My English Garden - what it looks like through the seasons - what the plants are and how I look after them.
My garden is in a lovely little corner of North West England near the coast and is in zone 8b/9a In spite of being fairly northerly, I benefit from a temperate climate due to the SW ocean winds and warming Gulf stream. The garden rests on a bedrock of sandstone with about 2 feet of sandy soil.
I am interested in shrubs, flowers and trees and the wildlife that shares the garden with me. It is a constant fascination to me how nature all fits together
Looking forward to meeting you in the comments. Paul
Hi Paul, one more question: the B. Charles G is now growing away well, but has one main stem. Watching your video again you say they flower better from ‘forked’ cuttings, so should i pinch out the top? Thank you
That’s a good question. That’s right brugmansias only flower above a fork. I have never pinched out brugmansias and find they’ll make forks on their own. I don’t know if pinching out is advantageous or not but I would be inclined to leave it to make its own forks - this will happen quite quickly once the weather warms up and it’s growing strongly. Please keep me informed. 👍
Beautiful hosta, Its the bees knees. I have five hostas in pots that get a tomato feed once a month. There are six hostas in the flowerbeds and they get a handful of fish blood and bone every February and a mulch of homemade compost. For slugs and snails I use slug traps with a homemade bait in them, Use one cup of water and add one teaspoon of the following, sugar, flour, dry yeast and salt. They are attracted to the yeast and they get a lovely surprise when they hit the salt.
They have plenty to eat in my garden - they eat the iris bulbs I plant out, birds eggs & chicks in their nests, they like to strip the bark off my trees, fruit on my apple trees, any bird food that falls on the ground. Should I also go to the shops for them? 😀
Thanks for sharing,one of mine actaully cracked its ceramic pot. I have all my hostas in pots; will consider splitting the larger ones rather than upsizing.
Greetings from Kentucky Paul, I enjoyed your video. I generally grow all my Hosta in the ground, but I will try a few in pots. I've grown the variety, " Guacamole". What I really love about that variety is the fragrance of the blooms. Have a great weekend and happy gardening, James
Hi Paul, You have a very nice collection of potted hostas seen at the end of the video. I love that guacamole variety. Thank you for the division video. Only yesterday, I said that next Spring I am going to divide EVERYTHING in the garden and make cuttings.... I'm gunna... it may not happen!.I have some hostas in the landscape, but not in pots...so another project for me in Spring. We don't get very many varieties here, so I get a little envious of those big magnificent ones I see on US and UK sites. I could see the endorphin release, as I imagined you standing back (with a cup of tea) and admiring the two new pots and double the plants! 💚🌱🌱
Hi Margaret, I’m like you - I have great intentions of dividing all the perennials in early Spring - next thing I know it’s June! (Except in your case December 😀) I do like that jungle feel to the patio when the hostas are in full leaf - and so easy to multiply!
yes and their freshly minted leaves after the very long deciduous winter gives a tropical jungle feel. What aspect are your hosts pots in? Do they get sun all day or do they have afternoon shade? The leaves are so perfect... until the slugs sniff them out. I assume you use some sort of snail and slug bait? You should give us an update of the hostas filling out in the pots in your next tour 😜
I actually have hostas in every aspect known to man but I do try to put the ones on the patio in a shady position - but basically they have to look out for themselves - some end up with bleached leaves. I have tried a garlic spray and think it worked quite well, but as you will see in the next video, I don’t do much about them these days apart from sit and watch with a cup of tea.
Hi paul . Im going to divide my hostas tomorrow as i thought it had to be done while they just coming through soil. Loved this video. I have a few hostas. big daddy and praying hand my favourite. Im on the look out for blue mouse ears. Also went to Chelsea flower show this year for the first time and really enjoyed it. Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪
I love splitting Hostas too. It’s fun! I find it doesn’t matter when you do it either, whether fully died back or in full swing, they don’t seem to care. I heard someone say the other day (on tv, I think) you shouldn’t split them and you should just leave them as one intact specimen to get as large as possible, but I think they’re wrong. Why not get more lovely plants for free? I’ve loads of massive Big Daddies all over the place thanks to splitting! ☺️👍🏻
A great video, thanks Paul. What a handsome collection they make there. You didn't mention copper being a slug deterrent? I remember your pot haul - they still look good.
