Waiting in the wings ...

In a previous post , 'Theatre, darling, but not as we know it ...', I took my first tentative steps into the mysterious world of the Auricula when I stumbled across a stall run by the ' Northern Section of the Auricula & Primula Society', on a jolly in a Gateshead Festival.

Auriculas are a flower I have always wanted to grow but never ever have ... until now. From the stall I bought 9 little Auriculas, 3 each of 'Red Gauntlet', 'Avril Hunter' and 'Lilac Domino'  and brought them home, with no expectation that they would flower until next year.

I was told that Auriculas prefer plastic pots to terracotta ones,  as they are slower to dry out, so I did as I was told, but for aesthetic purposes, put the plastic pots inside some very old, handmade clay pots. I was lucky enough to buy these pots from a local stately dwelling, which was having a clear out, for about 10p each, or some equally silly amount !

I put the pots on the windowsill in the greenhouse and while I didn't forget about them, I certainly didn't examine them daily, in that manic way that we gardeners have when we are expectant ! I expected nothing, as I was told that they would not flower until next year .... but look ...

Sometimes I wish I was not such a parsimonious gardener ! I am so MEAN with labels and I never learn. I know, through very bitter experience that I should label every pot, but I have this thing about not wasting labels, so if there are two plants the same, I will only label one, thinking I will remember its twin. In reality, as plants play musical chairs around the greenhouse, I seldom remember what unlabelled plants are. You are probably way ahead of me on this one. Did I label each one of my 9 special new Auriculas ? What do you think ...  The upshot is that, embarrassingly, I have to admit I don't know the name of the one which is in bud. My money is on 'Lilac Domino' with 'Averil Hunter' coming a close second, and I'm pretty sure that 'Red Gauntlet' is a rank outsider.


Anyway, the flower looks as if it is going to be very dark, and certainly very beautiful, when it opens. I will be camping alongside it, camera poised, to record the event!

For the full backstory , you might like to visit 'Theatre, darling, but not as we know it...'

Standing room only ...

There has hardly been room for me to squeeze into my greenhouse lately, as tender plants sheltering from the extremes of winter, jostled against trays of growing seedlings.

For the past month it has been standing room only as seeds have germinated, grown, and needed pricking out, taking up more and more space. Because it has been so cold I have not even been able to decant my young hardy plants outside, so they have kept their place in the warm . All the large tender Exotics have still needed the protection of the greenhouse too.

I couldn't even get to my chair, nevermind sit in it !

Here are some of the tender boys who have needed the protection over the winter - tree ferns, palms, variegated phormiums and a very sad Stags Horn fern. I fear I may lose the Stags Horn fern, which would be a great shame as I absolutely love it. 

But ... look at them all now , released into the great outdoors ! Free at last! 

Although the weather is a lot warmer,  night time temperatures can still be low, with a danger of frost, but they should be able to cope with it. We have just kept the tree ferns inside as we don't want to put them at risk.

At last they have space and air around them and they can benefit from the spring sunshine.

So, now I have my greenhouse back, and I have room to sit and ruminate ! I have room to pot on my young plants, and I can start to plant in the open beds. I can sit and drink a cup of tea or even a glass of wine, on a nice sunny evening!

I can get to everything again, and use my potting bench without falling over things.

There is even room for The Dark Destroyer to ply his trade !

Tree Fern or telegraph pole ?

The Exotic Gardener (aka my partner) is celebrating his birthday today with a very apt present, which he chose himself a couple of days ago. He is partial to the exotics - palms, Tree Ferns, cordylines  etc - and wanted a new edition to his sub tropical garden

Across the great divide of the River Humber is a nursery which sells just what his heart desires, so we went along and he chose a whopper of a Tree Fern. When I asked if it would fit in our hearse-like estate car, his affirmative reply was not delivered with confidence, but with a bit of a squeak!

We made an interesting addition to the queue for the till -  him, me, a strong assistant and a horizontal tree fern on a trolley ! A couple standing behind us prodded it gingerly with their fingers, and enquired if it was alive or dead. Then I heard the man say, under his breath, that it looked more like a telegraph pole than a tree. I see just where he is coming from !

I then became intensely interested in a stand of birthday cards, until I saw from the relieved expression on the strong lad's face that the Tree Fern had actually fitted into the car. It may have fitted into the car, but I did not. I spent an uncomfortable journey home being sandpapered by the trunk every time the car braked, and squeezed into a ridiculously small space every time we cornered. Finally we arrived home and that is where the fun really began!

Yes, this is how we transported it , with one pushing whilst the other steadied ... and, yes, it is heavy !

I had a stroke of genius and positioned the little wheeled pot-stand for it to travel on, to its temporary destination. The idea was good, the pot stand was weak, and it collapsed straight away under the weight .

Also note, photo- bombing by dog number 1, while dog number 2 was hovering about behind us, hoping we would step backwards and trip over him.

