I went out to the lottie yesterday to have a look and to plant my broad beans for the coming spring. The ground is so wet and soggy that there isn't much that I could do in the way of cleaning. The bean sort that can stand the freezing temps of winter is called "Aquadulce". I like to plant these because they are harvested and in the freezer before the despised black aphids come and colonize the soft and tender new growth on everyone else's spring-planted broadbean plants. We make small containers out of newspaper and fill them with potting soil. These go on a bed of regular garden dirt in a window box for flowers. They get watered-in and placed on a shelf in the greenhouse. I hope to plant the beans out in three weeks or so. Afterwards, I planted some Arisaema's in-between my Tricyrtis in a small plot over near the big Buddleja arch. Then it was time for chatting and tea. Netty came down for a natter. After this we were so stiff and cold that we decided to call it a day...but first we took a few foto's--and here they are: The green manure is doing well and still attracting some bees. Phacelia The last Scabiosa doing it's best to put a good face on it's fading glory. The Clematis 'Freckles' is blooming it's third time this year (usually it blooms twice a year).--It's a good little show-off. They have downward-hanging flowers , so I planted them on an arch so that I could look upwards when I walked under it and see the blooms perfectly. The 'Freckles' is especially winter-hard and usually retains some leaves throughout the winter. The saffron krokus is also showing colour now, as it is a fall-bloomer. And finally, the Pampus Grass plant. Now is the time when it typically displays it's plumes, fully open and shimmering in the wind's tickling currents. This fellow is full of plumes even though we have cut a number of them and given them away to ladies that wanted to make a dry arrangement for their homes. Today I shall return to the lotty to lay yet another path...or should I say 'extend' a path. The bird houses need further cleanuing--as tiny mice keep getting into them and storing mirabilis and hollyhock seeds. If they continue, I shall give up and let them have it this year.
what a lovely garden you have I am turning a little green, fresh beans in spring sound good can they be grown in planters? I love pampas grass but have seen many unkempt versions that flop over and look untidy, yours are a pleasure to look at. Thank you for sharing your pictures and information.
Very nice Sjoerd. I really like your Clematis "Freckles" and your Pampas grass is truly a pleasure to look at.
You still have some very pretty blooms there. I have to find a Clematis 'Freckles' I have a new arch that will need that next year. Pampas and other prairie grasses are very popular landscape plants down here since they are heat and drought tolerant. I have plans for at least on out front soon.
Good stuff Sjoerd. So you have planted your broadies already. I am planning to get my broadies and sweetpeas in root trainers this coming week if I have time as we are away the following week. I love the clematis, such a good idea. A local store has some dirt cheap metal arches and I am tempted to get a couple for the plot, not only to grow something ornamental over, but also for the clambering squashes.
Thank you for the positive reactions, foks... PLAYTIME: I have never planted my broadbeans in planters. I start them off in paper cups and root trainers, then plant them outside in their plot when they get 2-4 leaf sets. I supopose that you could plant a bean plant in a container, but it wouldn't yield you enough to make a meal from. I plant 90-100 plants and that gives enough beans for about 24 meals for two, depending upon the spring. You know PT, it just dawned on me that I am not sure what you mean by "planters". I thought that you ment a container for the patio, but you could mean something else entirely, I suppose. Sorry. TONI: Great plan. I hope that you can find the Freckles. The blooms are not huge, but there are very, very many of them. They are a bit unique for a Clematis. I like many of the Clematises, but I chose this one because I anticipate that once it is REALLY established, it will thickly cover the arch and bloom profusely...it is well on the way already. EJ: Yes, I have them planted in the little paper cups and in root trainers. I diodn't have enough root trainers, so I shall have to order more this year. I shall look-about here to see if they can be found in Holland. Let me ask you about your planting sweetpeas. -- You said that you were planning on planting them soon, right? Where will you keep them until you plant them out?...and when do you plan on putting them out? I am asking because we don't usually plant them until Feb here and put them pout in May. Tell me about how you do it, please. A word about "cheap metal arches"-- I have bought some from Lidl and Aldi in the past, but I can not say enough bad things about them: They rusted early, the screws worked their way out, they were seriously blown apart a couple of times in wind storms and they are difficult to re-enforce. They were so inexpensive that I felt I had to give them a try... in hindsight, I think that it was a mistake for me as I wanted to put permanent things on them like Roses and Clemateses, but the plants wind up supporting the thin arches instead of vice-versa :-? Most of the arches that I employ are the thin ones and I am scratching my head now wondering what I am going to do as the rust eats them up. Consider carefully, meid.
Sjoerd it still looks good there. I bet it looks good even with bare plants and brown leaves! I really do love the last 3 pics. That tall grass is something i would love to have up here. Is it cold and wet tolerent too. i have to really order some krocus this year. A must have!
Hiyah Biita, I think the grass would be worth a try as it does ok with our temps and more than average wetness. I think it's native habitat is in less wet and cold areas, though. I believe that it does not like too much wet, but Holland is a very wet country and mine copes with our wetness fine. If you get one, plant it as early as you can in the spring to give it a full summer season to establish itself. Then just wait and see if it 'takes'. You might want to mulch it's roots at the beginning of the winter the first couple of years.
Mice in the birdhouses, I haven't ever heard that before. We had mice in a telephone box that chewed our line. It was down the road from our last home and I kept having a bad connection and then nothing when they chewed the line through...the telephone man called me after he finished fixing it and told me he evicted the mice from the box and was laughing...great pictures...Sherry
Point taken about the arches Sjoerd - a false economy I guess. I will have to get Mark to build me some more robust structures. As for the sweetpeas, I sow them exactly how you sow your broadbeans. I fill up my root trainers, then put 2 seeds per cell - I don't soak or chip the seeds - never had the need. These are then left in my greenhouse. Once they have 3 or 4 true leaves, I pinch the growing tips out, and as the side shoots get to 3 or 4 leaves, I pinch again. I usually over winter them in my greenhouse which is now unheated due to the growing costs of fuel - like the broadies, they need to grow hard and stocky. I then plant them out in early spring. This way you get blooms a good month or so earlier than ones planted in the spring. I do also sow some in spring to fill in any gaps and lengthen the cutting season.
Heh heh heh...what a story Sherry... Well EJ, thanks for the info. I guess that we do the sweetpeas the same, just that you do them earlier. I don't have any place to put them that early, but I will look around. I like the idea of starting them early. Thanks again for taking the time to explain your technique. Cheers
