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#1
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Newbie to this group - Courtyard Help!
Hello
Two months ago I moved into a house in Plymouth that has a large'ish courtyard and a space out the front that is southfacing where I can put pots and troughs etc (the rear courtyard does receive sun too in the largest part for most of the day). Courtyard gardening is new to me I'm afraid but I'm desperate to get some colour into the outside spaces asap. I've already invested in some primulas, heathers and some limegreen conifers but I'm tempted to start setting up lots of pots for the Springtime with bulbs but am worried that once they are past their flowering I won't have the space to store them over the summer until next year. Is it possible to lift and dry store daffodils, tulips and the like over the summer or should they be left in-situ and the pots just moved out of sight? I'm hoping to set up something a bit jungly out the back but at the same time I do love the first spring-time show of flowers and colour. Any advice gratefully received, especially if anyone knows of a particular website/newsgroup that specialises in courtyard gardens. Many thanks Sharon |
#2
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Newbie to this group - Courtyard Help!
"Sharon Hughes" wrote in message ... Hello Two months ago I moved into a house in Plymouth that has a large'ish courtyard and a space out the front that is southfacing where I can put pots and troughs etc (the rear courtyard does receive sun too in the largest part for most of the day). Courtyard gardening is new to me I'm afraid but I'm desperate to get some colour into the outside spaces asap. I've already invested in some primulas, heathers and some limegreen conifers but I'm tempted to start setting up lots of pots for the Springtime with bulbs but am worried that once they are past their flowering I won't have the space to store them over the summer until next year. Is it possible to lift and dry store daffodils, tulips and the like over the summer or should they be left in-situ and the pots just moved out of sight? I'm hoping to set up something a bit jungly out the back but at the same time I do love the first spring-time show of flowers and colour. Any advice gratefully received, especially if anyone knows of a particular website/newsgroup that specialises in courtyard gardens. Many thanks Sharon Hi Sharon, Welcome to URG ! I too have a courtyard garden and roof garden. I've got some raised beds in the courtyard but still have masses of stuff in pots. My garden : http://members.rott.chello.nl/ldejag...ex.welcome.htm You can either dry the bulbs out and store them in a cool place over summer, but I personally think they do better if you leave them in their pots. You can always pile 'em up out of the way somewhere when they finish dying down. Mine go out near the wheelie bins........:~) Here's a couple of useful sites : http://www.maigold.co.uk/pots.htm http://www.gardenlinks.ndo.co.uk/container.htm http://www.savvy.com/search.cgi?ref=...rden%27+or+%27 container+gardening%27+and+advice For the jungly look, get yourself a Fatsia :~)) Jenny |
#3
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Newbie to this group - Courtyard Help!
"Sharon Hughes" wrote in
: Two months ago I moved into a house in Plymouth that has a large'ish courtyard and a space out the front that is southfacing where I can put pots and troughs etc (the rear courtyard does receive sun too in the largest part for most of the day). Hi Sharon I'm up the river from you in Gunnislake. If you've only just moved to Plymouth, don't underestimate just how warm (relatively) it stays down there - ideal for jungly things. If you've got all that stone storing the sun's warmth, you can probably grow all sorts of exciting things in your pots that would struggle in the rest of the country. I'm always amazed how much warmer it is down there when I pop in for some shopping - and how early things start into flower down there! There's an interesting article in the freeby 'Devon Gardener' paper this month about a guy who grows all sorts of exotic South African plants in a tiny Plymouth garden - if you like that sort of thing. I picked up a copy in the Safeway in Tavistock. One thing I do with bigger pots is plant up with fairly deep-planted early bulbs with pansies for immediate colour - if you stick the early bulbs deep enough, you can then whip the pansies off the next spring and replace with shallow-rooted summery annuals without causing the bulbs any problems (though I don't find they seem to be bothered if I accidentally dig them up and have to re-plant) Victoria Clare (on a hill in Cornwall) |
#4
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Newbie to this group - Courtyard Help!
