Three Men At Work Correct My Mistake

Three Men At Wotk rescued the maple tree. The heroes of the day. Today one of the first trees ever bought and planted by myself in my garden changed hands/gardens. It was also one of those early mistakes that had to be corrected as soon as possible. I mean earlier than today. This Norway maple (Acer platanoides) Royal Red planted in wrong place. It haven't had enough space to grow and spread  the branches. It doesn't grow fast, so it was not disturbing to the eyes until 2 years ago.   

Have you heard before... it is easy to plant, more difficult to correct mistakes.  Watch this case and think 10 times before you choose a place for the tree...

Wanna see how it left the garden? Have a look below...

Thujas Smaragd will form nice looking evergreen hedge between two the garden parts. Smaragd is nicely green even in the winter, which is not so common. I planted them in the final place, but the maple was supposed to be gone much earlier. Because it was not, today it was not so easy to remove it without harming thujas.  

 Tomek's idea was to use ropes and move thujas to the sides as much away as it was possible... to open the working space...

Zbyszek and Leszek were digging it out, while Tomek was pulling to see how strong it still hold on to the soil.  Thujas were nicely opened... 

 Three Men At Work. Tomek had to pull it to the other side as well to see how strong are the roots still holding on...

 It all took one hour untill my Norway maple Red Royal was ready to get prepared for travel... These are the roots being wrapped...

 See, how nicely packed it was?

 Final touch...

And final loading... this is how much it could go inside.

And Bye, Bye! Have a nice life little maple! I hope to pay a visit once in a while... Tomek... take good care of it! I know where you live...

Recommended reading The Essential Garden Design Workbook: Second Edition

Dracaenas roots. Is this normal?

No wonder dracaenas were called female dragon (from greek). Look what a surprise and how strong that plant is. Recently I had noticed that the pot is standing somehow not straight. I took a closer look and see what I have discovered. This amazingly strong and persistent root is trying to conquer the world! I need to learn from it…
I assure you , I was watering and feeding it well. Why does it come out like that? Isn’t it scary? At least a bit?

Recommended reading Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners

Is this the last frost this year?

Is this the last frost this year? I ask myself this question from the moment I saw this morning my neighbor white roof – clear indication there is a frost. I don’t need to look at the thermometer. One glance at the neighbor roof and it’s all clear. Especially since the time he fell down the cherry tree that was beautifully screening both houses, I can see very clearly his roof, himself, and his wife, and their kids smoking on the balcony. Always when I think that days of heavy smokers are gone, my dear neighbors make me remember tobacco companies are still making money.

What about you? 1/ Do you smoke? 2/ What is your way to understand the frost outside?

This year Nature plays it differently. Plants are growing and blooming faster and temperatures in Poland since January are higher than usually. I expect last frost days every year around 20st of May.

Sometimes they were down to -8C/17,6F this one was just below 0C/32F . Should I expect more in the coming days?

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Xoxo,
Ewa

Planting Tulips December Call

Normally it’s winter here at this season. Usually it’s snowing and freezing as well. Not this year. Temperature is in plus. Grass is green. And I will use this time to move some plants around the garden and plant bulbs longing for soil since weeks. Life kept me too busy to find time. I have it now. 

Any unusual garden chore you are doing now? 

Happy Winter Solstice everyone!

Xoxo,

Ewa

How to convince lavender and perovskia to self-seeding

If they like growing conditions you choose for them, they will self-seed like crazy.

My lavender and perovskia self-seed after I have changed my attitude. 

My 7-8 years old lavender looks neat if pruned 2-3 times a year.  Otherwise it gets too messy, but it takes little pruning to get it to proper condition. 

This is this year earliest self-seeded seedling. It's already pretty big. Not pruned yet.

 Perovskia got the hot place, but I have a feeling it is too big here - I will think where to move it. One of them is the plant that self-seeded 4 years ago. You may see it here.

This perovskia seedling appeared mid spring - it's already 10 cm tall. The hot area there was not enough - it had to be under the stone to get more heat.

And this surprising and not so surprising combo - lavender and perovskia this year seedlings appearing together.

There are 3 conditions lavender and perovskia need to self-seeding freely and willingly, if you want more than you already have:

-       Change the spot for the one they love: hot and arid. Choose the hottest spot in your garden.

-      Don't collect all flowers, leave some of them to make your lavender produce and then scatter the seeds.

-       In the early summer and mid-summer don’t be too fast to weed around the plants. Let the small plants grow until you make sure they are not lavender or perovskia. Some of them appear really late – like July.  

Good luck!

Have a nice weekend!

Xoxo,
Ewa

Pruning my sad lavender

My neglected lavender survived until her time came to prune.
The snow melted, revealing the lavender's naked sadness. She looks so sad because last year I did not have time to deal with it. But that's okay.
I trimmed it yesterday to a height of about 15-20 cm above the ground, and this year should look much better. I hope that this year my lavender will look like it used to. 

On the photos you may see half pruned shrubs.

Rose cuttings - 2 trials

My second rose cuttings taken from Mary Rose plant seem to be doing fine – look at the photo, do you think they will survive? I think there is a big chance.

In one of my last posts I was writing about my problematic Mary Rose producing lots of suckers, which sometimes pop up 2 meters away from the original plant! Then I have to rip off 2 meters of already established soil, which is something I shouldn’t do and also you shouldn’t do as well. Turning the soil means bringing new weed seeds from the deeper soil levels to the top. The less you turn the soil, the better for you – less weeding, less work.

