Seed heads…pests…etc!

One of my greatest pleasures is to observe seed heads on plants that have flowered….and then collect the seeds when they have dried. And I think that Poppies such as these, above, are a fine sight. They stand tall and proud and they are doing their job in forming next year’s seeds. With a bit of luck there will be thousands of tiny seeds in these seed heads!

Moving on but staying with the red theme, just for a moment…

This year…and just like every other year…Dahlias and Zinnias have been devils to grow! Well actually, they’ve been easy to germinate but as soon as they get going it’s as if the snail and slug population send out a memo to all of their mates…‘There’s this garden at Newton Abbot and it’s full of tasty delights…chomping available now!  Get there and get there quickly!’ 

I have had to work so hard with this particular Dahlia! When it really got going, I noticed that it was being eaten and eaten badly. I searched and searched for the culprit, each morning, but I couldn’t find it. So, I bought those wool pellets, which are organic and are meant to be kind to wildlife and these seemed to help. Made from 100% British wool, they don’t kill the slugs or snails but you place the pellets around the plants to form an effective mulch that stops slugs and snails in their tracks as well as suppressing weeds and reducing water loss; they are also meant to enrich the soil.

The chomping became less. And then I found the culprit…a massive snail, under the rim of the pot. It’s funny how it had taken to this particular Dahlia and avoided the other three that I grew from tubers…(and are yet to bloom.) Meanwhile, the red Dahlia, ‘Garden Wonder’, goes charging on, throwing out more buds.

At the same time, I was battling, again, in another part of the garden, this time with my Zinnias! I’d planted them in a large pot and I noticed that one plant was being constantly attacked. And so I repeated the wool pellet  process and that seemed to help. I always have trouble with Zinnias.I did similar with the Hostas, in this shady place and they seem to be fine:

I love this shady part of the garden in which everything seems to thrive. The old water fountain stopped working when we moved here and it now looks great planted with a variety of plants. The vintage, double sink came from my sister’s kitchen…I can’t believe that she didn’t want it but we are like chalk and cheese and whereas I love all things vintage, she’s not keen! So I grabbed the chance to have it when she offered it to me! And the vintage tin bath came from Tavistock, on the other side of Dartmoor. I filled it with mainly herbs and, around the edges, some Creeping Jenny. The small plant pots were a gift from a pupil when I was teaching. The lady gnome was from Sainsbury’s a few years ago! 

Grown from seed, this Nigella or Love in the Mist, is lovely… and just as lovely will be the seed heads! More seed collecting!

And another batch of Sweet Peas is ready to pick!

Aren’t they lovely?