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 have rhubarb, in its first year. I guess the advice to chop flower spikes is still true?

some tasty shed interiors here

v tasty.
I also really like the adirondack chairs though I always wonder if they are comfortable to sit on and easy to get up from as they seem a bit low.

I need to get the bare root hostas in quickly as they are missing the rain. I foresee muddy gloves.

New fence. Then Jasmine (already growing rampantly up existing fence) then tree lily then acanthus mollis then astrantia shaggy and hosta x4. Thats the poncetastic plan.

I am now considering cloud pruning the ceanothus when it has flowered. maud you mentioned cloud pruning on the other thread- fascinating.

Lexi - Can you shed any light on this contentious issue?

::collapses at hilarity of own joke::

Is Lexi misbehaving behind the sheds again?

I can take full responsibility for the change in the weather - I bought some new patio furniture so of course now it is going to rain and be far too cold to sit outside for the foreseeable future

You're too funny.

I like this too and it is more realistic

Lovely rain here all day. But Sunday night I forgot to put the fleece over the dwarf peach/apricot trees and there was a proper frost. Now that it's all wet they are going to get peach leaf curl because I haven't covered them with polythene either. Argh.

I meant maud there. By now you're all ganging up on me...

Sorry Lexi - hope I haven't shed said too much...

I am simply recognising your preeminent expertise in all matters shedly, Lexi. I amazed at the potting shed which seems to have a dining table in it. A tad Marie-Antoinette-ish, maybe.

My Parkers order came today (I will hope to plant it tomorrow) and I have got as far as going to look at paving for the patio. What furniture did you buy, AJUPB? I feel that my lovely new patio will deserve new furniture and the cheapo set from Homebase will no longer cut the mustard.

Ah, mine was only a very cheapo set from homebase
It isn't beautiful, but it is comfy enough to sit on and drink tea drink gin

I have some nice wooden stuff but it needs treating and its a bit big for the actual patio

It's wooden stuff I'm thinking of. Where did you get yours? I don't want anything flimsy as DH and I are fatties as I prefer the chunkier style of furniture. This is beautiful but a bit spindly.

Lexi, you shed just ignore them, they're being mean.

Thanks for the Lidl pointers. Except I think I'm feeling a bit stupid. We don't have a very local lidl, so tried to look on the website but I'm a Lidl virgin can't see cold frames anywhere.
The nearest store isn't very far away but I never go that way.

Our wooden furniture is chunky like us
We ordered it from a stall at our local county show one Summer - I can't remember the name of the firm but I'm sure they were from Evesham but did free nationwide delivery.
It must be about 7 years old now. The table is on its last legs - because we haven't stored it indoors over Winter - but the benches and chairs are still perfect, they just need a wood preservative treatment

::Gets a bit shouty::

We are not being mean. We are recognising Lexi as Queen of Sheds in the same way that Mary Portas is Queen of Shops.

Freezing - Et voila! I most emphatically do not work for Lidl as if I did I would redesign their website to make it less of a maze.

I have posted two threads on this now and am looking desperate, I'm sure. Here we go again...

I've bought 2 tickets for the Cardiff RHS show this Sunday and can't go now.
Does anybody want them? They cost me £14 total so I would be happy to accept a donation...or swap to go on Friday instead.

PM me if you are interested. I can post first class tomorrow morning.

www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/RHS-Show-Cardiff/2012

we have some lovely sturdy wooden chairs and tables from ikea, Maud. They are small of perch though. Perhaps not for the traditionally built, to quote Precious Ramotswe

Am rising above all further tongue and groove in cheek remarks about my love of outbuildings.

Disclaimer:
I'm sure the opening photo on the website of twigs and pebbly shit is not entirely representative.

And I expect there will be garden furniture a go go
[hopeful]

Oh I would love to, but we are going to the other end of the nation to see the PILs on Sunday.

That would be lovely, CuttedUpPear, but I couldn't get to Cardiff on Sunday.

I am hoping to become less, ahem, traditionally built, as my traditional build has been acquired over the last few years (I used to be a total babe and a sylph, I'll have you know) and I have returned to the gym in order to shed some of this blubber curvaceousness.

CuttedUpPear - A gogo is one of my favourite expressions but that still won't persuade me to go, alas.

Ah well pass it on...tickets will be postable right up til Friday morning I reckon.

Maud, did you say to shed...

Cutteduppear I would love to but I'm afraid I'll be in work. Hope you find a taker.

I did, with no pun intended, and then I thought I should change it to lose precisely because it looked like an awful pun, and then I thought I would stick with shed and see who spotted it.

::Throws shapes::