Come into the garden with Maud - all obsessive and wannabe gardeners welcome

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Whether you've got rolling acres or a tiny courtyard, whether you're a novice or a gardening die-hard, whether you're aiming for a garden of Sissinghurst loveliness or self-sufficiency à la Felicity Kendal in The Good Life, this is the place to be. Take a seat on the tastefully-painted Lutyens bench and chat with fellow enthusiasts. There may even be a bottle of gin in the potting shed.

Humphrey! I thought of something Very Significant to say to you while I was planting the roses, but I can't think of it now!

it will come back to you

I think of you when I am in my garden, especially when I look at the aqueligias. And the black and white tulips. And the now disappeared thalictrum.

Aha! That's what it was! There is a teeny-weeny frilly shoot coming through where I planted one of the thalictrum, so I wanted to say don't give up hope - they may be about to reappear. Thank goodness for that I thought I was going even more senile.

I also had a thought, as I was sprinkling the mycorrhizal gunk over the rose roots rather more frugally than Monty did, that what I love about GW (amongst other things) is the contrast between Carol here's how to raise plants for free Klein and Monty here's what you can do with unlimited space, time and money Don!

::Basks in the glory of being an Influential Garden Designer::

::Removes tongue from cheek::

So there is hope! I will go and have another look tomorrow.

We should have a campaign to replace Joe Swift with Maud.

I really really love Carol. "If in doubt plant a geranium" I also like her clothes and her hair.

I have a bit of a girl crush on Carol. I bought a plant from her once at the RHS Hall and was quite overcome when she gave me my change. I can't remember what the plant was, but it wasn't a geranium (which is odd, as I am obsessed with them). --I also love her hair and clothes- and accent-.

Oh no, I couldn't be on GW. You though, Humphrey, should have your own series a la The Good Life. Pleeeeease post some pics of your black and white tulips.

Please can I join you here? I am very much an amateur but love pottering and growing fruit and veg.

Oh yes, Bean.

::proffers the gin from behind the seed trays::

What are your growing plans for this year?

I am a newbie to this section but not a newbie to vegetable gardening. I used to have my own terrace and a long thin garden, we grew so much veg, I was into companion planting in a big way, I ran a blog and actually updated it! I loved every minute I was out in my plot.

But we over to a rental last summer and I couldn't bring any plants with me so this year as our new house isn't ready yet I am planting some veg at least in pots, my DD is 20months and is happiest when outdoors so I think she will enjoy too.

So I'm a capable vegetable gardener not very good with ornamental type gardening but do as much as I can for bees but after advice about pot growing, especially with a hosepipe ban. I am intending on ditching beans and peas this year, will plant squash, courgette and hanging basket tomatoes, as well as my rocket garden which was my valentines pressie from DH.

Dons wellies.

I'm having a wobble - I potted on my peppers and geraniums (they've been on the spare bedroom windowsil) and tonight they are in the potting shed.
I've covered them with fleece for the night but now I'm worryng that it is too cold for them.

Thank you Maud. Cheers!

At the moment I have raspberries and rhubarb beginning to come up again. Last year I put in gooseberry, redcurrant and blackcurrant bushes but not expecting too much this year. 50 pots of sweet peas on the windowsill in the hope of covering a very ugly fence and wall...

Potatoes 'chitting' to go in bags. Strawberries have just gone into pots but I am worried about frost next week so they will quite probably end up in the spare bedroom

I have lots of ideas, some work, many don't....

I'd have thought that under fleece in a shed would be warm enough - but as I don't grow many veg from seed I don't really know what I'm talking about. Where in the country are you, JUPB?

Welcome, Slowburner.

In some ways, the hosepipe ban won't affect me much because I mostly water with a watering can, as I feed the plants at the same time. But I will make sure the pots are on saucers and I've just been looking on Ebay for a tin bath that I can install as a dipping tank under the drainpipe from the shed --formerly the outside loo-.

Isn't there a website where you can be told what should be brought in depending on where you live in the country? I shall take a look at my old blog and see if I saved the link.

