Do you GROW? Page 43

Speaking of budleja - anyone seen any coloured butterflies?
I think I've spotted two the whole Summer(!!)

I've got a load of them in a vase in my livingroom now as well- there was a massive budleja growing in front of the french doors in the kitchen and generally ruining the light/getting in the way. The bugegring thing was about 15 foot tall.

And I have a rose in my hair like some sort of idiot.

Quote: Lazzard @ August 3 2012, 11:46 AM BST

Speaking of budleja - anyone seen any coloured butterflies?
I think I've spotted two the whole Summer(!!)

Only cabbage and monarchs for me :(

No, not many butterflies here, nor anything much else that flies. Nat, you know you can cut buddleia right back down to virtually the ground every year, and it will come back without fail? You don't need to suffer such a big one.

Quote: Nogget @ August 3 2012, 11:56 AM BST

No, not many butterflies here, nor anything much else that flies. Nat, you know you can cut buddleia right back down to virtually the ground every year, and it will come back without fail? You don't need to suffer such a big one.

Ah it's gone now anyway. We've got another I think 3 or 4 throughout the garden as it is, and this one was in a big barrel that I intend on filling with lovely herbs, so it was in the way anyway.

In crop related news: Cauliflowers, carrots coming along nicely. Starting to get a slow but steady stream of strawberries, and the tomatoes are starting to show fruit. The apple trees are going crazy fruit wise though, and it also looks like we will have an insane bumper crop of plums this year. Much chutney for the making. I think the birds have already had the cherries, like they always do. The arses.

We had one of those big red admirals(?) in our conservatory the other day. Huuuge it was.

Just decapitated my arum lily with the hosepipe. Put it in eight years ago and this was the first time it had actually succeeded in flowering. :(

Quote: Tursiops @ August 19 2012, 11:37 AM BST

Just decapitated my arum lily with the hosepipe. Put it in eight years ago and this was the first time it had actually succeeded in flowering. :(

On the bright side, it won't waste energy making seed this year, putting that energy into bulking up and with luck, more flowers next year.

:)

Ah, trouble is that the attractive part of the arum lily is the seed-head; and it had succeeded not just in flowering but in growing the seed head, which had been coming along nicely...

Quote: Lazzard @ August 3 2012, 11:46 AM BST

Speaking of budleja - anyone seen any coloured butterflies?
I think I've spotted two the whole Summer(!!)

I spotted this beauty today on my lilac plant (may have the name wrong but it's white variation, I've got the purple type next to it) it's really blossomed this summer and am thrilled as I only planted it last year.

Image

Here's the whole lot! gets tons of bees and butterflies.

Image

It's a budleja (other spelling available).
Cut it back hard late-winter, early spring.

Ah! I will do, thanks.

Quote: Lazzard @ July 26 2012, 10:42 AM BST

The ones outside literally have not moved since I put them in.

I bought a small tomato plant in a pot a few months ago, I don't have a greenhouse so it's been outside but it's grown really well and is now laden with tomatoes of various stages of growth but they are still green. My first time doing any veg so am keeping a close watch to see if they'll ripen.

I have managed to kill all my roof terrace plants/flowers. I spent ages planting them all, watched them grow, and then they all died. Now I have pots with brown crispy plants in them. :(

Can anyone advise me how to move a rose? I've had a look online and found conflicting advice.

Quote: Loopey @ February 8 2013, 11:54 AM GMT

Can anyone advise me how to move a rose? I've had a look online and found conflicting advice.

Sort of depends how big it is.
If it's bloody enormous you might be better off pruning it quite hard now-ish then waiting till Autumn.

If it's just ordinary size, tidy it up a bit first, but don't hard prune it.
Dig a big enough hole around it and try yo get as much root and soil up as possible - bearing in mind it's the hairy fibrous roots that will be doing most of the work.

Have your new hole pre-dug (not where you've had a rose before) and water it in well.
There is a powder you can get which REALLY help establish new plantings http://www.unwins.co.uk/rootgrow-mycorrhizal-fungi-360g-pid3720.html
(not the only brand - Google for others)
If your plant is precious, it's well worth the few quid.

Good luck

Quote: Loopey @ February 8 2013, 11:54 AM GMT

Can anyone advise me how to move a rose?

You look deep into her eyes and... oh, you meant something else.