Planting bulb: tulips, narcissus and crocus in pots - 15.11.2015

A productive few hours outside today. I really must invest in some sort of waterproof something as there's not much glamour in sitting on a spread out bin bag or folded cardboard box in the middle of the yard while I try not to get too wet and the neighbour's cat is constantly trying to sit on my lap. She doesn't seem to understand one tends to use both hands when potting up plants.

I received my tulips, daffodils and crocus this week, so that is what I have planted. When growing bulbs in pots it's worth researching the time of year each type appears as that will in turn help you when doing the "lasagna". Essentially, crocus come up the earliest, followed by daffodils, then tulips. So, you pop in the bulbs that will appear the latest first. i.e. layer of grit, then some compost, then tulip bulbs, some more compost, then daffodil bulbs, more compost, crocus, more compost. At the top, people normally plant annuals in flower such as pansies or violas. I fell short this time around as I thought I might find some in the Artisan Market yesterday, but unfortunately there were no annuals that I could see.

I only put some narcissus and crocus in this shallow pot. Trying to keep to the white and blue theme of the violas, I put some Minnou narcissus and some Blue Pearl crocus. I packed in the violas, and hopefully they will now grow better as they were starting to look rather water logged in their tray.

This pot is much deeper, so I could stack more bulbs. Here I put some purple Recreado and pink Bruinel Wimper tulips, some W.P. Milner narcissus and some Cream Beauty crocus. Again, in trying to keep with the purple and yellow theme. Mainly, I wanted to remember what individual bulbs I was using, so I made a note of the colour of each variety and tried to keep some sort of order that way. Not a massive display of violas but, as I said above, I am hoping from now on they will put on a better display! I can always buy a tray elsewhere in the next week or two. 

This pot is a bit more... improvised. As I had run out of annuals, and I didn't want to leave the soil bare, I am going to experiment with this. I took some cuttings from thyme and sage earlier this summer and they have been hardening off in their small pots since then. I hope the tulips will grow around them and then, in spring, when I would dig the bulbs out anyway, I can then decide if I want to  keep the herbs there or not. First, as always, some gravel and compost, then my last set of tulips, Belle Epoque; I think they will be my favourite. I added a layer of compost and put my last set of crocus, Snow Bunting. Finish with a last layer of compost and water.

I still had some narcissus that I had not planted, so I cleared the bottom of the small bed we have and I planted them at the front of the border; Segovia. I think I will be able to utilise that area later in the year as it looks like a woodlandy site with the buddleia creeping over like that. I have also discovered the way the cats come into our back yard... (Note: see the wonky fence... there's a gap... tut tut)

So far this is what we have. Some pots here and there to bring some green over the winter months.

Weekend project: veg planter and herb box

Can you be in love with a wash tub? Because I think I might be. With the help of the Open Gardens last week, I bit the bullet and put the items I bought at the Vintage Emporium into use.

First, I thought about the box as it is smaller. A herb box is what I went for. I'm sure I could fit a little basil in there as well, but so far this is what it looks like. I put some gravel at the bottom of the box to help with drainage, and then I simply filled it with compost and popped the plants in. If  I were serious about it, I probably should have lined the box, or coated it with something. However, for now, I'm going to leave it as it is. 

I have some peppermint, parsley, purple sage and lavender in there. 

I have put it in a corner very near to the back door. It is a corner where there isn't much, plus it's handy to just pop out and pinch what I need. I would like to add to this little corner with a furher pot or two. It has made it more interesting.

I also planted out my two courgette and cucumber plant. I still don't have any flower, but I can see the buds! Hopefully now they have more room they will flower to their hearts' content. 

The reason why I chose this weekend to plant the out - a part from the fact that Monty told me to last week- is that I made the mistake to leave the greenhouse door shut for a day or two this week. Consequently, some of the leaves have suffered from the kale, lettuce and courgettes I had in there. They will survive, but some are looking a little sorry for themselves. 

The tub was rather clean when I bought. I filled the bottom with gravel until the rust was covered.

Then I added the compost and played with the composition of the plants until I was satisfied and planted them. I will look into any companion plants I can add as I do. not. want. slugs or snails nomming on them. The courgette leaves smell really appetising, even if I am not a fan of courgettes myself. This might be the year I am converted!

A quick an easy project for a cloudy afternoon :)