How's your flowers, Pops?

[DB008]

Been working at my friends Nursery.

Some very nice flowers. Best in Sydney (well, l seem to think so!)

Some pics, can grab more if anyone needs close ups.

Various pics....

 

[MrBurns]

Very nice, reminded me of this in Amsterdam, went there in 08' the factory is about a kilometre long, I kid you not

 

[Tink]

Beautiful gardens

Those roses are gorgeous, Mr Burns.
DB, love those flowers, are they lupins/snapdragons in the back -- tall white ones?
I like those.

 

[MrBurns]

Thanks Tink, for those who dont know about it this is interesting -

Aalsmeer Flower Auction (Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer) is a flower auction, located in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands.

It is the largest flower auction in the world. The auction building of the flower auction in Aalsmeer is the 4th largest building by floor space in the world, covering 990,000 m ² (10.6 million sq ft; 243 acres).[1] Flowers from all over the world (Europe, Ecuador, Colombia, Ethiopia, etc.) are traded on a daily basis at the Aalsmeer facilities. Around 20 million flowers are sold daily with a 10% increase around special days such as Valentine's Day and Mothers day. Their flowers are subjected to around 30 checks so they can be graded on a scale (A1, A2 and B).

The auction is set up as a Dutch auction in which the price starts high and works its way down. Bidders get only a few seconds to bid on the flowers before they are shipped off to the new owner's business.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aalsmeer_Flower_Auction

 

[DB008]

DB, love those flowers, are they lupins/snapdragons in the back -- tall white ones?
I like those.

As far as I know, the tall white ones are white delphinium's. There are some blue delphinium's going strong at the moment too.
l'll post pics next week.

Never done this type of work in my life, just helping a mate out, am loving it.

 

[Julia]

As far as I know, the tall white ones are white delphinium's. There are some blue delphinium's going strong at the moment too.

Delphiniums are gorgeous. They need a cool climate to bloom well.
For those of us in the subtropics, the blue and white salvias are very similar and very hardy.

 

[DocK]

Been working at my friends Nursery.

Some very nice flowers. Best in Sydney (well, l seem to think so!)

Some pics, can grab more if anyone needs close ups.

Various pics....



View attachment 49538

Can anyone tell me what the red-foliaged plants are (between the green and pink) and whether they'd grow in Gold Coast? I've never had much luck trying to grow a bushy shrub with red or pink foliage between rows of golden duranta in my large sloping front yard. Presently there are some lilly-pilly "cascade" limping along, but not thriving. I've thought of trying photinias, but I believe only new growth is coloured for a short time during the year.

 

[Julia]

Can anyone tell me what the red-foliaged plants are (between the green and pink) and whether they'd grow in Gold Coast?

Hard to identify at that distance. They look similar to the Rhoeo, a very hardy low growing plant, but the Rhoeo has green on one side of the leaf and the purple/red on the other.

The photinia would grow to a similar 'look' and structure as your duranta and are very hardy. I've only grown them in NZ where they might behave differently but there they'd send out new red growth following each light pruning. Just like lilly pillies.

 

[MrBurns]

Another one of that rose, they're quite extraordinary at the moment.

 

[burglar]

Another one of that rose, they're quite extraordinary at the moment. ...

Mr. Burns' "Excellent..."

 

[burglar]

... Best in Sydney (well, l seem to think so!)

Some pics, can grab more if anyone needs close ups.

I think so too, and some close ups would be appreciated!

 

[burglar]

Say goodbye to the tatty red "easter lilly".
Say hello to the beautiful bicolour canna!

 

[DB008]

This week, Guraniums.

WOW.

They look great.

Will get some more pics throughout the week.

Julia, some blue Delphinium's just for you.....(sorry about the poor quality)

 

[Julia]

Julia, some blue Delphiniums just for you.....(sorry about the poor quality)

Thanks, Dan.

 

[DocK]

Just noticed this little beauty in my garden - I forgot I planted a few begonia bulbs quite some time ago.

 

[burglar]

... Just noticed this little beauty in my garden - I forgot I planted a few begonia bulbs quite some time ago.

'Tis the little surprises that make gardening so rewarding!

 

[Julia]

Petunias are tough enough to withstand this hot weather. This one is "Raspberry Ripple".

 

[DocK]

I will admit to petunia envy - your's look much better than mine atm - after a good start mine are looking very leggy and have lovely flowers at the end of rather ugly browned-off stems. Are yours in full sun, how far apart were the seedlings planted and how much do you water them? I feel these areas are where mine may be suffering as they're in part shade and although I try to water them often, it has been very dry here of late. Mine have been in a couple of months though, maybe I should just cut them back and hope for a second flush of flowers?

 

[Julia]

I will admit to petunia envy - your's look much better than mine atm - after a good start mine are looking very leggy and have lovely flowers at the end of rather ugly browned-off stems. Are yours in full sun, how far apart were the seedlings planted and how much do you water them? I feel these areas are where mine may be suffering as they're in part shade and although I try to water them often, it has been very dry here of late. Mine have been in a couple of months though, maybe I should just cut them back and hope for a second flush of flowers?

All petunias go as you describe after their first good flush, DocK. If you cut them back by about two thirds (I have killed them by cutting back too hard), fertilise with such as "Thrive" liquid about every ten days, water generously in this weather, they will reward you with another blooming every bit as good as the first time. You'll see the first new shoots about ten days after cutting back.

That bed is in full sun all day.

Before replanting any of the flower beds, I turn the soil over very thoroughly and add several bags of Searle's Three in One, then leave it a couple of weeks before replanting watering regularly. (That much fertiliser can burn new seedlings if not allowed to work its way through.)

I'm also generous with the water. Sprinkler system is on for about 45 minutes each evening.

Another suggestion: look for the spreading petunias, rather than just the usual seedlings. Some of these are perennials and they are all much better performers than the older type. I plant the spreading ones about 30 cm apart or closer. Doesn't matter if they blend into one another - the effect is quite pretty.

 

[DocK]

Thanks for the reply - I'll cut mine back late this afternoon once it's cooled down a little - scorching here the past few days. I've never really grown annuals or bulbs before, just your standard shrubs, groundcovers etc. I'll certainly get some thrive and give them a good feed - I have some groundcover roses and ivy geraniums in the same bed that will certainly benefit from a feed also. Mine are planted in a garden bed that I also planted several spring-flowering bulbs in, and I'm considering underplanting them with autumn-flowering bulbs such as daffodils so that once the petunias are finished there'll be something coming up to replace them. Will this work? It will make turning the bed over impossible though. What do you do with that bed once the annuals are on their last legs? I don't really want parts of my garden bed to be bare for part of the year as it's right outside my front door and I'm aiming for "pretty".

I think I did plant the spreading type, but I think they're too far apart and next year I'll certainly plant twice as many and crowd them in a bit more - the effect is much more pleasing.