I used to help my parents chose and plant flower bulbs in autumn: tulips mostly. I also remember the delights of running in the woods when trees are still bare and the soil muddy but covered with daffodils.
Therefore during autumn I planted spring flowers for next year:
fragrant hyacinthus,joyful narcissus and daffodils and scenic alliums!
- 2 'Allium tuberosum' (white flowers) in between Rosa D.Ispahan and old roses (19/09/2014)
- I 'iris reticulata' & snø iris (onions) on the border the fig/rose bed
- 5 'Allium gladiator' and 2 white allium were evenly spaced in the fig/rose bed
- I planted 8 botanical tulips at the bottom of my south hedge (20/09/2014)
23/09/2014
- Planted 15 'Allium molly' and 5 narcissus 'dutch
master' near the 'Rose de Recht' and between boysenberry and American
blueberry bushes
- 5 narcissus x incomparabilis 'ice follies' around the lingonberry bushes
- 3 'Allium christophii' (purple) around the mulberry tree
20/10/2014
- planted 3 Hyacinthus 'blue jacket' and 3 Hyacinthus 'carnegie' (white) around the rosa centifolia and mulberry tree
- planted 4 narcissus poeticus 'reccurvus' and 5 narcissus x medioluteus 'cheerfulness' between the white currant and the front lilac
- planted 8 blue allium caeruleum around wild blackberry and boysenberry (western hedge)
- planted 5 orchid narcissus 'Thalia' (white) around a wild flower (dandelion?) near the strawberry barrel
- planted 3 Nectaroscordum siculum between mulberry and wild blackberry
Friday, February 6, 2015
The edible botanical garden project
After I bought my house last winter I discovered in spring what grows around the garden and how vulnerable to drought and sun scorch it is in summer. The sandy soil of my windy coastal garden had been depleted during decades of vegetable growing by the late former owner.
The hedgerows were patchy, bent and dwarfed by wind. Many large, old but lichened
shriveling apple trees were scattered over a meadow with wild flowers in
an old fashioned orchard. Around the house there was mostly grass and some seriously outgrown ornamental bushes.
I decided to overhaul my garden. I got inspired by permaculture ideas and especially this video of a luxuriant garden in Belgium: http://youtu.be/6GEYYle0IDE
I also kept in mind the variety of uses we can get from plants: aromatic and medicinal herbs, leaf and root vegetables, berries, fruits, ornamental or perfume flowers, basket and cloth making twigs, etc
30.08.2014
- I planted a mulberry tree (morus nigra) along the west hedge of the house, in a sunny, slightly sheltered place, away from the old apple tree's shadow. I added some"Champost" organic fertiliser to the garden soil before placing the potted young tree from the nursery, and watered heavily.
- I covered the ground with the same compost around my berry bushes in the frontyard (red currand, black currant, josta berry, boysenberry, blueberries, gooseberry). I mixed the compost with special acid soil for rhododendron in the cases of blueberries. Then I watered my 4 blueberry bushes with 30ml of aluminium sulfate in 10l of rainwater.
- I planted a strawberry on the border of the acid bed, near a rhododendron shoot.
Then I planted the other 5 'Ostara' strawberry plants along the eastern hedge of the house. I prepared the ground by trimming the hedge bushes, cutting the grass and weeding out moss.
During those transplants a shoot and a twig broke off so I dipped them in rooting hormone and planted in moist seeding soil in a pot, sitting on the patio.
01/09/2014
- I uncrowded a hanging 'Toscana' strawberry pot (bought on sale) by cutting some shoots (3). I added some rooting hormone and planted them in small pots filled with mixed flower and seeding soil.
04/09/2014
- Cut 2 wild trees (no fruits) on the north side of the shed. They were growing in the outgrown forsythia and were getting too shady for my backyard.
- Cut down all the fig trees growing in front of my southern windows. They had no fruits, so no regrets! However I kept some fig canes growing in front of this southern wall (between windows) in hope to get fruits next year.
05/09/2014
- The fallen trees were cut in small pieces which are now standing where we will install another veggie bed next year as to add some natural leaf compost.
- On the west side of the backyard, in between old apple trees, and wild plum tree, some unknown tree (no fruits) was cut because it was shading the area where I plan to dig a pond.
