Lots of people are asking 'what's the blue/purple shrub behind the plant experts?' It's a ceanothus! I meant to label it and forgot.

@mellfraze8112

24 күн бұрын

Ceanothus is a native shrub here in Northern California, they are stunning through our hot dry summers.

I love the way you pick out the salient points from the conversations and summarise them in a few words on-screen. I find that very helpful, thanks!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoy it!

@LouciferFlump

28 күн бұрын

It reminds me a little of my Uni days…it’s like a really smart way of revising!! 👍🏻😉

Alexandra, your vlogs are exceptional! I deeply appreciate the variety of topics you present and the individuals you interview. There are so many excellent gardeners that just don't have vlogs so when you interview them, we all win. Thank you!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

26 күн бұрын

Thank you!

I have one complaint about your videos -- they always leave me with a long shopping list! At this rate, I'm going to need a bigger garden :^) Thanks again for such well-presented expert advice.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

27 күн бұрын

Thank you!

So cute how the robin came to the table 🌝

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

26 күн бұрын

He was so sweet

I wish we had those kinds of fairs in Sweden...it would be great for small independent growers..

Incredibly helpful. Honestly, the best gardening video of all time. Thank you so much.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

Thank you!

Great idea of a plant road show! I always love Steve Edney's insights. The English robin is adorable. Quite the social bird! I learned the difference between English robins & U.S. robins from Paul T's Garden videos. Very useful information & thank you.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

Thank you, the robin was so sweet

Great presentation and thank you for asking those questions - may be obvious to some but most helpful to those like me who are constantly learning! Keep up the fabulous job, Alexandra !

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

25 күн бұрын

Thank you!

Oh my gosh, I just looked at the seed packet of geraniums that I ordered and it's the maculatum! Those ARE pretty. And speaking of pretty, I don't think I'll ever get over how pretty you look in that scarf! AND NOW with the purple coat! Just gorgeous.

Thanks for the great plant tips. I love geums. Such a beautiful flower.

Another wonderful video - relaxing and informative. You really have a knack of bringing out the best in the people you interview. Thanks!!!!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

27 күн бұрын

Thank you!

This is the best gardening vlog hands down. ❤

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

26 күн бұрын

Thank you!

Excellent advice from Dan Cooper! I’m now learning that I’ve crowded my borders and am having to relocate some plants :)

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

I'm always over-crowding too, it pushes out the more delicate plants

Oh look its Rob Hardy in a youtube video! What a lovely upload as always :)

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

27 күн бұрын

Thank you! And didn't he do well! Lots of lovely comments about Tissington White.

Look forward to your posts. Thank you

Love this show, admire your instructions, appreciate your advice, all this means I love you...

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

26 күн бұрын

Thank you!

Particularly enjoyed this week's video. Loved the recommendations, the growing tips, and the reminder to look up what plant fairs are scheduled to be held near me.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Great video with valuable info as always. Thanks a lot😊

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

27 күн бұрын

Thank you!

Learnt a lot again- thanks!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

Thank you!

Well, I've been using various garden centre in Birmingham for over 45 years many have been consumed by bigger corporations. They've gone to the dogs by and large, staff are really thick with one or two exceptions, they know 'not a lot' about their products and much less about horticultural matters.

@LouciferFlump

28 күн бұрын

Omg tell me about it! What’s happened to the big chains that used to be the stalwarts of garden shopping? The state of their pitiful range of plants these days! All they have in them is gas BBQs, deck chairs and comedy greetings cards!!! 🥴🤥

@Mig29now

28 күн бұрын

Just plainly gone downhill, very poorly trained staff mostly, yes plant range not so good now, you have to travel to specialists nowdays to get sound and good advice. Big chains are interested in big £££s only. Public seem to put up with this dumbness.

@LouciferFlump

28 күн бұрын

@@Mig29now yes, the boring mainstream who want a BBQ, 4 chairs and a card for their Granny’s birthday! I voted with my feet, never go in them anymore, haven’t been in a Dobbies for example in over a year!

@Mig29now

28 күн бұрын

Hi again. Yep, they're pretty much a sameness now. Imagination has gone mostly, not much knowledge about like there used to be. I recall years ago many many Birmingham gardens (like elsewhere) were council places, but lovely gardens to be found everywhere, but now nice gardens are in the minority, i find when looking about. Still a few nice gardens about but not like there used to be. Sad i find, decline commonplace it seems.

@LouciferFlump

27 күн бұрын

@@Mig29now yeah, agreed!

Very useful advice to shake off peatfree compost before planting. Thanks

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

20 күн бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

sweet brave little bird.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

Wasn't he? He 'helped' us unpack, but I didn't have the camera set up then.

@LoriSavingWild

27 күн бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden So cute and so glad you acknowledged her/him because isnt that why we make gardents in the first place? So we can be one with Nature and all of its sweet wild friends? Lori

The Hardy plant in the last interview is so lovely, in the right location the blooms would be stunning!

