Hello

Two months ago I moved into a house in Plymouth that has a large'ish
courtyard and a space out the front that is southfacing where I can put pots
and troughs etc (the rear courtyard does receive sun too in the largest part
for most of the day).

Courtyard gardening is new to me I'm afraid but I'm desperate to get some
colour into the outside spaces asap. I've already invested in some
primulas, heathers and some limegreen conifers but I'm tempted to start
setting up lots of pots for the Springtime with bulbs but am worried that
once they are past their flowering I won't have the space to store them over
the summer until next year. Is it possible to lift and dry store
daffodils, tulips and the like over the summer or should they be left
in-situ and the pots just moved out of sight? I'm hoping to set up
something a bit jungly out the back but at the same time I do love the first
spring-time show of flowers and colour. Any advice gratefully received,
especially if anyone knows of a particular website/newsgroup that
specialises in courtyard gardens.

Many thanks

Sharon

"Sharon Hughes" wrote in message
...
Hello

Two months ago I moved into a house in Plymouth that has a large'ish
courtyard and a space out the front that is southfacing where I can
put pots
and troughs etc (the rear courtyard does receive sun too in the
largest part
for most of the day).

Courtyard gardening is new to me I'm afraid but I'm desperate to get
some
colour into the outside spaces asap. I've already invested in some
primulas, heathers and some limegreen conifers but I'm tempted to
start
setting up lots of pots for the Springtime with bulbs but am worried
that
once they are past their flowering I won't have the space to store
them over
the summer until next year. Is it possible to lift and dry store
daffodils, tulips and the like over the summer or should they be
left
in-situ and the pots just moved out of sight? I'm hoping to set up
something a bit jungly out the back but at the same time I do love
the first
spring-time show of flowers and colour. Any advice gratefully
received,
especially if anyone knows of a particular website/newsgroup that
specialises in courtyard gardens.

Many thanks Sharon

Hi Sharon,

Welcome to URG !
I too have a courtyard garden and roof garden. I've got some raised
beds in the courtyard but still have masses of stuff in pots.
My garden : http://members.rott.chello.nl/ldejag...ex.welcome.htm

You can either dry the bulbs out and store them in a cool place over
summer, but I personally think they do better if you leave them in
their pots. You can always pile 'em up out of the way somewhere when
they finish dying down. Mine go out near the wheelie bins........:~)

Here's a couple of useful sites :
http://www.maigold.co.uk/pots.htm

http://www.gardenlinks.ndo.co.uk/container.htm

http://www.savvy.com/search.cgi?ref=...rden%27+or+%27
container+gardening%27+and+advice

For the jungly look, get yourself a Fatsia :~))
Jenny

"Sharon Hughes" wrote in
:

Two months ago I moved into a house in Plymouth that has a large'ish
courtyard and a space out the front that is southfacing where I can
put pots and troughs etc (the rear courtyard does receive sun too in
the largest part for most of the day).

Hi Sharon
I'm up the river from you in Gunnislake. If you've only just moved to
Plymouth, don't underestimate just how warm (relatively) it stays down
there - ideal for jungly things. If you've got all that stone storing the
sun's warmth, you can probably grow all sorts of exciting things in your
pots that would struggle in the rest of the country.

I'm always amazed how much warmer it is down there when I pop in for some
shopping - and how early things start into flower down there!

There's an interesting article in the freeby 'Devon Gardener' paper this
month about a guy who grows all sorts of exotic South African plants in a
tiny Plymouth garden - if you like that sort of thing. I picked up a copy
in the Safeway in Tavistock.

One thing I do with bigger pots is plant up with fairly deep-planted early
bulbs with pansies for immediate colour - if you stick the early bulbs deep
enough, you can then whip the pansies off the next spring and replace with
shallow-rooted summery annuals without causing the bulbs any problems
(though I don't find they seem to be bothered if I accidentally dig them up
and have to re-plant)

Victoria Clare
(on a hill in Cornwall)

Hi Jenny

Thanks for the info and your website - fantastic! Will certainly give me
something to think about over the winter before I start on the rear
courtyard design - the walls are an awful mess and I have lots of broken
concrete on the path etc - pretty dreadful really but it has potential!
(have just spent 4 hrs jet-washing it all down just so it doesn't look quite
so dank out of my kitchen window!).

The trellis that you have used in the walled garden looked particularly
interesting - was this something that you had made for you or is it
something commonly available over where you are? Certainly looked
interesting and durable.

PS: and the name of your rhodi? That red is so striking!

Sharon


"JennyC" wrote in message
...

"Sharon Hughes" wrote in message
...
Hello

Two months ago I moved into a house in Plymouth that has a large'ish
courtyard and a space out the front that is southfacing where I can
put pots
and troughs etc (the rear courtyard does receive sun too in the
largest part
for most of the day).

