EXCEPTIONAL GROWTH AND FLOWERING

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by ARMANDII, Jul 19, 2019.

  1. ARMANDII

    ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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    My garden is, as most people know, a "slightly" over planted with hardy perennials, with layers of bulbs underneath in the borders. cottage style, "chaotic", with hungry sandy soil, garden. But this year growth and flowering of shrubs, hardy perennials and roses has been really exceptional despite, or because of:dunno::heehee:, my not being as active in the garden as normal. Plants that normally give a fair flowering performance, or struggle, in my sandy soil have doubled, or trebled, in size and flowered outstandingly well. All the roses from those climbers adorning the Arbour, the shrub roses in the borders, to the 12 or so different variety climbers lining the Wild Life pond at the bottom of the garden, have flowered magificently. Those climbers by the pond have, literally, given thousands of flowers which I never experienced before. The 9 or more Peonies have been magificent, Day Lilies have doubled in size and giving more blooms than I've seen in years. Plants that struggled previously in the hungry soil of the borders have done so well as increasing in size and flower like they have never done. One rose in particular, Rose "Kings Ransom",which has been in my garden for over 35 years has always struggled in the sandy soil despite continual attempts to improve the site where it s. The most flowers it has ever given in a year has been 3 or 4, and it has kept it's place only for sentimental reasons. However, this year, it's growth has trebled, with strong green leaves, and is now flowering it's head off!!:hapydancsmil: The Hydrangeas in the West border, under the Lilac (Madame Lemoine", have really increased in size and are making a real show.
    I could go on, but my point and question is........what's going on to make it an exceptional year and is anyone else having the same experience??
    I garden organicallly as far as possible, only feeding roses every month or so with Tomato Feed. 99% of my plants are chosen for attracting Insects of all kinds but, over the years, I have noticed a gradual, but marked, decline in the huge numbers of Bees, Hover Flies, Butterflies etc appearing in the garden. The Bees are still buzzing around the garden, but in lesser numbers even though I've managed to be stung in the left arm and in the throat this year.:hate-shocked::lolpt::heehee: Butterflies are becoming a thing of the past with rare sightings of lone Cabbage Whites and a Painted Lady, when only 5 years ago the Buddleas, hardy perennials were covered in them. My garden and House is only about 600 yards, or less, from the open fields of the Cheshire countryside but is the style of farming, use of pesticides, lack of sites and plants for laying their eggs, causing an awful drop in our insects.??? Exceptional flowering is great and brings a smile to my face, but the decline in insects termpers the smile.
     
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    • Freddy

      Freddy Miserable git, well known for it

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      Possibly the wet June followed by a warm/sunny July?
       
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      • ARMANDII

        ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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        Could be, Freddy:thumbsup:. But we have had similar conditions over the years but I've never seen anything like this before:dunno: I can understand, well nearly, those plants that like my garden soil doing well, but why so well?, and why have those numerous always struggling done so well??:dunno::scratch:
         
      • Sandy Ground

        Sandy Ground Total Gardener

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        @ARMANDII from the few photos I have seen of your garden, I really like it. Not only because in many ways, its diametrically opposed to the formal style that I have in mine, but also because it strongly reminds me of the garden that one of the other village elders here has. He, incidentally, is a professional gardener, second or third generation.

        In regards to the growth you have experienced this year, its been very similar here. It has been exceptional. Like your "Kings Ransom" rose, mine have also flowered a lot more freely than in previous years. I put this growth down to the weather we had in Spring. Simplified, plenty rain followed by warmer than usual temperatures. Record temperatures in fact!

        I've not used any non-eco products for a number of years now. No Roundup, Iron Sulphate or anything similar. If its not got an eco mark, then it doesnt get used, plain and simple. I cant really say what all of the local farmers use on their fields, but at least one is using purely eco things. I know that because he's a good friend, and we often discuss the fact.

        This has certainly had an impact on local wild life. Only this morning, I saw two young hedgehogs in the garden. The amount of bees in two borders edged by lavender sounds like the German Luftwaffe over Warsaw! Apologies if this expression upsets anyone! In the same border, I've seen several different species of butterflies, including what I am almost sure is a "Queen of Spain." Theres a photo of her on my Garden Timeline thread. That is, apparently, a very rare butterfly here, as they only rarely travel so far north. Of course, there is also a large variety of bird life also. In my estimation, a larger variety than in previous years.
         
