Beginner!

8 Aug '05 12:01 am

I am relatively new to gardening. Moved into a house with a mature garden. Most plants I recognise and am tending as I think is correct. However, I have lots of orange coloured poppies, but some have now gone to seed, what do I do with them? If any one can help I would very much appreciate it.

Thanks for reading this anyway Very Happy

Kim
England

8 Aug '05 4:10 am

Hi! Kim I am in Thailand here is the tropical country I don't know about orange poppies but I would like to say hi with you Very Happy

9 Aug '05 10:44 am

Hi Kim and welcome!

How lucky to have inherited a mature garden with your new place. Is it mature-lovely or mature-where-is-my-lawn?!

I'm glad you've asked the poppy question. I am also a new gardener and have lots of flowers going to seed which I'm not sure what to do with. Answers please anyone? It would be great to save the seed for next year.

14 Aug '05 9:45 am

Hi

Thanks for replying and Hi to you!

My mature garden is 'mature ~ lovely'. It is lovely getting the surprise to see what has been planted and what flowers I am going to get. Razz

I found an answer to my poppy question, which will help you also Bex.

When the heads have gone brown and to seed you can either

1) cut them back, or
2) leave them, the birds love the seeds.

I have decided to leave them for the birds, and boy do they like them!

Being new to this gardening lark, I am eager for any tips. Embarassed

Thanks again.

Kim

18 Aug '05 8:34 am

How exciting, Kim, there might be all sorts of wee treasures which pop up at odd times! Lots of really mature gardens have interesting bulbs (not just in springtime) and you're advised not to dig anything for the first year. Well, I reckon that's just an excuse to leave the mess for a year, but it does have sense in it! Getting to know exactly what and ehen - and where! will be the greatest fun!

I'd save all the flower seeds, with ridiculous descriptive labels if I wasn't sure of the name - e.g. 'unknown pale pink blotchy short spiky flower, like a daisy' - you'll have heaps of fun re-reading them and trying to remember what they looked like!

Goodluck

9 Sep '05 8:00 am

How wonderful to hear from gardeners in so many countries. I've not posted anything before. I just read and read and read and enjoy everything I read. So I'm just saying hello from Central Texas, USA.
On the subject of saving seeds, I've enjoyed the seed saved from abelmoschus more than any others. I plant this along the street bed in front of my house just behind the Powis Castle artemesia and in front of Futurity Pink Cannas. The view from the street is very pretty and I get lots of callers ringing my doorbell wanting to know what that plant is. The plant's common name is silk flower and it is of the malvaceae family (hibiscus, okra, malva, etc). The flowers are the exact color of the canna flowers and the cannas have burgundy foliage. So pretty and so easy. That's what I need - easy and reliable and showy.

10 Sep '05 7:39 pm

Great to hear from you, Lou, and your Texas garden. I love the sound of the annual you describe - so I have seriously and properly looked it up in my book of annuals (I'm not sure I've seen it in my seed catalogues here in New Zealand). But this flower definitely exists! I'm going to try to find some seeds.

You are a very sharing gardener, to plant lovely things for the enjoyment of others. Aren't gardeners just the best possible people in the world? Perhaps we should run a few governments, make a few sensible global decisions.....

Thanks for posting, welcome to the small, humble, and full-of-the-greatest-gardeners Moosey forum.Would you be able to post some photos of your garden?

Cheers.

19 Dec '05 9:45 am

Would love to see the pictures of your garden, Lou. Perhaps I'll have to wait for next spring, or do you get mild, gardening-friendly winters? Very Happy

Kim - you inspired me to just save half of my seeds and leave the rest to the birds. Which reminds me, the birds must be pretty hungry at the moment.

Beginner!

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