I still have most of my dahlias in pots lined up outside the greenhouse by the dahlia bed. The reason is that this year I thought I'd make the display outside the conservatory more definitely colour themed. In past years it's been a mishmash of whatever plants I'd accumulated, some bought specifically for pots, mostly doubles, and some singles grown from seed that started life in the ground before I worked out that it was too dry for them where I had them, and lifted them. Most of the pots are not labelled, and so I'm waiting for the plants to produce their first flowers before deciding whether to take them down to the deck outside the conservatory, or find some other home for them.
Having the pots right by the dahlia bed has allowed ample opportunities to compare how well the two sets of plants are doing, and as I've stood with the hose counting water into each pot, it has become increasingly clear that the ones in the ground are doing better. They've grown more, they are taller, and much closer to flowering. Quite a few have opened a bloom or two, whereas most of the potted specimens are still nowhere near. I spend some time this afternoon mixing cans of tomato food and doling it into each dahlia pot in turn, but it goes to show how constricting life in a pot can be. The potted dahlias have been regularly watered, and today is not the first time I've fed them, but they are still lagging compared to the free range plants.
I've been looking closely at the potted witch hazels when I water them. I generally count up to sixty-five as I run the hose on each shrub, which is about the time it takes to fill the Haws watering can, and the pots are around 55 centimetres across. Some have definitely appreciated their sprinklings of blood, fish, and bone, making larger leaves than previously, and sending out a few new side shoots as well as making extension growth from the twig tips. Witch hazels are notorious for being unwilling to break from old wood, but I've noticed that the plants that are growing better have retained a notion of where their branch structure ought to be, with new shoots coming from the axils of a few of the twigs that had died back. A couple of plants are not doing as well as the others, and I should probably risk giving them a third dose of feed. I was very cautious in my previous applications, not wanting to overdo it, and I don't think they've had enough fertiliser to tip them back into growth.
I am not the only person to have trouble with older specimens of Hamamelis. Chris Lane in his talk to Plant Heritage said he'd had some die back by degrees, until they were entirely dead. He wondered whether their long term failure to thrive had something to do with their being grafted plants. He's the expert, on the other hand he also said he didn't water his collection, and Kent can be dry. A useful article I read in an old RHS magazine dating from the 1960s said that once plants stopped growing, it was difficult to get them going again. Certainly my potted shrubs are not racing away, but the evidence so far is that they do respond positively to careful feeding.
New for this year are some Cosmos in pots. I love Cosmos in other people's gardens. They are such airy plants, and the simple daisy like flowers have great charm, and go on for so long. None of our garden borders are suitable for that kind of summer bedding, since most are stuffed full, and all are dry. I've been meaning to try Cosmos in pots for a couple of years, but this is the first time I've brought the project to fruition. I can report that if you subscribe to any gardening magazines you will probably not need to buy any Cosmos seed, since you are highly likely to get a free packet or two, and that the free packets will germinate readily despite having been through the Royal Mail's rolling machines.
After that you need to be on your toes, as the seedlings grow fast and will quickly become horribly entangled in their seed pot. Once pricked out they go on growing fast, and seem to demand a lot of light if they are not to become leggy and very floppy. The boundary hedge is starting to cast too much shade over my greenhouse, and I ended up with an extremely lax collection of plants that did not look much the stocky, branching ones you see offered for sale in garden centres. Of course, those may also have been treated with plant hormones, and they will set you back £1.99 or more per plant whereas mine cost 5 pence per litre of compost used in raising them (though strictly speaking I should add something for greenhouse depreciation, since it has just needed another £50 pane of replacement perspex because one of the glass panes split).
I have been slow in making up my Cosmos pots, because there were so many other things to do. The three that I planted up days ago, if not a couple of weeks, have filled out nicely and with a few discreet bamboo canes tucked in to stop the plants flopping are now arranged on the terrace (or patio) and looking suitable summery. Some are pure white, some pale pink and some dark, and they will be joined by a shocking pink double dahlia as soon as I know which one it is. I only moved the other plants into their final pots yesterday, three to a 33 centimetre pot, and they are still standing outside the greenhouse while I wait to see if they'll bush out or if I left it too late. Last year I got as far as germinating and pricking out some seeds, then events ran away with me and they never made it any further than their divided trays, so even three pots that look like a proper display represent progress. Next year if I decide to do it again I'll know the drill, and have a better idea of how many plants I need.
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