Ceratonia

Agastache 'Liquorice Blue'

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/pages/moreinfo....

Armeria pseudoarmeria 'Joystick

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/pages/moreinfo....'

Dianthus superbus var speciosus

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/pages/moreinfo....

Helleborus "Miss Jekyll's scented"

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/pages/moreinfo....

Matthiola bicornis

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/pages/moreinfo....

Zaluzianskya capensis 'Midnight Candy'

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12/10/2005

RHS seed list order

Well, first part of the seed ordering process is complete. Here's what I chose from the RHS "Free seeds" thing (actually they're charging £10 this year for processing the order plus P&P). Still a bargain for 20 packets of seeds, many of which are difficult to obtain elsewhere. Most of these I've selected either because they're first year flowering perennials, or ornamental grasses, or they smell nice!

First Choice Seed list:
99 Carex comans, H., purple-brown leaves, to 40 cm.
101 Carex testacea, H., green to bronze leaves, to 45 cm.
102 Deschampsia cespitosa, H., ornamental grass, 60 cm.
110 Stipa capillata, H., ornamental grass, to 80 cm.
153 Asclepias incarnata, H., white to pink, to 1.75 m.
176 Campanula lactiflora, H., blue, 1.5 m.
193 Dianthus barbatus, H., colours various, 22 cm.
286 Lychnis chalcedonica, H., pink, 1 m.
299 Matthiola incana, B., white, pink or purple, 60 cm.
318 Oenothera biennis, H., yellow, 1 - 1.5 m.
327 Phormium tenax, H., evergreen, sword-like foliage, to 3 m.
328 Physostegia virginiana, H., pink, 75 - 100 cm.
329 Polemonium caeruleum, H., blue or white, 60 cm.
409 Verbascum olympicum, H., yellow, 1.5 m.
412 Verbena bonariensis, A. or H., purple, 2 m.
425 Alstroemeria mixed, H., yellow or orange, to 1 m.
454 Hemerocallis mixed, H., colours various, to 2 m.
511 Pulsatilla vulgaris, R., mixed colours, 20 - 30 cm.
612 Eucalyptus gunnii, T., attractive bark, to 25 m.
647 Mahonia japonica, S., evergreen, yellow, 1.5 m.

Alternatives list: (In Order of Preference)
512 Pulsatilla zimmermannii, R., purple, to 20 cm.
622 Hypericum kouytchense, S., yellow, 45 cm.
646 Mahonia aquifolium, S., evergreen, yellow, blue-black fruit, 1 m. (source Harlow Carr)
648 Myrtus communis, S., evergreen, white, black fruits, to 5 m.
579 Clematis recta, S., white, 1.5 m.
580 Clematis tangutica, S., yellow, climbing to 3 m.
466 Penstemon alpine mixed, R., to 45 cm
163 Astrantia major subsp. involucrata, H., pink-white, to 75 cm.
398 Tellima grandiflora Odorata Group, H., pink, scented, 45 cm. (source Rosemoor)
306 Mimulus guttatus, H., yellow, 30 - 60 cm.
239 Glaucium flavum, H., golden yellow, to 1 m.
264 Kitaibela vitifolia, H., white or pink, 2.5 m.
48 Alstroemeria aurea, H., orange, 90 cm.
63 Lilium martagon, bulbous, purple, pink or white, 30 - 70 cm.
162 Astrantia major, H., greenish-pink, 60 - 90 cm.
164 Astrantia major var. rosea, H., maroon, 60 cm.

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12/06/2005

Oops - forgot to include these

Some links to go with the previous entry. No doubt in a few minutes I will work out how to edit my previous post, but here goes anyway.

The RHS seed list

http://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/seed_list.asp

Chiltern Seeds

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/pages/banner.as...

Kings Seeds

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First entry in this blog!

Well, I'm starting this blog mainly as an easy way to keep a diary of the stuff I do in the garden. The advantage compared with a paper diary is that it's simple to include pictures, but also because I can include links to all the garden related sites I look at.

Not much happening outside in December. I've got quite a lot of tidying up to do, after a summer of neglect, but there's no great rush to do it, as all the mess is providing a habitat for over-wintering insects etc. Feeding the birds every day and making sure they have water, keeping one of the greenhouses frost-free at night, that's about all I can do in the time before and after work. Can't do much at weekends either - hours of daylight are not that long and lots of other things to do. This weekend, I mulched the dahlias (brought a few inside for the winter, but I'll risk the rest - removed the dead stems and covered the tubers with a few cm of compost). I also put a few cm of compost over the rhubarb. I grow most of my fruit and veg in raised beds. It's surprising how much the soil level drops due to removing plant material, so I add organic material every year to each bed. Also cleaned the glass of one of the greenhouses. Surprising what a difference it makes - light levels inside are much higher and that is one of the factors that can limit plant growth, especially in early spring. At the moment, with bubblewrap attached to the greenhouse sides anyway, not much happening in there.

My other current gardening activity is looking through the seed catalogues. I'm using Kings Seeds for my veg/herb requirements. I'll probably put in an order with Chiltern Seeds too. They are more expensive, but offer an amazingly wide range of plants - offering seed from various places around the world eg Chile & New Zealand. I love reading their catalogue, although comments on hardiness or otherwise are sometimes a little optimistic. Also have the possibility of selecting some seed from the RHS seedlist. I'm thinking of growing more plants than I need with the aim of selling some at various school fairs etc. Managed to raise a reasonable amount of cash for the school with not much effort last year, so may try a bit harder this year.

Talking about the RHS, one of my other reasons for starting this blog is to find somewhere to put the various sets of notes I made for my RHS General Certificate in Hortitculture exam which I passed this year (with a distinction!) Having gone to the trouble of typing these up, I might as well make these available to other people. (Especially as some correspondence course type places will charge a few hundred quid for material which isn't much better from what I've seen).

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