Hi Jenny
Thanks for the info and your website - fantastic! Will certainly give me something to think about over the winter before I start on the rear courtyard design - the walls are an awful mess and I have lots of broken concrete on the path etc - pretty dreadful really but it has potential! (have just spent 4 hrs jet-washing it all down just so it doesn't look quite so dank out of my kitchen window!). The trellis that you have used in the walled garden looked particularly interesting - was this something that you had made for you or is it something commonly available over where you are? Certainly looked interesting and durable. PS: and the name of your rhodi? That red is so striking! Sharon "JennyC" wrote in message ... "Sharon Hughes" wrote in message ... Hello Two months ago I moved into a house in Plymouth that has a large'ish courtyard and a space out the front that is southfacing where I can put pots and troughs etc (the rear courtyard does receive sun too in the largest part for most of the day). Courtyard gardening is new to me I'm afraid but I'm desperate to get some colour into the outside spaces asap. I've already invested in some primulas, heathers and some limegreen conifers but I'm tempted to start setting up lots of pots for the Springtime with bulbs but am worried that once they are past their flowering I won't have the space to store them over the summer until next year. Is it possible to lift and dry store daffodils, tulips and the like over the summer or should they be left in-situ and the pots just moved out of sight? I'm hoping to set up something a bit jungly out the back but at the same time I do love the first spring-time show of flowers and colour. Any advice gratefully received, especially if anyone knows of a particular website/newsgroup that specialises in courtyard gardens. Many thanks Sharon Hi Sharon, Welcome to URG ! I too have a courtyard garden and roof garden. I've got some raised beds in the courtyard but still have masses of stuff in pots. My garden : http://members.rott.chello.nl/ldejag...ex.welcome.htm You can either dry the bulbs out and store them in a cool place over summer, but I personally think they do better if you leave them in their pots. You can always pile 'em up out of the way somewhere when they finish dying down. Mine go out near the wheelie bins........:~) Here's a couple of useful sites : http://www.maigold.co.uk/pots.htm http://www.gardenlinks.ndo.co.uk/container.htm http://www.savvy.com/search.cgi?ref=...rden%27+or+%27 container+gardening%27+and+advice For the jungly look, get yourself a Fatsia :~)) Jenny |
#5
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Newbie to this group - Courtyard Help!
Hi Clare
Thanks for your suggestions, will try out the layering in a larger pot. Speaking of South African garden - there's a front garden in Plymton that has a corner plot with the most amazing exotic look, very jungly - apparently there's nursery down in Cornwall that specialises in these types of plants - will have to see if I can find. Unfortunately most of the big planting will have to be on hold as the rear coutryard needs lots of work on the infrastructure, ie, rendering the walls, installing new wall and gate at the rear, putting in some raised beds and then thinking on what type of 'flooring' to go for (the broken concrete thing is soooo not nice! Still, I have a few pots out there already and am feeling much happier! Sharon PS: not sure if I should top post or bottom post on this group - I know some groups are very strict on getting the etiquette right. "Victoria Clare" wrote in message .205... "Sharon Hughes" wrote in : Two months ago I moved into a house in Plymouth that has a large'ish courtyard and a space out the front that is southfacing where I can put pots and troughs etc (the rear courtyard does receive sun too in the largest part for most of the day). Hi Sharon I'm up the river from you in Gunnislake. If you've only just moved to Plymouth, don't underestimate just how warm (relatively) it stays down there - ideal for jungly things. If you've got all that stone storing the sun's warmth, you can probably grow all sorts of exciting things in your pots that would struggle in the rest of the country. I'm always amazed how much warmer it is down there when I pop in for some shopping - and how early things start into flower down there! There's an interesting article in the freeby 'Devon Gardener' paper this month about a guy who grows all sorts of exotic South African plants in a tiny Plymouth garden - if you like that sort of thing. I picked up a copy in the Safeway in Tavistock. One thing I do with bigger pots is plant up with fairly deep-planted early bulbs with pansies for immediate colour - if you stick the early bulbs deep enough, you can then whip the pansies off the next spring and replace with shallow-rooted summery annuals without causing the bulbs any problems (though I don't find they seem to be bothered if I accidentally dig them up and have to re-plant) Victoria Clare (on a hill in Cornwall) |
#6
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Newbie to this group - Courtyard Help!
"Sharon Hughes" wrote Hi Jenny Thanks for the info and your website - fantastic! Will certainly give me something to think about over the winter before I start on the rear courtyard design - the walls are an awful mess and I have lots of broken concrete on the path etc - pretty dreadful really but it has potential! (have just spent 4 hrs jet-washing it all down just so it doesn't look quite so dank out of my kitchen window!). Crazy paving in situ then :~)) The trellis that you have used in the walled garden looked particularly interesting - was this something that you had made for you or is it something commonly available over where you are? Certainly looked interesting and durable. It's made from concrete reinforcing steel, bent into columns and then galvanised. My partner has a cousin who knows a man who knows a man who made it from offcuts (!) from a building site :~)) The galvanising stops it rusting and it looks a good now as when we erected it 7 years ago. Its very strong and matches the style of the house far better than wood would have. PS: and the name of your rhodi? That red is so striking! Sharon I've no idea ! I brought it with me from our last house where I had inherited it with the garden there. Jenny |
#7
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Newbie to this group - Courtyard Help!
"Sharon Hughes" wrote Sharon PS: not sure if I should top post or bottom post on this group - I know some groups are very strict on getting the etiquette right. Most of us prefer Bottom Posting :~)) Jenny |
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