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[Lexilicious]

Welcome to the gardening quiche :)

Earlier malarkey was here

All welcome whether you are a Sackville-West or a Dimmock, an Oudolf or a Swift. Whether you dream of digging or dig for dreams.

Fair weather or foul, we've got disco lights in the potting shed and fairy lights on the terrace. Bring gin, wine just doesn't cut it round here.

I normally nematode but haven't this year because of the weather being weird. May order some next week though as I find it works well to do once at the start of the season then I slug pellet as needed later on.

I also went outside searching for clean school shirts only to find my white wisteria in flower.I'd forgotten how powerful and lovely the scent was at night.This rainy weather must have really suited it as we have more flowers on it that i ever remember.i'm so glad i don't have a slug problem but my greenfly problem is getting worse.Its raining greenfly on my patio off the increasingly looking dead pine trees[which are well on their way to becoming completely defoliated].
I'm enjoying the 'bird watch' stories.My youngest found a cracked robins egg with a perfect dead baby enfolded inside.it had an honary burial by sad dd.

Gardening is an act of faith I sometimes think: faith that one will be there to see the flowers/vegetables, and that the flowers/vegetables will grow...

Anyway, Clematis viticella Abundance is thriving in its new spot, no more signs of wilt. However the irises are not throwing up flower spikes so I am watering with tomato feed in hope.

Peonies, ivory white roses, white/green aquilegia, pink and purple and blue species geraniums, strawberry plants flowering: lots going on. Robins looking happy as usual.

I thought the Chelsea gardens looked interesting and I would love to go one year and buy plants on the Saturday- is anyone going to morrow? I wonder if Hyde will be selling off some of those irises.

Spent 2 hours this am tidying the shanty greenhouse at the allotment . Didn't finish cos it got too hot. Took off the old door & some loose stuff which was dangerous. Stuck with a pile of asbestos panels that were left behind & part of the greenhouse is made out of them .

Some of the strawberries are shoeing fruit and loads of currents starting to colour. Hoping they don't all change when we ate away

Harr1et - is it a Council run allotment? If so, can you speak to them about getting the pile of asbestos removed? The bit that's part of the greenhouse should be fine if it's in ok condition.

Planted all my beans into the beds today. Also dug up some self-seeded rocket and planted into a tray to grow on so I'll have something to replace current plants with when they run to seed (which they already are and I'm loosing the battle with them).

The long flower bed is starting to look amazing. I'm very pleased with it. I think in a few more days when the cat mint and a few other bits start to flower properly I'll post some photos.

Got loads of self-seeded knautia coming up in the corner bed. Need to dig up and plant in the long bed. Also was looking at three triffid things in the corner bed but couldn't remember what they were or if I planted them. Have checked my filing system box of stuff and they're asiatic lilies.

I am not supposed to be using screens because I have had a migraine this whole evening but re Chelsea and the selling off of plants - I want to know what variety those wine-red irises in Joe Swift's garden are. I love the warmth of the palette he has used.

Bertha - it is , they might help. It's not in good condition. Dh took out some dodgy nails today & a bit broke off.

Iris Langport wren

plants to buy from homebase
www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10151&catalogId=1500001201&langId=110&searchTerms=chelsea+plant+collection&authToken=

if homebase anyone wants to offer me commission I wont say no.

hurdle man didn't show

no slugs out, either our methods are working or it was just too dry to tempt them out. DH cleared out the long grass in the willow igloo and put some carpet down. Will lift it up in daytime and get whatever is hiding there.

My first roses are out: old blush china, very small but they smell beautiful. Far too many aquilegias have spread around the garden and escaped being dug out, but they are all looking quite lovely at the moment and I discovered a pretty little white one that has self seeded under the pear tree.
Also excited to find my new Paul's Himalayan musk is covered in buds. Reaching the point where it might just look nice enough to post a photo soon too.

first peas eaten!!! DS had a friend over this morning and I gave them each a pod to pop. Now to start on my overdue list of planting, transplanting and sowing...

Ooh aah. Nelly Moser and Niobe are now doing their lovely clematis thing. My two GW clematis arrived today, so that makes three to plant. I'm running out of places for them, but they're so hard to resist.

@ Lexi!
Mine aren't even up to flowers yet!

autumn planted, harr1et.

I am hiding sitting on a neat tower of bricks behind a shed with a glass of wine. tweeting birdsong and a squirrel in the crook of a branch nibbling at something.bluetit has arrived on a branch just above me and doesn't know if I'm here for bouncing purposes. quite funny watching him vacillating. I recognise myself in him.

bouncing=pouncing duh.

thought I was way behind!

Our pea plants are only two inches tall!

Hurrah, started planting out the reclacitrant morning glories at last. Ironic that my spot for them, against south facing white wall was so hot today I was worried about scorching them and have given up planting the rest till the morning!

The garden is rampant. In one 1mx1m area I noticed (while slowly drinking iced mango juice with a bit of ginger and mint)

apple tree, mahoosive fern, ceratostigma willmotiiana, viola rothschild , geranium phaeum, hermerocallis, hosta white feather, aquilegia, and........a frog!

I dont mention the fading forgetmenots, restyled fading daffodils, brambles and various weeds. Which I weeded after a while. I suppose one has to do a little bit every so often.....sigh...

My plastic greenhouse collapsed overnight - I think the strong wind did for it. If it's not one thing, it's another. Sigh.

three more thymes leapt into my basket at a garden centre this morning.

Ha, Lexi! I have come home from an open garden with two dills and will now plant the herb pot.

All these thymes have got me thinking. There's a hot and dry bit of garden in front of the side door the garage, currently covered with vile orange bark chips and some stepping stone pavers. I'm considering planting it with various thymes and other herbs that don't mind the occasional hoofing.

I went to a plant swap & took but didn't bring anything home as nothing new came when I was there.
I also saw a plant stall at a fair and didn't buy.
Think the heat has made me ill.