Moving The Tender Plants To Their Winter Home

Removing The Banana Plant

Not wanting to wait until the first frosts arrive, the team have been digging out the tender plants that need winter protection and taking them back to the greenhouse.

Suited And Booted

One of the plants, the Red Abyssinia Banana, Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii', causes a slight problem due to its close proximity to the large leafed Rice Paper Plant, Tetrapanax papyrifer 'Rex'. Due to the  dust on the underside of the Tetrapanax leaves, which can cause irritation to the lungs and eyes, coveralls, goggles and a face mask are worn when digging out the banana plant. This time it was Danny's turn to adorn the outfit as he dug out the plant. 

Albizia In The Border

Working their way along the border, Ali and Danny carefully dig out all the remaining tender plants, even the small Albizia trees, and transport them back to the greenhouse. 

Moving The Albizia

The Last Of Five Trailers

Over two days the team have filled up the trailer five time with plants big and small, potted them in to containers and placed them under glass where they will remain until next June.

Tender Plants Under Glass

The herbaceous border is now full of empty spaces where all the tender plants once stood but the greenhouse is filling up fast.

Holes In The Herbaceous Border

Dahlia 'David Howard', How Tall Will It Grow?

Spring 2015

The Dahlia 'David Howard' has been flowering in the herbaceous border throughout the summer and autumn and will continue to do so until the first frost of the winter. Back in late spring, May, the first shoots began to emerge through the soil and it was hard to envisage the height this plant would eventually reach. A five foot tall plant support was constructed out of coppiced birch to shore up its future growth, but had the gardeners got the correct height? 

2 inches tall

Well, as the photograph shows, the plant support can no longer be seen and the Dahlia has now reached over six foot tall with a profusion of burnt orange, double flowers against its dark foliage. Once the first autumn frost arrives the foliage will be blackened and the plant will have to cut down. To protect it over the winter, rather than lifting the tuber, a thick layer of mulch will be placed over it, this tuber has been in the border since the spring of 2012 when it was moved from a small border in the quad. 

Autumn, 6 foot tall

More Support Wires For Climbers

New Wires

Two weeks ago the team took advantage of the scaffolding up against the back of the old cottages to prune the Rosa banksiae 'Lutea'. Rather than standing at the top of a ladder they used the security of the scaffolding to gain safe access to the rose, see blog entry 24th September 'Making Use Of The Scaffolding'. Today they returned to the platform, this time to add new wires for the many climbers that adorn the walls.

Wiring Kit

Working from the secure platforms, the complete re-wire kit could be taken up on to the scaffold boards making the task a lot easier than on previous occasions, see blog entry 11th January 2012 'Extra Wires For Climbers'. The use of the scaffolding eliminates the need to walk up and down the ladders fetching and carrying one piece of equipment at a time, the awkward balancing of the spirit level and the moving of the ladders along the wall to thread the wire through the vine eyes. With the scaffolding staying in place for the next three weeks more support wires will be added to the walls.    

The Climbers Using The New Wires

Heavy Rain Welcomes The Freshers Of 2015

Keeping The Belongings Dry

A very wet morning greeted the freshers and their families as they arrived at the college today. The gardeners did their best to keep their belongings dry as they transported it to the accommodation blocks furthest away from the car park.

Well Lit Up But Soaked

Damp, grey and overcast the team were well lit up in their florescent jackets but the waterproofs couldn't keep them dry. They got a soaking from the heavy deluge of rain but they kept smiling despite the wet conditions.

The First Bulbs Are Planted For Flowering In 2016

2885 Bulbs

This year's bulb ordered arrived mid September and have been stored in a cool, dark shed since then waiting to be planted. This autumn the team will plant 2885 bulbs in the garden starting with 10 Eremurus 'White Beauty' (Foxtail Lily).

Eremurus or Giant Spiders?

The Eremurus were taken to the part of the garden known as the goldfish bowl for planting in one of the three borders. The bulbs have an unusual shape, like giant spiders or jellyfish out of water, long fleshy, tuberous roots fanning out from the crown. 

Eremurus In Shallow Holes

Six shallow holes were dug in the well drained soil, a thin layer of horticultural grit placed in the bottom, the bulbs placed on top of the grit and covered in soil. Next summer tall, majestic white flower spikes will soar above the lower planting below them.

Planting Daffodils Around The Hornbeam

Having planted the Eremurus, Danny and Ali were joined by Simon in the Provost's garden to plant 300 Narcissus 'Thalia', a pure white, multi-headed, rather elegant flowered daffodil. The site chosen, a sunny spot around a Hornbeam, Carpinus betulus.

200 Tulips Bulbs, National Velvet and China Pink

With the daffodils planted next came the first of the tulips, 200 for planting in the orchard, Tulipa National Velvet and China Pink, to add to the previous years planting. Tipped in to a trug and mixed up, the tulips were planted in the grass in singles, twos and threes, the combinations of the deep velvet red and pink will be unknown until April when they flower beneath the apple blossom.   

Planting In The Orchard

The bulb planting will continue over the next 4-6 week in the borders, grass and containers until all 2885 have been planted.
The bulbs planting list for this year: Tulip Angelique, Attila, Black Hero, Black Parrot, Candela, China Pink, City Of Vancouver, Irene Parrot, Jan Reus, Menton, National Velvet, Queen of the Night, Shirley, Spring Green, Sun Lover, White Marvel and Cum Laude; Eremurus 'White Beauty'; Narcissus 'Thalia'; Cyclamen persicum; Camassia leichtlinii 'Caerulea'; Allium 'Purple Sensation'; Iris reticulata 'J.S. Dijt'; Fritillaria meleagris and Fritillaria imperialis 'Aurora'.

Pruning Lavender (Leaving Some For The Bees Though)

The lavender planters on the balconies of the Sainsbury Building are almost ready to be pruned but with the students due back at the college in the coming week, and the only access to the planters being through their rooms and kitchens, the pruning has had to be done before all the flowers have faded. (To see how these planters have matured since they were planted see blog entry 11th February '3 Planters, 69 Lavender Plants and A Tonne Of Gravel'.

Using secateurs Simon, Danny and Ali carefully removed the flower stalks and a few inches of this year's growth to create neat, compact plants.

After completing the first three planters and, having noticed the large number of bees that were still visiting the flowers, the gardeners had a crisis of conscience about taking away their source of nectar so decided to leave pruning the plants in the final planter until all the flowers have faded. 

Left For The Bees, Lavender In Full Flower

Bee Enjoying The Nectar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Privet Hedge

The privet hedge in the car park is cut two to three times a year and today was the final time for 2015. However, Simon and Danny decided to make a few changes to the usual wavey design and create a shape based on the popular childrens book  'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. Tapering the end to create a tail, cutting a hole for an eye and removing a small section for the mouth the caterpillar soon emerged, only this one will not turn in to a butterfly!