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I was checking a few things in the garden yesterday and noticed that some plants do not seemed to have survived
that spell of freezing weather; two rosemary bushes, a lavender hedge and four little standard roses which were
probably planted in the wrong position anyway.
It may be a week or two before some more casualties become apparent. I also have doubts about a grape vine and
a potted fig tree which was overwintering in an unheated greenhouse.
Anyone else noticing the effects of this winter in their garden?
ClaireM
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom" - Wlliam Blake
I do so agree AnnaM what is the point of a plant that feeds nothing - not even us?
AnnaM said:I'd rather have a patch of nettles and thistles! :D
Do you have any neighbours Sheena? If so, it's worth having a nose around their gardens if they'll let you, and see what does for them. Didn't work for me though, the only gardeners are veg men, so I know what veg works here but all the rest seem content with vast areas of grass, the odd apple tree and very little else. Of course, that may be a hint right there, maybe they know that the deer I see on the hill will eat anything else.
And how about annual wildflowers to give you a nice show while you're having a think and/or waiting for things to establish.
P.s. we all seem to have had a lot of fun with this thread even if it started with horticultural tragedies.
Hi Woodpecker,
I received an olive tree as a present at Xmas, just a little one 2-3ft for indoor use but unfortunately it was delivered when we were away and it was left on the doorstep for up to 5 days in the freezing cold. Despite being given loads of TLC the leaves are dropping and I can't find signs of fresh shoots. Do you think its a gonner?
Claire
ClaireM said: Yes, Leylandii is hated, but we did plant such a hedge where good screening was a priority and it has been a nesting home to blackbird, song thrush, dunnock, greenfinch and robin and provides good shelter during the winter for many species. Claire
Yes, Leylandii is hated, but we did plant such a hedge where good screening was a priority and it has been a nesting home to blackbird, song thrush, dunnock, greenfinch and robin and provides good shelter during the winter for many species.
HI Claire
My Mum had to put in loads of the stuff as she lives on a main A road (only way to baffle the noise and wind) and the birds love it! Around the back she put in masses of natural hedging too - the whole garden is surrounded by 6ft high x 6ft deep habitat! :) There are so many birds around you often have to duck to avoid them! Lots of plants for insects too, and if you can cope with the veggies being eaten - these are great for insects too!
She has a wonderful garden, lots of places for birds and wildlife. I even built an insect hotel (it started as a house then grew to massive proportions) it even includes a hedgehog house in the bottom - all of this is surrounded by meadow grass and trees. Shame she is now selling up :(
Kezsmum:
What a good idea about looking at your neighbours' gardens! Shame you seem to be surrounded by lots of lawns - good for ants and playing football I guess? :)
Hi I'm in the West Midlands. I had two very odd deaths way back in Oct before the cold weather started. My grape vine, in an unheated greenhouse, produced beautiful hamburg grapes for about 15 years, it suddenly died. I cut it back but no sign of life yet. Also a canary bird early rose, which delighted me every spring, sudenly died too.
I don't seem to have lost much over winter, rosemary and lavender bushes all well and happy, but a year old gardenia in a pot too large and heavy to move, looks very very poorly!
isn't wild wonderful
Hi Min,
It is a black hamburg I have had in the greenhouse for about 9 yrs. The new growth on mine occurs very late in spring and there have been years I have thought, wrongly, it was lost. Maybe yours just decided to drop leaves early last October. Did it crop heavily last year? Don't give up hope yet.
Regards,
Last winter (Jan/Feb'10) I lost a lovely wee varigated Hebe - my fault I should have never given in too temptation!! Also thought that the evergreen Clematis Almandii had bitten the dustbut left it for others to scrabble through + low it came away from the base which was wonderful. But this year, she says touching the wooden table, I seem to have got of remercably well, bay + rosemary are both a bit bruised + battered but having removed the damaged branches, all of which tasted lovely, they both look much happier!! As someone else said I reckon the thick snow that arived before the heavy frosts created a wee igloo for my plants at least.
I'd def give things a chance to come for a while, even if they look scrappy. Pipit those bays look wonderful+ I bet they will be just fine if a bit frosted at the edges. The damage around here to some of the larger trees is quite dramatic, was collecting eldest from Cragside where he's been volunteering with Scouts + there are a huge nos of really large branches down :-(
Like Sheena, I haven't been in this garden long (5yrs Apr) It was a blank grassed, chipped, space surrounded by a hawthorn, beech + holly hedge on 3 sides with a couple of apple trees, a rowan + ? (but it is lovely!!) Have planted some clematis, hop + honeysuckle up through the hedge that al seem to be doing well. A lovely log pile in a corner under the crabapple, where the nettles are allowed to stay. A couple of herbacious borders, a lot of snow drops + daffs at the edge of the hedge that is alowed to be grassy + wild. I've planted lots of hazel oak dogwood crabapple + guelder rose on the other side of the front hedge. In the autumn I put in a narrow border on the 4th boundry + planted lots of honeysuckle + smelly clematis there along with others.
2 projects that are awaiting, putting some raised beds in. I have the timber sorted for 4 1m beds + some turf that the local garedn chap was taking to the compost place that I intercepted + have stored ;o )) The other is a 'wonky' patio with large gate posts supporting heavy rope that I hope to find on the beach after the next big storm. Having to think hard about this as there was a mass of snow that fell of the roof above. Shrug hey ho.
It is wonderful to be out in the garden listening to the birds, watching the buds swell + the snowdrops are getting better by the day!!
'In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks' John Muir.
Excuse wobbily dyslexic spelling!
Hi Claire yes it cropped heavily last year as it has done every year, but it was loaded with grapes last year when it withered and died-all the grapes and all the leaves. I shall wait and see but am not hopeful it looks very dead.
Hi osprey,
Your industry puts me to shame!!
Do you think a new thread re hedges and planting would be appropriate now?
min said: Hi Claire yes it cropped heavily last year as it has done every year, but it was loaded with grapes last year when it withered and died-all the grapes and all the leaves. I shall wait and see but am not hopeful it looks very dead.
Min, one other thought. Have you checked for mealy bugs? My vine is infested but I try to get rid of what I can and control it by rubbing off the loose bark around the branches in spring. It's really annoying because it must have been introduced by the nursery from which I bought it.
I feel kinda guilty now because I don't seem to have lost anything. My three patio apples (two of which are meant to be not particularly hardy if I remember rightly) seem to be coming back into bloom as does the larger apple tree. All of them did also survive last winter - and as some of you probably know I'm very much an if it survives it survives gardener so nothing was given any protection because I forgot to do it again this year lol The hedge is well established and that has had no problems and not surprisingly the conifers have pulled through. Lavander has survived. I've lost a gooseberry bush but that could be (or rather, is likely) because I dropped it when replanting it (oops). I'm a bit concerned about my two new trees as it got very frosty the other day but will just have to wait and see.
Millie & Fly the Border Collies