19/09/2014
- I planted a potted, blooming and fragrant Rosa damascena 'Ispahan' below the dining room window (south facing wall)
- I planted a 'pink lemon' blueberry bush below a pine tree (east hedge in the backyard), near 2 other blueberry bushes, and added peat moss, before 2 tranberry bushes (vaccinium macrocarpon 'Howes') were added as ground cover.
20/09/2014
- I planted 2 'Coryllus maxima' (hazelnut) in partly shady spots on my east hedge. Wild hazelnut shrubs were growing there but not bearing any fruit, so I decided to give a helping hand to nature by selecting good nut trees, clearing upper hedge branches and fertilizing with compost.
27/09/2014
- We halved the forsythia bush to make space for a pear tree.
- Cleared twigs and branches in front of the robinia in order to make space for a peach tree
03/10/2014 & 04/10/2014
Planted 2 peach trees: "Frost" along my West housewall and "Benedicte" between the old triple Robinia and my working shed.
4 bare root old roses: Rosa Gallica, Rosa Centifolia and 2 Rosa Damascena in 100 liters of special rose soil.
3 pear trees "Concorde", "Doyenne du Comice", "Pierre Corneille" in a triangle along the grass field in the backyard.
3 pink currant "Champagne" in the northern hedge (near the ditch)
1 canadian bunchberry (cornus canadensis) as ground cover because I hope it will compete with invading weed around rhododendron and hydrangea in a partial shed and acid soil bed. As a bonus it is bearing edible fruits
2 Rubus x stellarcticus and 3 bilberry plants (vaccinium myrtillus) for the blueberry guild below a pine tree at the back of the garden.
1 boysenberry vine along a hedge between (young and small) mulberry tree. Wild blakcurrant vines are nturally growing nearby so it is probably a good idea to plant here.
- All my plants (except roses) came in pots, so when I planted them there was naturally an excess of soil left after closing the holes. I gathered all that garden soil, of different qualities and used most of it to make up a huge bed on top of half composted tree roots in the hedge of my backyard. I strengthened the sides of the bed with branches and twigs cut while clearing my bushes and hedges last month. I planted a pink currant in that bed.
22/10 & 23/10 Planted
**Rubus medana 'Tayberry'
**golden rasperry 'Rubus idaeus 'Fallgold'
**sea buckthorn "orange energy" (female)
* jostaberry
** honeyberry
*blueberry ...
*tyttebær
* 2 vines (grape): 'Vitis hybrid 'Schuyler'', 'Lakmont'
* Aronia melanocarpa 'Aron'
03/11/2014
I used the soil from the front garden where I planted a magnolia to level up the ground on the backgarden hedge, near the ditch to the field. I planted there an "Amelanchier alnifolia" to patch up a hole in the hedge. Then I added compost and dead leaves to top dress the bed and finally mulched around.
06/12/2014 Planted:
- Mirabelle plum tree "prunus cerasifera" near the very old plum tree where it can take the space left after sick branches were destroyed during a storm
- rasperrry-strawberry "rubus phoenicolasisus" near the second garden pole, and sage bed.
- red elderberry "sambucus racemosa" on the edge of the ditch at the back the garden, behind sambucus nigra and the branch compost place.
- "rubus odoratus" between 3 apple tree in the north west corner the garden.
14/12/2014
I started digging a hole for a pond. I transported the soil to the back hedge in order to have loose soil where to plant more bushes for my berry bush wind break
ThenI planted some plants I had been growing in pots or a few months
- 2 pink strawberry 'Toscana' (cuttings taken in autumn) south of the young fig tree
- apple mint near the dwarf pear tree
- 2 strawberries around the neighbor's lemon balm at the back of the garden
17/12/2014
I received small rare plants from Ribanjou, a nursery in western France, and planted them immediately:
- Rubus parviflorus (thimbleberry) in the northern hedge (edible wind break) near the field ditch. It was planted into a big bed made of the pond ground and some compost. I added 4 jacinthes bulbs (2 red, 2 purple) that were leftover from christmas decorations.
- Rubus illecebrosus (Jordbær-Hindbær) also in the northern hedge (edible wind break), and in another bed, behind a young pink currant bush and Sambucus nigra, left of Sambucus racemosa.
- Rubus occidentalis (black rasperry) between the dwarf old apple tree and the new dwarf pear tree.
