The first rule of garden club is...!?!

[Lexilicious]

hoping Humph's Happy Osteospermumsnet chums will find this... la la la... I'm uite used to being betty no mates though...

Come on in and have a seat/kneeler/foam pad and a virtual , anyone who wants to idly chat about what they've been dreaming of planting, actually planting, buying without a care for having a place for it, propagating, harvesting, hacking and chopping...

I bought some bronze fennel to try this year - is it temperamental then? There's loads that grows on the central reservation of a dual carriageway near here so thought it would be a safe bet.

Piglets! How exciting. Had to 'despatch' a chicken today. Well DH did as there was an axe involved and I'm not sure I'm to be trusted with an axe. Not nice but necessary

I don't know whether bronze fennel is temperamental - I just suspect it likes lighter soil than I have here, which in recent summers has been a swamp.

Eek at the ramifications of keeping livestock. (Do chickens count as livestock?)

my green fennel does look more robust than the bronze

I am a wimp and won't do the killing. When we first started with the livestock and killed a goose for Christmas dinner we looked on youtube and found out how to do it. DH bravely did the deed whilst I (bravely for me) looked on. It was pretty ghastly, but quick. He tucked the dead bird under his arm and it squawked . I then plucked it.

We have never done it again

::Reaches for the smelling salts::

She'd had a massive prolapse Humphrey, the axe felt kind in a way. She came into the coop while I was cleaning it out and waiting for DH to prep the block, she never does that; think she knew . Still hard though.

So wet here the garden is drowning. If anyone so much as mentions a hosepipe ban this year...

Yes, very soggy here too. I still haven't finished clearing up after the great patio works - there is still a lot of stuff heaped on the lawn - but it's just too muddy.

poor chicken bertha

hello... I am a bad bad gardener. I've still done next to nothing in 2013. I am not letting myself buy anything from the seed catalogues because I have tins bursting at the seams.

Also (and if you know me on fb, please forget this as soon as you see it ) I am, ahem, cultivating a humanoid seedling this year, so all the digging needs to be done early or on a no-dig method, and I can't be hoisting heavy pots around, and may need my veggies to be pickable by 3yo fingers under DH supervision. The lawn will get a fortnightly mowing at best.

I think, flowers-wise, I may be chucking a load of cosmos and night scented stocks seeds in the beds early on and leaving them to it. The temptation to 'fire and forget' with veg is high too. If it weren't for the buggering slugs...

Ooh, many congratulations, Lexy.

I won't mention, then, that Lidl have their seeds in stock, including cosmos for 29 pee!

Many congratulations!

thanks

I am immune to your lidl temptations on this occasion maud! I mentioned cosmos and stocks because I know I already have them! And many exotic and tasty veg seeds. I have enough to plant my garden many times over which might be necessary if spring is as temperamental as last year

Can anyone recommend for me a climbing rose? Mustn't be too vigorous (so not a rambler) and must be pale in colour as it's to go in a shady corner and anything dark and dramatic will get lost. Having looked at the David Austin website, I'm thinking of perhaps A Shropshire Lad. Any other suggestions?

MMe Alfred Carriere ? (however it's spelt )

Hmm. I'm a bit worried that Mme Alfred Carriere grows to 20ft and it's only quite a low wall, but it does sound lovely. A Shropshire Lad is relatively short at 8 ft!

Congratulations Lexi!

I need to dig up the rest of my Jerusalem artichokes in the next couple of weeks before they start sprouting. Does anyone want any this year? They are the ultimate in 'leave them to it' veg (thinking of Lexi specifically). If you'd like some PM me and I'll send out little (or big - I have loads) parcels of artichoke loveliness.

Oooo, I only read Maud's post at the top as it flashed by in active conversations , congratulations Lexi

See the problem with Mme Alfred. I'd say follow your instinct with the Shrewsbury one. Talking of David Austin I've been at my William Shakespeare with the Felco and haven't held back. Am hoping it will be a better shape. Still got Tranquility and Wisley to go in yet .

Does everyone else have snowdrops out ? Mine are being slow.

I have a nice rose called 'Open Arms'. I suspect it is not in the right place, north west facing in the shadow of the house, so gets afternoon/evening sun for six months of the year. But it is not too vigorous there and has lovely small pinky-white single flowers. Bee friendly.

Got some snowdrops! Not many, but dotted about. Hopefully they will multiply. Thanks for the offer Bertha but I tried JAs a couple of years ago and they disagree with me...! I also didn't manage to dig them up thoroughly enough and they competed very aggressively with the gladioli that I put there next (patriotic front garden that never quite worked).

Started your tomatoes yet Wynken?! Love to hear about your hydroponic experiments. I like to think you look like this

Crikey. That's quite some look.

Open Arms does look very nice. Decisions, decisions.

Bertha - I would love some JAs, as the ones I was keeping have shrivelled so much I can't beleive they will sprout.

Wynken - I am hoping that the plants I failed to send you last year, because by the time I got back from holiday they looked so neglected and bedraggled, will be fit to send in a few weeks.

And who was it wanted the crocosmia Lucifer? It's sprouting nicely.

Oh yes, my snowdrops are about to open. My clumps never expand - perhaps I need to dig them up and spread them out.

Ooh I did want more crocosmia. I always have space for some lucifers. Maybe I should find something with an 'angelic' theme to set it off - or would white cosmos fulfil that? Floaty and white

I forgot to say please

Is the white cosmos Purity? That would be a fitting combination! And, of course. I'll send them once they're a bit drier, as they were snowed on today.

I'd forgotten about them Maud ! Will look forward to them.

My hair is red Lexi by that's the only similarity I think ! My hydroponic strawberries are limping on but aren't liking the light levels. I've still got a Sungold and St Pierre going and have neen rooting armpits to start new plants, they could do with going in now.

My current toy is the Aquaponics. I'm over the stress of cycling the tank and the fish all survived. I've got a couple of French beans in it, some chard, leeks and garlic plus a red cabbage, oriental greens plus am rooting so French tarragon and two penstemon cuttings. Really easy to maintain now, just lob in a pinch of food and a small top up of water every so often. I'm looking forward to seeing what it does over the summer but am actually really impressed and thought I'd hate it.

Congratulations lexy!
I'm off to Lidl to get some cosmos seeds-though I remember gaily sprinkling some 'Purity' seeds in the bed last summer, inspired by a Gardeners World programme- probably far too late- they didn't come up. This year I will try the serious method with seed trays, inspired by you lot, what with sweet peas on window sills already!
Sarah Raven has nice dahlia offers atm.
Hey Maud I'm sorry your Olympic rose didn't survive. I'll see if I can make cuttings of mine this summer and send you one if they take. My plum stick hasn't survived. 'Shropshire lad' looks so pretty. Only thing is, when planting it, you musn't recite 'Loveliest of trees, the Cherry now' or you will give it a complex. Chortle chortle couldn't resist that, sorry, very bad joke.
Didn't someone say they had 'Rambling Rector' and 'Pauls Himalayan Musk' also lovely.
Maud do you prune your Clematis Polish Spirit?
The apple trees which I am trying to train to step over are in fact too tall, so I might train them to an espalier shape instead.

It snowed here.

The top end of the lawn is a muddy brown thing as usual in spite of the whole lawn being turfed last year at cost. So this year I am going to try something different: I will sprinkle camomile seeds from a teabag or two a la James Wong. Now I know it is probably too shady there for Camomile to survive, but I suspect the top end of the garden of being a fox track, which, if true, could be good for a camomile lawn.
Maud I tried to look for the photo of your path with no success.