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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Original poster

My garden makes me so happy

981 replies

HumphreyCobbler · 24/03/2011 20:08

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 Smile

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ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 30/03/2011 19:38

May I say too that the RHS plant fair at Vincent Square today also made me very happy. I bought a purple agapanthus and thought of this thread.

ChristinedePizan · 30/03/2011 19:43

Not just you Maud, I love it. I call my plants by name even if they don't have a proper one ie 'Oi you belgian boy (Lonicera belgica), get your hands off Compassion (a rose)' while I'm cutting the honeysuckle back.

I can't believe I just admitted that Blush :o

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 30/03/2011 20:01

Ooooh, Christine, I can see I'm just an amateur at this. Perhaps I should start shifting plants around for better dramatic effect? I could introduce Niobe (whose tears fell as pearls) to Lucifer, for example.

Pkam · 30/03/2011 20:22

All this latin and now they have proper names and need to be introduced! Goodness. I've been so taken by the discussion I have bitten the bullet and convinced DH to dig me a flower border. Just a small corner one this year to plant some pretty stuff - got to see if I can branch out from the herbs & veggies.

So...today I went to the garden centre and spent lots of money. Now have a new clematis; some agapanthus (which seemed very popular so thought this would be a safe bet - mine's purple too Maud), some campanula and several other random perennials which looked like they might be nice. Think it's going to be a bit riotous but a bit of experimental randomness is alright isn't it? Grin

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 30/03/2011 20:29

I am not a professional gardener but I have read a lot of books [heaven preserve us from the self-taught] and have arrived at the (as I understand it) William Morris approach to garden design, which is formal structure with a riot of planting going on inside it. So experimental randomness sounds just fine to me.

ChristinedePizan · 30/03/2011 20:45

I have usually done experimental randomness. The naked bed I have at the moment is the first ever example of a totally planned border I've ever had - I usually work around what's already there. And it's so much better to learn by experience - I think the best thing about gardening is that you are always, always learning. Doesn't matter how many qualifications or awards you've got, there's always more to know.

I've managed to damp off two of my teeny lobelia. Despite the fact that I'm supposed to know what I'm doing! Actually, in a lot of ways, I think I had more success the less I knew. Because I took much bigger risks with plants. Although now I'm more interesting with colour combos (I hope - it could look awful when it all flowers :o)

Original poster
HumphreyCobbler · 30/03/2011 21:12

I am jealous of your purple agapanthus.

My current gardening book is The Ivington Diaries by Monty Don. I love that book, also The Jewel Garden as it deals with the making of his garden and gives you a plan. Formal structure with a riot of planting - that sounds perfect to me. We have planted lots of box cuttings and are going to do the same every year until we can have lots of hedges.

We have really started with a blank canvas, DH is really good at thinking of the major design. He suggested my circular vegetable bed - I LOVE it, it looks fabulous. He built it and I plant it. It was DH who thought of having a rose walk too. Despite all we have done so far the whole garden is SO empty feeling, we really need to have some height. We made the mistake of making the few borders we have put in far too narrow too, so we need to sort that out as well.

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Pkam · 30/03/2011 21:23

Ooooh circular vegetable bed sounds fabulous!

Can I borrow your DH?

Height in our garden supplied by climbing frame and play house on stilts. Was thinking of growing some climbers over the side of the play house....

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 30/03/2011 21:32

Funny that you should mention Monty Don. I have just got round to reading Urban Jungle (bought last year for 10p on school book stall) and discovered that he too does very helpful lists of plants for various positions and soil types, that might be useful, even if the rest of his advice is geared towards tiny urban gardens.

My DH is barely aware that we have a garden, alas.

Original poster
HumphreyCobbler · 30/03/2011 21:37

I could actually marry Monty Don

I have a big crush Blush

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ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 30/03/2011 21:47

Really? Mind you, I harbour fantasies about undoing Bob Flowerdew's plait. That's all I want to do. Undo his plait.

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 30/03/2011 21:47

Although I'd be willing to accept a pair of Monty Don's earrings, not having had any in the 80s.