- Rubus Arctucus as ground over between bluberry plants, near the eastern hedge in the backyard, below a huge pine tree
- Prunus Tomentosa (Nanking cherry) in a hole of the southern hedgerow on the side of an old lilac, as sea resistant wind break.
- Elaeagnus multiflora (Goumi, Cherry silverberry) near lavendula stoechias on the northermost side of vegetables bed, as open field wind break
- Rubus tricolor (Chinese bramble) as ground cover between an old giand apple tree and wild mapple trees, near new berry bushes
ALL these plants produce edible berries in addition to their lovely spring flowers.
I decided to overhaul my garden. I got inspired by permaculture ideas and especially this video of a luxuriant garden in Belgium: http://youtu.be/6GEYYle0IDE
I also kept in mind the variety of uses we can get from plants: aromatic and medicinal herbs, leaf and root vegetables, berries, fruits, ornamental or perfume flowers, basket and cloth making twigs, etc
30.08.2014
- I planted a mulberry tree (morus nigra) along the west hedge of the house, in a sunny, slightly sheltered place, away from the old apple tree's shadow. I added some"Champost" organic fertiliser to the garden soil before placing the potted young tree from the nursery, and watered heavily.
- I covered the ground with the same compost around my berry bushes in the frontyard (red currand, black currant, josta berry, boysenberry, blueberries, gooseberry). I mixed the compost with special acid soil for rhododendron in the cases of blueberries. Then I watered my 4 blueberry bushes with 30ml of aluminium sulfate in 10l of rainwater.
- I planted a strawberry on the border of the acid bed, near a rhododendron shoot.
Then I planted the other 5 'Ostara' strawberry plants along the eastern hedge of the house. I prepared the ground by trimming the hedge bushes, cutting the grass and weeding out moss.
During those transplants a shoot and a twig broke off so I dipped them in rooting hormone and planted in moist seeding soil in a pot, sitting on the patio.
01/09/2014
- I uncrowded a hanging 'Toscana' strawberry pot (bought on sale) by cutting some shoots (3). I added some rooting hormone and planted them in small pots filled with mixed flower and seeding soil.
04/09/2014
- Cut 2 wild trees (no fruits) on the north side of the shed. They were growing in the outgrown forsythia and were getting too shady for my backyard.
- Cut down all the fig trees growing in front of my southern windows. They had no fruits, so no regrets! However I kept some fig canes growing in front of this southern wall (between windows) in hope to get fruits next year.
05/09/2014
- The fallen trees were cut in small pieces which are now standing where we will install another veggie bed next year as to add some natural leaf compost.
- On the west side of the backyard, in between old apple trees, and wild plum tree, some unknown tree (no fruits) was cut because it was shading the area where I plan to dig a pond.
19/09/2014
- I planted a potted, blooming and fragrant Rosa damascena 'Ispahan' below the dining room window (south facing wall)
- I planted a 'pink lemon' blueberry bush below a pine tree (east hedge in the backyard), near 2 other blueberry bushes, and added peat moss, before 2 tranberry bushes (vaccinium macrocarpon 'Howes') were added as ground cover.
20/09/2014
- I planted 2 'Coryllus maxima' (hazelnut) in partly shady spots on my east hedge. Wild hazelnut shrubs were growing there but not bearing any fruit, so I decided to give a helping hand to nature by selecting good nut trees, clearing upper hedge branches and fertilizing with compost.
27/09/2014
- We halved the forsythia bush to make space for a pear tree.
- Cleared twigs and branches in front of the robinia in order to make space for a peach tree
03/10/2014 & 04/10/2014
Planted 2 peach trees: "Frost" along my West housewall and "Benedicte" between the old triple Robinia and my working shed.
4 bare root old roses: Rosa Gallica, Rosa Centifolia and 2 Rosa Damascena in 100 liters of special rose soil.
3 pear trees "Concorde", "Doyenne du Comice", "Pierre Corneille" in a triangle along the grass field in the backyard.
3 pink currant "Champagne" in the northern hedge (near the ditch)
1 canadian bunchberry (cornus canadensis) as ground cover because I hope it will compete with invading weed around rhododendron and hydrangea in a partial shed and acid soil bed. As a bonus it is bearing edible fruits
2 Rubus x stellarcticus and 3 bilberry plants (vaccinium myrtillus) for the blueberry guild below a pine tree at the back of the garden.
