Hi guys,

As you may know from my introductory post I am a noob gardener.

One challenge I have set myself is to grow some plants and flowers in pots, so they bloom in the summer months. I can then position the pots at tactical places in my front rockery, my back patio or hanging baskets.

I have bought three bergonia bulbs which I am going to plant this weekend.

I would really welcome any advice on what sort of stuff is cheap, relatively easy(so my experience is rewarding), and adds a splash of colour.

Is this a good idea? Are there obvious plant types I should go for? How many should I do (I am not wealthy)?

I hope these aren't stupid questions - and I know a lot of this is subjective and down to taste - but I want to get a feel for what other (novice and experienced) gardeners would do.

Thanks for reading,

Jennings

you can go to the garden store to buy one.

Jennings wrote in
:


Hi guys,

As you may know from my introductory post I am a noob gardener.

One challenge I have set myself is to grow some plants and flowers in
pots, so they bloom in the summer months. I can then position the pots
at tactical places in my front rockery, my back patio or hanging
baskets.

I have bought three bergonia bulbs which I am going to plant this
weekend.

I would really welcome any advice on what sort of stuff is cheap,
relatively easy(so my experience is rewarding), and adds a splash of
colour.

Is this a good idea? Are there obvious plant types I should go for? How
many should I do (I am not wealthy)?

I hope these aren't stupid questions - and I know a lot of this is
subjective and down to taste - but I want to get a feel for what other
(novice and experienced) gardeners would do.

Thanks for reading,

Jennings




Jennings, I am a not wealthy either, so I rarely buy plants, just seed.

You could buy a couple of packets of seed from B&Q or your local garden
centre, muck cheap. Have a wonder around and choose some things you like,
not what other people like. There are thousands to choose from.

Have you considered growing outdoor tomatoes? It's easy and I think they
look as good as anything. I grow Gardeners Delight outdoor and I tell you
they are wonderful. You can buy tomatoes for hanging baskets too.

My main advice to you is to buy seeds not plants,(cheaper by far) unless
its a shrub, and even then you can take cuttings from shrubs. If you are a
noob this might sound difficult, but I promise its not.

Hope this is helpful
Baz

"tony homegarden" wrote in
message ...

you can go to the garden store to buy one.




--
tony homegarden

I can't offer much advice on what to grow being quite inexperienced myself,
but I can advise you to ignore comments like the one above from "tony
homegarden". Whoever "Tony" is I have never noticed anything useful from
him, but have gained a lot of useful advise from others on this newsgroup.
Please don't let "Tony" and his type put you off, sadly this newsgroup seems
to attract several idiots who seem to gain pleasure from being downright
rude. The good news is they are greatly outnumbered by the helpful folk.

I have planted my own hanging baskets and pots using whatever plants were
cheap in Lidl or Aldi as we have both close by. Last year for the first time
I got a bit more adventurous and bought little "plug" plants online with
mixed success.

Someone else will probably be along shortly to advise you what to buy, I
hope so anyway as I will be making notes myself.

Mike

On 18/03/2011 12:02, Jennings wrote:
Hi guys,

As you may know from my introductory post I am a noob gardener.

One challenge I have set myself is to grow some plants and flowers in
pots, so they bloom in the summer months. I can then position the pots
at tactical places in my front rockery, my back patio or hanging
baskets.

Look for packets of dwarf half-hardy annuals (such as marigold,
antirrhinum, mesems (good in a hot, dry spot if you are likely to forget
to water the pots!), nemophila, petunia, salvia, and many others. Have
a browse in your local garden centre (or Wilko if you want to save money)

I have bought three bergonia bulbs which I am going to plant this
weekend.

I wouldn't if I were you as begonias will suffer if a frost gets to
them. It is too early unless you have a greenhouse to keep them in, or
start them on a windowsill for putting outside in late May.

I would really welcome any advice on what sort of stuff is cheap,
relatively easy(so my experience is rewarding), and adds a splash of
colour.

As others have said, seeds are the way to go. Get the dwarf varieties
for pots, or they will look very odd. You could also consider summer
bulbs, although the flowering spike of majority of these are too tall
for a pot. But many new varieties are appearing (eg dwarf dahlias).
Once again, have a browse in a garden centre.

