Humph's Happy Horti-cult: harvesting, preserving, mulching, leaf-gathering, bulb-dibbing, seed catalogue-surfing and hunkering down for winter

[Lexilicious]

Following on from the original March to August thread. For all - whether still gardening through the winter or planning to sweep the shed, hibernate, sharpen the tools and get started again in the spring.

Happy gardening again!

yes! all of the above!

Can you tell that I'm quite practised at this self-deception prudent economic analysis, Lexi?

But I still spend money on shoes...

I did something that made me feel a bit daft the other day. Went in Poundland and while I was browsing for plastic boxes and saw multipacks of all sorts of flower and veg seeds for a £1 each. I could not resist. They had seed potatoes in there and all sorts of stuff.

::Hides extensive shoe collection from prying eyes::

Err, what's daft about buying gardening stuff in Poundland? One of my very nicest aquilegias came from the 99p Store, which is also where last year's most successful sweet peas came from!

Yes I agree. It just didn't feel like a proper place to buy garden stuff but I have to say I was impressed by the range of garden things they had in Poundland. It would be a perfect place for a beginner gardener to get going for £20.

I do generally feel that garden centres basically are massivley overpriced and not always reflecting great quality.

I bought about seven paul scarletts from the pound shop - they are growing nicely along the side fence. They were very healthy, vigorous plants. I love pound shop gardening - all our wild flower seeds came from Aldi too, so did lots of gladioli and iris bulbs.

I bought my hanging basket supports from Poundland last year. Saved me loads. We don't have a Poundland here as this town thinks it's far too posh for such bargain hotspots so get very excited when I spy one when out and about.

Ah, Bertha, because I live in a grotty upwardly mobile and increasingly chi-chi area, we still have such emporia. My Paul's Scarlet rose from the 99p Store last year failed to thrive, but I have just bought another (and another one, helpfully called White Climber) and they seem to be doing well.

Paul'S Scarlet. I learn something new every day

Just noticed the Dickensian name change there Maud.

I thought I should enter into the spirit of the thing, seeing as I'm partial to a bit of Victorian literature.

I've just sent off £70 worth of orders... but hopefully that will keep us in strawbs all summer and asparagus next year.

Went for the Telegraph snowdrops offer. Was tempted by aconites but thought I should just leave it for a while... maybe next year.

Twice last year we gave friends a wedding gift IOU of a day's garden labour or consulting. So, just before Easter we'll go to cash one of those promises with some friends who have a nice but currently boring garden. I will take up some of my perennials to offer them and if they aren't right for them I'll take them on down to my parents in Devon.

More space for me to have new things you see!!! Ah, happy glow of recycling

I want spring to come now. This cold weather is boring, especially as I am on half term. It is minus 2 here.

Just picked some hellebores for the house and had a PANG for being outside all day long. I want to move all my geraniums into position.

I feel exactly the same way, Humphrey. I was thinking of picking some hellebores today, too, and want to start planting things out - just to help me see where the gaps are going to be - but I know it's too cold for both me and the plants.

Lidl's seeds are amazing and always give a very high rate of germination. They are around 25p per packet or were the last time I bought some.

Which is the best seed/plant catalogue in your opinion? We have a huge area to fill with vegetables and a very short growing season.

Yes, I have had some great results from Lidl seeds. I don't have any useful recommendations for vegetable seeds, though, as - apart from beans and courgettes - I always fare badly with veg grown from seed and we end up buying plug plants instead.

Just had an agreeable half an hour weeding the strawberries out of the rose walk (they had crept under the picket fence and taken over). We have taken the fence out now anyway and are moving the strawberry patch. It looks lovely with just the catmint, geraniums and aqueligea left.

Our resolution is NOT to overplant this year. I fear it is a vain hope, it is so hard not to. Dh is still out there planting up the bank into the orchard. He moved the raspberries out into the rectangular veg patch last week, and we are putting in some shrubs to give some height to that part of the garden.

It has reached a balmy 3 degrees here today. Tomorrow, I am getting my new trellis.

::ridiculously excited::

I have just bought this aquilegia.

:;swoon::

This is very pretty Maud.

Where is the trellis going?

We are still on the search for hazel hurdle makers. The bloke that said he could do it and then after six months said that actually he can't has held us up good and proper.

It's going along the top of the back fence, because the climbing rose and honeysuckles have outgrown the fence and so need something higher to cling to. There will be added benefits in that it should screen out the bizarre construction - a weird blend of shed and pavilion - that our neighbour behind us has erected at the bottom of their garden. The joys of inner city living.

I'm also having a few other small jobs done, that I lack the skill for.

Rural living also has it's drawbacks - our view was dominated by swede fleece all last year!

Hmm. That sounds hideous.

I had another spree in the 99p Store today and bought yet more aquilegias.

I clearly need to seek out these pound shops and Lidl/Aldis. Does Costco ever do gardening supplies?

I am realising that my garden is not at all floral in the winter but I don't mind because it has lots of interest from its strong shapes and structure. There is some good evergreen climber and shrub foliage (vinca, pyracantha) which is quite bright just now, and the Midwinter Fire which I've placed but not yet planted really does glow in indirect winter light. The mature woodland backdrop over the back fence is also pretty unbeatable, even better since we took down the 6ft wooden fence to be able to see through the near-invisible chickenwire.

My innovation of using re-using the large 'zen stones' from the former pseudo-japanese design to make a border edge that you could walk on to avoid damaging the lawn in frost/snow has really worked. Well, until DH and DS played at making footprints. We'll always need to put disproportionate effort into that lawn because of it being on the north side and the ground being such heavy clay - solid clay below about 12inches.

The midday sun is now getting high enough over the house to reach my poly-covered recycling boxes (my 'nursery area' at the northernmost end) so it is time to start cultivating seedlings!! I may start off some tomato seeds one evening this week indoors, and try to get into the shed for other seeds.

Ooh, dunno about Costco as we don't have one nearby.

Your lawn sounds exactly like mine, Lexi. At the moment it looks dreadful, and even worse because it was trodden on so much today as the trellis was put up. And I have just been to the first RHS London show of the year. Way-hay!