Sciatica Makes For A Frustrated Gardener!

I need an apprentice!

This has to be the busiest time of the year in the garden.

Unfortunately I am still struggling with sciatica. So I can safely say this is the most frustrating spring of my gardening life!

There is a reasonably famous garden, blogger Dan Cooper, he calls himself ‘The Frustrated Gardener’. If he hadn’t have already used the name, I’d be pinching it!

I’ve been comparing this time in my head to lockdown, stuck at home for weeks on end.

However lockdown physically for me was good, beautiful weather, no bad back and all the time in the world to garden! On the other hand mentally it was a different matter. All that worry!

Back to the sciatica! My workaround is my garden apprentice – other wise known as ‘my husband’.

Despite the fact that he worked just as hard, well harder really, on making this garden what it is today. He’s no gardener.

He’s very happy chopping and lopping. Digging great big tree roots out and labouring for the lady bricklayer (me when my back works).

As for planting newly bought plants, in an already very full border. Well that’s not his idea of fun.

The situation wasn’t helped by a recent trip to Arley Hall & Gardens plant nursery, near Northwich. 

You can go into the plant shop without going around the gardens, also very handily you can park right by the entrance to it. As I discovered last year when I took my elderly mother. Great for for young and old with disabilities. You just need a good strong person to pick the plants up; push them around in the trolley; and oh yes; plant them for you when you get home!

I did get a little carried away, filling the trolley!

I bought four plants for the white garden, and five for the woodland border. Unfortunately most of them aren’t flowering yet, so you’ll have to wait until later in the year to see them.

Plants for the White Garden

Sanguisorba canadensis – A very tall, 2m high plant covered in bottle brush white flowers

Actaea racemes, which used to be called Cimicifuga – Also quite tall 1.5m with longer white bottle brush flowers.

Phlox paniculata ‘David’ – What I think of as a typical phlox 90cm high, flowering from July until September.

Phlox divaricate ‘White Perfume’ – A small phlox at only 30cm and very early flowering, starting in May. And the perfume….

Colourful Flowers

Eupatorium maculatum worryingly known as ‘Jo pye weed’ – A really tall (over 2m) plant with purple tinged stems and clusters of pink flowers which the bees love.

Aster novi-belgii ‘Patricia Ballad’ – A typically showy michaelmas daisy. Semi double dark pink flowers 90cm high. That should brighten up the border!

Rudbekia laciniata ‘Herbstsonne’ – Another tall one! 2m high from August, with large yellow daisy type flowers.

Phlox paniculata ‘Blue Paradise’ – Again a typical phlox 90cm high, with purple flowers.

Phlox paniculata ‘Prince of Orange’ – 90cm high with orange/red flowers. I’m really excited about this plant, as I didn’t know you could get an orange phlox. I can’t wait for it to flower!

Making room for the plants

Before any new plants could go into the ground. There were numerous plants that needed to be moved. 

As it’s now around five to six years since most of the garden was planted, the borders have really filled up. 

As the plants have got bigger, and I’ve bought more, some of them are no longer working in their position. 

This is the best time of year to move plants, as they are breaking through the ground and putting on vigorous new growth. 

Unfortunately this is an even bigger hate of my garden apprentice. 

Trying to find somewhere to put large feet in a full border, whilst trying to dig up a plant and then replant it. Especially with the supervisor’s shouting “you’re treading on a plant” and “just another inch to the left”, “a bit deeper”, “maybe turn it clockwise a bit”. Doesn’t really help!

There is also one area of the garden that’s never been finished. This is due to a large stack of bricks that have lived there for around four years. Last autumn the bricks were finally moved. 

I didn’t do anything with the space as I’ve found it’s much better to buy new plants in the spring.

Moving the Pieris

I also wanted a large Pieris moved into the new space. I’d planted it by the bamboo and was getting far too big. It’s supposed to be very slow growing, but I think our sieved soil makes everything grow like mad!

It doesn’t even seem to have realised it’s been moved, putting on as good a display as ever.

Moving the Choisya

On the other hand the choisya that went into it’s place is not happy at all. I think it’s going to survive as there is some new growth starting to appear.

Moving the Ligularia

The other plant that has not enjoyed being moved is Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’. Despite looking lovely where she was, she was always spilling onto the pathway.

So last week she was moved, it was a bit too late really as she comes up early. All her leaves sagged, so I’ve had to chop most of them off and she’s produced some new ones, so big sigh of relief!

Sitting down job for the supervisor!

One of the sitty down jobs that I’ve been able to do, was finally empty the tulips out of the dolly tubs. They’ve been in there for a few years and despite a few nice ones coming up, they really weren’t performing well. 

So as not to waste them the apprentice has been transplanting them in the borders for me.

I’m really quite excited about what’s gone in to the dolly tubs now, Dahlias! I’ve never grown them before, as I wasn’t terribly keen on them. I think it’s a little bit of ‘tastes change’, but also seeing the fabulous varieties available. The four I’ve chosen are ‘Purple Gem’, ‘Orfeo’, ‘Procyon’, ‘Tahiti’ and ‘Sunrise’ from J. Parker’s.

I’m still not keen on some of the varieties and I have this image of them grown in regimented rows, ready for exhibiting at the local show. Anyway I’m having a go so we shall see how it turns out. No doubt you’ll be seeing them later in year.

Most of the plants that have been transplanted, seem to be settling in, and the apprentice and I are still speaking. All the plants bought at Arley have been planted. Which is great news as the apprentice said, that we weren’t buying anymore plants, until all of those were in the ground!

I feel another shopping spree coming on….

Stay safe & happy gardening.