Gardening can be a hit and miss affair. You can't control the weather You can't control what will and will not grow. I can't anyway. My garden is still looking rather green. Many of the plants that should be flowering now aren't. Mainly all the different aliums that bloomed so profusely last year. They didn't return and I have no idea why. There is one lonely Purple Sensation alium. Last year there were ten. There are gaps in the borders where they and others should be. It's all very sad.
There is also an overcrowding issue that I need to sort out this week.I intend to move the Lavatera, as it's gone mad and in danger of swamping all my cottagey plants. I think the garden is maxed out. I have no more space to put anything else. I am waiting for the floral explosion, and I am getting impatient.
There have been some successes. The tulips were amazing and the anemones are still going strong. My roses that I bought in the sale are romping away and have flower buds. I cannot wait to push my nose into my first rose. The sweet peas are thriving. Yay! And so are all of the sunflowers. I've usually lost half to the slugs and snails by now. All my seeds became seedlings and became little plants. I've given away loads, and that makes me feel happy. My Dahlias that I over wintered have all sprung back into life. I have twice as many as I did last year, and they are dotted all over the garden.
What about you? What's your biggest success so far? What hasn't gone so well? And why am I so scared of my allotment?
Leanne xx
I love your colour choices, we went to Godophin (National Trust garden) at the weekend, and their borders where filled with swathes of red campion and what I later found out were aquilegia which looked lovely. I'm also a big fan of dahlias and am looking forward to having a cutting garden one day!
ReplyDeleteWe were there yesterday. It poured with rain, but I loved the Kings Garden. Very inspiring. Took lots of pictures.
DeleteLeanne xx
Hi Leanne. It is strange how one year some plants do great and then never grow back. Shame about the allium, they are so majestic. I have never had any in our garden. Biggest success so far? I am still interested in the garden and have now a little helper. Biggest disappointment? My ranunculi. They did so well but have not grown at all for about 6 weeks now. Most strange. Your allotment was more or less a meadow when I last saw it, no wonder you are scared of it, the work to get some structure in the space must be breath taking. I'd help you do some digging (good exercise, yes?) but I am ever so far away. Will be in Cornwall in July if help is still needed :) Christina xx
ReplyDeleteI have tried alliums several times and they never seem to come back for me, but I find that with lots of bulbs in this garden, I blame the squirrels!! Your garden looks as though it is doing really well to me, with lots of colour! xx
ReplyDeleteSquirrels or mice, my guess would be that something is eating your alliums. Either that or they succumbed to our awful wet winter.
ReplyDeleteRoses are looking better (so far) than they have done in previous years, but I'm struggling to germinate beans!
I've never grown alliums so I have no advice. Is something eating them maybe? Everything is looking good there, I'm sure you'll have more blooms soon. I'm having unexpected success with my one half-barrel of annuals. I limited myself this year and I think it's working so far. I should try to do an update about them soon.
ReplyDeleteGardening is such a mixture of delight and disappointment isn't it. I'm not surprised you're scared of your allotment, I was terrified of mine when I first got it. I was then given the second half of it as well, and I remember lying awake the night after I took on that second piece unable to sleep because it was so overwhelming. And I still have days now when I worry about it. But then I repeat my mantra, "What's the worst that could happen?" (I say this to myself a LOT) and I just do what I have time to do and the rest doesn't get done. I would definitely start small if you can. If you can cover part of the plot with something (cardboard, weed control fabric), that will help. Then just tackle a realistic area, a few feet by a few feet. Get it cleared and plant something and you'll start feeling more in control. Good luck Leanne, and try not to lose sleep!
ReplyDeletemy alliums never came back either, and I too am impatiently waiting for flowers......
ReplyDeleteMice ate my alliums, so I'm growing echinops instead :-)
ReplyDeleteI love your flowers- very cheerful. Last years Sweet Williams are a small success here- I didn't thin them enough last year so no flowers, this year, I divided the clump and hey presto! Lots of bright colourful blooms xx
Beautiful color! Love the flowers!
ReplyDeleteI love the beautiful colours, so pretty and cheerful. I don't grow many flowers, I am trying to grow veg again this year. Threw the lettuce out yesterday as they were completely covered with greenfly, and the slugs seem to be enjoying my potatoes. Don't think I will be cancelling my Cornish Food Box anytime soon
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful garden you have, I love the colour of those anemones. xx
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks beautiful Leanne.Gorgeous flowers. I think the flowers are very confused this year and are blooming at strange times.Must be the weather!
ReplyDeleteIt's so beautiful Leanne! The hardest thing I find (especially with the veggie garden) is that SO much effort goes into it and there is still no guarantee anything will work. Our tomatoes were coming along so well and then overnight they were decimated (I can barely mention it without getting cranky) but then there were some surprises - the artichokes, Sunflowers and broad beans went ballistic. Life would be boring if everything went predictably to plan - that's what I tell myself anyway!!! Mel x
ReplyDeleteIt all looks fabulous to me. The orange Geums are going strong here and lending sunshine to the garden on a rainy day :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks gorgeous. Not so much fledgling as accomplished and fully flown. The only colour I have right now is purple alluims, Seriously, that's it. I have loads of colour in April/May and loads in July/August, but June looks green. Just green. If I knew what I was doing I'd address this issue! x
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks so beautiful Leanne. I know even the most established gardens can be a work in progress. Its such a delight when bulbs spring up again and a disappointment when they don't! I'm still in the process of developing ours. We have two all but completely empty beds and I'm waiting for some drier weather, Little R to nap and a moment to put in some bedding plants. I've found a red clematis which has Little Rs name in it (I've a Heuchera with BigRs name) so I'm having one of those in the empty bed.
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