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Gardening

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

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

989 replies

Lexilicious · 08/08/2011 12:08

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!

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echt · 15/03/2012 10:04

HumphreyCobbler thank you for your kind thoughts about my, effectively, houseplant alley.:o

After several very warm and humid days, the rain is hammering down, and most welcome. I mean this literally, as our roof is metal and the contact with the elements is very intimate. Still warm though, 25+ at nine in the evening, and every door and window open to let the breeze through

The damp should last while I rush around putting in native ground cover - creeping boobialla - which sounds like an MN username. It grows like mad, but flat, has lovely white flowers along its arms, and takes a trampling dog like a good 'un.

Autumn brings out the winter-flowering trees - lots of those. Thanks to be on shill, and some inspired gardening by the neighbour next door, we get lovely views of grevillea, bottle brush and banksia. And the lorikeets which scoff them.

In Oz, there's a tree in bloom every month, and I've often wondered if this is why asthma is horrendous here.

I follow the news in the UK and wonder how the hosepipe ban, so early, will affect gardeners. Here water restrictions were partially lifted, as a vote winner, to universal dismay; we could manage very well with some restrictions, and now there are tossers hosing down their drives.

echt · 15/03/2012 10:05

Be on shill? Being on a hill.

Lexilicious · 15/03/2012 10:26

I saw a woman watering a grass verge outside a house in the expensive suburb neighbouring mine yesterday afternoon. Utterly pointless as the house is surrounded by a huge hedge which probably sucks all the moisture up for a good area beyond itself. I expect, knowing the area, that she may have been the housekeeper and so was told to do it, but really...

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Freezingmyarseoff · 15/03/2012 15:42

That's crazy on the watering Lexi I thought many areas now have a hosepipe ban. I'm pretty sure we do now. And DD has been copying me using the water from our waterbutts except she wants to water our patioConfused. I've been trying to explain how precious the water is.

I'm looking forward to starting some tomatoes this weekend after a trip to our local garden centre. I'm also wanting to get some more shrubs for one flower bed as it needs some more year round structure. I'd like to get a vibernum opulum rosa (aka by us as a golf ball tree) & a eucalyptus although I don't know very much about the eucalyptus, I just like the colour & shape of the leaves. Do they need full sun?
Also we have a euphorbia (don't know exactly which one). It doesn't look very happy which is a shame because I really like them. I thought they grow anywhere but it seems I'm wrong. Does anyone know if there's anything I can do to help it out. It's in a fairly sunny spot, and our soil is probably very slightly alkaline.

funnyperson · 15/03/2012 16:08

Changing the subject and regarding peonies: Does anyone know if it is a good idea or even possible to divide them at this stage before they come up?

Lexilicious · 15/03/2012 20:46

wait till autumn according to RHS funny

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ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 15/03/2012 20:58

Because peonies are temperamental, I'd wait until after they had flowered, so as a dutiful RHS member I would follow their advice!

survivingwinter · 15/03/2012 21:00

My euphorbia doesn't look too great either Freezingmyarseoff and we also have an alkaline soil (very!). But it does say alkaline conditions are tolerated here www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/11238.shtml

Hmm - another one for the 'wait and see' file...

Is it too early to put my sweet peas in the ground? Got a great, cheap obelisk from Morrisons btw - probably won't last forever but hey, a third of the price of the garden centre!

funnyperson · 15/03/2012 21:02

v interesting about the peonies thanks. I will leave them where they are for now.
3 roses and roots have arrived from David Austen: Munstead Wood, Souvenir d Jamain, and Generous Gardener (climbing). I am really thrilled. I need to decide where to plant them!!!! They were waiting on the porch in a brown paper bag when I got home from work. Very posh. Slightly worried I might get the planting wrong. I am off to look at their website for tips.

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 15/03/2012 21:03

I'm thinking of planting some sweet peas straight into the ground at the weekend. After all, if they had been autumn-sown they'd be out there by now.

UniS · 15/03/2012 21:14

still not yet light enough to garden after the boy is in bed :( roll on a fortnights time. While he was at school tho I did dig a heap of compost into the greenhouse deep beds. AND did some weeding of fruit bed and DHs new flower bed to help fill up a compost bin.

Thus far no sign of Japanese anemone in teh fruit bed. Last year we spet all summer removing bits as I had clearly missed some roots when that bed was changed from flowers to fruit. Dratted things look very much like strawberry leaves tho so care is needed. Considering Mulching that bed this summer with wood-chip. DO you think I need to be careful with wood- chip and strawberries, does one still need straw under them As well.

funnyperson · 15/03/2012 21:45

So far I am thinking Generous Gardener with a clematis ( ? which clematis) in the front gdn

Munstead Wood in largish container (? with anything?) in porch. (alongside the raspberry canes haha)

Souvenir Dr Jamain against north facing shady wall in back garden (yay!)