I seem to have ‘accidentally’ gathered quite a collection - many from division - but I do like the ‘jungle’ look they give to the patio. I have tried garlic spray but haven’t tested copper yet.
Those hostas are stunning. I have never grown them, although I always promise myself a couple and never get around to it. I'm pretty sure it's rather like slug lettuce, similar to delphiniums which I've never been able to keep. I feel motivated again having seen yours. Thanks for sharing Paul 😊
Hostas are fairly cheap and easy to multiply so I’d certainly encourage you to try one or two. But best place is in a pot on your patio - where they look their best and avoid the slugs for much longer.. Glad I’ve encouraged you Kim
Aren’t Hostas amazing! I split all mine before I moved house and took them with me in pots - lots of free plants for my new garden, and they are all thriving 😊👍
Hi Poul!lm going t engoing your video,as if lm walking through garden with a friend!much problems,very tierd,but garden is always a soul's refresh!bye from Betty!
Good morning Paul! Yes, guacamole hosta! I also have a couple of guacamole hostas. Love their bright green color. Actually, flowers have a sweet scent, and hummingbirds love the hostas flowers. As always, enjoy seeing you and your garden. 😊😊
Hi Paul, I just moved 2 hostas yesterday. I didn't like where they were and thought I would move them in the fall but couldn't stand looking at them. Thanks for the video. Your hostas are beautiful.
Hi Sanna and Eric, sometimes we’ve just gotta do what we’ve gotta do! With some food and water, plants tend to respond really well - hope yours look great over the Summer.
Thank you. I once had to really cut back the roots of a hosta and an acer to get them into their allocated pots. It was a real short back and sides and I was amazed at how well they grew that very year.
I can empathise with you Paul as I have so many plants that need dividing and potting on. Diane from the "Down to Earth" channel split her Hostas ages ago and I thought at the time that I must do mine. Still haven't got around to it! Thanks for the tip about feeding with Tomorite. I'll give that a go. I've got a Hori Hori knife and use it a lot. My dad (who is 91 and still does his own garden) was horrified what I paid for it and said it was just a fancy knife but I find it so useful and wouldn't be without it. Have a great weekend.
Hi Wendy, I also prefer to divide in early Spring but couldn’t this year but the pot was so full that I felt I had to now. Those hori hori knives are indeed costly but a nice treat for us keen gardeners, I’m really glad I bought mine. Enjoy the nice weather for the weekends gardening.
I’m so surprised because I’m a novice gardener who split my hostas last year & used a bread knife & also cut 1” off the bottom. 😂 I’ve been thinking that I just did what worked, but it’s really what is necessary. Not a fan of chopping w/ a shovel, like other channels, just because I wouldn’t want to damage it too much.
Sounds as though you are no longer a novice gardener! 👍 I agree - a shovel will slice roots where’s pulling apart as much as possible will keep more roots intact.
Last Fall I dug up some of my hostas haphazardly because I was going to fill in other areas. At the time I put them all in a bucket. As life gets busy I did not have time to replant them. In early Spring I was going to throw away the bucket contents due to all of the plants and soil being packed on top of each other. To my surprise I had an entire bucket full of new plants. So even a little piece of root will grow.
@jgwood10 I just love stories like that! I once left an aeonium in its pot looking dead - out next to the bin - forgot to pop it in the bin during the Winter. In Spring it had started growing! It’s not even supposed to survive our Winters.
Hi Paul, I have always loved Hostas. Strangly enough I was looking at one of my potted Hostas this morning and thinking I should have slit it, but thought it too late. I will now give it a go. 😊😊😊
Just done it now. It is a smaller variety, so wasn't too bad. Like your's I could have got a number of plants from it, but just kept it as two decent sized plants. Will not let my husband know about the bread knife 😊
I love Hostas..ty for sharing ( i put egg shells on the soil ,snails🐌 do not like them)..yes my old 93 yr old F/I/Law was ace in the garden..he used Tomorite for all sorts..
Great video, think I might have to divide mine soon - pleased yours seem to have resisted the slugs more than some, they are beautiful plants until they look like a Swiss cheese!