Suckers are weakening the original plant, especially these style of suckers, which can be spotted after the plant took the effort of growing 2 meters of them. I can see clearly on my roses, how weak they are – they seem to be half dead, blooming, right, but only few flowers in a season.

Mary Rose is the only rose I have with this kind of problem – others are fine. So, I decided to give a try and propagate my Mary Rose from cutting, to see the difference because I believe she can bloom much more profuse.

I took first rose cuttings 5 weeks ago. From all info I’ve read, it says take the stem, which just finished blooming. Deadhead and divide in few 12-15 cm pieces, leaving 1 pair of leaves on the top of each cutting. The bottom part of each cutting should be cut at about 45 degree angle, leaving long nice cut. To this instruction I’ve added one my own invention – I shortened the rose leaves to only last 1 pair. Then I used hormone and sticked the cuttings in the pot, keeping the soil damp. I have not covered them what so ever and the pot was standing on the northern windowsill.

Very soon – 7-10 days - I’ve noticed stems were getting brown and died in 14 days. I decided to not give up so easy and try again.

After removing dead rose cuttings from the pot, I sticked fresh ones. I only made one change – I didn’t touch the left 1 leaf.

Very soon – in about one week – I noticed there is no browning, but rather positive change on the stems – buds started to grow! This time none of the cuttings died, all are green. Only the leaves started to wilt and fall, but this seems to not disturb the process. Now, as you can see on the photo – only one leaf is left.

Notice please that stems are not sticked in the soil up to the neck (LOL), only half. So far so good.
Cross your fingers for Mary Rose! And for me! (eeeeh, why not?!), please....

What is your experience with rose softwood propagation?

White containers - like it?

White containers - great new buy from yesterday. Just have a look at simple and fine lines. Designer  had really great eye. Green and red basil will look really tidy, so will my windowsills… ha…

I was looking for something to my white windowsills, that can be humble and simple enough to host basil in the winter. First frost days are coming fast – I have to hurry up, because there is only few days left with temperatures above 0C at night.

I didn’t want to have too large containers and I am sick of too many small and different containers, seeming to be too messy, especially now, after my room and windowsill are repainted.

Yesterday on the way back from great new discovered private garden, we stopped at ikea, which is sometimes great source of new findings.

I think that these white container are perfect for small, winter herb garden.  What is your opinion?  

The new private garden - mentioned at the beginning of the post - discovered and photographed yesterday will be featured soon on Ewa in the Garden.  

French Way to Prune Lavender

Franch way to prune lavender is maybe not really French by tradition. I call it French because for the first time I've heard about pruning garden with scissors. Normally I would be very suspicious, but the result is stunning. The owner of the method is Nicole de Vésian, the retired fashion stylist at House of Hermes, spent the last ten years of her life dressing rather her garden. She created an iconic Provencal garden of textures, shapes, scents and stones, without flowers. And she used scissors (!) for that as well!

I am always struggling to prune nicely my lavender. Inspired by Nicole, I decided to prune it this time with scissors. Let me tell you... I didn't expect it to be so easy and fast. Just look at the photo.... 

See also The Lavender Lover's Handbook: The 100 Most Beautiful and Fragrant Varieties for Growing, Crafting, and Cookin

Flowers From My Garden To You - GBBD August 2011

August 2009 and 2008 offered bit different flowers than this year. Garden is changing with time, climate is changing as well. Roses usually flowering also in August, this year decided to take holiday. Buds are in plenty, but no flowers...
I hope enjoy this set of 14 photos and this sameday delivery flowers from my garden to your PC, from Poland to wherever you are living and reading this.
GBBD is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Garden.

This container is freshly planted. Late planting because I had no heart to remove pansies...

H. paniculata Pinky Winky

Japanese anemone.

H. paniculata Limelight

Lonicera periclymenum Serotina

Coreopsis verticillata (Thread-leaf coreopsis) or whorled coreopsis, thread-leaved tickseed, thread leaf coreopsis or pot-of-gold.

Limelight

Wax begonia in the pot.

Phlox paniculata awfully oldfashioned, scented and self-seeded. It's self seeding easily if you don't dead-head it in autumn.

Pelargonium.

Obedient plant white variety.

Rudbeckia fulgida Golfsturm

Arugula blooming and I am waiting to save seeds.

Weigela florida variegata this year showing 2 different kind of flowers pink and white (right).

Flowers today - GBBD July 2011

Today flowers make my garden little more brighter and livelier.

Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle liked my last year very light pruning. I made it in August, when there was time for deadheading. No pruning in the Spring - only emergency removal of frost damages. This is only 1 plant - look how large it grew! Planted 6 years ago.

Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra.

Lavandula, phlox, perovskia and Lythrum salicaria. This place was mistakenly planted by me at first. You may read about here. I am happy that tall ornamental grass was exchanged with lavender. Scent is better and lower plant looks much better here. Right plant, right place - always looking for best match. You?

Phlox paniculata was supposed to be white...

Do you see perovskia aka russian sage in the front? It was rescued self-seeded plant, growing in the pavement.

Flowering giant hosta Blue Angel (slug resistant). Big, but if giant? We'll see. Planted 2-3 years ago.

The only flower of Hydrangea macrophylla.

Heavenly scented Lillium regale.

Another heavenly scented plant - this time non problematic climber Lonicera periclymenum Serotina.

Pansies are still alive, but their days are counted!

Thanks Carol for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!
My previous July entries you may see here: 2010 and 2008. Happy gardening!