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05-03-2007, 07:30 AM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 528
| | | plant growing
hi guys, as spring is nearly here i was thinking about growing some plants and flowers, growing them in pots and then introducing them to the garden. what plants are easy to grow ?
also i have a cactus in a pot, could it be planted in the garden ? my guess is no but just want to here some of your opinions
chow for now
leon
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05-03-2007, 07:51 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,529
| | | Re: plant growing
Everything's fairly easy to grow if you follow the advise on the seed packet, Leon, but it's keeping it going that's the hard part.
Firstly, what sort of soil do you have, chalky or otherwise, and is your garden very sunny or rather shady?
If it's very shady, go for hostas, arums, aspadistra, sweet woodruff, anemones, periwinkle.
Very sunny, sunflowers, gaillardia.
Things like nasturtiums are quite easy to get going in most places I think, and keep seeding themselves if they like it. So are hollyhocks, foxgloves, delphiniums, marigolds, and red valarian, cosmos, love-in-the-mist, fuchias, and pansies.
The bulbs of course are useful to shove in first, as the will keep coming up year after year through whatever else you plant and you can get bulbs that flower at all points in the year. Montbretia is one of my favourites.
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05-03-2007, 08:48 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Letchworth Garden City
Posts: 1,359
| | | Re: plant growing
I agree with all those recommended by BW. Lavender is very good for bees and will grow almost anywhere, though it prefers sun. It seeds itself about so in a few years you can have quite a lot of plants. Honeysuckle will grow up a wall or fence if you have one and give you good flowers and shelter for small birds. Scabious is good for butterflies.
I don't think your cactus would do well outdoors. Hardly any will survive. |
05-03-2007, 12:33 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Ijmuiden, Holland
Posts: 2,021
| | | Re: plant growing
Hi Leon, I think you'll find Nigella (love in a mist) and poppies very easy to grow from seed. The bees love them and last year the comma butterflies seemed to favour the nigella,they also produce great seed heads for the birds after flowering- but keep a couple back for yourself so you can re sow next year. Mind you both these do tend to self sow very well on their own.
Foxgloves are also a must as BW says but bear in mind if you plant them now they wont flower untill next year - but they are deffinately worth planting.
What about some Sun Flowers - very easy to grow and the ones with the massive heads are brilliant for the birds when they turn to seed. Two years running we had a woodpecker visiting to eat them, but it's the tits that really tuck in.
I ve just realised everything I reccomended BW was there before - oh well -great minds!  |
05-03-2007, 01:15 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Grimsby, Lincs
Posts: 1,573
| | | Re: plant growing
Leon,
You can get some great Wildflower mixes from Nicky's Nursery  Wildflower Mix
I've got a couple of these ready to plant within the next month, I've also got some Garlic Mustard and French Sorrel, agin to plant for the butterflies |
05-03-2007, 01:29 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Grantham, Lincolnshire
Posts: 928
| | | Re: plant growing
Most of the seeds you can sow directly into the soil in your garden and they will grow and flower this year.
At this time of the year its a bit early so beware frosts.  .
I grow lots of flowers by sowing seed into pots and keeping them on the windowsill. Its quite easy |
05-03-2007, 01:33 PM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Grantham, Lincolnshire
Posts: 928
| | | Re: plant growing
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lincs Yellowbelly  Leon,
You can get some great Wildflower mixes from Nicky's Nursery Wildflower Mix
I've got a couple of these ready to plant within the next month, I've also got some Garlic Mustard and French Sorrel, agin to plant for the butterflies | Hello LY
I am going to plant some sorrell this year for Small Coppers.  |
05-03-2007, 02:37 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Grimsby, Lincs
Posts: 1,573
| | | Re: plant growing
That was exactly my plan |
05-03-2007, 05:37 PM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 528
| | | Re: plant growing
thanks guys, im not really sure what soil we get, i live in suffolk does that help ? we have a small clay cliff nearby aswell, does this mean weve got chalky soil ?
we get a fair amount of sun
i want a medium sized plant that will live for a fairly long time and maybe provide the birds with some food
thanks leon
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05-03-2007, 06:51 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northants
Posts: 5,357
| | | Re: plant growing
Hi Leon
Do you know if your soil or lawn is water logged or its free draining? Does the ground crack up and bake hard in summer? If so it may be clay. If you take some soul in your hand and give it a squeeze if its free draining it will crumble if its heavy clay it stick together in a lump. Do this when the soil is dry.
Either way its good to improve it before you plant anything. You can buy well rotted farmyard manure in bags they are safe to use as the will not burn the roots as can happen if its not rotted properly, And it will be weed free.
Just dig it into the soil a few weeks before planting and you will get bigger better healthier plants. We are on heavy clay. If you grow herbs or Lavender they like well drained soil and will not do well if they get water logged. I wish you well with your garden. |
05-03-2007, 07:01 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,529
| | | Re: plant growing
Wallflowers are good too, and keep going for years, and a very seldom grown but wonderful plant is mignionette, a green indistinct flower with a stunning perfume, well worth sowing in a lawn, or anywhere!
