bnd777" wrote in message
...
Do not ignore the compost option though because although granular
fertilisers do indeed work for a while nothing beats getting the soil
structure right and only good compost will do that

I certainly will be looking at compost option, I just always forget it at
the right time of year and then it seems too late. Also, this may sound
silly, but how do you dig compost into flowerbeds when they're full of
plants? Doesn't it disturb them? I thought I'd try one of those compost
tumblers, which say they speed up composting. Do you have any thoughts on
them? They look good for a smallish space. Thanks again! Lorna

"Lorna" wrote in message ...
...
Do not ignore the compost option though because although granular
fertilisers do indeed work for a while nothing beats getting the soil
structure right and only good compost will do that

I certainly will be looking at compost option, I just always forget it at
the right time of year and then it seems too late. Also, this may sound
silly, but how do you dig compost into flowerbeds when they're full of
plants? Doesn't it disturb them? I thought I'd try one of those compost
tumblers, which say they speed up composting. Do you have any thoughts on
them? They look good for a smallish space. Thanks again! Lorna

There is no right time of the year to make a compost heap, any time is
right. It just works quicker in warm weather.
The final product can simply be raked over the top of the soil and the worms
will dig it in for you.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.