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 came home tonight and next-door-but-one's kids haven't interfered with my plants - this is progress

My terrace is "right of access". I don't mind the kids playing out (although they're not supposed to, the noise is intensely irritating, and the fucking parents don't work so plenty of time to take them to the play park 20 yards away over the road) but last year I lost my unripe strawberries to the little vandals. Fine until parents attitude was "but it's only a few plants" to which we replied that if it happened again then we'd see how they felt about "only a few of their possessions" being "accidentally" damaged. If their behaviour gets any worse, they'll be evicted. So far they've behaved (young couple with two toddlers and a baby) so keep your fingers crossed either that they're learning to behave like human beings or they move soon!

Blimey, that was a bit of a rant, sorry

Last year DD picked every single fig off the tree when they were the size of my thumbnail. I was not amused.

Our first ever flower is out on the sickly magnolia. There is hope . And the first tulips are out.

DH mowed the back lawn today - looks lovely, he even made it stripy (ish). We've decided to put a small patch of woodland wild flowers in between the climbing frame and the wood bit of the garden where the grass is a bit scrappy. (Only we're going to wait until after next weekend and the Easter Egg hunt otherwise it will get trashed by marauding chocolate-fuelled children).

Oh, and the first of the woodland anemones are out in the wood. Beautiful.

Queen Kong - catmint has a much longer flowering period than lavender, although it does die down in the winter.

Dowagers - can't you get roundup and simply spray it on the passiflora to kill it before you hack it down? Then when its dead you can take it out and not have to worry about the roots.

I actually managed to get out into the garden for a bit today - did some weeding in the veg plot - have huge numbers of forgetme knots and herb robert that are springing up. Oh - and managed to get the dandylions out prior to flowering!

Everyone sounds a lot further ahead than we are - my willow leaved pear is only just coming into bud, the magnolia stellata is not remotely there and the witch hazel has only just gone over.

Another newbie here. Have been lurking in silence but have just read about Blackpudding's patch of woodland flowers and since we also have a scrappy bit of garden under our tree house and I was wondering whether anyone could tell me whether they'd grow there and how resilient they would be to being occasionally trampled on in the quest for lost balls, ladybirds, etc.

Oh and I wouldn't say no to a gin ta very much.

::hands neverquitesure a gin::

As a lot of what are grown in wildflower mixtures are agricultural weeds, I reckon they'd survive a bit of trampling (although shade may be more of a problem), but Humphrey is your girl for wildflower meadow advice.

For all those who joined in last year's thalictrum delavayi mania - have your plants re-appeared this year? Mine haven't and I'm getting anxious about them.

::slaps self::

Disregard that last post. I misread woodland for wild. Woodland flowers obviously won't mind shade.

::Too much gin emoticon::

No they haven't! I had forgotten until you mentioned it. I want it back, it was so beautiful.

They're a woodland & wild mix I've got Maud - so you were right on both counts. It's basically a shady wildflower mix rather than for meadow-type areas. However, I too am hoping it will withstand a bit of tramping as the children do sometimes overspill the climbing frame area.

Can't link properly as it's a site with bloody frames (grrrrrrr) but if you go on this site they have a Wild Flower Seed Collection for Woodlands.

Is this the sort of thing I'd need? Presumably I could get away with the 1g for £2.95?

mistlethrush - unfortunately my mother came to visit and hacked the whole thing down before I had a chance to tell her not to so I either have to let it grow again (and there are four inch diameter stems so it's not a small thing) or try and murder it as it stands.

God knows if I'll ever get the roots out though - every year one round the other side of the house leaps up onto the satellite dish and tries to make a dash for the guttering along the roofline. I do cut it back but the dead stuff seems to be very resistant to being pulled down. I'm scared the whole drain is going to back up if the roots are anything like the top growth

Are the drains metal, Dowager? If they are, could you zap it with a flame thrower weed wand? They have them in Lidl at the moment.

::Wonders whether Lidl would pay her commission::

I have just placed an order with J Parkers, perhaps I should have ordered more thalictrum but I'm clinging to the hope that it's just (like the dicentra alba) something that comes up later than the rest.