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05-03-2007, 07:16 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 5,251
| | | Re: plant growing
Quote:
Originally Posted by leon-b hi guys, as spring is nearly here i was thinking about growing some plants and flowers, growing them in pots and then introducing them to the garden. what plants are easy to grow ?
also i have a cactus in a pot, could it be planted in the garden ? my guess is no but just want to here some of your opinions
chow for now
leon | There's been a lot of good suggestions from the others- but a key to success is to find out where the plants grow in the wild. To be successful you need to know your soil type- some plants thrive in acidic conditions, some in limy soils , others less fussy. Also how free-draining/moisture retentive is your soil- whatever it is there will be plants ideal for that situation. Also how sunny/shady is the site? Are you in a frost pocket?
If you're growing hardy annuals it's best to sow them in situ rather than in pots.
As to your cactus the safest will be to summer it outside + bring it in during the winter. It tends to be our wet winters that are the death knell to cacti rather than the cold. Really sharp grit would be needed for drainage- some people manage to overwinter Prickly Pears, Opuntia species outside.
A good book to look at would be "What plant where" by ace plantsman Roy Lancaster.
Good luck with the garden + keep us up to date with your successes + failures!  |
05-03-2007, 08:22 PM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 528
| | | Re: plant growing
after what you said about clay soil it doesnt really sound like what weve got, we get quite alot of sun here and it doesnt get that cold in the winter.
the garden is small so i dont want anything to big but more than a little pot plant
leon
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05-03-2007, 08:27 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 5,251
| | | Re: plant growing
Leon, something I forget to suggest is to see what does well in other gardens in your area + select those that you find attractive. Remember it's possible to grow plants that can grow large by careful pruning. |
05-03-2007, 08:35 PM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 528
| | | Re: plant growing
yes we have just cleared a space so there is room for a fair sized plant, what plants grow that sort of size then ? maybe something that will grow edible fruits, is there such thing ?
leon
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05-03-2007, 10:50 PM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Posts: 164
| | | Re: plant growing
Quote:
Originally Posted by leon-b i want a medium sized plant that will live for a fairly long time and maybe provide the birds with some food
thanks leon | You'll probably want something with berries or seeds
Sunflowers would be good. The seeds are easy to germinate at any time indoors, say on a windowsill, but they can quickly become 'leggy'. They grow too tall too soon, searching for the extra light they'd get outdoors, and end up weak and floppy. If you start them indoors and then put them outside somewhere warm when the first leaves appear they should be ok if there are no frosts (i.e. wait a month or two  ). Much easier to plant the seeds outside in-situ and let nature decide what to do and when. It's also a good plan to plant a good few more than you want so you have some spares to cover losses.
If you already have sunflower seeds you use for bird food you could try planting these instead of buying a new packet of seeds or feeding them to the birds. You may not get great germination rates but if you plant enough of them you should get something. You could also try germinating one of the 'mixed' bird seed selections. I've got a container in the back garden that I spread a few generous handfulls of mixed birdseed, covered with half an inch of soil, and now after three weeks it looks like an uncut lawn. I've no idea what the plants are (grasses of some sort?) but I'm hoping they provide some almost free bird food.
Another bird food plant would be teasle. A tall (4-5ft) native plant, considered a weed but some (it can self-seed and spred), but a nice plant in any case. It's not very common in garden centres but some will have it. The plant itself is easy to spot so if you see someone has a good clump in their garden it does no harm to ask. I got mine after seeing them growing wild in a garden centre and they gave me them, and dug them up (!), for free.
Sunflowers and teasles both send up tall flowers which then die. For something more permanent with a bit more structure you could try a tree. If you have a small space, but if it's big enough for a reasonably large container, you can have a go at growing trees. The container will stunt the tree, keeping it smaller, and prevent the roots from causing problems. If it gets too big prune it or chop it down. In other words, having a small garden really shouldn't mean that trees are off the list. For birds, Rowan or crab apple would be a place to start, others can give better recommendations than me. Both can be bought from garden centres as young trees, £15-£25 ish. Both are very attractive irrespective of feeding the birds.
If you have a lot of patience and time (in years) you could try taking a cutting from an established tree and planting it. Not exactly instant results though.
I'm a little out of inspiration for bird plants, if you want to attract butterflies or other insects there are many great choices. Hopefully, you're not limited to one plant .
