Things I learnt in 2018

A quick round-up of things I learnt in the past year.  Ok, so the weather last year wasn’t exactly typical, so some of the following may not apply in a ‘normal’ year.  But, in general, in 2018 I learnt:

1.  That it’s true that tomatoes and aubergines should be sown early.  I sowed them indoors, and kept them there until the temperatures warmed up enough to risk the greenhouse, and they did much better.  The tomatoes were much more successful in my bags (about 20 litres) of compost than in growbags.  I potted the aubergines on into larger pots than previously, and kept them on the staging in better light, and got much better results; however they really need even bigger pots (3 litres?).

2.  That it’s also true that late-summer annuals like zinnias and tithonias can be sown late (April/May); they don’t like hanging around waiting to be transplanted, and they catch up very well.  This might also be true of starting off dahlias, although in 2018 they took a long time to get going (the cold spring? Or too little water in summer?).  My ever-growing collection of dahlia tubers is in dry storage in the greenhouse, although I noticed the other day that two of them (‘Sam Hopkins’ and one of the ‘Café au lait’) already had buds on them, so they have been potted up already, and I might take cuttings from them if they do well.  I’ll see how they get on and perhaps pot the others up early, depending on how the spring shapes up weather-wise.

3.  That autumn-sown sweet peas will peter out early, so I need to sow some in spring as well for continuity.  But not too many as I don’t really have many good places to grow them!  And also that the turquoise-flowered varieties aren’t worth bothering with; as I discovered in previous years trying to grow ‘Tutankhamun’, the ‘Turquoise Lagoon’ seeds were slow to germinate, made weedy growth and never did anything.  A gardener’s life (and garden space) is too short.

4.  And, on the subject of annuals: I discovered that French beans are annuals and need to be repeat-sown for continuity (unlike runners, which are perennials).

5.  Sticking with beans for the moment: last autumn I reverted to starting my broad beans off in modules and transplanting, and the plants are doing well.  So I’ve learnt that that’s the best way for me, whatever the gardening experts may say.

6.  That daffodils, other than the small ones like ‘Tete-a-tete’, don’t do well in pots (they didn’t for me, anyway).

7.  That covering newly-planted shallots with fleece keeps the birds from disturbing them.

8.  That hedychiums thrive on moisture as well as heat; I put them, in their pots, outdoors for the summer thinking that the warm weather would be good for them, but they didn’t flower until too late.  I assume they found it too dry; they’re tropical plants, after all, and probably like a steamy atmosphere.

9.  That Francoa sonchifolia is on the tender side – supposedly!  My plants didn’t look great after the cold March weather, but they survived, despite being exposed to the east winds, so I was surprised to discover that I ought to be protecting them in winter!  On the subject of winter protection, I’m experimenting with some mesembryanthemums (Livingstone daisies) that had been in the window box; when I cleared out the box for winter planting, a few of them were still in flower and I plonked them in a pot.  They’ve survived the few light frosts that we’ve had, to my surprise, so I’ve taken them into the greenhouse to see if they will keep going.  I don’t know if they’re annuals in their natural habitat or not.  It turns out that I accidentally transplanted some ‘Tete-a-tete’ narcissus along with them, so at least there will be some interest in that pot in spring if the mesembryanthemums don't last the winter.

9.  That I’m still not good at labelling pots!

10.  What ash dieback looks like :(

11.  That creeping buttercup and the creeping potentilla, two of the nastier weeds in the lawn, flower on the end of runners, so by spotting the flowers you can find the runners and pull them up; it doesn’t kill the plant, obviously, but it does discourage them from spreading.  And I also discovered that it is actually possible to uproot the potentilla, provided you fork down far enough (it’s a tough-rooted little weed).

12.  Not to trust bulb suppliers to send out what I asked for .... 

Much more to learn in 2019!