Courtyard gardening is new to me I'm afraid but I'm desperate to get
some
colour into the outside spaces asap. I've already invested in some
primulas, heathers and some limegreen conifers but I'm tempted to
start
setting up lots of pots for the Springtime with bulbs but am worried
that
once they are past their flowering I won't have the space to store
them over
the summer until next year. Is it possible to lift and dry store
daffodils, tulips and the like over the summer or should they be
left
in-situ and the pots just moved out of sight? I'm hoping to set up
something a bit jungly out the back but at the same time I do love
the first
spring-time show of flowers and colour. Any advice gratefully
received,
especially if anyone knows of a particular website/newsgroup that
specialises in courtyard gardens.

Many thanks Sharon

Hi Sharon,

Welcome to URG !
I too have a courtyard garden and roof garden. I've got some raised
beds in the courtyard but still have masses of stuff in pots.
My garden : http://members.rott.chello.nl/ldejag...ex.welcome.htm

You can either dry the bulbs out and store them in a cool place over
summer, but I personally think they do better if you leave them in
their pots. You can always pile 'em up out of the way somewhere when
they finish dying down. Mine go out near the wheelie bins........:~)

Here's a couple of useful sites :
http://www.maigold.co.uk/pots.htm

http://www.gardenlinks.ndo.co.uk/container.htm

http://www.savvy.com/search.cgi?ref=...rden%27+or+%27
container+gardening%27+and+advice

For the jungly look, get yourself a Fatsia :~))
Jenny

Hi Clare

Thanks for your suggestions, will try out the layering in a larger pot.
Speaking of South African garden - there's a front garden in Plymton that
has a corner plot with the most amazing exotic look, very jungly -
apparently there's nursery down in Cornwall that specialises in these types
of plants - will have to see if I can find.

Unfortunately most of the big planting will have to be on hold as the rear
coutryard needs lots of work on the infrastructure, ie, rendering the walls,
installing new wall and gate at the rear, putting in some raised beds and
then thinking on what type of 'flooring' to go for (the broken concrete
thing is soooo not nice! Still, I have a few pots out there already and am
feeling much happier!

Sharon

PS: not sure if I should top post or bottom post on this group - I know some
groups are very strict on getting the etiquette right.

"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
.205...
"Sharon Hughes" wrote in
:

Two months ago I moved into a house in Plymouth that has a large'ish
courtyard and a space out the front that is southfacing where I can
put pots and troughs etc (the rear courtyard does receive sun too in
the largest part for most of the day).

Hi Sharon
I'm up the river from you in Gunnislake. If you've only just moved to
Plymouth, don't underestimate just how warm (relatively) it stays down
there - ideal for jungly things. If you've got all that stone storing the
sun's warmth, you can probably grow all sorts of exciting things in your
pots that would struggle in the rest of the country.

I'm always amazed how much warmer it is down there when I pop in for some
shopping - and how early things start into flower down there!

There's an interesting article in the freeby 'Devon Gardener' paper this
month about a guy who grows all sorts of exotic South African plants in a
tiny Plymouth garden - if you like that sort of thing. I picked up a copy
in the Safeway in Tavistock.

One thing I do with bigger pots is plant up with fairly deep-planted early
bulbs with pansies for immediate colour - if you stick the early bulbs
deep
enough, you can then whip the pansies off the next spring and replace with
shallow-rooted summery annuals without causing the bulbs any problems
(though I don't find they seem to be bothered if I accidentally dig them
up
and have to re-plant)

Victoria Clare
(on a hill in Cornwall)

"Sharon Hughes" wrote
Hi Jenny

Thanks for the info and your website - fantastic! Will certainly
give me
something to think about over the winter before I start on the rear
courtyard design - the walls are an awful mess and I have lots of
broken
concrete on the path etc - pretty dreadful really but it has
potential!
(have just spent 4 hrs jet-washing it all down just so it doesn't
look quite
so dank out of my kitchen window!).

Crazy paving in situ then :~))


The trellis that you have used in the walled garden looked
particularly
interesting - was this something that you had made for you or is it
something commonly available over where you are? Certainly looked
interesting and durable.

It's made from concrete reinforcing steel, bent into columns and then
galvanised.
My partner has a cousin who knows a man who knows a man who made it
from offcuts (!) from a building site :~))
The galvanising stops it rusting and it looks a good now as when we
erected it 7 years ago. Its very strong and matches the style of the
house far better than wood would have.

PS: and the name of your rhodi? That red is so striking!
Sharon

I've no idea !
I brought it with me from our last house where I had inherited it with
the garden there.

Jenny

"Sharon Hughes" wrote
Sharon
PS: not sure if I should top post or bottom post on this group - I
know some
groups are very strict on getting the etiquette right.

Most of us prefer Bottom Posting :~))
Jenny