At last, here it is in its temporary position, as, when all risk of frost has gone, we somehow have to get it all the way down the garden .

But, just look at the fronds on that ...

And just look at the Tree Fern dust in that ...

Take it from me, the birthday boy had to give the car an extra long birthday hoover ...

Still think a telegraph pole would have been easier !

How to buy plants with a clear conscience ...

I only went into the shop for these ...

but suddenly, across a crowded shop, I felt the instant attraction of these ...

Sometimes when plants are packaged like this,  the picture on the front gives a message which is very much at odds with the condition of the plants themselves, but not in this case. I have seen people buying them without even examining the actual plant, so convinced are they by the photo on the front! As the season wears on, plants sold in this way tend to lose condition quickly, as they can be kept in conditions which are unsuitable for them, often kept on shelves where it is far too dark. It is best to move with undue haste and buy them as soon as they appear in the shops. Yet another reason to feel virtuous for buying them !

They needed a drink badly, but they were lovely, healthy plants, just dying to get free of those wrappers !

I have a very warped sense of conscience when it comes to plant buying, as I can justify spending all my salary on them , if they are a BARGAIN ! My guilt only kicks in if I pay full price for them. No worries with these little beauties, clear conscience all the way as the climbers were 4 for £10 and the Hardy Fuschias were well under £2 each. I felt positively virtuous !

The Hardy Fuschias are  'Amy Nurse' and 'Display'. ' Both have an RHS Award of Garden Merit and 'Amy Nurse' is pink and mauve, whilst 'Display' is a single, pink bell-shaped flower.

The clematis are 'Margaret Hunt' (summer flowering pinky lilac), 'Polish Spirit' (summer flowering purple) and 'Hagley Hybrid' (summer flowering pink), and I bought an Abutilon Megapotamicum too. For the exciting and rare varieties then a specialist nursery is the way to go, and I believe in supporting these, as the free advice given along with the plants is priceless. But for filling a few more corners in the garden with colour, my megastore finds are absolutely fine. The Abutilon will be tender in my part of the world, so I am tempted to plant it against the back wall of the greenhouse, which is made of old limestone.

If I am totally honest I have not even thought where they will go, but there is always room in any garden, whatever the size for another clematis ... or two ... or three !

We have lots of stone boundary walls and although I have lots of climbers, there are always gaps where I can squeeze in another.

The Hardy Fuschias live up to their name, as I have several already, which have survived through the toughest of times. I protect them for their first few seasons, but then they are on their own ! A very cold spell will set them back, and they can be ones of those plants that is is tempting to dig out, thinking that all hope is gone, but like all other aspects of gardening, patience is all. From those withered brown stems will spring new green shoots, when you least expect them . It was nearly July, last year, when one of mine was kick started back into life. My mum had a good adage in that she always advised leaving things for a whole season before outing them as dead. Good advice indeed.

I will whisper this, as I don't want to alter my current good fortune, but I may be able to plant them out today as the sun is shining and the birds are singing...

Theatre, darling, but not as we know it ...

There are some plants which have a special aura, and have a seemingly immense power over people. Think of dahlias, chrysanthemeums and sweet peas, for example, people love them so much, they change the course of their lives. There is also great flower power and magic in ... the Auricula.

The Victorians loved them so much that they built 'Theatres' to display them to advantage and apparantly miners and weavers in the North, used to carry the theatres on their back to Auricula shows . Now, I don't think that is how the Auriculas travelled to the display I saw today, but they were treated, I am sure, with the same amount of reverence !

We were in the North East for the weekend, and I couldn't resist a 'horticultural opportunity' when it presented itself. In a windblown marquee, in Saltwell park, Gateshead, the Northern Section of the Auricula & Primula Society, were displaying some lovely plants, and also selling some little guys !

They looked good enough to eat !

I have never grown Auriculas before, but have always thought I would enjoy them very much, probably too much ...  probably slipping into obsessive behaviour ...

I got 3 each of Red Gauntlet, Avril Hunter and Lilac Domino. They will probably flower next year, assuming I don't manage to kill them off first !

I was given lots of good advice about how to treat them nicely, and directed towards  www.auriculas.org.uk for further help.

My 9 new babies would be lost in a Theatre, but as soon as I have acquired enough to fill the 'stage' I would love to set one up. Until then I will overwinter them in my unheated greenhouse, putting them outside in the Spring. I was considering putting them into terracotta pots but was advised that plastic is actually preferred as they stop excessive drying out in summer.

The Dark Destroyer digs indiscriminately...

If you want to grow these ...

and you have one of these ...

Don't turn your back for a second because he will do this ...

... IN THE NEW BED YOU ARE MAKING IN THE GREENHOUSE !!

Gus, aka 'The Dark Destroyer', is a lovely but, shall I say challenging boy who loves digging better than anything else in the world.