ChristinedePizan · 30/03/2011 22:13

I used to have some (of the jewellery). A pair of earrings with a black lace bow and a pearl teardrop below them. They died a very long time ago. If we're talking gardening books, Christopher Lloyd's The Well-Tempered Garden is completely brilliant and excellent bedtime reading. His exotic garden at Great Dixter has largely inspired my paltry bed in trying out colour combos I wouldn't have thought of. Fergus Garrett (the head gardener) at Dixter has spoken to me every time I've been there and he is totally swoonsome IMO :o (I suspect he talks to everyone who is grinning inanely at him tbh!)

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 30/03/2011 22:31

Those were exactly the earrings I coveted at the time. Why didn't I buy them? ::smacks forehead::

My gardening shame is that I've never been to Great Dixter. I do miss Christo's columns in the Guardian. Their gardening coverage has never been as good since.

ChristinedePizan · 30/03/2011 22:40

Really Maud? Aww :) There is a photo of me wearing them on the phone to my then boyfriend (who is now my best friend's husband :o) when I was 19. Or possibly 20. Still very unlined and not remotely interested in gardening, that's for sure! We live near Dixter now so I will drag take DS down there in a few months I think. Are you near? I've only been twice but I absolutely love it - it's my dream garden (not to mention the house)

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 30/03/2011 22:48

Actually, I think the MD earrings I coveted had crystal drops, but they definitely had bows. It was all part of that Wham "boys in leather kiss girls in pearls" era. Of course, I was only 5. ::cough::

We could easily get to Dixter and my gardening society regularly includes it in its programme of visits. Somehow I've never been, but as one area of my border is loosely inspired by Christo's tropical planting, I am determined to get there this summer.

Original poster
HumphreyCobbler · 31/03/2011 20:00

I was most disconcerted to see a photo of my beloved Monty actually wearing some of that jewellery, it nearly put me off him.

I haven't been to Great Dixter but it is now on my must see list. A bit of a distance from me though.

My favourite garden to visit has been the Brockhamton Estate, quite a small scale as public gardens go, and as such seemingly more achievable by a novice. Although I doubt I will ever manage a moated gate house.

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Pkam · 31/03/2011 21:16

Have gained an old church pew from my mother's garden. It's about 3m long and quite lovely (needs sanding and re-staining mind but I'll get round to that at some point). Going to put it outside along one side of the conservatory. Anyhow, it has the shelf along the back originally for hymn books for the row behind, I'm thinking I can put a row of plants in pots along this it will look fantastic. Anyone got any ideas of what will work ? Want to avoid anything that attracts too many bees as otherwise sitting on it may prove a little interesting! However, would like colour as it will act as a sort of window box for the conservatory too. Any recommendations most welcome.

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 31/03/2011 21:22

How delightful but also tricky, as presumably you don't want anything too bushy as it will get squashed as people sit down. Presumably too the pots will have to be small to fit on the shelf. How about herbs like thyme and camomile which don't mind a bit of trampling and will be fragrant when people lean on them? Hmm. Might be a problem with bees, though. Some of the smaller grasses?

::Goes off to think::

Pkam · 31/03/2011 21:29

The shelf is about 5 inches so quite narrow. Herbs would be good - I like the idea of sitting with your head surrounded by herb scents. I started off thinking about lavender but then the bee thing occurred to me. Don't currently have any camomile so that might be an option.

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 31/03/2011 21:42

Ah. I was thinking the shelf would be even narrower than that. I still think herbs which don't mind drought could be the best bet.

JarethTheGoblinKing · 31/03/2011 21:55

You could plant things in pots within the shelf so they don't get too big, but yes - avoiding bee attracting ones would be a good plan Wink

I have a herb with blue flowers growing in my garden, but can't for the life of me think what it's called.

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 31/03/2011 22:04

Borage? For one's Pimms on a summer's evening?

JarethTheGoblinKing · 31/03/2011 22:37

Yep, that's the one, thank you :)

Freezingmyarseoff · 01/04/2011 08:49

I'll add borage to my shopping list. Hope we have a good summer to enjoy pimms at the end of a days gardening.

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