1 boysenberry vine along a hedge between (young and small) mulberry tree. Wild blakcurrant vines are nturally growing nearby so it is probably a good idea to plant here.
- All my plants (except roses) came in pots, so when I planted them there was naturally an excess of soil left after closing the holes. I gathered all that garden soil, of different qualities and used most of it to make up a huge bed on top of half composted tree roots in the hedge of my backyard. I strengthened the sides of the bed with branches and twigs cut while clearing my bushes and hedges last month. I planted a pink currant in that bed.
22/10 & 23/10 Planted
**Rubus medana 'Tayberry'
**golden rasperry 'Rubus idaeus 'Fallgold'
**sea buckthorn "orange energy" (female)
* jostaberry
** honeyberry
*blueberry ...
*tyttebær
* 2 vines (grape): 'Vitis hybrid 'Schuyler'', 'Lakmont'
* Aronia melanocarpa 'Aron'
03/11/2014
I used the soil from the front garden where I planted a magnolia to level up the ground on the backgarden hedge, near the ditch to the field. I planted there an "Amelanchier alnifolia" to patch up a hole in the hedge. Then I added compost and dead leaves to top dress the bed and finally mulched around.
06/12/2014 Planted:
- Mirabelle plum tree "prunus cerasifera" near the very old plum tree where it can take the space left after sick branches were destroyed during a storm
- rasperrry-strawberry "rubus phoenicolasisus" near the second garden pole, and sage bed.
- red elderberry "sambucus racemosa" on the edge of the ditch at the back the garden, behind sambucus nigra and the branch compost place.
- "rubus odoratus" between 3 apple tree in the north west corner the garden.
14/12/2014
I started digging a hole for a pond. I transported the soil to the back hedge in order to have loose soil where to plant more bushes for my berry bush wind break
ThenI planted some plants I had been growing in pots or a few months
- 2 pink strawberry 'Toscana' (cuttings taken in autumn) south of the young fig tree
- apple mint near the dwarf pear tree
- 2 strawberries around the neighbor's lemon balm at the back of the garden
17/12/2014
I received small rare plants from Ribanjou, a nursery in western France, and planted them immediately:
- Rubus parviflorus (thimbleberry) in the northern hedge (edible wind break) near the field ditch. It was planted into a big bed made of the pond ground and some compost. I added 4 jacinthes bulbs (2 red, 2 purple) that were leftover from christmas decorations.
- Rubus illecebrosus (Jordbær-Hindbær) also in the northern hedge (edible wind break), and in another bed, behind a young pink currant bush and Sambucus nigra, left of Sambucus racemosa.
- Rubus occidentalis (black rasperry) between the dwarf old apple tree and the new dwarf pear tree.
- Rubus Arctucus as ground over between bluberry plants, near the eastern hedge in the backyard, below a huge pine tree
- Prunus Tomentosa (Nanking cherry) in a hole of the southern hedgerow on the side of an old lilac, as sea resistant wind break.
- Elaeagnus multiflora (Goumi, Cherry silverberry) near lavendula stoechias on the northermost side of vegetables bed, as open field wind break
- Rubus tricolor (Chinese bramble) as ground cover between an old giand apple tree and wild mapple trees, near new berry bushes
ALL these plants produce edible berries in addition to their lovely spring flowers.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Apple experiments
My backyard is a former orchard with a dozen old well producing apple trees. All of them are bearing different sorts of apple, but I wanted modern red fleshed ones, so I planted a young fancy apple tree this spring.
During the last strong storm a little side branch broke. I preserved it in water, then I searched for a young apple tree in my garden, hoping to graft.
23.08.2014
After studying intensely grafting techniques online, I decided T budding was best suited to my unfortunate timing: end of summer.
At the very back of my yard, near a field, the former owner had neglected to cut bushes and that hopefully included some apple trees which had grown from fruits.
I selected 3 small trees and opened with a sharp kitchen knife the cambium to receive buds from my fancy apple.
There were a few buds on my broken branch so I could perform one T budding on each of these 3 trees, then I tied and protected them with pink tape, so I won't miss track of what I did.
It's only next spring I'll know whether it worked, or not.
