LOCATION, LOCATION - IF A PLANT'S NOT HAPPY, MOVE IT

Location, location, location.  Plants are just like us and not always happy where they are living.  If your plant is not happy, trying moving it.  Sometimes it's kill or cure but I have found that, as often as not, it's cure.  First of all though, you do have to do a bit of investigating to make sure you don't move it to a position where it will be even more unhappy.  If you have a plant that is struggling, like my clematis Arctic Queen was, and it doesn't get much sun, for example, see if it needs more sun.  My Arctic Queen has been grown in three places in the back garden - in the soil in partial shade, and in a pot in two sunnier positions and yet it still wasn't happy.  Arctic Queen can produce beautiful, double white flowers but it, like many clematis, can be picky. They say they like their heads in the sun and roots in the shade.   After it managed to just, only just, survive this past winter despite being protected by bubble-wrap, I decided to try it on the little porch area at the front of my home.  It's more or less sheltered from the wind there, and it is a much sunnier; almost facing south.  It's still in a terracotta pot and I have put large flat stones over its roots to try and protect them from the sun. 





Pot grown Arctic Queen clematis 23072013

Pot grown Arctic Queen clematis in sunny aspect 23072013

I had been going to grow the Jasmine 'Clotted Cream' (shown below right) which is in its own pot, at the back of the house but realised that it was probably too shady in an east facing position and I had no other place for it, so I moved it to a south facing position at the front of the house.  Actually, there are two; one on each side of the door.  I am surprised by just how well the jasmines are doing as I just wasn't expecting such a display of flowers or so many buds.  They are quite vigorous, even in a pot.







Arctic Queen clematis (left)

Jasmine officinale 'Clotted Cream' (right)

A Jasmine officinale which has been growing in the back garden for three years, on the north-facing fence, is now full of bud but it has taken all that time to produce them despite being healthy and having a lot of leaves each year.  I don't think it gets as much sun as it would like but it will have to manage and it looks like it has finally become established.  It's growing very strongly and vigorously, managing to climb on top of the fence, and through the neighbouring roses.  I think there were only a few flowers on it last year despite my hoping for more.  This year it is full of buds and I just hope that the weather allows them to develop.  

 

Jasmine officinale (common) on north facing border 17072013

 

After having a couple of weeks of glorious sunshine and gentle breezes until a couple of days ago, we are back to our typical British summer weather of heavy rain.   It was cracking with thunder and lightening this morning and the weather forecasters have warned of many more days of it to come.  The rainwater should put some nitrogen in the soil, giving the plants a well-deserved boost after all that baking sun.   

 

 

Jasmine officinale 'Clotted Cream' - south facing