Garden News (UK)

It's moving day for my very old greenhouse

- Derrick Turbitt

The big project recently has been dismantlin­g my greenhouse. It’s been in the same spot for about 40 years and has to be moved to make way for an extension to the house. I was quite pleased I broke only one pane of glass! I was able to move most of the greenhouse plants outside and the more tender ones were moved into my plastic tunnel.

My epiphyllum cacti have settled well in the tunnel and are now in flower. I found a couple of rebutia

seedlings behind a propagator and potted them up, using a welldraine­d compost. One of them has even started to flower.

My dahlias have been planted outside for a couple of weeks now and the showery weather has given them a good start. I also took some late cuttings from the dahlias and these will be grown on to give pot tubers for next year. The sweet peas are growing fast and the first buds have appeared.

Hardy perennials are now coming into flower. One of the aquilegias, grown from seed, is an attractive deep red colour. I’ve marked it and hope some of the seed from it will come true.

Half-hardy annuals are in the process of being planted outside in borders or in pots and tubs. These include geraniums (zonal and ivy-leafed), petunias, pansies, violas, nasturtium­s and tender fuchsias.

Auriculas, in the tunnel until recently, have been moved outside to a shady spot for the summer months. The white Clematis montana always flowers at this time but it needs to be kept in check with some pruning after the flowers fade.

The vegetables (potatoes, peas and broad beans) are growing well.

 ??  ?? I'm having to remove my old greenhouse, which has stood there for 40 years Sea thrift among rocks by the sea near my house
I'm having to remove my old greenhouse, which has stood there for 40 years Sea thrift among rocks by the sea near my house
 ??  ?? Some rebutia I found and po ed up is flowering well
Some rebutia I found and po ed up is flowering well
 ??  ??

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