A small budget and small space can make a more interesting and enjoyable wildlife garden than a large budget and large space. It just depends on what you desire. |
06-03-2007, 12:21 AM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,218
| | | Re: plant growing
Would need to know what type of cactus it is - some Opuntia, for instance, will survive outdoors in sheltered places in southern England ..... any chance of a picture? Quote:
Originally Posted by leon-b also i have a cactus in a pot, could it be planted in the garden ? my guess is no but just want to here some of your opinions
chow for now
leon | |
06-03-2007, 12:26 AM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,218
| | | Re: plant growing
Hello, Leon, have been away for a while so just rushing through mails. What do you want to grow the plants for? What sort of plants do you like? What sort of garden do you have? These are the questions to ask and answer before you start sowing and planting!
By and large, annuals (hundreds of them) are the easiest to grow but most of them are summer plants and will leave you with no vegetation in the winter which is when insects need shelter.
Give us some clues! Quote:
Originally Posted by leon-b hi guys, as spring is nearly here i was thinking about growing some plants and flowers, growing them in pots and then introducing them to the garden. what plants are easy to grow ? | |
06-03-2007, 07:43 AM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 528
| | | Re: plant growing
thanks guys, i have some mixed bird seeds i think i might have a go with some of them, the problem is though, where i want to plant them is covered in a thin layer of bark, could i just rake them to one side and put them back or would this not work ?
any chance of a pic of how yours turned out ?
about the cactus, i found it in our house and it was looking very unhealthy and i dont think it has been watered for a long time, ive heard that they can survive long times with water so thought i would try and bring it back, it is sitting on the window ledge after bein watered last night, all the outter bits are brown but the inner ones still are green but dont look to healthy, i will post pics later
any ideas on how to help it ?
leon
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06-03-2007, 09:02 AM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,218
| | | Re: plant growing
Wouldn't want to say without knowing what it is!
Yes, they can survive very long times without water and one of the dangers at this time of year is overwatering .... as well as cold. Quote:
Originally Posted by leon-b about the cactus, i found it in our house and it was looking very unhealthy and i dont think it has been watered for a long time, ive heard that they can survive long times with water so thought i would try and bring it back, it is sitting on the window ledge after bein watered last night, all the outter bits are brown but the inner ones still are green but dont look to healthy, i will post pics later
any ideas on how to help it ?
leon | |
06-03-2007, 12:37 PM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Posts: 164
| | | Re: plant growing
Quote:
Originally Posted by leon-b thanks guys, i have some mixed bird seeds i think i might have a go with some of them, the problem is though, where i want to plant them is covered in a thin layer of bark, could i just rake them to one side and put them back or would this not work ?
any chance of a pic of how yours turned out ? | I don't claim it will look that great
Slightly blurred picture - planted birdseed (for scale, the container is about 3 and a half feet long.) I imagine its wheat, oats, barley, millet??? or something along those lines. It took a couple of weeks before anything came up.
I'd suggest trying to find a container for it so it's a little more controlled but what you suggest should also work fine too. Plant about half an inch deep, it should push it's way through the bark layer easily enough.
It's a bit of an experiment. I don't know exactly how it will turn out. |
06-03-2007, 03:04 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: West Sussex
Posts: 1,871
| | | Re: plant growing
My daughter left a bag of Rabbit food out in the rain yesterday - grrrrr - so I have dumped the lot on a flower bed. I imagine the birds will eat most of it but I will be interested to see what grows, if anything. |
06-03-2007, 06:58 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,529
| | | Re: plant growing
Hello, Susie. I didn't recognise you now you've turned into a butterfly!
I threw out some bean sprouts I let sprout too much, and they're growing well, so I'm interested to see how they progress.
I love having corn and wheat from the birdseed growing in the borders.
And as someone suggested somewhere on here the other day, any onions that start sprouting in the veg rack can be planted and allowed to flower. They're very pretty, Leon.
And I'm sure I'll have thistles from the niger seed this year.
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06-03-2007, 07:36 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,218
| | | Re: plant growing
Yes ... this is a bit of a problem: it all rather depends upon what sort of birdseed you're growing from! I use cornless ones (so as not to encourage pigeons) so I would have no cereals at all!
Some seed components such as maize will not germinate until warmer days, some, such as nyger may not germinate at all because allegedly it is sterilised. Other things will grow like mad whether you plant them or not.
I'm not sure you have the right strategy really. If it were me, I would seperate out the different seeds, germinate them in trays/pots and then plant them out. If, as seems likely, you have sunflower seeds in the mix then these will germinate easily, grow, grow and grow, in the process shading out and killing everything else that you have growing below them .... 
Do you know what seeds you have in the mix? Quote:
Originally Posted by Lords and Ladies I don't claim it will look that great
Slightly blurred picture - planted birdseed (for scale, the container is about 3 and a half feet long.) I imagine its wheat, oats, barley, millet??? or something along those lines. It took a couple of weeks before anything came up.
I'd suggest trying to find a container for it so it's a little more controlled but what you suggest should also work fine too. Plant about half an inch deep, it should push it's way through the bark layer easily enough.
It's a bit of an experiment. I don't know exactly how it will turn out. |
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