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.

Its growing its way into a tree quite happily - but I have no issue with keeping trees under control where necessary - last house we had one of those dark red prunus trees in the front and it made everything dark (front garden about 5m from house to fence, prunus on corner, near baywindow) and I managed to thin it out on a regular basis so that I could a) grow things in the front garden and b) it didn't make things quite as gloomy. In fact, I need t oget out into the garden and take off quite a bit of the growth on the willow - it got left 2 years ago (not last year though) so I've still got a bit more catching up to do - and it makes lovely bright yellowy red twigs if its kept under control - I try to take half of the branches out every year.

I always mean to, but forget to keep up with pruning things back - hence we also have a 15 foot ceanothus tree! It used to be a standard bush, but got (ahem) slightly out of control ....

Teta - I think tht there are different spindle versions, so its difficult to say yes or no. Mine's not too dense although its fairly bushy (ie sticking out) but I have seen them grown more like a tree too (this is in a bank by a privet hedge so not exactly ideal growing conditions...)

I'd be happy to post pictures but I'm sure you all know what crocuses in full bloom look like, and the hyacinths and tulips are still only a bunch of green. If it should end up looking like something picture-worthy, I will do though :)

I lost control of myself and my credit card today on the J Parkers website - I blame all of you! Giant tree lily bulbs, mixed hardy geraniums, Rosa Iceberg and some freebie dahlias. Also accidentally stopped at a garden centre today and bought a hardy fuscia and a very pretty thing in a pot. Gardening budget for the month completely blown!

GBR - I'm glad I'm not the only one who accidently stops at the garden centre.

I get the special offers from Wootens and drool. Rarely get anything for myself but its great for mother and mother in law for eg Mother's day. V. good for haemerocalis and bearded iris too.

More free seeds today with my GYO magazine. I could start my own seed shop.

Love that echinacia Jacks.

My mother has an office in her garden teta. It's rather nice. Don't know who did it though but I can ask. Knowing my mother she probably spent around 6 months researching and shopping around and then beat them down to their break-even point, because she's like that. I haven't inherited that gene.

I looked up Wootens. Stunning site. Thanks. Really interesting plants.

We didn't get a lot of rain here. The ground is dryish. No apple blossom out here yet. Just as well probably. However the roses responded really well to the prune in late Feb and have lots of new growth so I hope we don't get too cold a spell here. I am bringing in the younger seedlings tonight I think. Just in case of frost.

The Wootens plants all arrive in brilliant condition (and very promptly) too. And I like the star ratings they give - and good on ground conditions required and whether they're deer or rabbit proof if you have deer or rabbit problems (not that we do, but I know some do)

Next door neighbour is building a home office - just got a builder doing it

I live 20 mins away from Wootens. They have a great clock there. It is anold man with a hose which sprays water at you on the hour when the clock strikes!!!

Thank you mistlethrush.I didn't realise there are so many different varieties of spindle trees.I will investigate further.Black pudding Bertha that would be so helpful -many thanks.
I get carried away on the j parkers website too.I think the offers are such good value [and do actually grow,much to my initial surprise].My dc's are fed up of going to the garden centre every week.I have to bribe them with a trip to macdonalds and some pink and red flower seeds for the girls[the boys just like seeing the fish].
I have done no gardening today as it is too snowy and really cold tonight.Disappointingly some of my seedlings have wilted.I think they don't have enough sunlight in the utility.I may put them outside after this cold spell -in their aldi greenhouse.

I've had a lovely day in the garden. We by that I mean DH emptied all the compost bins and dug them into the vegetable beds - 20 wheelbarrows full of compost!
I've planted my peas and done some weeding.

I did have a horribly embarrasing experience. Our neighbour has been taking down a hedge and yesterday I asked if he would mind me taking some pea-sticks from the big pile of brush he has piled up to burn, he said to come down and help myself.

So, today armed with my trusty secateurs I went down and started cutting. I heard a miaow and his lovely ginger cat came trotting across the yard. I greeted the cat by saying 'hello handsome, come and give me a cuddle - you know I think you're the most gorgeous boy around' and my neighbour appeared saying 'You don't need to flatter me, you can have the peasticks anyway' the cat disappeared, so it did look as if I had been talking to the neighbour

Does anyone know what jerusalem artichoke tubers look like at this time of the year? I've been digging a veg bed and keep coming across white fleshy roots - I have a vague memory of having planted JAs about 3 years ago but they never grew.

Lottie Is Wootens the place with the steam train, or is that somewhere else? If it is different, where is Wootens?

PantryBoy, how funny! Hope the neighbour won't be expecting you to follow up on it!

Jerusalem artichokes are a bugger to get rid of, I do know that, so I wouldn't be surprised if you find them for all eternity. You need one of Bertha's pigs to root them out for you!

I ended up in the garden centre again today ... I can't stop myself at the moment, I'm obsessed!

I'm still blushing just thinking about it. I was also talking in the stupid, soppy voice I use when talking to animals

Blooms has the railway. Wootens is near Halesworth!

Our tractor came back from it's annual service today, so time to start re-taming the jungle. The bluebells and primroses are popping out everywhere now and there is so much cutting back and digging out to do, but we are very busy this weekend and I am so tired after work, will just have to make the effort.

Hello again :)
I finally got things in the ground today, so I'm feeling quite pleased, though we only tidied up the strawberry bed and planted some of last year's babies, plus stuck in 6 charlotte potatoes, and a whole host of unpronounceable summer bulbs. Also sowed some green manure on the beds we'll use later for salads and next years spring greens, and gave everything a good rake over. Oh, and I planted some alicante tomatoes and bog standard courgettes in the propagator, and started chitting my main crop tatties. DH planted out our rhubarb and a blackcurrant bush in their final spots as the had been in buried pots sibce last summer as we were still building things.

I've made a proper plan this year as well, rather than just banging things in willy nilly. I've even considered crop rotation for the first time ever!

Sounds a lot when written down :o

GBR it's Humphrey who has the piggies not me. I do have lots of jerusalem artichokes though; they'll look like lumpy deformed potatoes PantryBoy. This time of year though I'd expect them to be starting to sprout and have some roots.

Oh, and the kids have sown some parsley seeds for keeping our new guinea pigs in treats, but I doubt they'll grow. They were the ones that came free last year with lurpak spreadable!

Ooh, perhaps these aren't JAs then - they are thick white roots (about as thick as a finger) but there were no potato-ey bits.

Probably something left over from the rampant weeds I grew in that particular bed last year

::Snort:: at JumpedUpPantryBoy reenacting early scenes from Lady Chatterley's Lover with the next door neighbour.

Can I ask a question?

Why is my rooting compound not working?

Everytime I take a cutting I follow the instructions but it never works.

Has anyone got any tips to make it work?

Everything just eventually dies and no roots have sprouted.

Is it old? I have read that rooting compound quickly goes off and you need to buy fresh every year. Then again, I've also read that it makes no real difference and you don't need to bother with it!

What were you trying to grow from cuttings? Perhaps the problem is nothing to do with the rooting compound - in my experience, growing things from cuttings is never as simple as Carol Klein makes it look.

::Looks dejectedly at the mouldy pot of carnation cuttings on the windowsill, which have failed to take::