Growing things!

[tortoise]

Hi all

I have planted some flowers in the garden for the first time ever! We decided to try and enjoy the garden this year, weather and NFH permitting.

I have dug over one side of the garden and planted some plants that my Mother in law bought for us. I don't know the names of half of them, but she assures me I can just leave them to self seed. We have also laid down bark and it is looking lovely.

I have two questions as I am a total novice. I have three lillies, which all flowered beautifully and are now dying off. What do I do with them once all the flowers have gone?
And I want to get a cutting from my friends passion flower bush and grow it in our garden. How do I take the cutting and where abouts do I cut? Do I have to keep the cutting indoors to root in some water or can I just plant it straight in the garden?

Thank you very much

T xx :lol:

[Beth]

your garden will be gorgoeus this time next year :yes:

when the lilies have past their best dead head them...cut the flower off, as they are bulbs, you want the energy to go back in to the bulb rather than concentrate on making seeds

passions flowers....beautiful arent they :) cant get my to grow as those blasted slugs are keeping it trimmed for me :D
linky fopr you :) http://www.passionflow.co.uk/passiflora-passion-flower-cuttings.htm

[FlamingKaty]

Hi Tortoise,

If I can add to Beth's advice - keep watering the lilies over the summer and add some tomato/flower food every few weeks. This should ensure bigger and better flowers next summer. Leave all the stems and foliage to turn yellow before cutting it all off in the autumn.

Beth, I'm amazed slugs chomp your passion flower. I have a terrible snail and slug problem but they never touch this, including all the hundreds of new suckers/shoots that pop up all over my border! Perhaps they have too many other tasty treats to distract them (like my salvias...)

FlamingKaty

[kebea41]

Hi all

I have planted some flowers in the garden for the first time ever! We decided to try and enjoy the garden this year, weather and NFH permitting.

I have dug over one side of the garden and planted some plants that my Mother in law bought for us. I don't know the names of half of them, but she assures me I can just leave them to self seed. We have also laid down bark and it is looking lovely.

I have two questions as I am a total novice. I have three lillies, which all flowered beautifully and are now dying off. What do I do with them once all the flowers have gone?
And I want to get a cutting from my friends passion flower bush and grow it in our garden. How do I take the cutting and where abouts do I cut? Do I have to keep the cutting indoors to root in some water or can I just plant it straight in the garden?

Thank you very much

T xx :lol:

Hi There,
I do know that passion flowers are very beautiful flowers and i have them in my garden.
I did try taking a cutting from a friend but this did not work so in the end i bought some passion flowers seeds and planted them they they came up beautiful a year later and now as they climb i have an array of purple flowers i do wish they would dry out so i can put some in the house forever but unfortuantly they die off..
Seeds i bought loads 2 years ago and the first year they where a bit disappointing but this year they are blooming i do suppose it depends on what type of seeds you buy...

[tortoise]

Thank you all very much. I bought a fushia today too and have planted that in a lovely blue pot. I am going to try and dry some passion flower seeds from a pod I have and see if that works. If not I will buy some from the garden centre.

I have some little flowers appearing on my stocks and my lavender that had died off and gone woody has got a new lease of life and has got some new purple flowers.

I never knew how much fun it is to see new things appearing and growing. My sunflowers have just poked their little heads through the soil after only a week!