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...

Just a quick Merry Christmas everyone. I have a house full so back to my guests :)

No storm damage, just a large water feature!

::waves::

Happy Christmas everyone

Merry Christmas everyone! May Santa bring you everything you've hoped for.

Merry Christmas everyone . Thank you for sharing your gardens this year, great thread.

Happy Christmas. We have two fence panels to mend and put back. Also have to re-do the frame for my willow panels as part of the neighbours' loose fence pushed it over .
Fortunately my nice new trellisses and baby fruit trees and climbers are all steady...(phew!) just grateful there is no flooding around here, I really feel for all those poor souls without electricity/ with floods and leaks at the moment :(

A belated Merry Christmas to all, from down under.

Glad to hear that the storms have not been too horrendous for our posters in the Gardening thread, though very for others in the UK.

Here the clouds and rain relented for Christmas day only. This sunny interlude prompted a long afternoon on the garden bench reading a collection of Noel Coward's letters, followed by an evening of selections from the boxed set of The Avengers - the Emma Peel episodes.

Gardening consists entirely of feeding tomatoes and anything in a pot, and tying in the grapevine. So tired, so vair, vair tired.

Then a sit down and more of Noel.

That sounds like a lovely Christmas day, echt!

Yes, sounds like a really nice Christmas day!

Having been v organised with food etc, I watched a bit of Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty (gorgeous) and Casablanca ('this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship') and Downton, after which, very pleasant though it was, my eyes were square, so I leafed through a nice pressie.....Beth Chatto's Gravel Garden.......and discovered a picture of her sandy pebbly soil near the beginning.

So now I know I definitely have soggy clay. Still, she writes very well about grasses in December so maybe I'll plant some Stipa and Miscanthus next year.

Anyway this morning it was not raining so I pottered about outside, beginning to sort out empty pots and things and generally thinking about the garden. It smelt lovely- of oak leaves and rain, and was quite mild. The back garden has a good structure and form. I might tackle shaping the peacock out front this weekend. The front has serious issues

I feel so sorry for those flooded out with no power.

Hello all! It has been at least two months since I was last on this thread - but today I did my first bit of gardening in about the same timescale! I cut down the four blackberry canes which fruited (copiously, 2.5kg!) this year, and secured the six new-grown canes which will fruit in 2014.

Mum gave me the RHS "Botany for gardeners" book which will go nicely with "Latin for gardeners" that sits largely unread at my bedside table.

I still haven't planted the allium bulbs that were delivered in September. Good job all my daffs and tulips never came out of the ground!

welcome Aethel and congrats on the wildlife grant Humph!

Hope you all had lovely Christmases. We really need to get the new thread up and running for the new year.

We had a lovely few days, plans amended slightly by an extended stay by DB and family due to no power at theirs. (Lost power in the storm and only came back on at lunchtime today - I imagine people in their village who had no alternative venues to retreat to were out BBQing their turkeys!)

Cut down my raspberry canes today. And eaten leftovers.

Hello potting shed ladies! I haven't been here for quite a while (I got discouraged by lack of progress on our newbuild house, and the garden seemed even further afield - literally, ha!)

I hope you don't mind me stopping by, as I'm hoping for a little advice. About roses!

My grandparents house will probably be sold in the Spring. When I was last there (in October) I wandered into the garden. My grandad had been an avid gardener but the house has become derelict and the garden overgrown. In the middle of some overgrown brambles I spotted a red rose - the most lovely shade of red rose I've ever seen.

Grandad died in 1968, so I guess the rose bush has been there a very long time. I keep thinking about it.

Is it too late to take cuttings now?

Or would it be possible to dig up the rose bush and replant it in my own future garden?

I know it must seem a strange quest - I never even met my grandfather, but I really want to rescue his rose bush! The purchasers will most likely extend the house into much of the garden, so I don't feel bad about depriving them of the Rose bush if you thought it might survive the upheaval???

I'm on the starting blocks, and am encouraged by England's resurgence at the MCG today. Still trying to think of a form of words that implies a discussion/fest.

Yeah, I reckon I can do it. Thought I'd exceed the word limit on thread titles.

Merry Christmas everyone. First batch of visitors have left now and there is a pause for breath before the New Year cohort arrive. Took the opportunity yesterday afternoon to go round the garden and rake up a few leaves on the middle lawn. Also checked the Gunnera and discovered that the protective upturned leaves had blown off and the furry tips of the crown were turning brown. Covered it up again and piled a load of straw on top to help. Such a wild stormy night last night though, I expect I'll have to do it again today. Need to build a little hazel/willow cage over it and stuff that really. If the weather is less wild this afternoon I'll tackle that.

Hi Castle, welcome back. I am totally clueless when it come to roses but someone will come along and help you with some proper advice! I'd be tempted to do both, ie take some cuttings and dig it up and see how you go.

Thanks Bertha

Rubarb did you build your greenhouse yet?

No. Change of financial circumstances means an extreme tightening of belts for the next year or two. House renovation plans postponed except for essential exterior repairs, which pushes Project Greenhouse and in fact all garden plans to the back burner. I am feeling quite grumpy about it actually, but trying to count blessings and be glad we are not flooded or without power etc.

Ds starts at nursery in May. I will have a full day without kids every Friday. Considering looking for a little gardening job and saving all earnings to dedicate to my own garden. Would have to square the circle of school hols though. Hmm.

Re your roses - as already suggested I would try both digging up and transplanting rose (cut all stems down to six inches) and use what you've cut off to have a go at cuttings.

The new thread is open and very enticing ...

Ooh quick let's fill this one

up

Righty-ho. Shall we talk about our gardening resolutions for 2014?

My gardening resolution for 2014 is to plant things the month they are meant to be planted! Too often I do an easier or (perversely) more strenuous job rather than the timely one.

Last year's resolution was not to buy seeds. Managed to hardly buy anything, but most of the plants I did buy I haven't planted!

Thanks Rhubarb . Sorry to hear that the greenhouse is on hold. It seems I amn't the only one whose plans are on hold.

NY Resolution for me is to have a garden designer out to advise on my field/rubble pile garden, so I can maximise the use of the machine when DH hires it for clearing our site/ installing the septic tank etc.

The garden designer quoted me almost €500 for a consultation 12 mtgs ago. That doesn't include any drawings. She won a medal at Bloom (Irish, very miniature version of Chelsea) and I liked her work, so I think she would be the right person to get... But she seems so expensive! Plans (without listing soft planting) are €2k+ in addition to consultation. Overseeing the job costs extra...

What do you ladies think? Does it seem a fair price? I feel like I need some sort of structure/plan to start from or the dream garden will never materialise. And although DH and I can dig in with labour at least having a distinct plan would mean I could get landscapers in to do the hard landscaping/ paths/ fencing in bits and pieces as I can afford to...

What do you think? Is it worth spending money to get a hopefully fantastic garden design on paper, that hopefully we can work on in phases over the years? Or, would you wait, and have it all done at once with garden designer overseeing the job?

(Daydreaming here, no money to start the plumbing at the moment. Never mind the landscaping....)

Wow.

That's top dollar. My advice would be to shop around, have a look at other garden designers' work and get a selection of quotes. You say you like this one's work, and that is important, but there will be others you'll like too and who won't charge over the odds.

Wish I could charge that kind of money - I'd have my greenhouse in no time