Regrets, I've Had a Few...

Regrets, I've had a few;
But then again, these few I'll mention.
I'll do what I have to do
And see it through without exemption.
I'll plan each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I'll do it my way.

With apologies to Frank Sinatra and to any of you who now have this song on your brain after reading this post.

Last week Patient Gardener posed the question What plant do you regret acquiring? Well, there's plenty I could confess to, but I thought I'd share my current bugbears with you which are the main reasons why I'm redesigning the border at the bottom of my garden this year. Apologies for the lack of picture quality today, but I don't have any better images of these thugs to show and perhaps showing them at their worst gives you some idea of why I want rid.

Who in their right mind plants Berberis in their border? Not only that, one of them is at the front! If you enlarge the above picture, you can see I must have been out of my mind at the time. Yes, it did have an attractive leaf (dark red with a gold rim) at the time of purchase, but those thorns - ouch! And because Frank's Plants had a special offer on at the time, I bought two others with equally attractive leaves, equally brutal thorns and equally non-descript form. I curse every time I have to squeeze past them to trim and tidy up the back of the border.


Then to add insult to injury, I decided to plant some bluebells in the same area. Most of them I've sensibly planted in the shaded, wooded area in the front side garden: the kind of place they grow in the wild. Right plant, right place. But I had some left over and planted them in my back border too. Why? They've self seeded everywhere including the gravel path and their ugly, large leaves smother everything in sight for a couple of months before they've died down.

So, as part of my spring tidy-up and garden projects for 2009, this little lot's coming right out, baby. And this time there'll be no regrets, I promise.

Comments

  1. Hermes23 February 2009 at 08:57

    I don't think you should regret it. A lot of good gardening is experimenting and seeing if things work. Some do, some don't. I remember Beth Chatto telling my parents she was always moving things.

    ReplyDelete
  2. VP23 February 2009 at 09:00

    Hermes you're right. And the Berberis did nearly get a reprieve in the autumn because the foliage was so stunning. I wonder if I can guerrilla garden it to deter people from climbing the fence...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nutty Gnome23 February 2009 at 11:08

    Yep, that tune is now firmly lodged in my brain!!!

    Berberis is glorious in autumn though - and EXCELLENT as a boundary protector. Could you trim it and shift it to somewhere else!?

    As I'm someone who moves plants as the drop of a hat regardless of the 'correct' time to do it, it'll be fine - it'll either recover and thrive...or die!

    ReplyDelete
  4. TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe23 February 2009 at 11:23

    Hi VP I started so sing after Regrets...

    I regret when I'm so stupid to buy plant that are lets say not made for my climate. I buy it, plant it and it looks miserable for years and then....I kill it.

    xoxo Tyra

    ReplyDelete
  5. Arabella Sock23 February 2009 at 12:22

    THere are SO many.. but the main one is my wisteria which climbs over the shed. I bought one which was expensively a few years old in the hope it would flower and nurtured it for years, doing all the proper fiddly pruning stuff. It hardly flowered at all for a while then now it has started flowering it does whilst in full leaf so half the racemes are covered. The leaves are a yellowy green which doesn't go with my colour scheme (for some reason I thought they would be grey/green). It is a permanent annoyance to me as I always wanted a wisteria and I feel I should love it but I don't! So I don't really want it but I can't bring myself to get rid of it after all the work I've put in.

    ReplyDelete
  6. petoskystone23 February 2009 at 13:41

    nice set of thorns! a former roomie (at my current residence) planted a climing rosebush at the base of the mail box. rapid grower, humongous spreading roots, impressive thorns,& both the mailman & i throughly regret the planting!! the roots are so deep that i have to wait until the ground thaws completly before ripping it up & replacing the mail box.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Carrie23 February 2009 at 14:20

    Love the way you have changed the lyrics! But darn it, now have that blasted tune in my head as well!

    I will say only one word (this was my husband's mistake, AGAINST his wife's precise instructions!)....
    Buddleia!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous23 February 2009 at 15:26

    Rosa felipes 'Kifstgate' round the corner from the Rambling Rector. What was I thinking of - it's a single storey bit of the house too!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Rose23 February 2009 at 15:55

    Thanks for the tip, VP--I definitely don't need anything with thorns other than roses. I don't know that I regret planting anything in particular, but I do regret WHERE I planted them sometimes.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Benjamin Vogt23 February 2009 at 19:29

    I still find it very hard to pull out my mistake plants from the early days (which are actually only about 2 years ago). I know better now, but still, to kill a living thing.... But those burning bushes must go.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mr. McGregor's Daughter23 February 2009 at 20:22

