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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Potting shed summer party

999 replies

Blackpuddingbertha · 26/07/2013 20:42

Following on from the Blooming into Flaming June thread and all others before it.

The potting shed is open for summer. Elderflower wine aplenty and room for all. Monty will be along later...

OP posts:
Bumbez · 31/08/2013 14:09

I got back last night and was straight out to harvest seeds and check on plants. I managed a few Echium Pininana (blue) and also Borage so if any one would like some pm me your address. :)

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 31/08/2013 18:47

Had a lovely time at Great Dixter - so different from when we last went in February.

Things that were looking particularly gorgeous were the tropical garden with bananas, dahlias, cannas, roses (which worked surprisingly well) and other things I couldn't identify and the garden around the pond. As a fanatical occasional colour-themer, it was salutary for me to see that things could be grouped in apparently random and jarring combinations, yet it all still worked. Magenta lychnis coronaria next to mahogany French marigolds were a case in point.

It was lovely but also galling to see the garden full of Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate, as the seeds I bought in February failed to germinate, but I have bought more and will try again in the autumn. I am also thinking about phlox. I planted a new one recently - Orange something - but there were so many lovely ones today (gorgeous scent) that I think they may be just the thing for late summer.

Blackpuddingbertha · 31/08/2013 21:00

Bumbez - have PM'd you for echium seeds please. Definitely don't need borage, it pops up everywhere in my garden now!

Great Dixter sounds lovely. DH bought me National Trust membership for my birthday as well as a hoopla hoop and a unicycle! But we won't mention those. Been flicking through planning some trips out.

I missed GW as well so will be catching up again on iplayer.

OP posts:
funnyperson · 31/08/2013 21:13

echt I love broccoli. Also interested in the progress of the avocado. Friends say okra is easy to grow.

funnyperson · 01/09/2013 14:25

Monty gets more desirable with time in my opinion- as does his garden-

Happy Birthday comeintothegardenmaud Flowers

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 01/09/2013 18:26

Thank you, funnyperson.

We had already decided to have lunch today in a slightly far-flung garden centre which we rarely visit and, as luck would have it, my SiL sent me a garden centre voucher so I was able to have a bit of a splurge. I had decided to buy rosa Munstead Wood, but they didn't have it, so on impulse I bought Nuits de Young instead. I am hoping for good things from it.

MousyMouse · 01/09/2013 18:35

maud
lovely rose!
happy birthday

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 01/09/2013 18:59

Thank you, MousyMouse. I know one shouldn't buy on impulse, but the flowers do look lovely.

HumphreyCobbler · 01/09/2013 19:28

I love that rose. Happy Birthday Maud!

MousyMouse · 01/09/2013 19:34

I know maud
I'm now trying to decide if I should buy 2 or 3 of the rosa novalis. my excuse is that the shipping cost is so high, the order better be big...

and you can never have too many roses anyway!

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 01/09/2013 19:40

Yes, I'm a fairly recent convert to roses. I used to think they were passe, but they thrive in my clay soil and little beats them for scent.

Rhubarbgarden · 01/09/2013 20:28

Good choice, Maud. Happy birthday.

Blackpuddingbertha · 01/09/2013 21:06

Happy Birthday Maud! Love the colour of that rose.

Just caught up with GW, I'm now considering whether ferns would work in my dry shade at the end of the long bed...

OP posts:
ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 01/09/2013 21:13

Thank you, both,

Bertha - Have you seen the thread about deer in the garden? I think your expertise may be needed!

Blackpuddingbertha · 01/09/2013 21:39

Have popped in to the deer thread and added some commiserations useful advice.

OP posts:
ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 01/09/2013 21:45

I'm sure she will be grateful, Bertha!

funnyperson · 01/09/2013 23:36

nuits de young is a wonderful rose- more floriferous than Munstead wood and a more romantic name!

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 01/09/2013 23:53

But I've been hankering after Munstead Wood for so long...

NotAnotherNewNappy · 02/09/2013 07:54

Bertha - The cosmos have arrived. Thank you so much, that little packet really cheered me up on my return from holiday Smile

I spent yesterday painting the inside of my shed. I was hoping it would look vintage & cute but it just looks knackered. I will take the DC to the pound shop today to buy some naff tat to cheer it up a bit.

I popped down to homebase for some shelves and happily they had forgotten to water their winter pansies so had reduced them to £1 a tray. I had to tell DH to drag me away after picking up 7! My thighs are killing me from all that planting.

echt · 02/09/2013 09:08

The first day of the Australian spring on Sunday was a corker. Very warm though rather windy. DH and I spent the day tidying, spreading water wetter granules, planting watering and mulching. We planted Swan River pea, two Darwinia citriodora, an abutilon "Red Emperor" and a couple of prostrate grevilleas. Most are tube stock for a very demanding dry raised bed, so we'll see how they do.

Our gigantic staghorn fern, about 3' by 2', was moved to lean against a palm in the semi-tropical bed and given its six-monthly feed of two banana skins. It had to be strapped to to the tree with giant black rubber bungies. It's a beast.

It was lovely to sit out in the front garden for the first time this year, though painful for me as I had broken my arse falling backwards off a raised bed and landing on the rim of huge plastic pot of mulch. I now have massive bruise on my right buttock that DH assures me is the shape of Cyprus. He offered to rub it better, but I thought he'd quite enough fun for Father's Day already, i.e. a pH measuring device for the veggie beds.:o

Oh, happy birthday, Maud.

cantspel · 02/09/2013 19:10

echt ouch sounds uncomfortable.

Had a lovely day doing odd jobs in the garden. First load of daffs are in, hanging baskets emptied out ready for winter planting, ivy from next door cut back from where it is trying to take over my fence and a couple of beds weeded and ready for tulips to go in.

I want the garden to look nice as my Dad is visiting later this week and it will be the first time he has been here even though we moved in feb of last year. He is a keen gardener but only has a small garden so is keen to see what i am doing with my much larger space. His garden is immaculate with a lawn as smooth as a bowling green which mine isn't but i am hoping the that he wont notice the moss and odd weed.

echt · 04/09/2013 05:41

Thank you cantspel. The bum-bruise now resembles Gondwanaland.:o

Lovely to read your post and reflect that my hyacinths have gone over, the late-planted tulips barely showing, narcissi just past their best, while you are looking to plant up for next spring.

I love a lawn, but have struggled here, particularly with a water meter.
We laid a lawn last year that has not done well and are considering tearing it all out and planting thickly with beds of plants' shrubs/small tress and crushed rock/native mulch paths between. We never use the "lawn", and can provide more for the wildlife in this way.

echt · 04/09/2013 05:42

That should have read "native plants", though the mulch paths would be native, too.

Bumbez · 04/09/2013 19:44

rhubarb and bertha seeds on their way providing Dh posted them.

I've had a productive few days chopping, clearing and chipping with Dh's help. I had a bit of an accident today though - attempted double digging and lost my balance, fell heavily on my right side narrowly missing impaling myself on a metal spike. Blush if it hadn't hurt so much it would have been funny!

I had an interesting evening last night, for our wedding anniversary Dh had booked tickets with Jay Raynor - the food critic. He gave a talk then we all tucked into lush food but had to judge some of the dishes i.e comparing local apple pudding with lidl apple pudding and also New Zealand lamb and local lamb. I wore a too tight dress though so by the end of the night could hardly breathe!

rhubarb there's a swimming pond thread over on property you might need to join!

Any potting shed babies yet?

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 04/09/2013 19:51

I'm just getting round to watching Friday's GW. Ah, Monty.