…if winter comes, can Spring be far behind? 2014 beckons us...

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Okay, so the height of summer is yet to scorch the nethers of those in this wide brown land of Orstrylia, but welcome to the MNettie gardeners of the world. Prop up your sagging fences, evict the rats from your decking, and find a use for that poinsettia.

Thank you for the tip about freezing/stratification. The seeds don't have instructions and I didn't find that last year, so I'll certainly try it.

I note from a Google that Chiltern seeds stock it - but as usual with them, there are no instructions. They do say it self-seeds.

Yes, the stuff I found last year mentioned self-seeding, so I wrongly imagined it was a 'chuck it in and watch it grow' type of seed. So now, for the first time ever, I'll be putting seeds in the freezer.

Primroses split and transfer really easily Castle.

Maud I'm glad to have helped!

Humph I did a bit of a google search on primroses and read that too! But I also read that it's illegal to dig up or split wild primroses. I cam however collect the seeds in August/Sept from the wildflowers and plant them! Complicated, huh?! I wonder is it easy to spot the seed on the plant?
You'd know I have a week off work (half term) with all this time to ponder about seeds ha!

Had a peek at my David Austin bare root roses. They really don't look very good. I think all the rain must have affected them. I hope they don't die on me! As for my grandad's rose cuttings that I took in December - at least 8 of the 17 cuttings have little leaves now and look promising! Some of the others have tiny signs of growth, so they may also do well! I also found a heap of spring bulbs I had forgotten about and plonked them into pots last month - they are all green tips now!

Do any of you have a septic tank/percolation area? How have you incorporated it into the garden?

Humph has got me thinking about orchards and naturalising bulbs...

I had been thinking of keeping a henhouse in my orchard and letting them free range about in it at times. But would hens peck up the naturalised bulbs I wonder?

Anyone who has an orchard - can I ask what rootstock did you choose? I love the idea of a tall old fashioned orchard, but people keep advising me to go for less vigorous trees....what do you think?

how much space do you have for your orchard? I would go for large rootstock if you have the space and the time to wait for it to grow

Well Humph the grounds around the site are 2/3 acre (not including the driveway/ patio/ ground I eventually want to add an extension onto ) And we own all the surrounding fields, so I could push the boundaries a little but could end up divorced!

So I suppose I can make a relatively large orchard within reason - was hoping for 5-6 apple, a plum, a pear and a 2 cherry trees. I thought of having some less vigorous fruit trees for structural interest in an adjoining vegetable potager/parterre and maybe some almond trees near the driveway entrance...
What would you add to that?

Damson?

that all sounds lovely. Yes to Damson. I am not so enamored of cherry trees as I never get any of the fruit but I suppose they are worth it for the blossom. Do plant climbing roses in the trees.

What about a nut walk? Have you the room? I would love a nut walk.

Thanks funnyperson! I've never eaten a damson, but they could be nice in a jam?

I'm a bit torn between the idea of integrating fruit trees in the garden and having a separate orchard.

I could line paths and boundaries with espaliered fruit trees instead of taking up a chunk of garden with an 'orchard' .... again I like the idea of the orchard as a place to go in the garden, with hammocks or a swing and a picnic table if we ever see the sun again and where children could play when the trees are mature enough or the idea of the hens being based there.

It's nice to have options, I hope I amn't annoying people with my ramblings! Just thinking a lot about the garden and what I want to gain from it and I'm so afraid of making big mistakes with the layout of it!

espaliered fruit trees are wonderful. Do that! We have an orchard and fruit trees in various other places too, it is not an either/or situation. Don't forget a fig.

I love hearing about your garden plans, it all sounds most exciting.

Climbing roses in the fruit trees!
A nut walk!

How long before the trees produce nuts? We have a coppice of wild Hazel on our farm. Masses of nuts! What other nuts would you include? Walnut? I would love Macadamia but they'd hardly grow in our climate?

Would the cherries really all be nabbed by birds. I love cherries!

Thanks for the encouragement!

I have nobody to bounce ideas off in real life. Everybody says things like 'Oh a garden is a lot of work'! And I know it is...but I can't wait!

A fig on the patio?
Am thinking some formal planting on the patio, a bit like a terrace - raised beds with box hedging and balls and standard bay trees with whites and yellows and purples like lavender and alliums and herbs...?

You already have a coppice! Wow, I would like a coppice. Not sure about the nut walk if you already have lots of hazel. Walnut v slow growing, we have one at the bottom of the orchard and it is MILES behind everything else.

Fig on patio sounds good. That is one fruit SO worth growing as v expensive to buy. You could get making your box cuttings this year, do you have a plant at all you could get cuttings from? Or a neighbour may have one.

The birds have all our cherries, they are too big to net effectively. We do have one growing against a wall which I hope we will get to eat one day.

Humph don't be wowed by our coppice. It is up beside DMiL's and nobody uses it except the cows! Self seeded years and years and years ago. DSiL gathers a few bags of nuts each year and DH tried selling them to a local organic food shop but there was no demand!
Much of DH's land is completely overgrown and full of surprises! Nothing growing on it has been planned!
We are in a karst landscape, so acres of rocky landscape and some lake and also quite a few swallow holes. We had to pull a calf out of one a few years ago - sucked in to his neck, the poor thing. So it's careful treading and much maintenance work ahead for us, and we are really at the beginning of it all!

Maybe I'll buy some buxus and start some cuttings off from that - will need it for potager too.

Wish I had a greenhouse!!!!

Dh made a rectangular frame and covered it with bubblewrap to do his first box cuttings. He added sand to a bit of the veg plot and it worked brilliantly. Much cheaper than a greenhouse!

You could always plant a hazelnut truffle tree or two:

www.englishtruffles.co.uk/truffle_trees.html

(This is on my list of possibilities...)

Castle it sounds absolutely beautiful where you are. I'm loving hearing your plans too. My best advice would be to go and visit as many National Trust/NGS gardens as you can, for inspiration and an idea of what can be done with the space that you've got. Time spent researching, thinking things through, drawing and re-drawing plans is never wasted.

I'd add a mulberry to your orchard shopping list.

Ooh yes definitely a mulberry. They take a long time to fruit, so the sooner it is planted the better.

I remember reading somewhere that the best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago; the second best is now...

I'm going to have to replant my mulberry. It's gone wonky with all this extreme weather. I clearly didn't stake it properly.

we lost one of the downy birch trees in the last storm, next to the one that died. There is a big gap now, don't think we will get it together to get more before spring.

I think we have a mulberry and a quince coming in the replanting bit at the bottom of the orchard. The amazing tree man says he can plant them bare rooted in a biodegradable pot, which we can then transfer into the orchard when the drainage work has been done. DH has got his way with the pond too but I get to choose the fence. It will be six foot chicken wire panels with a latchable door.

Ooh thanks for all the positive feedback everyone!
I live in an area called the Burren if anyone wants to google. We have a lot of wildflowers (and wild goats!) and gentians in Spring on the mountain. The house we are building is a traditional style 'cottage' bungalow, so I'm trying to bear all of that in mind with the garden plan too - don't want the garden to jar with the natural surroundings too much...

What a lovely place to live Castlelough. The flowers in spring sound magical - and gentians too!