Osteospermumsnet.com - flutter your foliage, pick your produce, shake your seed packets and bring your blooms to the Spring Show

[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.

1 litre of water to 10 ml washing up liquid

The rust on leeks etc spreads and can stay in the soil. Not sure if it's the same stuff.

I love this thread! I have nothing to add other than I need to mow the lawn = again! It needs doing every week at the moment.

I have heard of WUL as a remedy for aphids but not for rust. It's no longer licensed/approved as an insecticide which is why the likes of Bob Flowerdew don't actually recommend it but just give a nudge and a wink.

This thread rocks!

I was only suggesting it for aphids

Had a lovely garden moment earlier, the sun came out after a day of miserable mizzle and suddenly every thing was humming with insects, swallows twittering overhead and the smell of roses and lavender was incredible.

Realised there was nowhere on earth I'd rather have been. Ahhh.

Even the horribly mildewed little rose has managed to put out new growth and burst into flower. Its looking a bit scrappy and interestingly its the prickles that are the most mildewed. However the usual policy of ignore and hope it'll recover seems to be paying off.

Have assembled an eclectic mix of left over plants to help DDs class plant in their plot tomorrow: french beans and toms to eat, feverfew and knapweed for insects, thyme and lavender for scent and bees, cosmos, petunias and lobelia for instant colour. Bit late in the term really but showing willing! Hope it goes ok. Heavy rain forecast....

Don't buy ladybirds, they all bugger off - luckily I only paid DS 10p a ladybird ! I think the larvae are a better bet. WUL hasn't really solved the problem here, I must have awkward aphids.

I am nearly on top of my allotment but it's all looking empty as seeds refuse to germinate in the flipping awful weather. The greenhouse is doing well though, ripe tomatoes, stacks of herbs, cucumbers, strawberries and hopefully aubergines and a watermelon.

My sweet peas are pathetic with the exception of the perennial ones I planted from seed. My William Shakepeare rose has flowers but they are very flat to the ground. Cherries are starting to ripen, 0 apples or blueberries.

It was a beautiful day here yesterday.I managed to plant the Hibiscus and Nepeta and Geraniums Splishsplash and the blue one-Johnsons Blue that everyone grows round here.Now all i have to do is plant the Peonies and Anemones and Magnolia.I'm going to plant in groups of threes but i am just wondering whether to leave a space in the middle /front for spring bulbs[pink peony tulips] and then plant white Geraniums for later concealment.I find doing plans really difficult and i always seem to plant too close together.Anyone else do this?.
I have planted way too many climbers round my patio and the blue and white Solanum are threatening to take over.I think i will have to take them out and plant elsewhere.The blue one really does grow like a triffid.After one year its already snaking its way up the wall of the house.Its about a 5 by 6 metres area and i have 2 clematis flammula,a climbing rose,2 spring flowering clematis plus the 2 Solanum and a Jasmine.Too much.I wanted abundance but have got a chaotic riot.Simplicity in a garden is the most effective thing and i have decided i need to edit drastically.
Thanks for all the Aphid talk.My friends Lupins have also been suddenly invaded with Aphids.There are all these sick-looking lupins round here at the moment.These must be ideal weather conditions for them.
My Sweetpeas are only a few inches tall so far.I think flowering will be late this year.I bought those annoying metal rings to attach the stems to the supports thinking they would be easier.They're not.

I'm very glad that my veg plot has been so good the last two years because if this had been my first year I would've thrown my toys out and given up. My broad beans have been devastated by black fly, the mice have moved in and are devouring anything green (currently enjoying my two remaining cabbages), slugs are eating everything and laughing at my pelleting efforts - they took my first courgette that was making a valiant effort to grow, my garlic has rust and the bulbs are still tiny, everything's bolted (including my carrots - at least the ones that germinated), and I have gaps everywhere.

Just taken DH and I two hours to tackle the jungle lawn as we've not been able to keep on top of it due to the weather.

On a plus note, no lupin aphids here and I spotted the first flower about to open on my sweet peas (although they are still very short!).

Bah, more wine needed.

It's been a completely dreadful year hasn't it? We have no flowers on the sweet peas (they belong to the neighbours but come through our side of then fence) and all my lovely wildflowers are coming out, but most of the poppies have lost their petals in the rain. I stuck a whole load of sunflower, geranium and cosmos seeds in the ground in late May, when it was warm, and nothing, not one has germinated. Actually I lie, one cosmos seed did. That's it. There must have been 50 seeds in the ground. My nasturtiums are doing well but no flowers on them yet.

I am at least pleased we have lots of foxgloves out as they've been humming with bees.

Well, did the school planting into horrible sodden earth, full of densely growing grass with a layer of weed suppressing membrane about 4 inches below the surface. Oh dear. I think I need to do a bit more ground prep next time! At least it had stopped pelting down with rain.

Does anyone have any experience with growing wineberries? Have just been given one. It looks a bit like a raspberry with lots of little bristly spines on the stems and quite bristly leaves but looks as if it could be very vigourous. I'm a bit worried that the only place I have big enough for it will be a bit cool and shaded and also that it may be a bit of a thug!

After a beautiful day yesterday it's raining again, what a surprise ! I finally finished digging over the allotment yesterday then went back up later and sowed stacks of seeds. Doubt much will come up but worth a try.

Bertha, know what you mean about previous years. Our allotment site is having a competition or something soon. The email was going on about the longest bean. Quick look round the site yesterday and I only saw one lot of beans that are actually flowering let alone having beans ! I haven't even got any courgettes , we always have courgettes.

