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.

I'm too squeamish to snip a slug.

I do collect them and carry them down the road in a bucket.

I'm trying beertraps this year - I've been tipping them out for the birds - there were a couple of thrushes going wild for them today

These be the gloves. They are wonderful, although I have just worn through one of the fingertips and if you leave them in the garden the foxes will eat them. Otherwise, I buy two pairs at a time on the 99p Store and bin them when they're too filthy.

I'm not very good at looking after gloves.

I had the perfect pair - they were thornproof but not too heavy and washable. They were fabric and leather - black and lime green.

Last year I left them in the garden under a pile of weeds and DH mowed them. I have tried in vain to find another pair but haven't yet suceeded.

I can't remember the brand, and the garden centre that I got them from is under new ownership so they don't know which type they were

I'm using a pair of goldleaf gloves at the moment and they are quite nice

They do look very nice. I think I've seen them advertised in the RHS mag - the polar opposites of my disposable cheapies!

I use Marigold Futura washing up gloves. Though always manage to snip the ends off the fingers when I'm pruning.

I use these which are waterproof and thornproof and comfy . www.amazon.co.uk/Gardening-Gloves-Showa-350R-Nitrile/dp/B0017HDD54/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1334293611&sr=8-3

That henhouse looks wonderful.

Does anyone deadhead tulips? They look sort of post-coital when the blooms have flopped open and the petals fall off. I know the leaves need to be there to photosynth, and feed the bulb for next year, but is there any need to keep the stems/heads?

Got delivery of loads of plants today including 50 strawberry plants for £12
Desperate to get them out but dd3 wants feeding & I need to finish delivering my yellow pages this weekend and dh is at work

I would remove tulip stems but leave the flowers, No idea if that is Correct, though.

Leave the foliage, clearly .

Hello all, newby here. This will be our first summer in new house / garden and also have 5 month old baby. Hoping very much to get in the garden lots as I have many plans for veg patch / fruit trees / new borders etc

Have also got some space at dad's allotment for veg overflow if need be. He keeps bees and chickens. We have always fancied ourselves as being a bit self sufficient in a half arsed way. (better than nothing)

So, Bring on Monty and some good gardening weather for the weekend!

Now DH would have much preferred bees to chickens! Hello Dawnywoo.

Funny - I have to thank you - those gloves you linked to are the ones I'm using currently which I love. But, they have holes in which are letting that dreadful soil stuff through and I've not been able to find any more of them locally. I shall be back on to Amazon later to order some more.

Just looked at the tv guide... Tonight's GW looks a good one. Rachel and the miliwives, carol getting grubby with compost, some bloke with a meadow, and Monty being tender. Sorry, planting tender veg seeds.

Reminds me, actually, I don't know if it's still on iplayer somewhere but one of the Italian gardens progs he did has a bit in a hedge maze where he says to camera "go on, have your wicked way with me" .... Which is quite, er, distracting, wibble wibble.

And welcome dawnywoo!

Sob. We have the nephew and niece here and they're watching a DVD. Thought it would've finished by now. Our internet connection is appallingly slow but may have to attempt iplayer later

I am watching Gardeners World for the very first time - after buying the magazine for the very first time this month.

Is the Monty bit filmed very recently ? As he's reporting sleety conditions in Herefordshire - was that last weekend?

It doesn't say on wiki if it's almost live

Bertha, just to warn you, there are a lot of close ups of soil encrusted gloveless fingers this week!

It's filmed in the week leading up to the airing, Laurie. Topical and everything!

Managed to watch the second half through the laptop - a little jerky but actually not that bad. Will watch the first bit later on.

My sweet peas look very much like the poor relations to his. All skinny and feeble. I pinched them out a while ago though to try and get them to beef up a bit and they are starting to look a bit better.

Thanks Lexi

I was just the teeniest bit disappointed as at the end he talked about sweet peas planted last autumn instead of the ones got free with GW 3 weeks ago - mine are huge and I was hoping he'd say when to put them out.

I did learn one thing hugely valuable as I made a massive mistake last year by digging this huge bed and putting courgette/ pumpkin seed in it - and then not knowing the difference between weed and my lovely new plants

That stupid mistake cost me a letter from the council saying I wasn't tending my plot even though every other bit was well worked

So now I know to put things in diagonal lines.

Ah, and it's not aligned to GW magazine content at all.

Are you harbouring Mucky Thoughts about Monty, Lexi?

I missed Monty as we were out. Was it a good un?