My garden makes me so happy

[HumphreyCobbler]

I wanted a garden all my adult life, and for the last three years I have had one.

To begin with I was worried it wouldn't be as much fun as I thought it would be, but I soon discovered it was even better.

It was an overgrown, tangled mess when we moved in and slowly we have transformed it. I am still a beginner, but I already know so much more than I did.

Today I came home to find a massive pile of well rotted horseshit waiting for me. It was brilliant.

I don't really know what the point of this post is, I just wanted to share

[IlsaLund]

You've just reminded me that DH bought me a daisy gruber for Christmas today I used a bog standard trowel I must try it tomorrow.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Daisy grubbers are the business, IMHO. Especially the ones that have the semi-circular thingummy on the back, as that really seems to help with the leverage.

::Has lived too long with creeping buttercup emoticon::

[Pkam]

Humphrey - jealous of your broccoli. My summer flowering broccoli got stripped by caterpillars despite netting; my winter broccoli still showing no signs of producing anything edible. I'm giving it a few more weeks but it's sitting where my carrots need to go!

Doing a formal opening of my veg plot extension tomorrow. Tea and cake like they do for new allotments. Even have some ribbon lined up to cut. Baked an apple cake using frozen apples from our 'adopted' orchard (abandoned land which originally used to be the kitchen garden for our house - so much still growing I nip over the fence to do some guerilla gardening and scrumping) and a chocolate and beetroot cake to keep the produce theme going. Yum. If I can figure out how to do it I may post a picture of the ribbon cutting moment! Share the garden joy.

Need to do more with flowers next. Know nothing.

[hellymelly]

I need a daisy grubber,I have lots of buttercups.I do have a dandelion grubber as I also have about 50,0000 dandelions. My chickens trash the lawn,but the dandelions survive anything.
Anyone have any ideas why my lilac is looking so rough? Its a decent size,well established (about 8' high).but last year had very few flowers and looked sad,now it only has a few little leaves coming and parts of it look dead. My soil is acid (at least there are lots of camelias round here,so I'm assuming that's what it is)

[HumphreyCobbler]

my lilac is looking a bit rough too.

Thanks CITGM, I now have an agapanthus plan - I have an 18" copper pot and about six plants so I will put them all in.

I like the idea of a formal opening of the veg plot Pkam, also of guerilla gardening. Have a nice one. I am hoping that my veg plot extension is going to be ready in time to plant some onions, but the man who is coming to harrow it up is busy elsewhere and I have no idea when he will be able to get it done.

The damson blossom is nearly out.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Ooooh, Humphrey. Is that a pot made from copper? That must be rather lovely, if so. Or is it of copper hue? That must look wonderful with blue agapanthus. I wanted a damson tree but was talked out of it by the man selling damson trees at a farmers' market, who said they were erratic croppers. Do you get a decent crop from it, or is it more for ornament?

Am equally of pkam's (by the sound of it) vast acreage.

::formulates plan to leave the city and live in a rural idyll::

[HumphreyCobbler]

Yes it is a copper pot - DH bought it from a car boot sale for £30! He has an eye for such bargains. He has always said it is wasted with a seedum in it.

We have had a couple of good years with the damson and one not so good year. Still only in our third year here.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

What a fab idea. I will start scouring junk shops for copper containers. How long do you think they'll last before crumbling?

I saw a front garden recently which had been 'staged' with an old chair painted white. It too looked fab.`

::Heads off to local I Saw You Coming junk shop::

[UnrequitedSkink]

Hi, I'm so glad I came across this thread! I love love love my garden. I'm not very good at knowing what to put where, or what to do when, but I can't think of anything that gives me the same sense of 'all's right with the world' than pottering round it on a warm spring day.

I've only really been actively gardening for the past 3 years - last year I was heavily pregnant in the spring (and looking after a newborn from June onwards) so the garden was rather neglected. This year the newborn is a highly inquisitive (and worryingly fearless) 9 month old so my time is a bit stretched again, but I'm determined to get more stuff on the go and in the ground in time. I also am an old rose lover, I asked for Mme Alfred Carriere for my birthday last year to plant over a rose arch, but David Austen firstly forgot my order and then couldn't supply it, so they sent me Claire Austen instead. I'm quite impressed with how well it's grown and how healthy it looks, but it's yellow-cream rather than the blush pink I really wanted, it's just not the same. I feel too guilty to tear it out and start again though!

I also have a brand new plot in the front garden to plant, totally from scratch - it's only tiny, about 1m x 2m. West facing but only gets a few hours of sunlight every day as our neightbours opposite are only a footpath away. I'm thinking of maybe a couple of types of grasses mixed with some heleniums and verbena boniarensis. Agapanthus in a pot sound lovely too though, think I might give that a go...!

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

I'm hoping that Humphrey will keep this thread going, so that we can continue to share the gardening love ....