Great video, great info!

This was wonderful! I'm so glad the odd looking 'air pot' was explained! And that little bird got it's 30 seconds of fame, lol. Conditions even within a single garden can vary so much, so information from all of these gardeners was helpful. I did balk a bit at the nettle, as I've yanked out a ton of the stinging ones from my garden this year...every time I think I've gotten them all, a new one pops up in a flower pot or crack in the pavement, and I must resist the urge to grab it without gloves. Love the "Cats Pajamas". :)

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

25 күн бұрын

Thank you! And don't worry about the 'nettle'. It's a 'dead-nettle' or Lamium and isn't related to the stinging nettle (Urtica), although the leaf shapes look similar. I know what you mean about wanting to grab it without gloves, I always think 'it's just a tiny nettle, it won't hurt...ouch!'

Have a wonderful mother's day 💕

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

20 күн бұрын

Thanks so much

Wonderful!! Just what I've been needing. Thank you 💐

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

Thank you!

Another very good video, thank you.

Thanks Alexandra, an interesting and imformative video as always. I have put Geum Mai Tai in my cottage garden for the first time this year and love it. It has a lovely soft and subltle apricot colour

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

27 күн бұрын

It's very pretty, I thought.

So many great tips in this video, thank you.

Thank you for a great advice.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks again. Very interesting as always!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

27 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Great information at the right time. We are ending spring and I want to start planting perennials that will be in my enchanted garden

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

27 күн бұрын

That sounds lovely!

What a great start to spring gardening for all of us. Thank you. Enjoyed my garden last weekend in the sunshine, peonies & roses blooming , lots others, just love it.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

20 күн бұрын

Thank you!

So informative! Thank you

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

26 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Good morning Alexander, I just love these garden fair's. We can get the most wonderful information from these growers. Are those Geums not stunning? Such a beautiful flower and the colour is absolutely amazing. So many marvellous plants the individual growers have shared with us and they are all exquisite. I know the Erica's are so hardly, look at those fine leaves, that is the secret of those plants!! They are almost like needles. There are so many wonderful plants that we can choose from, and they are cheaper than a movie ticket, and they last it seems forever when taken care of. There is just so much joy in the plant world not forgetting those essential garden tools and the woollen pots are just the bling now. Just amazing the video was as good as ever, thank you for showing us new or hardly plants to choose from, as you know I am in S. Africa. but I just adapt according to climatic conditions. Our summers as quite harsh especially when the rain holds back, then it becomes a nightmare for us gardeners. Needless to say you are looking good as always, it has to be Nature that brings out the beauty in you/us. Many blessings, kind regards, Elize.

I actually went to Hardy's the other day and bought the tissington white! It's a beautiful plant 🌿

Thank you.

Learned so much from these discussions. The wool pots are genius!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

26 күн бұрын

Thank you!

Have never heard of "wool pots", just a brilliant idea! Thank you for another one of your educational videos, I always learn something valuable.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

26 күн бұрын

Glad you like them!

Excellent! I think I may have the Tissington - will investigate. Lots of good recommendations so I will need to rewatch. Thank you Alexandra

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

20 күн бұрын

Thank you!

Helpful tips.

Excellent video. Wish I lived in the UK.

What a lovely Flowers Like 845 My friend thank you for good sharing. Have a good relationship 😊

Fascinating Airpots

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

20 күн бұрын

They look great.

Ahh I bought the veronica tissington white last week from RHS shop because I was so drawn to it! Great to hear the story behind it and a bit more info before I plant it out! Thanks :)

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

27 күн бұрын

I thought it was beautiful the first time I saw it, and now that I've heard it clumps out, I'm very interested!

Gr8 advice on peat free they tote this as the greatest thing since sliced bread

@MyFocusVaries

28 күн бұрын

Peat free compost is saving peat bogs from being mined, thus preserving key habitats.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

I think the industry is clear about saying that adapting our growing practices - and getting the best formulations - to gardening peat-free will take a bit of time, but there are countries who have never gardened with peat-based composts, such as Australia, so once we've adapted, it will all work out. But the main point is that the peat bogs only renew themselves very slowly and they are a valuable habitat, so it makes no sense to use peat in our gardening.

@zonabrown9241

27 күн бұрын

@@MyFocusVaries totally agree wihyou

@MyFocusVaries

26 күн бұрын

@@zonabrown9241 in Vancouver BC Canada Costco this year, they had a peat free organic potting mix, so we know the idea is catching on.

@FireflyOnTheMoon

22 күн бұрын

Preserving peat bogs is vital

That's a great video. Great tip about the peat-free compost and also the tree planting. I will have to ignore the tree planting info though as I'll be planting 3 in the next two weeks. Thank you, Alexandra.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

27 күн бұрын

Ha, ha, I think Oscar Wilde said 'the best thing to do with advice is pass it on.' Happy planting!

