Creating winter interest.

Planting in the green for me. You could heel them in or pot them up

 

@KFF You couldn’t have timed that better. I just caught your post as I was going out the door. I’m not sure if I got the same thing. Our Range is selling 9mm pots for £1.29. I can’t see there being any more than 3 in each pot. I bought 5 pots. At least that will start me off. Now I need to keep them somewhere. The best I can think of is to utilise one on my builders buckets. I could either leave them in their own pots or take them out and spread them around. If I did the latter would they multiply any by next Autumn ?

When I next fire up my pc I will be able to pick out the pictures of where I might put them.

G.

 

I’m a bit miffed. I had a wander around a garden centre today and found a nice display. The plants were listed as

Sarcococca Winter Gem
Ranunculus
Pot Bellis.

Foolishly I took a picture of the sign and not the actual plants. I phoned and asked the names of the varieties so that I could study them further. I was told that they were imported and the varieties were not listed. How are supposed to know what you are buying?

G.

 

Alternatively I could just find 5 random spots in the front garden amongst the other bulbs. The pots are all small and wouldn’t take up much room. That way I can wait until some bigger pots become available.

G.

 

This is the answer I got to the Ranunculus question:

Thank you for your email Gary

I hope this helps, I found it on Wikipedia



It’s a very mixed group of plants that come in many colours

Kindest regards

Barbara



1. Ranunculus
Genus

Ranunculus is a genus of about 500 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus include the buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The petals are often highly lustrous, especially in yellow species, owing to a special coloration mechanism: the petal's upper surface is very smooth causing a mirror-like reflection. The flash aids …

Ranunculus is a genus of about 500 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus include the buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The petals are often highly lustrous, especially in yellow species, owing to a special coloration mechanism: the petal's upper surface is very smooth causing a mirror-like reflection. The flash aids in attracting pollinating insects and temperature regulation of the flower's reproductive organs. Buttercups usually flower in the spring, but flowers may be found throughout the summer, especially where the plants are growing as opportunistic colonizers, as in the case of garden weeds.

Wikipedia · Text under CC-BY-SA license

o



Wikipedia

o Scientific name: Ranunculus

o Biological classification: Genus

o Consists of: Ranunculus repens · Ranunculus acris · Ficaria verna · Ranunculus aquatilis · Ranunculus bulbosus · Ranunculus sceleratus

· Ranunculus californicus · Ranunculus arvensis · Ranunculus glacialis · Ranunculus occidentalis · Ranunculus pygmaeus · Ranunculus glaberrimus · Ranunculus jovis · Ranunculus longirostris · Ranunculus f…







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So according to that it could be any 1 of 500 different plants. thanks. thats really helpful.

G.

 

I've now fired up my pc so I can share my aconite ideas.

Firstly I will have 2 trees that I can plant under.






My neighbours have aconites along the edge of their lawn. I could do something similar here,



I wondered whether I could dot the odd ranuncula along the path for summer colour.

I was going to leave this section until later. On reflection I think I would be better off digging out the turf sooner so the grass has a chance to grow back before the summer. That should also hopefully help the stepping stones bed in better.

These are my immediate thoughts.

G.

 

How about grasses in the container? (First picture) A trio of stipa tennuissima or hordeum jubatum would add some movement and tactility there.
Alongside the path.....if it's sunny there....I would plant a lavendar hedge. Or nepeta Six Hills Giant. Aconites in a line could look odd.......a group is better. They are a "support" or infill for other plants I think. Consider the swathe of scented blue flowers in summer and the aromatic foliage at other times a lavendar hedge would provide
For economy, lavendar cuttings taken in mid spring would provide plants by September; nepeta can be divided, cuttings taken, pieces of root taken to provide plants later.
Why not use annuals for the summer whilst perennials are growing on.

 

Now I have 5 plants and nowhere to put them . Will they be ok if I left them outside. I don't want them in the house.

G.

 

Why not group them somewhere? Or tuck them between other plants?
Yes, best outside....if hardened off
Right off to do some teaching (horticulture). Hope we will be indoors or in glasshouse. Dont think anyone will really want to be outside today! It will be fun anyway

 

I would like to discuss sarcococca if I may. I saw one today in a budget store. I guess it was in a 9mm pot. Since coming home I have looked to it a bit closer. Sarcococca confusa seems to be the default option. I found that there are several varieties available. One of our local GC list ruscifolia on line. This one seems smaller than the others. If I had one I would grow it in front of the shed (see photo in previous posts). There it would be in shade and out of the wind. Ideally I would like to grow it to about 3ft high and 2ft wide. I already have 2 bergenias that I intend to plant with it.

Questions:

Does anyone variety fair better than others?
Can they be pruned to size?
How long does it take to grow to maturity?

G.

 

Right,
I dont think there is enough of a difference between varieties to warrant any desire for a particular one.
I assume you mean you purchased it in a 9 centimetre pot, not 9mm?
They are all scented, evergreen and attractive.
Yes, prune aftee flowering. I have a couple here and one is kept as part of an imformal hedge by a path. It has been pruned....3 weeks or so ago.....to about 150 cm x 90 cm wide. It flowers on wood made from now until end of summer.
"Maturity"? It is quicker growing than many suggest. I would say in 3 years you would have a nice shaped, mounded or pruned bush around 90 cm high
Looks like a privet but the scent from late winter to spring is phenomenal.....a "wafting" type scent that fills the garden so can be planted out of sight if wanted. Seems to grow in shade or sun, in dry or normal soils.....waterlogged prob not

 

Here I go again. I've lost track of where I am with this area so I have come back to the last point I could remember. I apologise in advance for the terrible diagram I have hastily thrown together.



In this area now is bergenia at either end and a lenton rose inbetween. The hanging baskets are filled with fuschias. The shed is trellised ready to take a climber, possibly honeysuckle. I am considering a sarcococca or something similar (evergreen with winter flowers) at the back in the middle - where the green splurge is on the photo. I would like something crocosmia esque to grow up either side and add height and summer colour.

This photo was taken about 7 pm. The sun has gone over the top of the house. The path is sun from mid morning til tea time. The side of the shed is in shade pretty much all the time.

Would crocosmia or anything similarly looking survive under those conditions?

G.

 

My feeling is that you will be squashing stuff in there. Sarcoccoca is a reasonable size shrub......one here, for example, is trimmed to keep it 5 or 6' tall and 4' across. They are bigger than perhaps you might suppose....??
Crocosmia would grow there....grows most anywhere.....but again soon gets large.
The honeysuckle too will need space ....takes up a lot of room once it is underway.
For me, honeysuckle at the back, sarcoccoca in the middle but nearer the front.
I would only add summer bulbs like lilies or tulips there and give space to what is already there.
I would add this....choose your honeysuckle with care; some varieties like Serotina, suffer during hot dry spells and are mildew prone; some are not scented and some are extremely vigorous. I would suggest it is likely to be pretty dry there so research the varieties.

 

My summer hanging baskets are now well and truly dead ( apart from the ivy of course). Is there anything I can put in them to see them through the winter?

G.

 

It's been over 3 years since I started this thread. The plants in this section are still fairly small but they are coming together nicely.

I wanted this section to look good from the house on a winter's day when it's too cold to go outside. I would like to think that I have achieved what I was aiming for.



G.