sadietoo Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Perhaps a bit frivolous, but after a couple of years of rather lacklustre results from veggie growing I thought I would try something new this year, and have just ordered some seeds from http://higgledygarden.com/ (hope the link works if not the address is there to google if you are interested. I've not ordered from them before, but I really like this site, it has lots of useful information and is written in an amusing style). I am hoping to grow some lovely annuals this year and fill the house and garden with colour. I will then just grow some toms and runner beans in tubs. I bought a small "Blow Away" from Wilkinson's for a tenner which I will be chaining down to the wall this weekend (they aren't called that for nothing) Can't wait to get going now - roll on the end of March! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Just spent a very enjoyable 30 minutes browsing, thanks for the link, I'm going to pass it onto a few friends I think he's probably right about not sowing too early, its so tempting though I've had a cutting garden (of sorts) for a few years now as its the only way I can persuade myself to actually cut the flowers. If I mentally treat them as a 'crop' its so much easier My favourite easy to grow plants are cosmos and also spring/summer bulbs. I find things like nigella, poppies, scabious and cornflower germinate easily and flower all over the place, which is very pretty, but they don't last very well in the vase. Great for decorating the table for lunch or something like that though I really want to try dahlia from seed, and tithonia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadietoo Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 Glad you liked the site Daphne! Yes Dahlia from seed interested me too. I went for "cut and come again" flowers because we have a small patch, and also I am a bit of a wuss about cutting things down in their prime particularly because I don't like to deprive the bees and other pollinators - (but don't get me started on the Christmas Tree!) ) so I like the idea that by cutting flowers I'm encouraging the plant, rather than decimating it! I quite agree about Scabious. They were my Dad's favourite flower so I have grown those for the past couple of years and take a small bunch to the churchyard every so often, but I know they don't last very long! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSilver Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Big fan of Higgledy! They have some lovely ideas, and I do really enjoy the informal garden look (as anyone could tell if they had a look at my weed-strewn garden). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaches Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Thanks for the link, sadietoo - got lots of good ideas from the site. Big scabious fan here too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaches Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Very tempted by the Bee & Butterfly collection ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadietoo Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 I'm not on commission honest but I just wanted to say I arrived home this evening to find my seeds had already arrived. Along with a lovely handwritten note and an extra pack of Cosmos seeds. So fabulous service too. Only trouble is I'm already wondering what else I could squeeze into our small plot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I have grown dahlia's from seed for the last two summers, they are ferry easy and last year I ended up with about 50 of them I had them in pots and around the garden along with a couple that came back up in the garden from the previous year's planting. I have already sown, antirrhinum, lavender, petunia, and several others along with my tomato and celeriac seeds, in my propagator in the greenhouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Interesting blog there. Thank you for the link Sadietoo. I like the cleomes - reminds me of a time when a plant found it's way into my mum's front garden. She didn't recognise the leaves and asked me in a whisper if I knew what it was and if it was one of those things that you can get arrested for! No mum it's a pretty flower - maybe it was in some birdie poo because I didn't see anyone with those along the road and hadn't seen any the previous year in the neighbours gardens either! I still have rudbeckias from last year and some star of the veldts. Bought tagetes for the greenhouse. They do really well for keeping the pests away. Just squeeze one of the newly forming seed heads and pop it onto the tomato leaves and no whitefly - or aphids. I do the same with peppers. And flowers in the greenhouse attract the beneficial insects too. Have some other things like candytuft to just throw down to bring bare patches to life - and good for butterflies! I have some cornflower seeds to grow too for cutting. Can't wait because this time of year is soooo exciting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
