choosing plants for a North Facing Shady Patio / courtyard

Anemone Honorine Jobert 

Available from Claire Austin Hardy Plants

https://www.claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk/products/anemone-x-hybrida-honorine-jobert

Hi.


We currently have a paved area surrounded on two sides by walls and on one side by a glass conservatory. It gets some sun in the summer but in the winter its in deep shade.  The paved area is dark and prone to algae and moss. Currently it is a gloomy place apart from in summer when it provides much appreciated shade.

I wanted to make it a more positive space and give it a cottagey feel like the rest of the garden. So I've been doing my homework!

I'm planning to take up some of the paving and replace it with gravel which will look lighter and also allow plants to self seed which I like. I won't be putting a membrane under the gravel. I may live to regret this!

I'll also put in plenty of pots which will I'll allow to spread seed.

I am also going to expand an existing border and make space to plant a climbing rose.

I've noticed that light yellow looks spectacular in this area so my plant list, which has taken me loads of time to do- includes whites, creams and yellows.

Anemone Honorine Jobert
Lemon Zest Marigold
Lysimachia Numulari
Hellebore Niger
Rose Alberic Barbier or Lady of the lake (the latter has some pink but I just love it)
Columbine Nivea or Chrysantha
Narcissus Minnow
Welsh Poppy
Anenome Lipsiensis
Japanese Shield Fern.

As I've just spent loads on making a wildflower lawn this remains a wish list for the moment. Probably not for long though knowing my addiction to buying plants!

Can't wait

Love caroline




To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

Pots of geraniums for your windowsill - very cheap or free and very easy to grow.

Painting by Susan Savad of Three Pots of Geranium on a Windowsill. Prints available see below.

Hi.

In a previous blog about bringing the garden into my home I showed a picture of an abstract painting of a garden by Rachel Vollerthun which I've just bought and love. Inspired by this I've been searching on the internet for other flower or garden paintings I might also love. I did find this one today.

I found this lovely painting on Fine Art America where they have many sized prints available for as little as £21. Link below.

Fine art america - link to painting of geraniums

One of the reasons I love it is that I've always had geraniums (aka Pelargoniums) on my windowsills in rows of terracotta pots.

They suit my frugal nature  - they an be bought for next to nothing, they are very difficult to kill and survive neglect. They flower most of the year. You will need to take off blooms that are dying by gently pulling off the plant.

You can also make loads more for free. In late summer (or most times of year to be honest) use a sharp knife to cut off the top 8 inches of a new stem. Gently pull off all the leaves apart from two or three small ones at the top. Then bury the stem in a pot of John Innes no 2 compost to about half its depth. No need to use rooting hormone.

I usually use a larger terracotta pot (very cheap) about 8 to 10 inches in diameter and put 3 or 4 such cuttings spaced out in the one pot. I then put in a well lit place but out of direct sunlight which is above 10 degrees C. Water one a week, there is no need to overwater as they store water in their stems.  Within a month or so they will start growing as they will have rooted. 

As they start growing every time a stem gets to about 10 inches tall - cut off the top 2 inches of each stem. This encourages branches to be made and a more well rounded plant with more flowers.

As well as filling your windowsill they make great gifts. They are also a great way to begin to learn gardening - skills learned will be watering, taking cuttings, pinching off tips to encourage branching.

There are loads and loads of varieties to buy. I like allwoods.com where I've bought some before for as little as £3.50 each. They sell traditional geraniums with all colours, ones with variegated leaves and beautifully scented geraniums. Below is a link to their website.

Allwoods Geraniums/Pelargoniums website

To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

An Asperger's New Year's Eve and my gardening New Year's resolution!

Hi again

Isn't the above photo just beautiful!

Being an antisocial and tired Asperger's person new year will be spent going to bed at my normal time of 9 pm, lights off at 10 and putting in ear plugs so we don't get woken up by fireworks!

I particularly don't like what I refer to as "the bongs" - the chimes of bells bringing in the new year.  I feel they say "Bong - that's another year of your life gone", Bong - you're another year older, Bong - doom, Bong... Bong"....   Bah Humbug eh! 

I rarely make a new year,s resolution either but this year I have and intend to stick to it. Here's how it came about:

For most of my gardening life I've prided myself on not spending more than £50 or so every year on my garden. My borders tended to look really good as I had big groups of each type of plant. I did this either by dividing, taking cuttings or spreading seeds from plants I already had.

But since I've started my gardening business, under the excuse that I'm learning about new plants I've been indulging myself with many' many new plants for my own garden. I've spent a lot! I'm not going to reveal how much. The effect in some of my borders is consequentially,  a bit "dotty". Just individual plants on their own all mixed together. Rather like the photo below which I confess is nothing like my garden but is just to make a point.



For the best visual effect multiple identical plants need to be planted together in clusters. So the colour of the flowers or the effects of the foliage is seen to its best advantage. Like the photo below (again not one of my borders - though I wish it was!)

As I've been doing lots of studying this winter I've also realised that I only use one or two propagation techniques on a narrow range of plants. So my resolution is to try different techniques of propagation on a wider range of plants in my garden (armed with my copy of "Geoff Hamilton's Practical Gardening Course") and cluster the plants I grow  for a better effect.

"Propagate not buy". Hopefully I will save a bit of money too!

I'll let you know how I get on.

Take care and happy new year.

Lots of love
Caroline
xxx



Keywords: Cottage Garden Design Asperger's ASD Autism Colour Propagate Save Money Frugal