Repotting Water Lilies

The water lilies have been a feature of the garden for decades. Although it is somewhat of a lottery whether they will produce many flowers in any given year, they do seem to quite like the ponds. This is a little surprising given that the lower pond is shaded by the patio and according to the literature is not an ideal location for these aquatics.

Every few years it is necessary to lift the lilies and repot them into a fresh medium, primarily because they will outgrow the container. The divisions will also provide you with new plants. Earlier this week I managed to tackle the lilies in the upper pond.

1. The lily has been removed from the water and the rhizome divided to make two plants. The old basket can be seen to be clearly damaged by the strength of the roots.

2. One of the divisions. The growing tips can be easily identified, even at this early stage of the year, and some roots can be trimmed a little.

3. Using aquatic water baskets the lilies are ready to be repotted, I would also recommend a light sprinkling of proprietary feed.

4. The lily is firmed into the basket with either special aquatic compost, or as I use, some of the heavier unimproved clay from the top of the garden.

5. Finally, the potted lily section is covered with prewashed grit or pea gravel. The washing avoids clouding the pond water with dust and the gravel holds the soil in place when the plant is resubmerged.

Of course, all of this is that little bit easier if you have a bit of help, thanks Mili,

 .....and hopefully the lilies will survive to flower again in the summer, as this lovely pair did last year.

Renovations

Repair work to the upper pond has been carried out and the small fountain is operational once again. Although only switched on occasionally it is a relaxing feature of the upper garden. A new filter and replacement waterproof connector have been installed but not before some of the armoured cable had been dug out and now needs disguising once again. Water features are such a delight in a garden of any scale and surprisingly labour saving for the time hungry!

This pond has the appearance of a well, it is now weathered nicely and fits comfortably next to the seating area. The depth of water in the centre is ample for a variety of water lilies which have been temporarily removed and will be split and re-potted in the next few days. The depth near the edges is much less and has submerged and disguised material to allow wildlife easy access into and out of the water. So while it might appear like a well it is in fact much more interesting and wildlife friendly

This is an area of the garden for which I have some major plans this year. The companion seat needs to be replaced (despite rigorous treatment and covering up every winter!), the neighboring beds will be replanted and the area which serves as the hospital area for ailing specimens will have to be relocated. Is it only me (a penny conscious Yorkshire man) who has a hospital bed that seems to be way out of proportion to the rest of the garden? 

Snow Again

The long term trend in the UK seems to be that of a blurring of the seasons. For a decade or more, the winters have been mild and wet, the spring little different, summer unremarkable with less than average sunshine hours and autumn mild, damp but pleasant. However 2018 is bucking the trend, winter has been as severe as I can remember since the early 1980's and spring seems loath to arrive. The garden has been blanketed in snow yet again but this time the spring bulbs that have had the temerity to bloom have been pummeled with rain, winds and large amounts of snow.

 

The fact that nature and the garden can recover is simply remarkable. Thank goodness the irises have been able to come through largely unscathed. Definitely my plant of the month.

 

The urge to get outside is becoming overwhelming so fingers crossed the weather will turn soon. Similarly, let us hope for a proper summer season and a further bucking of the recent trend.

Evolution 2

The garden has changed so much, this (left) is another "historic"view of the garden. Taken in the mid 90's it shows the upper part of the garden which was at the time just lawn with a border of shrubs mostly hebes and of course the cherry trees which are still there today. The black and white feline is Bagheera who lived with us before Mili and Hecate. On the right how the same part of the garden looked in the summer.

The lawn has been replaced with the ornamental grasses and the boundaries have certainly filled out. A common theme of the evolution of the garden has been to reduce the amount of labour it takes to maintain. I will do a series of posts soon on labour saving ideas for the garden but the biggest top tip of all is to reduce the amount of lawn that needs to be mown and managed. It is the most intensive part of most people's garden. When you have a busy working life but also want a nice outdoor space then lawn is not ideal. To achieve a pristine area of well manicured grass requires skill, dedication and an awful lot of man hours, just ask the green keeper at your local golf club!

As this part of the garden is also the furthest from the house it was also the most difficult to tend when it was lawn. Combined with the quite steep slope, even with the use of a hover mower, the regular cutting was a chore. It is my firm belief that gardening should be as much fun as possible, a playground for family and felines.