A couple of weeks ago, the last of the new permanent planting was done in the Sunset Border.
Planting all done for now.
Leaf mould pile.
Time now for a mulch of lovely leafmould which has been maturing in the corner of the woodland, this pile is 2 years old. This isn’t a very good photograph, but the pile is about 3ft high and about 10ft long.
Assorted seeds.
I managed to find some old seed packets that I thought would come in useful for sprinkling into the spaces between the plants.
Mulch in place, looking left.
Looking right and seed now sown in the spaces.
All done, I will now just wait and see what develops, some seed may be too old, but I think the poppies should be ok, in the wild they survive for hundreds of years!
In just a couple of weeks since I did the planting, everything has started growing and looking a lot better.
Below is a list of the plants that I have planted.
Acer palmatum Shindeshojo, Aquilegia Canadensis, Azalea japonica Blaauw’s Pink, Carex testocea, Digitalis Milk Chocolate, Geranium Rozanne, Geum Totally Tangerine, Hakonechloa macra All Gold, Heuchera red, H Tiramisu, Hosta Devon Blue, Nemesia, Papaver nudicaule Garden Gnome, Pulmonaria Blue Ensign, P. Sissinghurst White, The St. Rita’s Rose. Some of these poor plants have been waiting for such a long time to be planted, I’m sure that they are breathing a sigh of relief at being able to get their roots into the soil at last.
New seeds have sprouted.
I can now move on and get the next bed weeded, if I spend a week on each border, we might have the whole garden looking tidy by August. The temperature rising this week means that I will have to get my gardening done early morning or in the evening, at least that means I can watch Wimbledon with a clear conscience!
Many thanks to Helen for hosting the End of Month review at The Patient Gardener, do pay her a visit to see what other gardeners have been doing this month.
I believe that some of you have not been receiving e.mails to tell of posts that I have published. This happened to both our children and I suggested that they re-subscribe, having done so, they now receive e.mails once more. Please can I suggest that you do the same.
Hello Pauline,
How nice to see how you take care of your garden! I have learned so much reading it! I also read your post about the legless lizard. I did not know the difference between a snake and the legless lizard. I thought it was a snake.
Your garden will be a lovely garden when the flowers will be in bloom.
Cheers, Sandra
I’m so glad you are enjoying reading my posts Sandra. The main difference between a snake and a slow worm is that the slow worm has eyelids and a snake doesn’t.
The flowers are blooming away at the moment providing colour whichever way we look. The hot weather has arrived from Africa and Spain, we aren’t used to such heat in this country, I hope the plants will be ok. and not suffer too much. The heat will probably mean that the flowers will finish sooner than normal, but the garden is too big for us to water, they will just have to manage somehow.
I am really enjoying reading your posts. I think we cannot live without flowers and green around us! I did not know about mulch, leafmould so well explained! I also have learned vocabulary, which is so important to me. I understand about the weather because we are in the winter, but there has been a hot weather too. Maybe it is the same as yours. My plants do not like this weather and the soil gets so dry. I think the leafmould helps them. I put them on the vases when the leaves falls. Wishing you a nice weather there!
Sandra
Gorgeous Pauline, you really have an eye for putting together nice combinations. I just came across some old seed packets and pushed them back to deal with later. Maybe later is now! After seeing your success I’ll sprinkle them around.
Thanks Susie, I always try to have interesting foliage so that there is something interesting to look at, even when there are no flowers. Yes, don’t delay with your seed sprinkling, as I’m watering the new planting, the seeds get watered too, which is a bonus, I wonder if they’ll flower this year?
Oh, your lovely pile of leafmold makes me long for my garden where I had maple trees all over, they make the best! Now all I have is an oak tree, and they take forever to break down, I don’t even bother trying to compost them. The Sunset Border looks lovely now. Hooray for sprouting seeds, hope you get lots!
We have 6 oak trees Alison, maybe they are a different variety as ours rot down nicely, in just 2 years it is a lovely dark crumbly mixture and the plants seem to love it. I’m looking forward to seeing which seeds have sprouted, it will be interesting to see which are still viable.
It is amazing how well-established it already looks.
Thanks Alain, I think some rain came at just the right time. Temperatures are rising a lot tomorrow, so I’ll have to do a bit more watering to keep them happy.
Hi Pauline,
Your flowerbed filled in beautifully! It is amazing what a few weeks can do…..
I’ve used my share of old and marked down flower seeds……If I pay an 1/8th of the original price I won’t complain that only one or two made it.
What’s the deep blue/purple flower along the edge of the bed? It’s a real eye catcher.
Happy Gardening!
The blue/purple flowers along the edge of the border Sally, are Nemesias. I think it’s always worth sewing old seed, quite often they are still viable and it’s wonderful when you get lots of flowers, almost free! The plants have grown so well in the last few weeks, I just hope they can survive the really high temperatures which we are going to have this week.