I am loving all the rose recommendations. My resolve to buy no more of them is crumbling!

[HumphreyCobbler]

Yes, you can never have too many roses imvho. My ILs have the most stunning garden full of old roses, they took me to Rosemoor and helped me choose what went into my rose walk.

A big day today, we are going to plant up the herb beds under the pear tree. Lots of geraniums as well as herbs. We have been waiting till we are both here so we can do it together. Very exciting.

I have been through the same frustration of not being able to garden due to small children duties UnrequitedSkink, I am just coming out the other side now. Watching DH do it wasn't at all the same. My DD specialised in eating gravel so I couldn't leave her for a second.

I will keep this thread going - it is lovely to share the enthusiasm. And pick all of your brains, I need lots of advice

[PatientGriselda]

What a nice thread! Can I join? I have got 5 trays of pansies and violas in the most delicious colours (two deep deep purple, two vibrant orange and one white with violet edging) which I am about to head out to, and get planting. I am currently enjoying a quiet cogitation on which ones to put in which pot/trough/basket. I do like a quiet cogitation of a morning!

I was also planning to plant out my sweet peas, but have had a couple of frosty nights recently, so am trying to resist the temptati

[PatientGriselda]

the temptation!

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

I'm going to put on my gardening clogs (Lidl) and go out to dig up a rogue thalictrum that offends my colour scheme. I may them plant my new violas (£1.99 for 10 at dear old Lidl) and prowl around looking for the best spot for the new peony.

What pear tree do you have, Humphrey? I was very tempted by Doyenne du Comice in Lidl for something ridiculous like £5, but checked before buying and saw it isn't self-fertile and I don't want two pear trees. Is yours self-fertile?

[HumphreyCobbler]

Our pear tree is a perry pear - I don't know anything else about it apart from that it must be quite old as it is big. It works on a three year cycle, two years ago we made 205 bottles of perry from one crop, the next year about forty bottles and this year our neighbour tells us we will get nothing. We have planted a comice in the orchard but it is very young. God knows about fertility, we haven't considered that yet.....

[UnrequitedSkink]

How do you make perry Humphrey? Very jealous...

[Pkam]

Had a lovely afternoon tea party in the garden and cut the ribbon to officially open the veg plot. Have uploaded a photo if anyone wants a peek.

Also would like to report my wild rocket seedlings have appeared overnight in the pot in my conservatory. Planted them up early (impatience again) in zinc planters from Lidl. Must go there more often - sounds popular in this thread!

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

I'd love to see your photo, Pkam, but can't access your profile. Is it private?

I buy most of my gardening stuff from the local gardening society, but find the bargains in Lidl irresistible!

[UnrequitedSkink]

Lidl do planters?! Ooooh....

[IlsaLund]

I can't resist Lidl plant bargains - I bought a few packets of seeds yesterday (despite the fact that I have about 100 packets I bought at the end of last season in the sale)
I'm trying really hard to spend less money on the garden - I keep telling DH that we will save loads of money eating home grown produce - unfortuatley if you add up the money we have spent getting the garden sorted that isn't actually true. However, I can't put a price on the pleasure it gives me.

I hope this fine weather continues so I can spend some time outside on weeknights now the clocks have changed

[HumphreyCobbler]

We sent the perry off somewhere to be made - we didn't want rough stuff that gave you the runs, so we had it poshed up. It worked out at about a pound a bottle.

Have you all had a nice day in the garden? I planted up the herb bed, it looks SO nice. A friend came round and picked nettles and made nettle pasta in our kitchen. Just about to eat it for supper.

IlsaLund - I do agree about not being able to put a price on the pleasure.

I am going to look for a local gardening society now.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Humphrey - You may also want to check out the potting shed thread, where we are recounting today's gardening exploits.

How did you find your perry maker? I am wondering whether I should arrange something similar for the ton of apples that we usually leave on the tree because we don't much like them (but they might make good juice).

Gardening societies are the bizz. I have largely stocked my garden with gems bought at the annual plant swap and sale, buy all my compost and manure there too and have had loads of good (and locally-appropriate) advice.

[HumphreyCobbler]

There are lots of perry/cider/juicing places round here, Monmouth is proper apple/pear growing country. We had juice done too, got loads from one tree. That cost about a pound a bottle too, but if you think of the price of organic apple juice in the shop. Will check out potting shed too, thanks.

[mummyosaurus]

What a thread!

I've been digging out lot of rose of sharron, golden rod and the hardy geranium which grow like weeds in my old garden. It was very neglected when we moved here 10 years ago, got it partly in hand, then had two kids 19 mths apart! They are 4 and 6 now so this is the year!

I had a snaeky trip out to the garden centre so bought compost, new gardening gloves and a few plants...

[Pkam]

Maud - changed my privacy settings - you should be able to see the photo in profile now.