The one thing doing well are the self seeded marigolds on my old plot so seeing as they haven't relet it I dug some up yesterday and have stuck some in at home which cheers the place up a bit.

I am a bit disheartened too. I just haven't had the time to get out in the garden for weeks other than for five minute jobs, so I still have a couple of square metres of bare earth that should be full of veggies. Things which are out are growing well (I am STILL blessed with very few gastropods, and I don't know why) but I haven't kept up with my plans.

The front garden is still a battle with weeds but I think we may reach a skirmishing truce one day. I have to take a zen approach and allow the foliage of the creeping buttercup to form a green backdrop to my R/W/B colour scheme (which is currently white (last of the sweet rocket flowers) purple (comfrey flowers) and blue (Bertha's borage!). But I think I have made a serious dent in the horsetail in the narrow bed beside the path to the front door (did it last spring: took out six inches of soil, went through it with fingertips removing horsetail roots, replaced soil plus fresh rich compost) and now only the odd shoot is coming up through the heavy cover of geraniums, low-growing sedum, lavender and violas. I have a few crocosmia by the front door, and a thick cover of solanum glasnevin and perennial sweet peas covering the chickenwire fence against next door's 4x4 scrapyard front drive.

However, never one to consolidate when there are new ideas to scamper after, I now need your help! because I have entered my not-quite-3-year-old into the Chiswick House kids horticutural show this Sunday. In the under fives age group "he" will be exhibiting in two categories: "three types of salad veg" and "longest Rhubarb stalk". I don't think we've actually got much classically salady to choose from in the garden, so what counts as salad? (can't find any definitions or show rules) We have some rather small mixed peppery leaves, larger plain lettuces (one or two curly/red-tinged), rocket (edible flowers!), radishes (possibly too small), chives, peas (in pods). How are you supposed to exhibit - on a plate? (and how do you get things not to wilt?)

Good on you Lexi. Keep salad leaves moistened in salad drawer in fridge thats my thinking. I have never exhibited at a show however.
Am amused at your DS exhibiting. Reminds me of when I took DS to piano lessons age 2 (Mozart) Tennis lessons age 3 (Sampras) and Rugby lessons age 4 (Jonny Wilson). He did plant blue primroses in the garden at an early age, though I see now I wasn't aiming quite high enough in that area.

Something very odd has happened in the patch of the garden where I sowed Nicotiniana sylvestris about a month ago. Loads of plants have come up in the exact distribution but they are.....cow parsley

Also reminded of the intense competition when DD 's class did embroidered black stitch cushion covers age about 6 - the level of skill displayed was truly impressive

::cough:: La famille Maud did rather well at our recent horticultural show. ::brandishes cup:: Those suggestions for leaves sound fine. I would keep them in a glass of water until the very last minute.

Oh bother. Just had an email saying it's cancelled because of too few entries. I was SOOOOO ready to do some mega performance parenting!!! "Radishes darling, your favourite of the Brassicaceae, and you won a prize too!"

Just marking my place as I've no time to catch up atm

Well done for the cup Maud. What was it for?

I am sorry other people are having a crap veg season, but it is also reassuring that we are not along.

The last two years we have been self sufficient in fruit and veg by this point!!!! This year i have eaten one spinach salad. At least the raspberries are coming in.

Lexi this is a great shame, as I was looking forward to hearing of the family prizes.

What do people do about rose 'suckers'? I am never quite sure whether tender new green rose stems at this time of year are 'suckers' or not and whether to cut them off immediately. How best to identify and are they all bad?

Best horticultural exhibit.

::blush::

What a shame about the show - further confirmation that everyone's having a tough time in the garden.

I have never been sure whether you're supposed to cut or pull rose suckers but I know they're A Bad Thing because they're more vigorous than the grafted material and will quickly swamp it.

::consults the oracle::

The RHS says they should be pulled off from the growing point.

I had not heard the expression 'performance parenting' until yesterday on MN. I do sometimes do it in a passsive-aggressive way. "Yes darling I know some people do put their feet on the bus seat but it makes the seat dirty for the next person and we don't do that sort of thing."

Well done Maud, result ! Shame the show is cancelled Lexi. I guess there are lots of people who have nothing to enter.

That's useful to know about rose suckers. My William Shakespeare isn't doing as I'd hoped, it's weighed down by the flowers and very flat. I am chuckling at Funnyperson's cow parsley !

Went to garden centre yesterday armed with a voucher I'd bought at silent auction and had a bit of an accident. Plants were jumping into my basket then my bank card was clearly possessed and stuck itself in the machine. I have a lily, Canna Lily, scabious and snapdragon then what I think are 4 chrysanthemum I found on roadside stall .

Attacked the front garden and got them in but I need more July to Sept flowering perennials in there, any suggestions ? I'm going to try the market as much cheaper there.

Quick google shows I am not only one with flopping David Austins !

My stalwart July -Sept perennials are shasta daisies, hemerocallis, phlox, rudbeckia, veronica spicata and have high hopes for echinacea this year; I have a load of them grown from seed 2 years ago, looking like they will flower soon.

Sorry, realise these are all very tall. I'm lacking in lower growing front of the border stuff at this time of year if any one has any suggestions for those too?

funnyperson, all my rose suckers have had totally different leaves from the rest of the plant so have been easy to tell apart, however I've never pulled them off from the stem before so now know why they keep coming back!

::Flops, in manner of DA rose::

Spent this afternoon flogging plants at the school fete but somehow still seem to have just as many in the front garden. This may be the moment to set up my roadside stall!