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!

Rain, rain, drain away

So this morning was an early start at my parents.

Started off in the garage. Need to get rid of some stuff… tools no longer needed.

Then my second attempt at making the drain water from the greenhouse filter in to a bin. A tap has been added but yet to get some bricks / breeze blocks to mount the bin on.

The other side of the greenhouse it going to be blocked on one side. The other will drain in the bed. However the rain came as soon as I finished and think it will need to be done again.

Well that’s me making the garden more self sufficient but it’s an ongoing project as I’m sure you’re all aware.

Enjoy your green space.

Canna do any more …

Had a busy day in the sun working in my parents garden.

Pruned lots more ivy and sadly broke two panels in the greenhouse. Well they were already cracked but now they definitely replacing. Glad that the weather is warm enough that it won’t cause any problems.

There were bees and other insects flying in and out of the greenhouse all day.

Here is one of my seed sown canna from last year. Canna brasiliensis.

I also connected a water butt to the down pipe and connected it with an overflow pipe to a second water butt.

My parents are on a water metre so this will help them and the planet at the same time. Also the water butt was from freecycle and the second is a recycled container. Win win!