Potting shed summer party

[Blackpuddingbertha]

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...

thanks for the lidl tip, bought loads of tulip bulbs.
was tempted to get the 5kg daffodil bag but was on foot and didn't want to carry it all home.

5kg of bulbs? That would be an awful lot of planting!

I have never found a planting tool that works for me, as they quickly get clogged by the heavy clay here.

You can hardly see the work top in my utility room for the amount of bulbs i have now been tempted by and i still have the 100 alliums and russian snowdrops to arrive.
I have decided to empty all the old bulbs from the tubs and replant these with new tulips. The old bulbs will go in the garden in clumps so hopefully i will still get something out of them.

I use a bog standard dibbler that i bought in tesco for 25p, a larger one i got in poundland for of course a pound and a garden trowel for bigger bulbs or if i want to plant a clump of bulbs.

I need to buy a new and decent trowel this year as my last 2 were cheapies from supermarkets and they have bent. Any decnet makes i should look out for that wont bend and are not too big?

My dear late dad always used the Handle of a broken spade for planting, called a dibber or that's what he called it! I was delighted when our spade broke so I could use the handle too!

What are you all doing with your gluts? I have loads of pears so am currently attempting Belgian Pears though I've misjudged the cooking somewhat as they take 6 hours so I'll be up untill midnight. I am a preserving virgin though so it could all go pear shaped !

www.cottagesmallholder.com/bottled-fruit-belgian-pears-recipe-101/ link for recipe

Popped into Lidl today. Came out laden with bulbs and a couple of heucheras.

I must check the apples in the orchard. Not been over there in a while. Also need to go blackberry picking before we miss the boat there too. Have loads of plants to go in that got rained off last weekend. Got a busy weekend coming on I think...

Please don't tempt me with heucheras especially as I've still got some waiting to be planted.

Oh dear lord I'd forgotten about the alliums. I don't know how I'll find the time to plant those!

Some of our apples are ready, finally, but not the pears. The vine is laden with big bunches of grapes but I doubt they'll ripen now the weather has turned.

I handed in my entry form for the village hort society autumn show yesterday. I'm going to enter russet apples, cooking apples and pears. I don't know if it matters or not that the pears aren't quite ripe yet. It's the first time I've entered anything in a show (apart from miniature gardens when I was about six).

Ten Hellebores for £10.50 at Hayloft! Tempting, tempting...

The hellebores I got from Hayloft were excellent plants. To my shame, a couple of those that I hadn't got round to planting out perished over the summer. Drat.

I was pleased with my hellebores from Hayloft too. Two have died, but the others are flourishing. I am reminded that I need to call upon their guarantee... They are all still in pots and have had exactly the same treatment.

Blackberries picked, plus some apples for crumble tomorrow. Winter/Spring veg planted out. New sedums and heucheras planted in long bed along with the lupin that self-seeded in the veg plot and the rescued Japanese anenome which had been in pots on the patio.

Big apple pick planned for tomorrow morning. The apples are delicious and there are loads of them but I'd say they are on the whole slightly smaller than usual.

My hellebores were also from hayloft. All looking very healthy.

My cooking apples and my russets won second prizes, and my pears won third. Very proud! Not bad for a first attempt. Dd got a rosette and some bubbles for her sunflower photograph.

Bearleigh sorry I've just realised I haven't sent you payment for Monty. Will do so.

Bumbez the Echium seeds have arrived! Thank you very much.

I'm drowning in apples. I can feel a crumble coming on this evening, thanks for the idea, Bertha!

Well done Rhubarb

Well done Rhubarb and DD!

Things very quiet in the Cobbler garden, I am now on crutches and am completely unable to do anything in the garden, even walk around it I keep firmly telling myself that it is not long now...Poor dh is keeping up with stuff well though. Cottage borders are very yellow and purple and looking really nice. Still eating courgettes, runners, tomatoes, potatoes, basil. There are lots of apples on the trees in the orchard but they are relatively small.

All my penstemon, salvia and scented geranium cuttings have taken. The sage don't seem to be doing much. I wish I had done three times as many before I got poorly but DH has promised to have a go for me - if it is not too late? What do you think?

Also have plans to organise a gardening society as there doesn't seem to be one round here. Any tips on what will make things go with a swing?

Oh, Humph. Poor you. You are entitled to whinge.

I still haven't taken my cuttings yet, so I would say, go for it.

As for a swinging gardening society, I would say you need something to draw people in. We have a trading hut, monthly talks, our shows and coach outings. That's all difficult to do when you are just starting out - especially if you don't have premises - but perhaps you could hire a hall for a spring show and have that as our focus while you get going? Do you have any local gardening slebs?

gosh, your gardening society sounds brilliant! Do you have any part in the organisation? We were going to start with a collaboration on growing annuals for swapping, that is as far as we have got, but I love the idea of outings! How many are you?

No local celebs as far as I know, but anyone could be lurking down a lane...

We have 400 or so members, most quite local but the rest scattered around the UK and overseas! I used to be on the committee but came off it when I found myself with too many other commitments.

congratulations rhubarb
my fancy white loaf got a first today (but it was the only one in the category) and my brown loaf just got a 'good effort' sticker.
but it was fun meeting all the neighbours and talk about our gardens.

our neighbourhood society has a gardening branch. maybe there is something like that in your area as well, humph ?

Well done, MousyMouse!

Well done Mousy, they didn't have to award a first! It was obviously of merit. I could just eat some fancy white bread

400

I think I will contact the local NGS lady, she is know if there is a society in existence that I have missed in my exhaustive searching. We are very rural and underpopulated round here so I doubt we could aspire to such a large organisation. I would be quite happy with twenty or so. It would be great to get a look into everyone's gardens

You are entitled to have a whinge, Humph! Sounds positively miserable. Hope the rest of the time goes quickly for you.

Our Hort society has three shows a year and does a few coach outings, which I haven't been able to go on yet as I don't think they'd thank me for taking along two small children as everyone else in the society is about ninety five. They don't have regular meetings or socials, just an AGM, which is a shame I think. I'd like to see regular get togethers, talks, maybe a plant sale. Once I've got the dcs at school I intend to get stuck in and invigorate things a bit.

Well done Mousy! Did you squeal "Look! Look! I won a prize!" like I did?

oh no not me rhubarb

I'm lying