25.08.2014 / 29.08.2014
Meanwhile I placed 2 apple cuttings dipped in root hormone into seeding soil. It's that same branch I cut in 2, in order not to lose any bit of my fancy tree!
Pots are placed on the patio, sheltered from wind and watered by rain: let's see next spring!
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-apple-tree-cutting-63550.html
During the last strong storm a little side branch broke. I preserved it in water, then I searched for a young apple tree in my garden, hoping to graft.
23.08.2014
After studying intensely grafting techniques online, I decided T budding was best suited to my unfortunate timing: end of summer.
At the very back of my yard, near a field, the former owner had neglected to cut bushes and that hopefully included some apple trees which had grown from fruits.
I selected 3 small trees and opened with a sharp kitchen knife the cambium to receive buds from my fancy apple.
There were a few buds on my broken branch so I could perform one T budding on each of these 3 trees, then I tied and protected them with pink tape, so I won't miss track of what I did.
It's only next spring I'll know whether it worked, or not.
25.08.2014 / 29.08.2014
Meanwhile I placed 2 apple cuttings dipped in root hormone into seeding soil. It's that same branch I cut in 2, in order not to lose any bit of my fancy tree!
Pots are placed on the patio, sheltered from wind and watered by rain: let's see next spring!
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-apple-tree-cutting-63550.html
Elderberry propagation
23/08/2014
Whilst walking back from the beach I spotted a nice elderberry tree in the woods. I took 2 cuttings and placed them in water for rooting.
I also plan to try growing bushes from seeds after berries are ripe, maybe next week, from another nice tree down the road.
If these endeavors succeed, I'll plant young elderberry bush in late spring in the backyard hedge. Meanwhile I will keep them in the shed, near a window, because if plant too early, I risk having them eaten by deers in spring when young leaves are scarce!
25/08/2014
Another elderberry cutting in water
=> September update: none of the cuttings got rooted in water, so I tried another technique.
26/08/2014
I made 2 cuttings from an elderberry tree in the forest, I dipped them in rooting hormone and planted in a pot with seeding soil.
29/08/2014
& 2 more elderberry cuttings
01/09/2014
While I was cutting some high branches near the garage so that more light can come in, I discovered and plucked some ripe elderberries. So I took a small cutting, dipped into rooting hormone and planted in a deep pot, outside.
11/09/2014
So far the smaller cuttings lost all leaves and seem dying, but the bigger branches with many green leaves seem ok. I'm leaving everything in pots outside on the patio, regularly watered by rain.
Whilst walking back from the beach I spotted a nice elderberry tree in the woods. I took 2 cuttings and placed them in water for rooting.
I also plan to try growing bushes from seeds after berries are ripe, maybe next week, from another nice tree down the road.
If these endeavors succeed, I'll plant young elderberry bush in late spring in the backyard hedge. Meanwhile I will keep them in the shed, near a window, because if plant too early, I risk having them eaten by deers in spring when young leaves are scarce!
25/08/2014
Another elderberry cutting in water
=> September update: none of the cuttings got rooted in water, so I tried another technique.
26/08/2014
I made 2 cuttings from an elderberry tree in the forest, I dipped them in rooting hormone and planted in a pot with seeding soil.
29/08/2014
& 2 more elderberry cuttings
01/09/2014
While I was cutting some high branches near the garage so that more light can come in, I discovered and plucked some ripe elderberries. So I took a small cutting, dipped into rooting hormone and planted in a deep pot, outside.
11/09/2014
So far the smaller cuttings lost all leaves and seem dying, but the bigger branches with many green leaves seem ok. I'm leaving everything in pots outside on the patio, regularly watered by rain.
Broken tomato plant?
During the strong storm in mid august some of my garden tomatoes suffered injuries.
I decided to care for a big broken branch by preparing a nice cutting out of it:
I cut the base with an angle, I nipped all the leaves on the lower half of the branch and then let it sit in water in a light (no direct sun) and warm (not hot!) space of my living room, for a week.
20.08.2014
I planted the rooted tomato branch, that had been cut by wind from an outdoor plant one week earlier. I planted it in the same pot as a basil branch rooted a week before.
11.09.2019
This tomato cutting is blooming!
In the same large pot, placed on a west large window sill, there is also one layered stevia and 2 additional basil cuttings.