Glad you enjoyed my video. The ones that are in pots do OK, but those in the ground is another story - I will be putting up a video about hostas and slugs in the next few days - bit of a horror movie! :-)
I’ve found some of the bluish ones with thick leaves, big varieties like Big Daddy are fairly resistant to slugs and are generally ok in the ground. I have lots of slugs and snails in my garden that ruin stuff overnight, but my Big Daddies have minimal chewing and they’re big impact ground cover.
I agree they will never be eradicated. The folly of man transporting animals round the world and changing the natural balance of the indigenous wildlife - particularly on islands.
That’s a good question. I don’t speed up nature - I collect the leaves in Autumn and by the following Autumn the leaf mould is ready and I empty the containers to then put the next lot of leaves in. Nature only provides leaves on a yearly basis so this system is in line with nature’s way.
As always, your garden is looking beautiful Paul! I’ve recently moved house, so just trying to get to grips with my new garden & clay-type soil. I’ve been thinking of making a new garden bed in the middle of the lawn, but I’m hesitating … what if it’s in the wrong place? … what if I don’t like it? etc … I think I just need to take the plunge and do it!
I totally understand your hesitation on a lawn bed. First, I think lawn beds really add to the look of a garden. They break up the 'football pitch' look. First lay out a hose in the shape you are thinking - live with that for a week or so. Move it a few times - make it bigger - smaller. What I really like about my lawn bed is that it made a pathway round the garden - somewhere to walk round. I like a lawn bed to be nearish to other beds to make this 'path'. I personally don't like a lawn bed bang in the middle of the lawn - but some people favour this more formal look. What do you think of my lawn bed? Size? Positioning? Size of plants? Shrubs or perennial flowers? Go for it Lindsay! ;-)
@@paultsworld thanks so much for this advice Paul! Great idea to mark it out with the hose first, and as you say “live with it” for a while. I agree about it creating a path around the garden and breaking up the expanse of lawn. I really like your garden bed - especially as it’s not symmetrical and it gives some height and interest to the centre of the garden. I would love a pond too - first things first! I will let you know how I get on 😊
A lawn bed will make your garden ‘cozy’ pretty quickly - do let me know how it goes - I was amazed how quickly the plants grew and the bed looked mature. 👍🌸
What about the big birds (crows, magpies, pigeons..) who come and eat all, not leaving any for the small birds? Crows even shake the birds feeders to get the seeds. How do you solve this problem ?
I found hanging the feeders from a long wire means they move a lot when a birds lands. The larger birds aren’t usually agile enough to hold on. Also placing a baffle just above the feeder protects it from rain and makes it more difficult for the larger birds to manoeuvre in the air to get at the feeder.
You could do - give it lots of feed - manure etc and you’ll have a fantastic plant over the Summer. In the Autumn just dig it up, put it in a medium pot with moist compost - remove all the leaves and leave it somewhere that doesn’t get below 40f - a garage might suffice if attached to the house or a cool part of the basement. Somewhere dark is fine.
13.37 Well, hydrangea comes from the greek word ύδωρ ,ythor meaning water. It needs a lot of water and shade. I was kind of sad when you said, " It's got to go" .
That’s a good point and an appropriate name, however hydrangeas were not named because they need plenty of water. The botanist Grovonius in 1739 named it hydrangea because he thought the flowers looked like an ancient water pitcher. Combining the words 'hydro' (=water) and 'angeion' (=barrel or pitcher) resulted in the name Hydrangea. It is sad that a plant has to be dug up but it will be more healthy in its new location.
@@paultsworld Ouaw, I didn't know that, about the name I mean. Oh, I thought you were going to throw it away. In greek we call them Ortansia. Thank you. And yes you are right, azaleas are in the Rhododendron section.I hadn't looked that well in the book.
@paultsworld Yes, in a tiny section and on the same page it continues with rhododendrons, very strange. I do feel a bit ashamed that I fifn't know angeio,( αγγείο in greek )is the second part of the word hydrangea . Better late than never!
Always great to learn new things - I like to learn something everyday. You have a great advantage knowing Greek - so many words have Greek origin - I'm not bad with Latin but never learned any Greek unfortunately.
