Blooming into Flaming June

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Keeping the potting shed party going from the previous Rhubarb Society thread and all threads before it.

Please feel free to join in all gardeners, whether novice, professional or aspiring. Plenty of blackberry gin for all.

Happy weekend gardening to you all. Must get some things potted on and catch up with Monty. Fingers crossed the weather behaves.

funny A mumsnet heritage garden diary - what an absolutely wonderful idea. I love it!

Oh dear. I can't seem to get going today. I have done no gardening at all.

I have carefully removed the self-seeded cosmos and dianthus from the drive and popped them into the long bed. Can you have too much cosmos? I feel I may have over done it! Last year I had 6 plants donated from MIL, this year I'm guessing I have around 100 or possibly more although some have become rabbit fodder.

Bear my supposed solanum is wrapping its leaves around the plant supports 'clematis fashion', my solanum Glasnevins have never done this, hence the suspicion!

I didn't do much either.
much too windy. only put up new stakes for the sunflowers, they are getting pretty tall, nearly a meter high now.

Funnyperson, I wish I could come to Sissinghurst with you. I went a few years ago, just when we got our garden for the first time. It was amazing. I also really loved Bateman's, although of course it doesn't compare with Sissinghurst.

The Ivington Diaries was the first garden book I ever read. I loved it too.

Saw a lovely open garden today, very near my house. The owner gave the dc some toys to play with in the sandpit and we didn't hear a peep out of them the whole time we were looking around, it was great.

Drizzled on and off today. Just managed to top up my long narrow border with more compost as hoping to buy my bedding begonias tomorrow to plant. The only thing that thrives and looks pretty there.

Noticed yesterday, I have loads of bindweed now, growing up my Japanese Anenomes < which already have the flower buds>, so attacked them, but as wet my hands kept slipping up the thin tenacious stems.
Also the strong winds have disloged part of my arch with the climbing roses on and managed only to get the bit back in all askew and had to retie the large branch heavy with large blooms back on to it.

Yes, Humph I went through a phase of going to Sissinghurst every year at least, but then I got too busy, and I went off the box hedges, and it wasn't that child friendly, so I havent been for at least 15 years, but I really feel like going this year. I need to decide whether my garden is going to go down the 'white garden' route or whether to plant more bright jewel/flaming June colours.
Sandpits and trampolines and lawn to run around and turn cartwheels in, and potting sheds with braziers and patios with firepits and washing lines and treehouses and little children's mini gardens are all things which make the dc happy but which designers usually don't factor in.

I am thinking of getting a chiminea.

FP washing lines, trampolines, compost heaps etc absolutely should be factored in by any designer worth their salt. The very first thing to do when sitting down with a client is to quiz them on how they use the garden and which of these essential functional things they need. That's what good design is - building them into the garden in a way that is both user-friendly and attractive.

I went to visit the garden of some friends yesterday, which I had designed for them. The hard landscaping has just been finished, the new furniture has been unveiled and the newly turfed lawn is so green and tufty it looks fake. It's all great, except for the glaring voids of the borders; sitting there empty with tarps over the top to stop weeds colonising, waiting for me to pull my finger out and do the planting plans. Yikes. That was the kick up the bum I needed; autumn will be here in no time and I've promised them that's when we'll plant. I've tidied up the dining room today and cleared a work space, so the drawing board comes out this week come what may.

I want one of these in mine.

Wynken - Sorry to hear your mum is going through a tough time, I hope things turn out well for her.

Echt - lol at credit card depth frost being such a shocker, I had to take a broom to my windscreen earlier this year!

Mousy & mooncup - keep up the slug & snail Armageddon. What exactly do they contribute to the ecosystem anyway?

Bertha - my purple & yellow solanum is def a climber, I've trained it up trellis. It is scary how fast they grow!