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        • Jiffy

          Jiffy The Match is on Fire

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          We have some plants doing well, others well, give up on. insects bee's birds etc numbers are very low here, no need to even clean the bud splats off the wind screen as there aint any :biggrin:
           
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          • Verdun

            Verdun Passionate gardener

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            Likewise things have grown very well here too. :)
            Not sure it’s “exceptional” though!
            Organic here too, a warm deep sandy loam and loads and loads of mulch

            I’m seeing more and more butterflies, moths, bees this year too....maybe down to the Council not cutting hedges too often and planting more wildflowers

            Anyway ARMANDII, glad you’re happy with the state of your garden.....such good therapy this gardening lark!:)
             
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            • ARMANDII

              ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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              Tnanks, Sandy. If we all had the same style and tastes in gardening it would be so boring.:dunno::wallbanging::heehee: My wife and I visited so many gardens of different styles and sizes over the decades and we always liked a good mixture of formal and informal. I've never very comfortable or been able to appreciate ultra formal gardens, but some formal gardens have been created with such genious that you just have to admire them. I think, to be honest, Sandy, that my style of garden is more due to a slow forming, brought about by impulse buying and going with my heart than head, rather than a deliberate thought, and perhaps those visits of all those gardens with all those plants and ideas.
              The marked lack of Butterflies has really worried over the last couple of years, especially as I've deliberately planted the garden to be Insect attractive.
               
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              • ARMANDII

                ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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                I think that's the norm for most gardens, "Chiefy". I have, over the years, struggled to make various "easy to grow" plants flourish and failed miserably:dunno::fingers crossed:. Some plants I have kept trying to get them to grow over the years as they should,. Some I succeeeded with once I really understood what they like, which is not always what the experts advice, and others I just had to admit defeat.
                 
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                • Sandy Ground

                  Sandy Ground Total Gardener

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                  I do agree with that. When I designed mine, I tried to do it without any outside influences. It was only due to a Monty Don gardening programme that was shown here a few months ago that I realised that quite unintentionally, I'd used several features from some of the first gardens in history.

                  A theory as to this years exceptional growth. Normally, it would be touch and go if I could pluck my first strawberries for Midsummer. This year, it was exactly the opposite. It was touch and go if I had enough for the celebration. At a guess, that would mean things here are 3 or so weeks early. Thats in contrast to a post made by another member yesterday suggesting thing were about three weeks later than usual in his garden. @ARMANDII would you consider your garden late, early or about the same in your garden? If things are early, then to me that would suggest a good reason.
                   
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                  • ARMANDII

                    ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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                    Hi Verdun, my soil is probably not far, in similarity, to yours. I've got about 350' to 450' of pure sand under my House and garden with a now disused old Roman Sand Quarry about 25 yards from my front door. I've improved the soil for over 35 years with over 200 tons of good top soil, the constant addition of garden compost, used commercial compost and free "black gold" from the numerous Stables nearby. but my soil still remains fast draining and hungry.
                    I usually get great flowering from most of the plants but this year's flowering and growith is beyond anything I have seen over the years...........but I'm not complaining, just wondering what the cause is.:heehee:
                     
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                    • ARMANDII

                      ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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                      Hi Sandy, unfortunately there is not an easy answer because my health problems meant some long stays in hospital and treatment and pain that denied me the pleasure of the garden for several months, plus the extensive number and variety of shrubs, bulbs and hardy perennials blurs the earliness or lateness of plant growth unless that earliness or lateness is really noticable. I'll give it some thought and come back to you on that.:coffee::)
                       
                    • Nikolaos

                      Nikolaos Total Gardener

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                      @ARMANDII Also quite disturbed by the comparatively low number of bees here in my garden in the Midlands this year, especially considering the amount of pollinator-friendly plants I grow. Perhaps just a very slight decrease with butterflies, and for some reason a huge rise in the number of hoverflies! I do think what other local gardeners are growing could be having an impact by them growing more pollinator-friendly plants themselves tho, so I'm not feeling too alarmed yet. I'll wait until the Sedum spectabile flowers, if there aren't many bees on that then I think I'll start panicking! I was feeling optimistic earlier in the year because my Lonicera fragrantissima was absolutely covered in bees!

                      Nick
                       
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                      • Verdun

                        Verdun Passionate gardener

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                        Nikolaos, as I said earlier, my experience this summer is of increased bee and butterfly populations.

                        A big lavendar hedge has seemingly contributed to bee numbers but folk down here, from the Council down, have become wildlife friendly and it shows :)
                         
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                        • ARMANDII

                          ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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                          Hi Nick, you're certainly doing better than me regarding Insects. What really worries me is the decline across the board. I'm seeing very few Hover flies and the flies seem to outnumber everything else.
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                          This is my garden last year and you can see I've planted it with enough varieties of plants that should be, and did, attract Bees, etc in droves. My Teasels, in bloom now, are usually a magnet for Bees, Ladiy Birds and all kinds of Insects but I'm only seeing the Bees at the moment.
                           
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                          • Nikolaos

                            Nikolaos Total Gardener

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                            @Verdun Even the Lavandula angustifolia grown locally, which usually draws the bees in like a magnet, doesn't seem to have that many around it, certainly not compared to previous years. I've seen far fewer in gardens with a lot of it planted when walking on hot, sunny days.

                            @ARMANDII Gorgeous garden! :smile: The ladybirds don't seem to have done too badly this year here, the two things that concern me in my area is the apparent decrease (in the diversity, not number) of butterflies and the gradual decrease in bees.
                             
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