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.

[funnyperson]

Still no slugs, though lots of bird feet marks in a very soggy lawn. I am thinking of renaming the lawn the marsh.

All is looking very lush and alive and even the apple blossom is out.

However the Clematis viticella abundance is an exception. All its leaves fell off, so I have dug it up and replanted it somewhere else. I suspect the shady spot was really too shady and possibly too close to rose Dr Jamain who is surviving. The lily bulbs are coming up. The Hellebores are thriving. The irises and hermerocallis are rampant, but not yet throwing up flower spikes which is a bit worrying.

In fact there is a lot of leaf and not so much flower happening right now. What is flowering in your gardens?

[HarrietJ0nes]

Got 18 small globe artichoke plants for £2 today! Plant man on the market now gives me discount

[funnyperson]

Great bargain!

[funnyperson]

clematis wilt. oh no.

[HarrietJ0nes]

Any tips for white fly? Loads in one greenhouse, particularly on peppers

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Wow Harriet - 18 for £2! I bought six for about £12 I think and thought I had a bargain.

Chicken is fine . They were all a bit weird this morning though and wouldn't come out of the coop. Had to be 'helped' somewhat. All appear ok now though and they've all laid today so must have recovered. Gertrude isn't even limping now. Will not be hanging food in the future though - even though I still have absolutely no idea how she managed to do it.

Caught one mouse in the traps last night, the other one had been sprung but the mouse got lucky. Have set them again this evening. The peas will win this battle.

[HarrietJ0nes]

They're only 2-3 inches tall but had them last year and they grew up to about 12 inches then died in the frost.

[karatekimmi]

I've big plans for the weekend, have to repot my tomato plants tonight and have decided to plant things in the allotment this weekend (I'm guessing this will bring on all the frosts)

I am planning on covering about a quarter of it with weed control fabric and planting pumpkin, squash, corguettes and aubergine through it. Thanks for the tip, can't quite remember who it was!! But thanks all the same. I'm very excited about finally putting something in!!

[HarrietJ0nes]

I've a huge roll of weed suppressant fabric & a similar sized roll of DPM both waiting for the pegs to arrive to go on the allotment.

[HarrietJ0nes]

Just had a proper look at my globe artichoke plants and there's actually 20 if I can split some!

[doublemocha]

Checking in!

Phew, had a weekend break in Northumberland with the family and our best friends (lovely part of the world, probably less than 2 hours from us here in Yorkshire so why have I not visited in 20 years?). Straight back into work and general mundane stuff has left no time to read properly, never mind garden!

Still, Friday is clear, so in the garden I go and keep up with the thread I will (she says, sounding suspiciously like Yoda!).

Pleased about Gertrude though!

[Lexilicious]

Has anyone used this slug and snail shocka stuff? Any good?

[doublemocha]

Ps - All Thompson and Morgan vegetable seeds are half price at the moment if that is useful information to anyone.

[Lexilicious]

Hmm, link broken. maybe this one anyway it's called Slug and Snail Shocka (sic)

[RunDougalRunQuiteFast]

Funnyperson, I've got lots of leaves too but also three iris flowers coming (out of about ten plants), nothing on the hemerocallis yet though very bushy and healthy looking. Have wonderful flowers on the honeysuckle, best I've ever seen.

[Lexilicious]

funnyperson

Currently flowering: aubretia, ajuga, blueberries, peas, broad beans, Solanum 'Glasnevin', comfrey, last pot of tulips, chillis (indoors - last year's babies), pak choi and rocket (overwintered), daisies in the lawn, cowslips (in a pot - to be planted at lawn edge), saxifrage, auricula/primula (bright colours but bees uninterested - guess they're overbred so poor nectar).

Buds forming, will burst any day now: One of about 5 irises, my neighbour's honeysuckle in the hedge, calendula/marigolds.

Buds forming but a little way off: big alliums, giant oriental lilies in a pot, hemerocallis, front garden glads and iris.

I also think I've rotted my J Parkers acidanthera bulbs -I put them in too early and there's no sign of them coming up in the front garden. Still, cheap and replaceable.

[doublemocha]

Sounds like things are growing nicely in your garden Lexi!

I had a wonderfully happy afternoon in my greenhouse (the weather was very showery here but seems to be improving)

Moved my cucumber to growbags, potted on the strawberries and peppers, sowed squash and additional mixed cottage garden flowers (my previous batch germinated brilliantly) Cleared everything out and generally organised.

We finally have a free weekend that promises to be fine weather wise so I shall sow additional salads, peas, beans and carrots. I have herbs to pot and I plan to plant a couple of containers/pots for the front of the house which is still looking a bit 'new' and bare. Plus, a lot of weeding.

I also need to think about the pergola and climbers. It's in a sunny postion, with a little dappled shade from trees later in the afternoon. Any ideas for climbers welcome which would still look appropriate within a woodland setting.

Also bought a small and very cheap portable radio for the greenhouse, a great addition, think it was £12!

[funnyperson]

Your garden sounds great Lexi! Is it south facing?

I have apple blossom, forgetmenots, hellebores (still) clematis montana alba, rhodedendron, pieris, aubretia, bluebells, choisiya ternata and old fashioned pansies flowering

Buds not yet open are on the honeysuckle, clematis polish spirit, clematis integrifolia, aquilegia, rhodedendrons, peonies, wild geraniums, cistus, roses and ceanothus.

Cuttings are all thriving, to my delight.

Squirrels are the culprit for my poor clematis viticella Abundance. Unwittingly I planted her in the squirrel path. Still, hopefully the transplant will save her.

I am going to plant the dahlia tubers this weekend. And perhaps some herbs and salad. And put that tomato growmore stuff on the irises and hemerocallis. Is there a good brand of that tomato stuff?

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Have today done loads of potting on (still loads more to do though). Helped by DH who put all the compost into the pots/trays for me which was very useful. Sunshine helped too mind. Looks like a good weekend weather-wise but unfortunately we're up with the in-laws so can't spend it in the garden.

Have slug pelleted the long flower bed today as the beastly things have been munching on the alum flower stalks and I had a couple keel over.

Sounds like your garden is way ahead of mine Lexi.

[funnyperson]

A water butt has been dispatched to me via amazon. I blame Lexi.

[Lexilicious]

can you buy sheds on amazon? only then will you know you're in trouble :-)

[Blackpuddingbertha]

here Lexi

[Lexilicious]

Well since you ask... The back garden is on the north side of the house so things close by get shaded by the house for part of the day but most are in full sun. Also, we're sheltered by high fences and woodland which has just suddenly this past couple of weeks put on lots of leaves. All the things that are flowering are effectively south facing because they're further from the house. So of my list, the only things in shade that are flowering are the blueberries. Pic on my profile shows from the upstairs window the layout - all you see in that shot is getting sun most of the day a the moment.

Just watching GW now on iplayer - was having dinner when it was on earlier. Ahhhh monty.

[Lexilicious]

Oops, no, pic on profile is from the back door. Older pic on profile is from upstairs.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Ooh Monty indeed.

My pc has died and doing long posts from my phone makes me cross-eyed, so my list of what's in flower is

Apple trees
Clematis Wada's Primrose any minute now
Forget me not
Tulip Couleur Cardinal - all others gone over
Ajuga
Aquilegia Black Barlow
Aquilegia anonymous
Geranium macrorhizum
Geranium phaeum
Geranium phaeum Samobar
Meconopsis cambrica