I decided to care for a big broken branch by preparing a nice cutting out of it:
I cut the base with an angle, I nipped all the leaves on the lower half of the branch and then let it sit in water in a light (no direct sun) and warm (not hot!) space of my living room, for a week.
20.08.2014
I planted the rooted tomato branch, that had been cut by wind from an outdoor plant one week earlier. I planted it in the same pot as a basil branch rooted a week before.
11.09.2019
This tomato cutting is blooming!
In the same large pot, placed on a west large window sill, there is also one layered stevia and 2 additional basil cuttings.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Elderberry
17.08.2014
I need a thick bushy cover to act as wind breaker for the North wind which runs loose in the field behind my garden and I prefer an edible hedge. I plant elderberry trees because they are invasive and both flowers and berries can be turned into delicious syrup.
My boyfriend did the hard work of digging in the backyard hedge amongst old tree roots, forest shoots and old ceramic debris. I cleared many branches from the various trees and bushes that are growing wild in between our apple trees and red currants, then I planted 'Samyl' (right) next to the neighbors garden and 'Sambu' (left) in between my compost bunks.
Now both trees are low and looking more like bushes, but they are bearing berries.
There is a wild elderberry tree growing tall on my acid bed, near my neighbors garden, on the west hedge of the house. There is also pink rhododendron that bloomed after I cut many dead branches last winter. Last month I added rhododendron sphagnum when I planted one hydrangea (birthday gift) and a lingonberry to this bed. I also watered once with aluminum sulfate hoping to get blue hydrangea flowers next year. If they turn pink, my soil was too alkaline and further amendments would be made.
I need a thick bushy cover to act as wind breaker for the North wind which runs loose in the field behind my garden and I prefer an edible hedge. I plant elderberry trees because they are invasive and both flowers and berries can be turned into delicious syrup.
My boyfriend did the hard work of digging in the backyard hedge amongst old tree roots, forest shoots and old ceramic debris. I cleared many branches from the various trees and bushes that are growing wild in between our apple trees and red currants, then I planted 'Samyl' (right) next to the neighbors garden and 'Sambu' (left) in between my compost bunks.
Now both trees are low and looking more like bushes, but they are bearing berries.
There is a wild elderberry tree growing tall on my acid bed, near my neighbors garden, on the west hedge of the house. There is also pink rhododendron that bloomed after I cut many dead branches last winter. Last month I added rhododendron sphagnum when I planted one hydrangea (birthday gift) and a lingonberry to this bed. I also watered once with aluminum sulfate hoping to get blue hydrangea flowers next year. If they turn pink, my soil was too alkaline and further amendments would be made.
Caring for blueberries, planting bushes and collecting herbs
19/08/2014
Yesterday I bought 2 new blueberry plants, green and lush from the nursery, with few fruits on them.
1. a climber, 'Goldtraube'
2. a bush, 'Elizabeth'
Elizabeth is a mid season blueberry, as well as Bluecrop. As my Bluecrop failed this year and is reddish I transplant it under a pine tree (left) and add Elizabeth as a companion (right) for cross fertilization. Hopefully the soil at the bottom of my neighbors pine tree is acid enough due to many years of pine needle natural composting. I placed both bushes far enough from the trunk so they get plenty of sun.
Therefore I replaced Bluecrop with my new climber blueberry 'Goldtraube' in the front yard.
I added generous amounts of 'rhododendron sphagnum' in all of the holes, well mixed with the original soil. I didn't have to water because it rains heavily these days.
Now my blueberry row in the front garden is as follow, from North to South:
- North country, planted in May from nursery, produced few small berries in july, red leaves (24/04/2014)
- Duke, planted in May from nursery, late blooming, very delicious big berries in July.
- Goldtraube, planted in August from nursery with small ripe and green berries.
- Darrow, bought at the supermarket in June, dried before summer, no fruits
Except 'Duke' my blueberries suffered terribly from the dry sunny summer we had this year. In addition my soil wasn't rich enough (too sandy despite added sphagnum+pine mulch) and the tap water used to avoid total dessication is too hard.
Hopefully rain or collected rainwater will be enough until next summer. In order to further acidify my soil I plan to fertilize my blueberry bushes with home made compost (too fresh atm), seaweed (abundant on the beach in late summer) and more pine mulching over winter.