Goodness, THANK YOU Steve, I never paid any attention that my dry shady spot is also slightly SLOPING. No wonder everything dies there. I'll try again with the "bowl" planting.

@LouciferFlump

28 күн бұрын

I have a section of my garden that’s severely shaded on a steep embankment covered in deciduous trees! This tip really does help things that can tolerate the conditions to establish tremendously. I can vouch for it!

Hello again!

I love your videos ! :-) Thank you 4:59 ! ☘️🌿

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

9 күн бұрын

Glad you like them!

Wonderful contributors, the wool pots are amazing.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

They are!

Hi Alexandra. I saw that you brought your pup with you, who is really getting big and gorgeous 😍. Loved the interviews and wondered if you could tell what the purple blue shrub or tree is that is sitting behind your guests? Thank you from across the pond.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

It's a ceanothus. I meant to label it and forgot. Ozzie is definitely quite big now!

Is there a way of getting lists of the plants in a specific national collection? I’m in the US so I’m not to familiar about these collections but I do find it very interesting. Thanks

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

25 күн бұрын

There are some lists of plant collection holders - you could try contacting the collection holder as I imagine they would have a list. Here are some resources:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_Collections_Network and members.publicgardens.org/plant-collections-network/ (both US) and www.plantheritage.org.uk/ (UK)

What is the blue flowering shrub behind the guests?

@OldBlackCow72

28 күн бұрын

Hi there, I believe it is a Ceanothus.

@stephanieestep7529

28 күн бұрын

I agree, Ceanothus. We call them California Lilacs in my neck of the woods.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

Yes, ceanothus.

Hi Alexander, I remember you posted a very good video on the way you make your videos , and your advice on the different equipment that you use. Are you able to tell us what the name of that video was thanks 😊

I have been trying germs for the past 2 years and can’t seem to keep them alive. I was told they don’t like to be kept moist but the 2 experts in this video say the opposite. I will try giving them more water when we’re not getting rain. Hopefully I can succeed this time around! 🤞🏻 Coastal NC ZONE 8b.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

25 күн бұрын

Mine have certainly been better this year, we've had lots of rain, whereas last year we had a dry spring and they looked a bit sad

@heatherw.2751

24 күн бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden thanks for the tip! We have been super dry this spring so I will have to keep an eye on the soil moisture and supplement water when needed.

Oh dear, I’m a serial overfiller!!! 🥴I really must try the bung a few annuals in the gaps tip! Top tip👍🏻 I’ve been having a dreadful time with peat free composts recently. Oddly enough regarding the soil thing, as part of my experiments, I’ve been mixing my peat free compost with shop bought top soil and my own leaf mould & finally I have found a recipe that keeps everything from Violas to French Marigolds to Toscana Kale to Hostas alive and thriving. For me, it’s the cure for very hit&miss peat free compost mixes! They’re all so confusing, what’s in them? Why are they so crumbly and seemingly bereft of nutrients? They really are a problem. I think some of them are actually worse now than when they first came out??!? I switched as soon as they became available & I’ll swear down I didn’t used to have as many growing failures in the early days…🤔

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

27 күн бұрын

It's been very difficult for the industry because it's been hard finding a formulation that works and is environmentally sound (ie coir works well but is imported from thousands of miles away). And yes, you're right that formulations have changed and continue to change. Part of it is us adapting to a different way of treating our composts, but your mixing strategy sounds like a good one. But Australia, for example, has never used peat based composts and has a thriving horticultural industry, so it's all possible.

@LouciferFlump

27 күн бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden oh yes, I mean it’s not like I disapprove of them, I applaud them, but the mixes wildly vary so it’s a bit frustrating! 🥴

00:40 good grace anyone can tell what that pink thing is sooo chock full of flowers???? 😍😍😍

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

20 күн бұрын

Rhododendrons and azaleas - don't know the variety but that's what they do in spring.

Hola, Alexandra: sé que me vas a entender porque hablás español, así que te mando saludos desde Córdoba, Argentina. Tu tocayo.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

Saludos desde Kent!

Through the whole video I could not stop looking at the light purple plant in the background, what is it?

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

28 күн бұрын

It's ceanothus - I meant to label it and forgot! But everyone wants to know.

@1Kent

27 күн бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I've just bought the Evergreen variety, Concha. Thank you.

Could you tel me what the tree is that Miles Hayward has with him?

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

26 күн бұрын

I think it was a Paperbark Maple

I have Yellow dead nettles called Archangel, it’s become invasive, never used to be.😢

Alexandra, somehow I am not able to click the thumbs up for this video "8 Beautiful Border Plants". I click and the hand disappears?!?

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

Минут бұрын

oh, dear, I'm not sure why that's happened. But thank you for trying. Let's hope the glitch goes away soon. But thank you for telling me, it's useful to know in case there is something I can do.

🪴Lovely 🪴Informative 🪴

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

20 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it