Is this a good idea? Are there obvious plant types I should go for? How
many should I do (I am not wealthy)?

you could always pop along to your local Horticultural or Garden society
and ask for advice. They often have cheap stuff available as they buy
in bulk.

I hope these aren't stupid questions - and I know a lot of this is
subjective and down to taste - but I want to get a feel for what other
(novice and experienced) gardeners would do.

No, these are sensible questions for any beginner.

--

Jeff

On Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:23:30 -0000, "MuddyMike"
wrote:

I also suggest looking out for stalls in local markets, plant sales at
open gardens,
yes!
Car boot sales. is a great place to look and buy, they are full of
easy to grow stuff, and if its easy to grow ,people tend to grow too
much, then take it to a car boot sale to get rid of the surplus.

Outdoor tomatoes, definitely, go for any one that has small 'cherry
type', this year I will be planting three varieties, 'red Cherry'
'Gardeners delight and an Italian one called 'Cilique' surplus plants
will be stuck in any open space between the flowers, and left to their
own devices, will 'graze' on them as I walk round the garden :-)

www.lincolnfuchsiasociety.info

"Jennings" wrote ,

As you may know from my introductory post I am a noob gardener.

One challenge I have set myself is to grow some plants and flowers in
pots, so they bloom in the summer months. I can then position the pots
at tactical places in my front rockery, my back patio or hanging
baskets.

I have bought three bergonia bulbs which I am going to plant this
weekend.

I would really welcome any advice on what sort of stuff is cheap,
relatively easy(so my experience is rewarding), and adds a splash of
colour.

Is this a good idea? Are there obvious plant types I should go for? How
many should I do (I am not wealthy)?

I hope these aren't stupid questions - and I know a lot of this is
subjective and down to taste - but I want to get a feel for what other
(novice and experienced) gardeners would do.

..............................
The begonia tubers should be potted up asap but must not be left outside
until all chance of frost is gone, about Chelsea Flower Show time usually,
the end of May. Pot them with the concave side uppermost, rounded side
downwards, and just cover with half an inch of compost. Water vary sparingly
at first until you see the shoots breaking through and then water slightly
more until it's growing away well. You can keep these tubers for years if
you take the pot into a frost free place before the first frosts and put it
onto it's side so you remember to not water it at all until the spring.

Cheap is relative, but Fuschias and Zonal pelargoniums (Incorrectly called
Geraniums in most GCs) make good centre plants and are both easy and will
give a superb display all summer. Fuschias don't need a lot of sun but do
like a lot of water, Zonal pels do like sun and don't want to be wet. These
two can also be kept over winter but with more difficulty, the Fuschias need
to be potted up and the Zonal pels need cuttings taken in late summer. Under
these plants, especially the Fuschias which also like a lot of water, you
could plant Bizzy Lizzys but I would suggest only one colour per tub, not
the multi-coloured ones which can look a mess.

Try to find a local Nursery that grows and sell bedding plants, they will
usually be much better plants probably have a greater variety and be cheaper
than a GC or Shed.


--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

In article ,
says...

I have planted my own hanging baskets and pots using whatever plants were
cheap in Lidl or Aldi as we have both close by. Last year for the first time
I got a bit more adventurous and bought little "plug" plants online with
mixed success.

Someone else will probably be along shortly to advise you what to buy, I
hope so anyway as I will be making notes myself.

I think there was summat about planting summer pots in Gardener's World
this week (haven't watched it yet) which you can still catch on iplayer.

I would recommend B and Q and other sheds as a good source of cheap
summer bulbs, like lilies and crocosmia. They are great value because they
will live and multiply for many years; and foolproof for beginners.

I'm waiting to plant several bags of 8 or 10 gladioli which (iirc) cost
about 2.50 each. Some gladioli are not winter hardy outdoors but one of
these is (a little white one).

Janet

Wow. What an awesome response! So many people to thank and so many great ideas.

Wow! They look amazing. I had never seen these before in hanging baskets. I am going to try to find some of those 'hundreds and thousands' seeds.

Guys - thanks to everyone that has replied.

I have collated a set of notes from all of your posts and am going to get to work this weekend

Mrs ??Jennings is going to hate me - I don't have a shed, so I will have to bring the pots into the house until the frost risk has passed.

On Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:50:46 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:


these plants, especially the Fuschias which also like a lot of water

Lots of water only if in a Hanging Basket, a pot needs very good
drainage, as Fuchsia's don't like water logging.
Fuchsia are very easy to grow, and will produce a good show from small
plug plants this year, and can be kept, with care for future years.

But as with any plant, they want to grow!.
Nice to hear that remark on GQT this week.
www.lincolnfuchsiasociety.info

Probably a bit late to answer, you'll have already done your purchasing!

A plant that deserves to be grown more widely in pots is Anagallis - long season of deep blue flowers about 1.5cm dia. Use in the same way as lobelia, but it's a lot less easy to reduce it to a pile of hay by forgetting to water it. Easy from seed.

Diascia are also good for a long season of many flowers.

It's a good principle to buy plants in the smallest pots possible - they'll usually grow away very well. Fuchsias and pelargoniums/geraniums are easy from cuttings.

Small ornamental grasses/sedges are a good option for when there's not a lot else around - again, easy from seed. Look for mixed sedges (eg from Chilterns)

Don't forget late summer stuff. I tend to use Calendula (pot marigold), eschscholtzia (californian poppy) and nasturtiums - various shades of cream/yellow/orange/red which will take you through to the frosts. All easy from seed. Also Ipomea (Morning glory) as a late season climber - flowers only last a day but there are lots of them. I grow mixed seed, so one morning the flowers may be mainly blue, the next purple, the next pink and white. Not an artistically tasteful planting, but it's fun.

If you like the tomato idea, think also of chilli peppers (may not get very hot in Cheshire outside), strawberries (there's one variety which has deep pink flowers), alpine strawberries, or even a mixed planting of purple-leaved french beans and lime-green lettuces.

Seeds vary in how long they can be kept for, but most can be kept at least one year, so you can build up quite a variety without huge outlay each year. Keep them in a plastic box in your fridge.

Don't forget scented things as well - night scented stock and nicotiana are easy and powerfully scented. Very good in pots because you can move them around to where you spent most of your time.

On Sat, 19 Mar 2011 08:16:01 +0000, Jennings
wrote:


Guys - thanks to everyone that has replied.

I have collated a set of notes from all of your posts and am going to
get to work this weekend

Mrs ??Jennings is going to hate me - I don't have a shed, so I will have
to bring the pots into the house until the frost risk has passed.

Mrs J (whatever the ?? means) doesn't have to hate you. I'll guess
that when you say "pots" you mean what I call "tubs" - those big
things that take around 15-20 litres of compost to fill and are quite
heavy. At this time of year you 've got options, depending on how you
buy your plant stock:

- buy the "trays" of plug plants now appearing in garden centres and
while you're at it pick up some 3" pots and some trays (often called
"gravel trays") that don't have holes in the bottom and which fit your
window sills. Pot the little plugs on into the 3" pots and you'll get
a lot onto your window sills - better than a load of tubs on the floor
which Mrs J has to clean around (assuming she takes care of the inside
while you're engaged in the more important work outside);

-buy stuff in 3" pots already but remember you'll be paying thru the
nose for it;

-order stuff online. Lots of places sell packs of large "pot ready" or
"garden ready" plugs that will be delivered in April/May when frosts
are less of a risk and you can either plant them into the "tubs".
Then keep an eye on the weather and if it's going to get below 2/3
degrees C where you are, pop some fleece over the tubs at night; if
it's going to get below zero C where you are, bring the tubs in for
the night. To get an idea have a look at
http://www.jerseyplantsdirect.com/ and click on "Bedding Plants" and
then "By size" for some examples.

Jake

On Fri, 18 Mar 2011 12:02:54 +0000, Jennings
wrote:

One challenge I have set myself is to grow some plants and flowers in
pots, so they bloom in the summer months. I can then position the pots
at tactical places in my front rockery, my back patio or hanging
baskets.

I grow Agapanthus in pots. The flower heads follow the light like
crazy, so by having them in a pot I can turn it on a castor base.

The year before last I got the timing just right with my turning and
was rewarded with a potful of 13 gracefully spiralling stems topped
with big blue flowers.

Next I repot though, I think it'll be too big. Time to split,
methinks.