Seed arrival!

You may have read my blog about all the seeds I am looking forward to growing this year and I am happy that I had some of this collection arrive in the post day.

You may be wandering why I have decided to write another post so soon, well truthfully I am so impressed with this website that I felt that they needed a post to themselves.

The site has a good variety of seeds and they are very reasonably priced, truthfully I had some reservations.

The seeds arrived in less than a week, which is good especially with the delays that the mail services are still having.

I was really impressed when I opened the envelope, to find that there were individual detailed growing instructions for all the packets of seeds.

I know that I will definitely be keeping an eye on this site and see what exciting seeds they will have in future. The site also lists bulbs and plants so I am hoping that they may have some on offer soon also.

I know you are thinking why haven’t you the name of the site, so here it is:

World Wonder Gardens

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post, please do let me know what you think of this site and the comments I have made. I’d be really interested to hear if you decide to place an order and even more so how your seeds grow and thrive.

Quick update

Thank you for your patience and hope that you have all been enjoying your plants.

Here is an unknown species of Hedychium which is just starting to flower, let’s hope that all the buds have time to flower before the frost.

I have already put these beautiful succulents in to the greenhouse.

I grew this plant from seed and it had been a really slow grower. But it’s really put some growth of late. It is Solanum betaceum.

Other plants that are growing surprisingly well are the Tetrapanex (which you may remember my friend David gave to me), Begonia luxurians, popping in on the left is a Xanthosoma violaceum, which really has spread this summer.

It’s crazy how well some plants have done this summer! This is another perennial that has grown so well, grown much taller than me and has produced lots of flowers and continues to do so. This is Impatiens tinctoria.

I have been lazy taking some tenders in, partly because they seem to be enjoying the moisture and mild climate (also living next door to a laundrette and their dryer tubes helps). Here the Ensete murelii or Abyssinian Banana seems to be growing strong. The Zantedeschia ‘Hercules’ is slowing down for winter, yet the Gynostemma pentaphyllum is showing no sign of slowing down. I love how the plant grows so fast in a season and covers the ropes to give a real jungle feel.

Soon I will collecting these little bulbils that the Begonia grandis ssp sinensis ‘Red Undies’ produce and sow them in the greenhouse to ensure I have some babies in case they do not make it through the winter.

The Abuliton ‘Variegated Salmon’ is still growing well and producing these beautiful flowers. I will soon need to dig it up and put it somewhere safe over winter.

The Mirabilis Jalapa continue to flower along with the Salvia and Zinnia. You can also see the Arundo donax variegata and various Hedyhiums growing in the background along with a smaller growing Cautleya gracilis which is turning yellow.

I am hoping to give this bed a good mulch like I did last year and leave all the tenders barring the Abuliton in the ground.

Other stars of the show have been these Dahlia ‘Sandra’ which I couldn’t resist buying as they share the same name as my mum.

I have grown Dahlia ‘Bishop of Leicester’ over the past few years and always put on a good show. They tall have dark foliage and bright single flowers that the bees adore in the summer.

I hope to be growing and dividing plants over the winter and will keep you up to date as often as possible.

Wrap up warm, enjoy the milder days and most of all love your plants!

Potty about plants

I’m pleased to see that the Alocasia ‘Polly’ is growing back after it slowly died away.

I also planted up some of the growing avocado stones.

Also potted on the Crassula ovata, aka money plant.

I potted on one of my fig plants. Ficus carica ‘Ice Crystal’.

I bought some thyme and decided to plant it in this terracotta pot and repot this over growing Oca.

Here is the Thyme potted up.

And on my edible shelf.

I’m pleased to see my recently bought Bomarea is flowering.

I also bought some chives. The key to any supermarket bought herbs is to split them and repot them as soon as you get them. This will give them the energy and nutrition they need.

I’m hoping to catch up with more things tomorrow.

Wild flowers.

Today we had a rare day out. We went walking in the sun and fields. Here are some pictures from our walk.

Wild flowers can be so beautiful.

We then headed to the shops and I managed to pick up this plant that I’ve been after for some time. Or at least I think it is the one.

I’m hoping it in Sansevieria ‘Moonshine’.

Until tomorrow.

Hidden treasures

An impromptu visit to Village Plants in Hazel Grove to see Kevin and Susanne.

It was lovely to see them and hear how busy they have been. That they are still well. And also that they have managed to supply great plants as always.

I managed to pick up a lovely pot for my recently bought Lithops but I also came away with these beauties.

This is a rare plant from Bhutan – Sulcorebutia violacidermis.

This is Sinocrassula yunnanensis.

I was lucky to also pick this baby up. Stapelia orbea variegata.

And believe it or not some more Lithops! I just couldn’t resist!!

I haven’t managed to do any more in the yarden but hope to have more to entice you tomorrow.

Few more pictures

Haven’t done lots in the yarden today. Thought I’d share pictures of the plants I have recently blogged about.

This is the Lathyrus latifolius ‘White Pearl’.

This is a very bad picture of these fairly tall Cyperus longus.

And here we have the Impatiens auricoma x bicaudata.

These are the beautiful Rhodohypoxis now potted up in terracotta.

Other than that I went for a trip to Ikea to get more plant pots and sadly after the hour queue to get in they had sold out of the ones I went in for.

I’ve hung the plants regardless but as you can see I need better plant pots!

This gives you the idea.

Speak tomorrow.

Road trip

Today my friend David and I went on a small road trip to visit a Cacti & Succulent nursery. Abbey Brook.

They really have some amazing plants!! Look at these!

How bright and stunning are cacti flowers?

Here are some of my purchases from today.

I finally managed to get the Sedum morganianum (middle top), also bought two Echeveria (top right E. ‘Black Knight’ and bottom left – not labelled – UPDATE – A. leucoblepharum), right Stapelia hirsuta, bottom right is Aloe glauca f. distincta, unsure about the bottom one (UPDATE – Crassula obliqua ‘Blue Bird’, left is Crassula c.v. Green Pagoda, top left is Borzicactus aureispina and finally in the centre – Epiphyllum Dracula XL.

I also couldn’t resist this tall dark stranger, who knew there was a climbing Kalanchoe?! This is Kalanchoe beauverdii.

My David (partner, not friend) loves Lithops aka Living Stone plants. Here are six cute specimens – L. Archerae, L. Aucampiae C257, L. Fulviceps, L. Karasmontana, L. Lesliei and one that I have already lost the label!!

When I arrived home another plant order arrived!! Wow am I really such a plant geek?! Do I have a problem?!

Here I have (top left clockwise) Muehlenbeckia complexa, Philadendron scandens, Philadendron scandens ‘Brasil’, Tradescantia sillamontana and Impatiens morsei ‘Velvetea’ (centre).

Well I hope you enjoyed the new plants series hahaha.