I am looking to add pictures of Blotanical members or anyone else’s gardens from around the world on my website.
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Welcome to my Website
I am Alistair and have been gardening in Aberdeen with my wife Myra for forty years. I suppose it would be quite true to say that we are rather fanatical about our garden.
Neither of us are professional gardeners, however over the years we have built up a great deal of knowledge as to how garden plants perform in the cooler climate of Aberdeen and the North East of Scotland.
My posts are to provide information to the amateur gardener. I am not infallible, however I will let you know exactly how the plants which I feature performed in this part of the country.
To view pictures of (Our Garden) open the link above with this title.
All who comment on my site with a blog or website of their own will result in a reply and visit from myself to their current post.
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Tag Cloud
Hi Alistair! I enjoyed looking at your lovely garden photos, and all that colour! Imaculate and well designed.
If you want to incorporate a few more exotic plants, what about Rhododendrons and Bamboos, lots of hardy types available on both of them. For big leaves you can go for Rhododendron sinogrande, macabeanum, and falconeri.
Looking forward to your updates!
Thanks Mark, I do have Rhododendrons and Bamboos in other parts of the garden, I am definitely going to check on the ones you mention.
Hoya Carnosa – Free to good home – just collect from Montrose area.
Clearing our conservatory border for repainting has left a well established plant without a home. Potted-up just now, it should survive a move. Two climbing stems over 8 feet long, several flowering shoots.
Hello Ion Grove-White,
I am from Penang,Malaysia.Doing a research about your grandfather,Capt.Charles Wilson,1st Magistrate of Penang in 1930′S.
I do have some information about his career’s in Malaya.
Are you interested?.
I do hope to hear back from you,
Best wishes,
Winson Saw
Hello
I stay in Aberdeen and have admired Wisteria for some time.
I have a reasonably sheltered south west facing garden and intend to plant Wisteria against the garage wall.
Can you suggest where to purchase a good plant.
Hi Iain, stick to the variety which I suggest. Best to just keep visiting the garden centres. If you get stuck contact Ben Reids of Aberdeen, tell them you want a good specimen of a plant and I am sure they will order it for you.
Hi there
I would like to purchase a standard female J C van tol. not sure if you supply or have a approximately 5ft.?
Many thanks
Doreen Collins
Sorry Doreen, I dont supply plants but if you are in Aberdeen, try Ben Reids.
I have enjoyed reading your web pages very much. Could you please advise if the New Zealand Daisy (Celmisia semicordata) as seen in your garden, is easily grown from seed? I would be able to grow in heated conditions, if that is what they require. I saw a pot of Celmisia at Gardening Scotland and was very impressed!
Thanks for the visit Lillian. The Celmisia which we have I have lifted and divided on a few occasions, but no I have never tried growing it from seed.
love your garden, it is truly beautiful & inspirational. I had not heard the term ‘Indian summer’ before, does this refer to wind direction or does it mean a very hot summer?
Thanks Becc, Indian Summer relates to warm weather in Autumn when not expected, coming from the American red indians. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/indian-summer.html
Hi Alistair, I live in ‘Smokieland’ & grew begonias for the 1st. time this year, I’m trying to save the tubers, I don’t have a greenhouse, or shed, would it be ok to store them, wrapped in newspaper, in shredded paper in a tupperware-type container, or cardboard box, in a dark cupboard? I’d appreciate your expert advice. Many thanks, Lynne
Hi Lynne, Yes wrap them in newspaper, plastics not good, better in a cardboard box. Dark cupboard would be fine, best if the cupboards in a room that is not heated. Make sure they are fully dry before wrapping them up and try to avoid stripping away any roots which are on them.
Hi Alistair, Thanks for quick response to my query, re the storage of tubers Will let you know if it’s a success or not. Regardless of the outcome, I will be growing begonias again! Many thanks, Lynne
Your welcome Lynne, hope it works out.
Alistar that would be great if you want to put a photo up. Thank you. Greg.
Job done Greg.
Alistair, I left you a message on Blotanical. Just in case you don’t get it I’m sending this direct to your site. I did have a problem adding your site to my dashboard but that has been resolved. I had the url with “diary” at the end. I removed that and “nae bother” as they say. So now I can follow you wisdom without having to worry about Blotanical. It’s so frustrating at times. I “pick” people and they end up with a minus quantity and my own “picks ” are often in a muddle. But it’s still a great site for finding interesting gardens and bloggers.
Janet at Planticru Notes recently posted..A murmuration of starlings…
Thanks Janet, I have been having a lot of bother with blotanical freezing up on me and several other issues, I wont give up on it as it seems a completely revamped site is on its way. My site is set up as having the diary blog as the home page I think it may cause a bit of confusion with a few applications.
I have a passion flower planted in containers each side of my front door they have grown well & produced flowers do i need to prune or cut them back apart from cutting out dead growth
Hi Barry, Passion flower would most definitely not grow in my garden, therefore I know nothing of them. Someone else who drops by may be able to help.
it get some or no sun at all…. the soil is clay and very wet… i am very new to gardening and im struggling to get anything to grow, i dont want anymore Rhododendons as i have just dug 3 of them out, it seems these are the only thing that thrive and grow, i have an acer and 2 maples which are both doing well, our patio is south facing and has the sun all day and my patio pots look great, but at the left and right bottom of the garden i have 2 large semi circles which i would love to add colour, but the bottom of the garden is surrounded with leylalandi, can you suggest anything that with colour that would grow in such conditions?
Hi Joan, first of all I am surprised that Rhododendrons do so well in clay soil. Not so easy working along with Leylandii. I would place less importance on the colour thing if I were you and concentrate on what works along with the position. Put a lot of work first of all in trying to improve the quality of the soil by adding plenty of good compost. Here is a link showing plants which should then be happy enough with these conditions. http://www.u-r-g.co.uk/faqshd04.htm good luck Alistair
Stumbled across your website, what a great find. Your garden looks so beautiful. And thank you for uploading pictures of a decent quality and size; it’s been a great reference. I stay in Grantown-On-Spey and at times it easily feels like the coldest place in the UK!! Other gardening books etc don’t seem geared up for our weather here at all, however, your website has provided me with a lot of homework to do on which of the plants I fancy growing in my garden now.
Thank you so much and maybe one day I’ll have a beautiful garden too
Thanks for the visit Steph and it pleases me greatly that you find my posts of some use.Grantown on Spey has colder temperatures in Winter than Aberdeen, but Aberdeen is a cooler place in the Summer, that’s as in cold and not my grandsons trendy language.
Hi! I was looking for some advice on Wisteria, can they be for indoors?
Hi Laura, Wisteria isn’t for growing indoors. Take a look at what I had to say about it.
http://www.aberdeengardening.co.uk/diary/index.php/2011/06/wisteria-sinenses-prolific/