    Rip out that Barberry! I hate them. A group of 3 came with this house, and 15 years later I'm still trying to kill them. Just cutting them back is a pain, literally and figuratively. I'm still trying to figure out if there are any plants here I that I planted and now regret. I have no qualms about ripping out thing that just don't work, are thugs, or that I don't like. The only thing that holds me back is the physical ability to get rid of the thing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Philip Bewley23 February 2009 at 21:28

    Hi!
    I can relate. I planted lemon balm and I eventually dug it up and placed it out of sight. i later saw in in a gaden and in this spot it was effective. I did enlarge your photo and those thorns are wicked!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Monica the Garden Faerie23 February 2009 at 21:33

    Mr Sinatra still rules! The Lady is a Tramp is by far my favorite of his songs, followed closely by Fly Me to the Moon. Though, admittedly, I prefer the Sex Pistols' version of My Way. And, yes, I've had planting regrets, but now I'm in a happy Frank-song place, so I shan't go there! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anna23 February 2009 at 21:46

    I know all too well VP that those bluebells are a nuisance - I inherited them and they have self sown in abundance. Yet I forgive them when they are in flower.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Gail23 February 2009 at 22:37

    Hi VP, Regrets, you've heard about the very bad Vinca minor. My biggest regrets are always when I put off any plant removal and then they have grown exponentially. During our first years I should have been eradicating the vincas! I have a well developed play ethic that often gets in my way;-) gail

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous24 February 2009 at 01:17

    OK VP - I have now spent the whole day humming "that" tune.

    I don't have any plants that bite back in my garden but when I see the Autumn tints on Berberis I do have a little wonder about it - then I remember the spikes

    Fortunately in this garden I have not been here long enough to have regrets .... yet.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous24 February 2009 at 11:41

    I've been trying to remove a couple of bluebells in my small rock garden for over 20 years (never mind the ones in the borders). The bulbs must be over 12" deep at least and I've failed every time. There they sit amongst small delicate plants - looking like large droopy leeks - exasperating!

    ReplyDelete
  18. VP24 February 2009 at 13:25

    Nutty Gnome - the only place to shift it to is the guerrilla garden

    Tyra - I'm still singing! I think we all do that and hope the plant hasn't read the manual on where it's supposed to live!

    Arabella - my wisteria died last year. Apart from 1 plant it's the most exensive plant I've ever bought, so it's on my list of regrets too :(

    Petoskystone - that's given me a good chuckle today :)

    Carrie - buddleia - yuk! I can't stand them

    Maggi - 2 rambling roses is a bit excessive!

    Rose - yes I do that too. But at least you can move them

    Benjamin - you're right and that's why they've had a stay of execution thus far. But this time they're lethal, so it's me or them!

    MMD - sounds like they're clinging on for dear life!

    Philip - they are, I can vouch for that! I confine my lemon balm to a pot. It can get rather out of hand otherwise

    Monica - glad I've brightened someone's day :)

    Anna - I love them in my woodland bit, but in a main border I can't even forgive them when they flower

    Gail - I learnt my Vinca lesson in my previous garden :)

    Karen - you're so lucky!
    Let's hope it stays that way :)

    EG - Oh no! I hope I don't have the same experience :(

    ReplyDelete
  19. Juliet24 February 2009 at 22:56

    I've mentioned a couple of regrets in my last couple of posts (as I've finally got round to doing the photos to go with the garden story). I think the worst mistake I made, as a novice gardener when I first moved here, was with bluebells though. There were some growing in what was to become my red/orange bed. "That's OK", I thought brightly, "I like bluebells - I'll move them to my blue/purple bed". I duly dug up loads of bulbs and planted them carefully on the other side of the garden. I then found out about invasive non-native plants - yes, I am now trying to eradicate Spanish bluebells from both sides of my garden. Doh!

    ReplyDelete
  20. VP4 March 2009 at 20:41

    Juliet - oh no! From what you've said it looks like I've got quite a job on my hands then :(

    ReplyDelete
  21. this is my patch5 March 2009 at 05:25

    I regret introducing forget-me-nots into my garden! x

    ReplyDelete
  22. VP5 March 2009 at 09:42

    Louise - I thought of those after I'd posted. They do get everywhere don't they?!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from you and welcome thoughtful conversations :)

Comments aiming to link back and give credence to commercial websites will be composted!

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it ...
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl...
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape...
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing ...
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the...
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee...
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi...
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso...
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter, ...
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener...
Read more