Sheltered by the hedge, and rather close to a giant lilac bush I planted a dutch white currant 'hvid hollandsk ribs'. I had been looking for white currants for a while, because there area few red currant my garden.
I planted a 'Rose de Recht' low bush with pink fragant roses in front of my house (south facing) near some existing roses (unknown varieties). I may try to propagate it through cuttings next year if it thrives, but for now I'll wait and see.
I bought also 2 Hippophaë,or sea-buckthorns, a male 'Pollmix1' and a fruit bearing female 'Frugana'. One male tree can fertilize a bunch of female trees, but I start with one because they are rather expensive and I'm curious if I could grow some from seeds. I could also add one 'Orange energy' female later, if I'm satisfied with these fruits.
I placed both trees along my shriveling sea facing hedge of unknown low bushes, as wind breakers. I live only 60 m away from the coastline and the wind from the Baltic sea is sometimes very strong.
I potted herbs from the nursery instead of planting in the garden because autumn is approaching and I would like to keep fresh leaves a bit longer.
I am collecting mint and sage varieties and today I added "mentha rotundifolia" (æblemynte broget) and "calamintha grandiflora"(rosenynte) to my mint list. Both pots are on the terrasse outside, but I kept 'salvia grahamii' (solbær salvie) indoors on a west facing window
Finally I re-potted 3 pink flowered strawberry plants in a barrel with our garden soil
Yesterday I bought 2 new blueberry plants, green and lush from the nursery, with few fruits on them.
1. a climber, 'Goldtraube'
2. a bush, 'Elizabeth'
Elizabeth is a mid season blueberry, as well as Bluecrop. As my Bluecrop failed this year and is reddish I transplant it under a pine tree (left) and add Elizabeth as a companion (right) for cross fertilization. Hopefully the soil at the bottom of my neighbors pine tree is acid enough due to many years of pine needle natural composting. I placed both bushes far enough from the trunk so they get plenty of sun.
Therefore I replaced Bluecrop with my new climber blueberry 'Goldtraube' in the front yard.
I added generous amounts of 'rhododendron sphagnum' in all of the holes, well mixed with the original soil. I didn't have to water because it rains heavily these days.
Now my blueberry row in the front garden is as follow, from North to South:
- North country, planted in May from nursery, produced few small berries in july, red leaves (24/04/2014)
- Duke, planted in May from nursery, late blooming, very delicious big berries in July.
- Goldtraube, planted in August from nursery with small ripe and green berries.
- Darrow, bought at the supermarket in June, dried before summer, no fruits
Except 'Duke' my blueberries suffered terribly from the dry sunny summer we had this year. In addition my soil wasn't rich enough (too sandy despite added sphagnum+pine mulch) and the tap water used to avoid total dessication is too hard.
Hopefully rain or collected rainwater will be enough until next summer. In order to further acidify my soil I plan to fertilize my blueberry bushes with home made compost (too fresh atm), seaweed (abundant on the beach in late summer) and more pine mulching over winter.
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Sheltered by the hedge, and rather close to a giant lilac bush I planted a dutch white currant 'hvid hollandsk ribs'. I had been looking for white currants for a while, because there area few red currant my garden.
I planted a 'Rose de Recht' low bush with pink fragant roses in front of my house (south facing) near some existing roses (unknown varieties). I may try to propagate it through cuttings next year if it thrives, but for now I'll wait and see.
I bought also 2 Hippophaë,or sea-buckthorns, a male 'Pollmix1' and a fruit bearing female 'Frugana'. One male tree can fertilize a bunch of female trees, but I start with one because they are rather expensive and I'm curious if I could grow some from seeds. I could also add one 'Orange energy' female later, if I'm satisfied with these fruits.
I placed both trees along my shriveling sea facing hedge of unknown low bushes, as wind breakers. I live only 60 m away from the coastline and the wind from the Baltic sea is sometimes very strong.
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I potted herbs from the nursery instead of planting in the garden because autumn is approaching and I would like to keep fresh leaves a bit longer.
I am collecting mint and sage varieties and today I added "mentha rotundifolia" (æblemynte broget) and "calamintha grandiflora"(rosenynte) to my mint list. Both pots are on the terrasse outside, but I kept 'salvia grahamii' (solbær salvie) indoors on a west facing window
Finally I re-potted 3 pink flowered strawberry plants in a barrel with our garden soil
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