Just trying to keep up with everyone's progress.
We've had a fairly busy few days. All the beds are now covered in horse poo. Our daffs are out (although they're not the bright yellow ones I was expecting) a few tulips just opening, and lots of buds on the pear & apple trees.
DH mowed the lawn. & i have done the edges - it looks fab
Also I now have a vibernum opulus to go in & a climbing hydrangea.
We're also planning on putting a small archway in & training some roses over it but I think we might wait till Autumn for that.
Someone was asking about plants round the edge of a patio. I love alcamilla mollis (lady's mantle I think), especially the way water droplets rest on the leaves.

For deterring cats, I 'be been sprinkling used coffee granules. I think it works.
I'm on my phone so can't scroll back so apologies if my post is a bit random.

Do you think coffee granules deter cats, Freezing? I chuck them on the beds with the tea leaves as a soil conditioner but I'll try putting them in the places where the cats poo most often.

::willing to try almost anything emoticon::

Our garden stays relatively cat free due to the dog patrolling

This morning, just as we were going out for school and office run, I saw a goldfinch collecting the pussywillow fluff off my short shrubby willow (its lovely - nice dark red bark, lovely silver pussy willows that come out into big yellow puffballs of pollen, and small fairly round but still pointed leaves - can do cuttings if anyone has a suitable patch and might be in a suitable place to get hold of them)

Can I join?

We have the equivalent of 2 allotements at the bottom of the garden. About a third is taken up with the chickens and ducks.

Last Autumn we decided to dedicate part of the plot to Fruit, so planted up strawberries (about 75) raspberries (about 60) redcurrants, whitecurrants, blackcurrants, gooseberries, grapes a kiwi and a couple of pear trees we are planning to espallier. oh an 2 rhubarbs which after a bit of debate we decided would be better of with the fruit.

In the veg plot we have planted garlic, onions, salad (under a cloche) carrots, green beans and potatoes.

DH is mad about tomatoes (we can grow them outside here) so the kitchen window sill is covered with seedlings.

I still have loads of stuff to plant out but we have no greenhouse so I'm waiting a bit. I have a broken arm at the moment so I am feeling very frustrated.

Welcome, frenchfancy. Would you like a cup of tea?

Ooh a weed wand! Blimey No, not metal - they're stone/concrete with a wooden frame. It's also right next to the stained glass window in my hall. Knowing my luck, I'd set fire to the whole house :o

I didn't know about coffee grounds either - I put them round the dahlias as a slug deterrent (I always feel like Percy Thrower when I mention dahlias for some reason) but I will try putting them in the front garden too although the Bayer spray seems to be working.

I love watching the birds collecting stuff for their nests. I've left a load of twiggy bits in the flower bed because I love watching the birds coming to select their twigs :) No goldfinches sadly - the most exotic thing I've ever seen in our garden is a jay. We are on the coast though so it's mainly blasted seagulls coastal birds here

We'll scrap the weed wand idea then, Dowager. I was thinking you could scorch/incinerate the stem where it emerges from the drain, not the entire plant.

Could I direct it into the drain without setting fire to everything? I must admit I'm tempted - if only because I quite like playing with fire. DS would also be dead impressed :o

How much are they? They aren't appearing in my list of current Lidl specials.

Although I laughingly call it a flame thrower, as far as I can recall ours [long time since I used it] doesn't produce much flame but kills the plant through an intense jet of hot air. Could you screen off the stained glass window? It would be awful to crack it.

Oddly, I can't see the weed wand on the Lidl website either. I'm going back to the store later to buy another solar light so will look at the price then.

I'd love a cup of tea thanks - in fact I'm going to put the kettle on now.

Weed wands are great we use ours regularly.

::Proffers ::

Re passiflora - I would roundup any foliage that appears consistently - don't let it get big, just out enough to spray!

Oh no, I really want one now! I won't be able to get to lidl until after school pick up today. Have had a quick google - they're £6.99 which seems bargainous