Overdosing again on begonias!
A suburban garden in Surrey that uses every inch of space for year-round colour and interest.
Ireally thought the wallflowers and newly emerging daffodils had succumbed to the weather as they looked just like little mounds of green mush. Then the thaw came and all the plants just sprang back to life!
The daffodils are now flowering. I love the ‘Tête-à-tête’ in the baskets, they look so cheery! The violas, pansies and primroses are getting into their stride, albeit a little later than usual. I think my favourite polyanthus is still ‘Firecracker’, the colour is so bright. The plants always grow healthily and the red and yellow flowers are stunning.
Just before the big freeze I noticed that one of the verbena ‘Lollipop’ plants had some good shoots for cuttings, so I took some. I was very pleased I did as the cold would surely have taken them. They’re hopefully rooting in the propagator. I also took some fuchsia cuttings; they root very quickly at this time of year.
The standard fuchsias and baskets, affected when the heater failed in the greenhouse, now have new green shoots after the frosted ones dried and fell off. I’m misting the plants and have given them a feed of a general plant food to boost growth. I’ll switch to a high potash one in a few weeks time to encourage flowering.
I’m busy potting on plants, sowing seeds and pricking out seedlings. I’m trying to keep the greenhouses organised to make sure I’ve room for all the plug plants that’ll soon be arriving.
I’ve overdosed on begonias again! I’m looking forward to growing the following varieties this year: a hardy one called ‘Evening Glow’ with lovely markings on the leaves, ‘Glowing Embers’ with beautiful dark foliage and small, vibrant, orange flowers, a trailing variety ‘Apricot Fragrant Falls’ with the most stunning flowers, ‘Illumination Apricot’ in the windowbox and wall baskets, which always put on a brilliant display, and ‘Majestic’ in mixed colours, which I use for pot plants in my greenhouse. There’ll also be lots of red and pink begonias in my bedding displays. I’ve top-dressed the hostas in pots and they’ve been moved to the front garden patio, where I’ll keep an eye out for the snails that usually manage to find them! I’ve also top-dressed the blueberry plants in pots with ericaceous compost and given them a feed, too. My willpower is being tested by lilies. The pots were decimated by lily beetle last year and I decided I wouldn’t grow them again for a couple of years. Hmmm, I don’t think that’s going to happen. I adore lilies and keep looking at all the lovely colours! I’ll probably succumb, and buy more.