What a difference a little time makes to a border, that does give me hope! It’s is looking really good, I do like your plantings and great to see the seeds sprouting! I am envious of your mulch pile!!!xxx
The border has filled out so quickly Dina, I’m amazed! I think there are a few weed seedlings amongst the seeds I sowed, but I’ll soon sort those out when they get their proper leaves. In the autumn when we are raking up the leaves every day for months, I think of the lovely leaf mould that we’ll have in 2 yrs time, it’s that thought that keeps me going!
The combination of plants is looking fantastic….I do the same thing with seed packets to try and fill in the gaps between permanent plantings as they establish themselves. I am very jealous of your leaf mulch pile. With mostly conifers and Eucalypts in my garden, leaf mould takes an awful lot of effort! I hope the garden survives your predicted heatwave this week.
Yes Matt, it’s a good way to use up some of the seed packets that are lying around. We are lucky to have so many big trees giving us lots of leaves, but in the autumn, when they all need sweeping up, it’s another matter!
It is so hot and humid, the hottest day on record in London. Wimbledon is on at the moment, I just don’t know how they can play tennis in such hot weather!
Isn’t it a great feeling to get one section of the garden just as you want it? It looks wonderful.
I’m following your lead and trying to work my way around the garden one bed at a time. My progress hasn’t been as quick, but at least here the weather has been comfortably cool and excellent for gardening.
Unfortunately the rains have brought on horde of gnats…
Yes Frank, I just have to be blinkered as I walk round the garden and try and ignore the weeds that are getting far too big! Yesterday was The hottest day on record, how they played tennis at Wimbledon I just don’t know! We had thunderstorms yesterday, and more again today, the garden really needs the rain, but I just hope the rain, if it comes, doesn’t flatten everything.
On what a wonderful pile of leaf mould, wonderful stuff! Your border looks beautiful, you must be so pleased. At the moment,it is just too hot to be gardening and the ground is rock hard. Still it is nice to take sometimes to be idle and enjoy the roses. I went to Hampton Court on Tuesday and my goodness it was hot.
We are lucky having so many big trees, although sweeping the leaves up in the autumn Chloris, isn’t something we enjoy, although it is good for the waistline! I agree, it is far too hot to be gardening, although this morning I was just doing some gentle deadheading, when the heavens opened and we are now having torrential rain. The garden certainly needs it, I just hope it doesn’t flatten everything. How wonderful to visit Hampton Court, I last visited in fifteen years ago, I can imagine it being so very hot. How do they play tennis at Wimbledon in such heat!
that lovely rich leaf mould – those plants and seeds are so nurtured. I love the combination of pastel colours.
Leaves are what we have plenty of Catmint, although sweeping them up in the autumn is a good work out for the waistline! Whenever I use it at planting time, the plants certainly enjoy it, when it’s a mulch, I leave the worms to mix it in with the soil.
I have subscribed again, so fingers crossed. I do remember to come check on you though, now and again. The new bed looks wonderful, I hope it (and you) survived the heat wave. Thank goodness it has cooled down a bit here.
Thanks Marian, I don’t know what caused the spanner in the works, but re-subscribing seems to be working. I’m staying indoors as much as possible, watching Wimbledon, that’s how I’m escaping the heat! Early morning is when I do any gardening, or working in the shade, my shady borders always look a lot better than my sunny ones!
What an amazing pile of leaf mould – and what a great resource! I can’t decide if this is even more of an asset than the bags of leaf mould my Mum brought to her current house 25 years ago and still hasn’t used (I have staked my claim…). Your rainbow border is looking good already – you must be so pleased with it, and with finally using up those accumulated packets of seed.
I must remember to take my leaf mould and compost with me if and when we move Cathy! There are still quite a few seed packets to use up, I will save them for next year! The sunset border is filling out nicely and will just need some bulbs adding in the autumn, the Acer is now mostly green but will change again in a few months time. Our promised rain hasn’t arrived, it has missed us so it is still so hot and humid, we really do need some rain please!
Everything looks fabulous! Your pile of leaf mold is an inspiration. I think it is time we have a dedicated leaf mold pile; we certainly have enough leaves! Previously, we did various things with our leaves. A lot are left in place to provide some insulation through the winter for woodland plants, but we do rake LOTS.
We are fortunate Deb, in having somewhere to pile the leaves in the autumn, everything I plant has a handful in the planting hole and then a mulch to help keep the weeds down. The leaves are left in place in the woodland and the other wide borders, the pile is just what we rake up from the lawn!
A very nice makeover; much more exciting than a day at the spa! Ah the leaf mould pile is an exciting site. Well, for gardeners at least. Exciting to see those new seeds sprouting!
Thanks Peter, I get a real sense of satisfaction when doing gardening like this, much prefer it to weeding! Yes, I agree, leaf mould is exciting, just think of all that goodness going into the soil!