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.

::waves too, for the fun of it::

I'm a great believer in doing things for the fun of it. It's one of the reasons I garden.

Humph - I too have raspberry envy! Just how many bushes have you got?

Raspberries have been our best plants for the table this summer. We planted 5 canes in a relatively shady spot last year. We had hardly any fruit last summer and 3 died, but the 2 remaining canes have fed us a good bowl of sweet juicy raspberries every day for the last couple of weeks. They have lots of new shoots on them too, ant tips on what to do with these to get even more fruit next year?

I haven't posted for a while as I've been a bit fed up with the amount of work in the garden, but a trip to Hever castle this weekend has renewed my enthusiasm. They have a Lovely rose garden and huge hostas, with absolutely no slug bites!They also have a cracking nursery but I resisted buying anything. Unfortunately I regret that now and am already planning a return trip to pick up a rosa ballerina....

Funny - Our outside tap only produces a dribble so I bought this which jams the hose pipie onto my kitchen tap. I also bought a sprinkler (reduced to 90p from tesco!) which has really made things easier & keeps the kids entertained in this heat. I am dreading my water bill though!

Mooncup- I am glad to hear you've had some success with T&M, my plugs still look so tiny. I didn't dare plant the lavender in our London clay so I've mixed up some really sandy compost and put them in pots instead. Hopefully next year we'll get some flowers.

Sent from my iPhone

I gave raspberry envy too. I have berries on the ray berry that grows on a shady bit of the fence, but they are unripe.

NANN - my first and only success at growing cuttings last year was with a rose. I have just been reading the guide to cuttings in July's GW magazine and feel inspired to try again. I will take some cuttings from my Ballerina and, if they succeed, you are welcome to have one.

Err. Have raspberry envy. Tayberry.

NANN I love Hever Castle. I haven't been for years though, and I didn't know they have a plant shop. Uh-oh... I feel a little trip coming on...

Regarding your raspberries, cut the canes that have fruited right down to the ground, leaving the new fresh canes that have come up this year. Mulch in spring with garden compost and you should have another good crop, weather permitting.

We even have raspberries here, which amazes me, as the canes are in full shade under a huge copper beech. I shall at some stage move them to the orchard, which in addition to filling with more fruit trees I want to turn part of into a proper kitchen garden, with veg and soft fruit. It's walled so has presumably been used for this purpose before - the grass in there is lusher than anywhere else in the garden so I think it's pretty fertile in there.

joins in with the waving

raspberry envy here too.
I planted a redcurrant bush but it got attacked by snails and never recovered. maybe next year...

do I actually need to do anything with the pumpkin plant? it's huge! I've trained it into an 8 shape so that it coveres most of the veg patch and doesn't come wandering off into the house. it has many male flowers (I believe) and a couple of female ones. do I need to remove the male ones? the female flowers are still closed.

Dh originally planted about 80 raspberry canes

Ballerina is a lovely rose, isn't it?

80?

80? What do you do with them all humph ?

My sister has Autumn fruiting ones doing very nicely in a raised bed.

I was in lidle today and noticed they had lots of clematis plants - very healthy looking if anyone's interested.

My lawn has cracks appearing, so I've started to water the fruit trees.

80? You could launch a jam business!

I am very tempted to go and look at Lidl's clematis, although the latest plant I bought there (lantana) looked slightly sickly when I bought it - it was the last one left - and soon expired.

He freezes, bottles, makes jam and generally sorts out enough fruit to feed us for the year. It is not just raspberries, he has about six gooseberry bushes, two enormous strawberry beds, three or four blackcurrant bushes, two redcurrant, four blueberries. It is never ending. His mother does the same, I reckon it is genetic. I was greatly amused to see DH's brother's response when moving into a new house - he immediately focused on stripping the damson tree in the garden in order to make jam. DH would happily leave me to do the processing but I don't eat fruit much (long time low carber) so I decline to participate.

Wonderful!

I would welcome suggestions for a plant to go into a huge terracotta pot in the front garden. My criteria are that it should be a perennial, red or purple and mid-height. It will be combined with purple (and possibly also lime) heuchera and lilac clematis.

Any ideas, anyone? I am lacking inspiration today.

Maud - how about a red & purple tree shaped fuchsia?

I may have convinced my gardening colleague to visit the lovely gardens at Hever and pick up a ballerina for me while she's there...

Rose Munstead Wood. Fabulous scent. Unless the front is very sunny as it prefers a bit of shade.
Canna lilies
Fuschia 'lady boothby' is nice

Hmm. I hadn't been thinking of a rose, but Munstead Wood would be top of the list if I were. I have officially given up on cannas because they never survive the winter in situ and I can never be bothered to lift them (especially as I don't have storage space to overwinter them). I like the idea of a standard fuchsia but, again, I think they tend not to be hardy and it needs to be something tough and long lasting. Maybe MW is the way to go. Decisions, decisions.

I'm very behind with this thread as have been busy with Mum stuff. Also my garden is dying as I'm not watering much so survival of the fittest.

The one thing that is doing well is my trough with Samaritan Jo clematis, Star Performer patio rose, hosta and a couple of cosmos.

How's it going with your mum, Wynken?

I planted up some more tin buckets with ferns from Wilkinson today. I plan to fill the verandah with ferns. The verandah has had heavy use over the hot weather. I have realised that the herb beds (which the verandah looks out on) are going to looking completely rubbish in August, nothing will be going on at all. Not sure what to do about this.

DH is out watering all the new birches and hornbeam hedge. What a year to have put a hedge in! On the other hand, the hedge that borders the road is now big enough for the farmer next door to cut with his machine. It looks brilliant and is providing proper cover from people driving past and staring into our windows.

Thanks for asking Maud. Not well to be honest. I have fallen out with my Brother over it who has fired me , is cutting DH's hours. My Mum says I am evil, plotting against her and doesn't want me involved in her care.

She's still in the flat in CH pending Best Interests decision at a case conference as Psychiatrist says she has lost Capacity. Brother is apparently coming back next week so if he does and sees her again after over four years, there is a small chance he will feel differently but has said the rift between us is permanent.

Gardening had kept me going but hasn't taken the edge off this week. Did however water with the hose today. I'm thinking of taking off this weekend to stay with my Dad and see if there's any good gardens to visit by him.

Bet you're sorry you asked now!

I must get into the habit of visiting Wilkinson's (we have one not far away) to look for bargains!

Maud, how about a Dierama? I bloody love Dierama. Hayloft have an offer on, although it doesn't include 'Blackbird' which is the nicest (in my humble opinion anyway).

Humph, your thriving native hedge makes me happy. I planted one at the last house. I wonder how it's doing.

I have been keeping the bird bath filled with fresh water as the wildlife charities have been urging us. It has resulted, ironically, in a bloodbath, as the cats have gone on a killing spree. Think water holes in dry season Africa, but with rather smaller corpses.

Oh Wynken cross posts so sorry to hear that.

Oh Wynken, that sounds so upsetting for you. Do you and DH both work for your brother? Have a swig of the potting shed gin, as a distraction.

Ah, dierama is tempting. They don't grow in my cold clay soil but a pot in the front garden may suit them. I had seen the Hayloft offer (but agree the dark ones are best).

Yuk to the killing fields around the bird bath.