Gardening Resources & Tips

[Suffs]

I always use good dark ale or a stout type beer … it works.

[Suffs]

Nearly as many slugs in the pub this morning!!! I need to buy more beer!

[scullion]

i've a tin of molasses maybe i'll add some to the cheap beer - although the latter has caught quite a few.

[Suffs]

Tonight the slugs will be imbibing/marinating in Hog’s Back’s Tongham Tea … a sweet dark malty brew … let’s see what they think of that.

[scullion]

not having any beer in the house i have made a concoction of water, molasses, yeast and - vodka. (the last one is kept for making liqueurs etc). let's see if they go for that!

[herbidacious]

Manged to do some lunch and tea time gardening today.
I have manured the second raised bed today, started putting up support for beans and peas (need more canes to finish) potted up some more flowers, potted on some veg plants and pricked out a few things. Managed to upturn the zinnias (which should really not have needed pricking out) and lost one.
I was going to plant out some things in the garden but ran out of energy.

I have started hardening off the bigger tomatoes - will take a good 10-14 days over it unless temperatures rocket.

So what do you do with all those slaughtered slugs? (I can never resist a little alliteration )

[Pepper Pig]

I'm looking for ideas for low maintenance perennials to put in the four pots that I have left. I did bedding plants last year but they were a bit of a pain. Just need a bit of colour amonst the olive trees, late flowering roses (I hope they're not dead) and other greenery. Nothing too garish. TIA.

[Uschi]

How about hibiscus? Comes in various colours and flower for a while.

[Suffs]

How big are the containers?
Which way does the garden face? Sun or shade?

[PatsyMFagan]

Viburnum comes in lots of different varieties ..Viburnum tinus is practically indestructible.... I have had 2 standard by my front door for the last 20 years...

[Suffs]

I’d look at Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ and/or the Tri-coloured sage … both are non-toxic and with soft non-woody growth so totally safe if eaten by puppies!

The Nepeta just needs clipping back after flowering to to encourage a new flush of flowers, and you clip the sage back in the spring to encourage fresh shoots.

Both will be happy in containers of John Innes No 2 loam- based compost with the addition of a few generous handfuls of coarse horticultural grit to ensure good drainage. They don’t like being waterlogged.
Generous watering once a week in the summer ought to be enough for them, unless it’s ridiculously hot when twice a week should suit.

And of course you can use the sage in cooking.

https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/nepet ... 000010791/

https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/s ... -tricolor/

Tonally they work well together while having contrasting foliage … both are often used to complement roses, and their blueish mauvy tones will work with the greys of the olive leaves.

[Uschi]

In line with Suff's suggestions rosemary will also work well. Great scent, good for cooking, flowers in spring. Not 100% sure if it is OK for puppies, though.

[Suffs]

If the containers are big enough a prostrate rosemary to trail over the edge would look gorgeous Uschi … they can grow quite large tho.

[Stokey Sue]

Yes, we need to know the size of the pots PP

Having only pots myself I have the following in pots as permanent decorative planting, most aren’t are very colourful but mine is largely an edible herb garden

Agapanthus (fingers crossed they flower this year). Some other members of the Lily family are also happy in pots
Lavender mine is true Old English, smells just like the Yardley lavender water
A small bay tree
A small fig
Rosemary Severn Seas
Sage mine is a plain culinary variety but the variegated ones are more interesting, or some of the perennial salvias grown for flowers would work
A winter savory which is now a small shrub, not the most beautiful but the flowers really attract butterflies in midsummer

In the past I’ve had scented leaved geraniums, some varieties have good flowers

Some hydrangeas (but definitely not all) will grow in pots, but I had to get rid of mine as they suffer sunburn on an east facing terrace

[herbidacious]

I have a geum in a big pot which I have had for years in spite of maltreatment by a not very knowledgeable young gardener back in 2022. They flower for quite a long time.
This photo does not show at its best and I am sure it doesn't need to be so straggly. I am enjoying it a lot.

My blackcurrant sage is good vaue too. Pretty flowers and the leaves really do smell of blackcurrants. It's flowering now and will continue into early winter. It's in poor soil out the front and is rarely watered.

[herbidacious]

https://www.jekkas.com/products/blackcurrant-sage

n.b leaves not edible

[Pepper Pig]

Thanks all. Much to ponder.

[scullion]

a camelia for some winter colour?

the molasses concoction worked a treat. there seems to be no spare liquid just pots full of ex slugs and snails - i'll be making more of that !

[Suffs]

Told you they have a sweet tooth

[Amber]

Maybe not strictly gardening, but can I please show off? I still have a beautiful white poinsettia gifted to me last December!?!? I don’t have any green fingers, I don’t even like gardening, but this plant is still going strong, and, growing more new leaves. It’s definitely a record for me, poinsettias usually die early in January. Well done M&S.