I'm Annette and I'm lucky enough to have a walled garden in the beautiful Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, UK. I love to grow plants from seeds, cuttings, bare roots and more. My channel is a detailed look at everything that we're doing in the garden, with specific details about the plants we have and how to care for them.
I hope to inspire you to confidently care for your garden plants throughout the seasons and will share tips for growing for stunning flower arrangements so that you can bring your garden indoors too.
I love flowers - the fluffier, the better! I grow a huge variety of tulips, roses and dahlias each season, and grow hundreds of annuals from seed each year.
Follow along for inspiration and in-depth instructions so that you can join in too.
I just watched this one and enjoyed it, thank you. Do you by chance have a video garden tour? I saw some really nice things in the background that I would love to take a closer look at. :)
Penstemon seeds are notoriously hard because in nature a portion of the seeds are genetically predisposed not to germinate the first year they drop to the ground. There’s such a thing as too old penstemon seeds, but they’re rare in that it’s possible some do not germinate because the seed’s too young rather than too old.
Love the names really helpful.Just found you a few days ago, loving your info and garden. I have also purchased seeds from Alla, cc ant wait to try them, I look forward to seeing yours. Hello from Melbourne Australia
Really helpful. Thank you! Apart from putting in the cold frame is there any ongoing care required during the colder months, ie watering or feeding or are they ok until planted out in Spring?
Thank you for the in depth description of how to plant correctly. Could you please let us know the size of pots in each segment. The tulips and these dwarf plants but I am never sure of the size of the pots.
I love your informational videos! I am dividing my oriental poppies as they have become so full they flop over. I followed your instructions carefully, but have a few question. I potted up the cuttings (September 22nd) and put them on the north side of the greenhouse (the greenhouse still gets very hot in the afternoon in Western Colorado), how moist do they need to be, or how often to water them? They are not covered, would it be better to cover them to keep in moisture? Also, how long before I will see some green leaves or stems? Thank you for your information.
Hi Annette Loved the Dahlia tour, my fav I think is Copper boy. Thank you so much for all your hard work doing these videos. Glad to see you’re back on top form after being poorly. 🌺💕
Gorj! I’m a fan of Caitlin’s joy, copper boy, and breakout but there’s loads you have that we can’t get over here in NZ! I also really like your two mislabels! Especially the ball
Very beautiful line-up for compare/contrast. I tried Cornel Bronze and Linda's Baby or the first time and love both. Surprisingly, they actually get along with an orange Jowey ball in bouquets, given the right fillers. Cafe au Lait is also new, and so far produced only a single bloom, hope she will manage a few more before the rainy season starts.
Your garden is like a painting! The colours and abundance are glorious. Mine's looking very much worse for wear now and has highlighted to me the fact that my new plantings are mostly for spring and early summer and I've given no thought to later summer and autumn. Live and learn. The Dahlias are all beautiful. They are so incredible to look at. I love them all. What do you do with them at the end of the season? Do you dig them all up? If so, where do you put them?
And here is a very nice,sad song about September. Θυμήσου το Σεπτέμβρη, Κώστας Καρράς the singer. Thymisou to Septembvri, Kostas Karras. Remember it was September that I told you I love you. It really reminds me of the men I loved and makes me fry but it nurishes my soul.
Thanks Linda. I buy from various places depending on who has the variety I want but if you live in UK try Farmer Gracy (although I have been sent a few incorrect varieties by them) and Halls of Heddon for cuttings.
Babylon bronze maybe not producing well, because of a bad tuber? I had babylon last year, it was producing flower after flower, I couldn't keep up with it. I did give liquid feed. So, I think variety is ok, just maybe a bad tuber? Mine later died in winter, and some tubers I noticed, only just survived, but were like invalids performance wise from spring onwards, and were struggling to grow and progress, producing very little flowers. So, nowadays I think maybe bad tuber, or not enough sunlight. Some dahlias are ok with part shade, and keep producing and producing, and some are simply not at all happy with any shade and struggle.
Great you are organic, mee too! I use coarse gravel and spread it liberally around dahlia when I plant them into the ground. Apparently slugs don't like " walking" over rough surfaces. So, it is more of a deterant. But,snails still attack. And slugs too. I noticed that if I regularly mow the lawn, slugs are less present, as they don't like sunlight and exposure to heat and dry soil. Also, slugs like some dahlias more than others! Labyrinth has proven not to be their favourite. And when they go into a full blown commando munching attack, and dahlia is struggling to grow, I take a spade, and gently lift the whole dahlia root, and place it into a very large pot. I completely saved my Molly Raven and Creme de Cognac this way, and not only did MRaven prosper in the pot, but, I never had such a big, abundant, happy, leaves-untouched dahlia in my life! I regularly give liquid feed to my dahlias. Anyway, I hope my experience helps your followers.
That's so good to know and thank you for your wealth of information. I only feed my dahlias when I plant them and then not really very often through the season so maybe I should start giving them a proper feed next year. I will try that. Thank you. 😊
I do like your videos, I’m in the Pacific Northwest USA and have similar climate so enjoy seeing what’s going on in your garden. Dahlia growers here have said same thing, dahlias weeks later than usual. Our spring was cool. Thanks for the labels and comparisons.
Yes, you are right, I've checked and it's nothing like it's supposed to be - thank you for pointing that out. It's so frustrating when you buy a new tuber and get sent the wrong one! 🫤
Like others have said our dahlias have been skow this year. Weve still got about 6 that are just forming buds. Weve also had almost no slug damage this year. Weve used nematodes for 3 years now. Year 1 we bought direct and they worked. Year two we bought through zonama (flip it), and weve never had so many slugs. This year went direct again and that combined with slug pellets has been amazing. But weve had leaves munched in the middle and last week i caught the culprits. Silver Y moth caterpillars. Its a day flying moth and they are flying round the dahlias all day along with honey bees and bumbles which were also late to the garden this year. Now theyre here in numbers. I was waiting for this video and have a lovelly list for next year. Copper boy I already had. It starts off round and then elongates and the petals become bycolour gold and copper. Just looks like gold dipped copper foil. Such an architectural flower. We got an octopus sparkle this year too and its stunning. Also who dunnit. The petals are the same colour as sliced raddish. And we have one called Avignon which is just opening this morning. Little Robert, verrones obsidion, icoon, golden crown, poodle skirt, fire pot and a few more cheap buys from B&M. Love dahlias so much because they are like garden orchids and just love the format of this channel its helped so much.
Hi there, yes, I still have some that are only just forming buds - it's incredible the difference compared to last year. I hope they bloom before we have frosts! 🤣🌸
Copperboy is fabulous, its colour reminds me of my Cranberry Laura Ashley dupion silk curtains I have in my room. I lit the Woodstove today, not for heat , I am still in shorts, but to cook. I use olive wood, the best, and our local high quality olive oil and my lemons to cook beef balls with potatoes. You can't find such good olive oil even if you buy the best in the supermarket.
Hi, thank you! Yes, we have heavy clay soil and too much rain to leave them in the ground so we have to dig them and store them each year. It’s quite a project!