Talking of mini gardens... I am we'll chuffed after finally getting DH excited about doing something in the garden. We had a shady, muddy patch behind our shed which constantly got flooded (the DDs turning the water butt on). We spent a lovely afternoon together turning it into the DDs own gravel garden, complete with stepping sones for their Wendy house (photos on FB). I am so pleased as we've transformed a scruffy, useless corner and into a real feature for next to nothing (used loads of leftovers and got some bargain stones). It's almost too nice to let them play in....

oh berta I want the whole garden.
bet the sunflower den is full of spiders

funnyperson thanks for asking about DD's 18th. Went well. Despite a chilly evening the teen guests went out into the deck for the most part. We tarted up the garage, which opens up onto the back garden and deck, and put fairy lights round the trees. We found that if you continually top up teens with sausage rolls, party pies and chicken nuggets, they will sit in the cold all evening as long as they can smoke.:o

I picked up some bargains on Saturday; a big pot of agapanthus I can divide and fill in the spaces I have in the ones circling the pine on my nature strip. Also got two velthemia capensis, about to flower. They're not popular, though I can't see why, so cheap, though hard to find. The final thing was a huge pot of philodendron Xanadu/Winterbourn. I saw it used extensively in Sydney as landscaping and it should do well in the side garden which is warm and shady. I'll divide it and put some in a small bed that is difficult to plant. It's like a reverse bay window, faces north, but shaded in winter and scaldingly hot for several hours in summer, so I need something tough.

Tempted to join you at Sissinghurst next weekend, FP. MN get together??

I wish I lived a bit closer

Talking of Sissinghurst did anyone see this article:

www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/10036366/Just-the-man-for-the-greatest-job-in-gardening.html

I am pleased he will be tweaking it a bit. We went a lot in the early 1990s, and then not until last year, and it had barely changed. I absolutely love it, but I think gardens need to change subtly to reflect growth of plants and the fact that some will need to be replaced, and for it barely to change is a teensy bit boring. The new vegetable garden is an interesting introduction though.

We're just about to go to Wisley. I want to see the newish rose garden in all its glory. I am not going to buy any plants; I am not going to buy any plants; I am not going to buy any plants...

Like the that my carefully nurtured Cosmos might self seed, the first flower buds are starting to appear on one. The first flower grown from seed has appeared, a Schizanthus .

My plant buy last week was Geranium Elke which went in today. Also the 50p sweet William from plant sale is actually a Penstemon I think which was a nice surprise.

Would be great to see you at Sissinghurst rhubarb! I am thinking of going on Sat morning most likely (before I get ground down by domestic tasks and demands) or Sun afternoon (if the weather on Sat is terrible) The opening hours are 10.30-17.30. So I thought I would aim for 10-ish on Sat or 1.30-ish on Sun. Thus we could have refreshments together!
bearleigh what you say is interesting. I hear what you say about change, though one of the reasons I am going after a longish break is because I think I have changed, and will notice different things.

I am at everybody else's self seeded cosmos. My second attempt at raising cosmos from seed is going well, but I am too scared to put them outside yet in case the slugs get them.

It rained on and off all day here. I got very angry with some bramble roots and DD2 sat on a young tree peony. I cheered myself up by restoring the crazy paving to its original 1970s glory with the jet washer. Naice.

Sat morning could work. I always prefer to get to places before the crowds descend, especially somewhere like Sissinghurst. A friend was telling me yesterday that she recently turned up at Nymans, late-ish in the afternoon and they were operating a 'one out, one in' policy because it was so rammed. I couldn't believe it.

We visited some NGS gardens yesterday. One was so very beautiful I just wanted to scoop the whole lot up and take it home. Chocolate box house included. I have decided that I need Astrantias.

How was Wisley, Bearleigh? Did you notice if the Cornus kousas were out?

Rhubarb yes I saw a couple of gorgeous Cornus kousas out at Wisley: it was all looking lovely actually: candelabra primulas by the rockery path, roses looking fabulous, ditto veg. garden. The long borders hadn't really got going, so lots to look forward to. It wasn't that busy, ie there was still lots of car park left. I may have bought a few items. My word Franchi seeds are good value!

I also bought a teasel, then at home read how much they self seed so have planted it in woodland near our house, so the insects and birds can still enjoy it (hopefully).

Oh, lovely. I can feel a trip to Wisley coming on. For important Cornus kousa research obviously. I know which one I'm going to get (Satomi) but one needs to make sure...

Bear I have teasels in the long bed. I grow them at the back of the bed for some height and structure. They're great plants. They do self seed though but you just need to pay attention and pull any up that end up in the wrong place. The birds love them and the seed heads look great through winter too.

::waves::

Haven't done any gardening this weekend, but just wanted to get back on the thread.

I too am very envious of anyone with self-seeded cosmos.

Hi Maud

Come to Sissinghurst!