I am interested in the sweet peas. mine never germinate or if they do they never flower.Confused so I sewed some outside under the potentiella last weekend anyway but have little hope.i think they dont flower because it is shady.

worzelswife · 15/03/2012 22:25

I'm lucky because my neighbours grows sweetpeas (or did last year) and the fence is just netting so we get them coming through on our side too. Last year there were masses in my house in vases all summer; just hope he plants some this year too! He's a very keen gardener so it's nice we can see into his, but he's a big fan of double flowers so it's not at all bee friendly.

Lexilicious · 16/03/2012 11:10

More Monty tonight, I am rubbing my thighs lasciviously already. Grin

I have some perennial sweet peas which are starting to send up new shoots already. They didn't flower much last year but perhaps they needed a full year of first growth. I planted annual sweet peas and had them in my plastic growhouse over winter but forgot to water them in Feb and they have mostly flopped. Will try to rescue them but it could be yet another of my seed raising disasters.

My veg seedlings on windowsills are bloody triffids! Moved the chillis and peppers to S-facing window last night and will put the peas and courgettes outside into a cold frame this weekend, freeing up more S-facing space.

Need to put my bid in for RHS collected seed in the v near future. Also I read something about a national shortage of French Tarragon and how it's very difficult to grow from seed yet I saw it in a catalogue or an email from one of the gazillion seed companies I'm signed up to. Will probably buy one and nurture it like a precious child.

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Lexilicious · 16/03/2012 12:49

Eee, humph, look! article about making your own cheese and sausages Grin

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WynkenBlynkenandNod · 16/03/2012 14:35

Lexi, I think south facing window sills would be preferable if you have any spare.

Fivegomad, you're not a million miles away, we're further over towards Hampshire.

I have the grand total of one peony that refuses to flower. Nearly bought a wigwam for sweet peas as new bargain garden centre find yesterday. What I did get is a path for the greenhouse. Lovely sandstone slabs for £2.50 each and some reclaimed floor tiles shaped like bricks that match slabs, 20p each.

Am feeling very knackered today after hectic week and can't wait to curl up on sofa and watch a bit of Monty.

funnyperson · 16/03/2012 15:50

Whats the difference between perennial sweet peas and annual sweet peas? I mean are they the same varieties? Do perennial sweet peas always come up again and again ( like in Regents park opposite the open air theatre ?) or are they just annuals left in the ground that seed?

Lexilicious · 16/03/2012 16:16

The annuals are Lathyrus Odoratus, which you can only grow from seed. Perennials are Lathyrus Latifolius - I suppose you would call them tender perennials really - the stems die off at the end of the year and you can cut them down to the ground. The plant is dormant but the taproot system remains, and probably keeps going making more root. In the spring new stems pop up.

There are other sweet pea relations (I found, just checking wikipedia so that I didn't say something stupid!) that are more edible. They are all legumes though, so real cousins of peas and beans.

I think the perennials have not been so extensively bred by horticulturalists - which can mean overbreeding IMO - so they appeal to me because they are a single flower which is good food for bees and butterflies. They are perhaps not so powerfully scented to humans though.

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ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 17/03/2012 19:01

Wot cheer, ladies!

I am feeling very pleased with myself, having found lonicera tatarica (shrubby honeysuckle) and gooseberry Hinnonmaki Red in the 99p Store. They will be compensation if (as I fear) the black hollyhocks I bought there turn out not to be black.

I also have lathyrus vernus or, at least, I hope I do as I'm still waiting for it to emerge.

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 17/03/2012 19:45

Ooooooh. More marvellous Monty tonight.

Lexilicious · 18/03/2012 08:12

Weather win this weekend - had to go to a bit of a chore neighbours-in-law party yesterday when it rained... Today I get to play in the garden and it's sunny!! Better get out of bed then.

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inmysparetime · 18/03/2012 15:19

I planted some blackcurrants (freebie from Freecycle), and separated some Irises this afternoon.
Also, my purple sprouting broccoli has its first sprouts on, that'll be nice for dinnerGrin

HumphreyCobbler · 18/03/2012 15:27

I am about to make a goose egg flan. I hope it tastes nice. It will have our own leeks, purple sprouting and runner beans from last year in it. Plus parsely and thyme from the herb bed.

It is a lovely day. DH is just finishing the beds around the playhouse, the DC have got cosmos and candytuft to plant, in their very own patch of garden. They are presently collecting spiders to keep as pets in their house.

It look me ages to shut the geese up last night, they have gone really agressive since starting to lay. DH picks them up and shoves them in the shed, but I am too wimpy to do that. Birds feel horrid.

worzelswife · 18/03/2012 18:42

Humphrey that sounds absolutely incredible. I hope it tastes as amazing as it sounds.

I have finally got my first lot of early potatoes in the ground, plus five strawberry plants that came from runners last year. I am very proud of those strawberry plants; they represent my first successful year of gardening and the fact they survived the winter too has boosted my confidence. There are some lovely bright green leaves appearing on them, so I look forward to a third more strawberries this year! I have another 4/5 plants but I think they have died, sadly. Will wait and see if they do anything over the next couple of weeks.

worzelswife · 18/03/2012 18:43

P.S Did anyone watch Monty's Italian gardens on BBC4 last night. Incredible. I've never seen such beautiful gardens. I only saw a little of the series last year so glad it's on again.