What's looking rough in March 2013

I thought so, funnily enough it's because it looked pretty messy, mine looks similar at the moment, not helped by the snow it's had on it. Actually my plants were looking good before the snow came, and now theyre crushed and blotchy because the ice... they'll recover but obviously not something we want in the growing season!

 

The big one

 

beautiful specimen Pete, that reminds me why I brought one in the first place! How fast is the growth on yours?

 

I find it gets black spots on the leaves Stephen, usually in cold but wet years, like we are having.
Never found a fungicide which helps, and often as the weather warms the spots get worse for a month or two, but it usually stops by early summer.

 

That one is 30yrs or so from seed.

 

Outside in the garden, things do not look too bad but that is because there is not much there. Inside, in the conservatory, plants are growing like mad.At this rate things will be flowering before there time! I am having to bend underneath some of them.Which brings me to the problem of acclimatizing them for when they go outside.Upstairs got plants on windowsills but also on the floor which are struggling for light so think may end up losing some of them.

 

Do you not leave that in full leaf for the Winter? (assuming it is in greenhouse rather than, say, a shed?)

 

Reading all this, I'm so glad I'm so behind with my seed sowing this year. I've normally. Got windowsills full by now, but I haven't started yet. Phew! I'll get going over the Easter weekend....
What's looking rough? My roses were coming into leaf, and the new growth is shrivelled and dead. The philadelphus was starting to sprout, as was the deutzia, red currants, black currants - all burned off. Even the crocuses are struggling! There are a few daffy struggling through, but apart from the tete a tete, nothing is in flower yet....

 

Here's my Exotic Garden ... Last October and this March ... bit of work to be done to get it into shape for another season's enjoyment me thinks

Last October:

now:



opposite direction in October:

now:

 

Well I've tried both methods, and I cant see any value in keeping it in leaf, so I usually bring undercover in full leaf, allow to dry out almost, and then cut it back to the roots.

The shoots that form late summer will not flower the following spring, they just remain as they are, only the spring grown shoots flower.
I'm guessing, that is because of our climate and the plant might well flower on those later grown shoots in a warmer climate.

 

Jools mentioned Echiums, I cant get them through the winters like I used to, although its partly my fault.
If I had protected this one in December, (when we had some really low temperatures), I'm sure it would be looking much better than this right now.

 

I have had more damage in my garden in the last 2 weeks or so, than over the whole winter.
Nipped outside yesterday eveningfor a few minutes.
Most of my Kniphofias are not looking good.

 

Kniphofias are usually pretty hardy, and look rubbish just now, it normal?

 

Yup, they are quite hardy.
But they should start perking up now. But with these temps....
My northiae looks more or less a gonner. Not sure it will be able to recover from the state it's in.

 

Rough is not how I would describe it, in fact when a garden is covered in snow (like Stephens is) it compares favourably well with any other garden covered in snow!

This is my garden during another snowfall this morning;