 We were in the middle of making this bed in our new greenhouse, in preparation for planting out tomatoes later in the season. We had just added barrowloads of lovely manure, when we turned our attention to something else for a nano-second and in a flash, he was in there, digging for England !

Needless to say, Ruby, the Border Collie wouldn't know how to dig, even if you handed her a spade .

He is such a handsome boy, though, I can forgive him most things , especially when he looks like this  ...

Toasty warm is always best ...

I am no scientist but I do like to do my own little Heath Robinson type experiments in the garden. I like to find out what happens to similar plants subjected to different conditions.

  I have always been a bit of a wuss where temperature is concerned, and have never subjected my seedlings/ young plants to goosebumps and chattering teeth (metaphorically speaking!).  I am not a risk - taker, so have always erred on the side of caution, and kept young plants in the kitchen/ conservatory, rather than my unheated greenhouses, until there is absolutely no risk of frost.  (See previous post  'My seedling guests are confused ... '). I want them to be healthy, happy plants and so give them optimum conditions to help them to prosper.

I have grown lots of 'Bishop's Children' from seed this year, dahlias with 'Bishop of LLandaff' parentage, but in a variety of rich bright reds/ oranges with dark foliage. I have grown them successfully before and the beauty is that you never know what you will get. Very exciting!

Because I had so many, I decided to try my little experiment and keep most inside whilst putting one tray in my unheated, but very solid, greenhouse.

These are the ones kept in the warmth and light of the conservatory by day and kitchen by night. Happy, healthy, growing on fast...

 I feel so guilty ... these poor little souls were left in the greenhouse to take their chance. Still alive - just - much smaller and stockier,  and with much darker foliage. They were sown on the same day from the same packet of seeds.

Then I did the same with some Delphinium seeds ('Pacific Giant') - these are the ones in the toasty warm :-

 Hmm , spot the imposter  in the seed tray above !

Below are the ones I was cruel to, and banned to the greenhouse. I know they are hardy plants, but all babies need cherishing !

All this experimentation has only served to reinforce what I already knew, that temperature plays such a big part in happy, healthy plants.

I will have to rescue the stalwarts from the greenhouse, now, and see if they catch up to the size of the others. Watch this space ...

My seedling guests are confused ...

Usually my seeds and seedlings know where they are in the grand scheme of things. ! They are allocated their place in my growing system, and they usually stay there, moving gently along from stage to stage, in the fullness of time. Not at the moment, however, - they are shuttled between 1 star and 5 star accommodation with dizzying speed. Usually, when all is right with the world, my seeds start life in the propagator and stay there until the majority have germinated. That is full-on 5 star accommodation, that is ! They have everything a pampered, small guest could require - warm, even temperature, heaps of light, no cold draughts, room service, the lot.

5 * -Tigerella tomato seedlings keeping their feet warm !

Then they move to the 4 star accommodation aka the Kitchen Windowsill. Admittedly, the temperature is not quite so even, but they still have daily room service and they are draught free.

4* - 'Bishop's Children' Dahlias, Aubergines and chillies 

When they are a little bigger and a little tougher, they are moved to 3 star accommodation in the conservatory. The lucky ones have a place away from the draughts of the doors, which are constantly opened by the dogs, Ruby and Gus (aka The Ungardeners). The most favoured 3 star guests can nestle up to the thick stone wall between conservatory and house, which tends to retain heat and is a bit of a micro-climate.

3 * - Delphinium 'Pacific Giant'

2 * - 'Bishop's Children' Dahlia seedlings

Less lucky seedlings have to cope with 2 star accommodation -  being on the table in the middle of the conservatory, it is draughtier, but at least it isn't near a window with the fluctuations of temperature that implies. The room is heated on cold nights like these, so it never falls below about 6 degrees.

1* - sweet peas (mixed) in the unheated greenhouse

Then there is my 1 star accommodation - the unheated greenhouse. At the moment, the only young plants braving that are my sweet peas, as they are as tough as old boots ! I am growing Cupani, T & M 'Ultimate Mix' and some native Alpujarran cultivars. The Spanish ones seem to feel the cold more than the ones bred for the UK climate, but they are hanging on in there !

Every dusk sees me running around like a loon, carrying all the seedtrays into the kitchen, so that they can all spend the night on the kitchen table, in the warm ( the equivalent of sofa- surfing I suppose!). They are ferried about mornings and evenings and are probably very confused by it all. I am finding it difficult to keep them all growing well, as, not only is it very cold, but light levels are low as well, and so windowsills are not easy either. I am constantly having to turn seed trays, and move them away from cold draughts at night. Growth is slow and I am sure I am having more casualties than usual. Because growth is slow, there is a queue of seeds waiting to go into the propagator, so the whole process is delayed.

Normal service will resume as soon as possible ... come on Spring!