How warm was the spare room? I can only speak for the peppers but it maybe a wee bit chilly overnight, the fleece will help but if they've been used to 20 degrees indoors dipping to 17 and they then go out to much less then they might get chilly. It's only 5degrees here (east anglia) with a frost predicted according to DH. I have been known to rescue plants at night while wearing PJs, fleece and wellies! I used to have a digital thermometer which transmitted to a unit indoors and alarmed if frost was imminent.

And ty for the welcome, I have just gone back to being vege and so buying in veg which I know I can grow left me a bit today at the supermarket!

I'm in Wales - I usually keep them in the house too long and they become lanky so this year I thought I'd get them out early also I've covered the windowsills with newly planted stuff

DH has just come in and said 'bloody hell it's gone cold' which made me start to worry.

I shoudl admit that I have hedged my bets and kept 25% of the peppers and geraniums inside just incase.

BeanandSpud - I love sweetpeas, I'm planting loads this year as I have earmarked several locations for them.

Slowburner, are you going to blog about your garden this year?

Sweet peas are fab. I counted earlier and have 56 sown in root trainers. Once I've finished planting the main bed (tomorrow, all being well) I'm going to try some direct sowing by the obelisks.

jumped I have had lanky plants many times after too long indoors, I am going to plant a few early seeds indoors this year then try to plant direct outside in pots which I can easily cover. I don't think I will blog this year as that blog was for that garden somehow, we rescued it from an unloved dumping ground to a fruitful characterful oasis.

God I adored that garden!

I've just been reading the Thompson and Morgan 'What to do in April' page and I'm all fired up now!

I've planted sunflowers, nasturtiums, calendula, cosmos and marigolds this weekend - I usually get so focused on veg that I forget about flowers.

DH has promised to help me empty our big tumbler composter this week so I can get the bed ready for the potatoes and I'm going to direct sow some more veg.

Oooh. Tell me about the compost tumbler, JUPB. I find the dalek type very awkward (I managed to empty it recently by turning it on its side but otherwise the trap door at the bottom is too small and fiddly) and have been eyeing-up the tumbler type in the catalogues. Does it work well?

Are you into companion planting at all?

I have every vegetable schedule book on the planet, every year I sit and think what ti do when, last year was lost in a haze of poorly baby and moving. But growing things seems like a part of me and I have missed it.

Have you ever read a book called the allotment diary? I have read mine so much it's fallen apart!

We have spent the day planting poppies.Peach sorbet ones from T and H,californian ones in mixed hot colours that are meant to be easy to grow and pink frayed edge ones [forgotten the name].The dc's planted wild flower mix all over the gap left by the stones for the dry stone walling.I couldn't resist buying alpines and more beautifully scented wallflowers and summer bulbs though, in the garden centre on saturday.Unfortunately we are forecast snow over tuesday night so i will keep them in protective custody on the patio covered in fleece[as i was told they had probably been grown in a polytunnel].
I am closing my ears to all the talk of cutting back ceonothus as i have a really old one that i want to take out so i can put in a spindle bush and a hibiscus.I really don't want to know that regeneration is possible as i will feel really bad.

The compost tumbler is fab - we have the big single one here (they come in different sizes) and it makes the most amazing compost. In the SUmmer it takes about 3 weeks if you remember to turn it each day.

It's great exercise for your arms as well!

I'm a bit of a compst geek - we also have 8 darleks and two huge pallet composters that I built.

Slowburner - I don't know much about companion planting - I just tend to bung things in and hope for the best, I'd love to say I had a plan but I never do.

WOuld you recommend it?

I really like those composters but nearly died at the price.Is there a cheaper version Pantry boy?

They are horribly expensive - DH bought it for me (we're really romantic in the PantryHouse) as I would never have justified spending that amount of money on one.

I would 100% recommend companion planting, for many reasons. It brings in pollinators, it keeps the ground better covered between seed rows, it looks lovely and IMHO it does reduce pests significantly. I always plants carrots and onions together, and marigolds with tomatoes. I also plant borage for bees near my runner beans which kept the whole garden buzzing.

And I used a technique called three sisters, which is a south American way to conserve water.

Have always struggled with the daleks, though the compost we got was fabulous, a tumbler would be perfect!!