…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.

FP no, I went to a local garden open under the NGS scheme. Turned out to be an old colleague so lovely to see her and her gorgeous garden. Love the sound of your planting.

I do think a community orchard is a lovely idea.

And I am impressed by the community orchard rhubarb: such a lovely idea.

Yes, agree lovely idea on every level: but oh goodness tell us how we should be planting and staking fruit trees then?

High, seemed to be the order of the day. Like on little mounds. So that as the soil sinks, the tree ends up flush with the surrounding soil as opposed to ending up in a little depression, which apparently is what usually happens. And sure enough, I look at my new trees - all in little depressions. These fill with rain water which is not good for the tree. And fill with leaves and stuff so soil builds up higher up the trunk, again not good.

Staking should be done with two stakes, at right angles to the prevailing wind.

Thank you everyone.

funny I had to google lotus plant wow have you grown one before?
Your exotic plans sound great. I'm afraid the yuccas will grow big if we let them I don't mind 1 but we have 7.

rhubarb community orchard - what a great idea. The one plum we planted is amazingly level, phew!

I had a wander round the local garden centre, tried on some hunters and got them stuck on my fat calves bought cheap Wellies instead. I think I've identified a shrub in the front - vibernum tinnus, so I know how to resurrect it.

I've pottered in the garden lots of weeding, took some cuttings of the really lovely navy ish buddleia, and a neighbours mimosa.

I just caught the weather forecast too. Yuk.

Greenhouse envy . Looks lovely.

Bumbez, I still have last years borage growing, it's been that mild this winter. I sowed some seeds two years ago and it grows like a weed now. I love it though and just pick which plants I allow to grow and pull the rest up. Bees adore it in the veg plot. Need to sort out which seeds I'm planting this weekend. Feeling a little excited.

I grew a borage plant last year, the seeds are from it.

I went to Aldi today for kindling and coal which they didn't have. They did however have lots of gardening goodies I'll try and remember them.

3 different types of magnolia in 3 litre pots £7.99
Various plug plants £1.99 for 15.
Potting bench £30 (not as nice as humphs though)
Wooden raised bed £7.99
Chicken manure £7
Standard olive tree £15
Citrus trees with fruit on - cant remember the price
Compost, seeding compost and grow bags £1.49.
Propagators, seeding trays, plastic potting tidy tray thingy.
Loads of other stuff.

I bought chicken manure, my mums gardener swears by it, raised bed and some geraniums.

Aldi hasn't been here that long so I can't vouch for the quality but the plants looked healthy.

I bet you'll find lots of baby borage grow where last year's plant was.

I wish we had an Aldi.

My crocus are almost flowering in my front lawn. I'd forgotten I'd put them in so it's doubly pleasing.

I thought I had planted lots of alliums but lots of alliums ain't showing.
Hepatica nobilis is flowering though, and every time I see the little flowers I think of Rachel de Thame.

Borage dies on me...

My borage would like to take over the entire veg plot and they grow into monsters. Can't grow mint though

A lot of my big alliums aren't showing yet funny. I'm hoping all the water hasn't rotted them.

One of my new rhubarb plants is growing now. I think the other has died.

Hello everyone, haven't been on the thread for an age - it's lovely to hear everyone's gardening progress :)

Bumbez, I have also just come from Aldi and bought 2 lemon trees for the enclosed/covered terrace and they also had wonderful roses - for £1.89!!! I bought 10 . They had climbing, hybrid teas, shrub and all grown in the UK and looking pretty healthy.
I know one of them was Blue Moon and another Little Miss. I am very, very excited!

Um, I forgot to actually ask - can someone advise me please about planting them (roses)? Most of my garden is clay, but it's big so I have lots of different locations....
awaits flurry of rose-related suggestions
I have one climber, a few hybrid teas and at least 2 floribundas. Not sure what that actually means
thanks!

Rhihaf, welcome back :)

Funny is the rose expert, but I think they like manure

Rose expert! Amateur incarnate more like.
However I do know that if they are bare root it is good to soak them for 24 hours before planting and when planting dust the roots with myccorhizal fungi which you can either dust as a powder on the roots or you can dip the roots in a solution of the stuff.
You can get this 'rootgrow' from the rhs online shop if not in your local garden centre.
When planting dig a hole twice as deep and twice as wide as your root system. Choose a sunny well drained spot. Clay is fine as they like clay. Fill with a bit of gravel in the bottom then organic compost. Make sure the graft ing point which looks like a little knuckle at the base of the plant is below soil level otherwise you might get a lot of suckers.
Firm it in properly so as to get rid of air pockets and spread the roots out nicely when you plant it. Most beginners don't dig a wide enough hole.
Hope that helps those roses sound wonderful!
www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/planting/how-to-plant-a-bare-root-rose/284.html

When you plant them you might like to think about companion planting: marigolds and anything from the onion family such as chives onions and alliums are good as they keep away greenfly. Other people underplant with nepeta and at sissinghurst they are grown with peonies.
I quite like the idea of planting with snowdrops which come out before the roses are in leaf, and which have shallow roots so they don't compete with the rose.

Hello everyone.

I have just had a lively little potter in the garden, potting up a bare root rose and giving some dead houseplants a decent burial in the compost bin.

I wonder if I could get to an Aldi on Monday?

A lovely little potter, although I suppose it was also quite lively.

have spend the afternoon in the garden.
tried to sort out the lawn, mowed it, trimmed the edges and sown new grass seed on the bald patches.
planted rhubarb.
put fertiliser down on the roses.
lots of weeding.

it feels good!

I've just had another coupke of hours in the garden.

Have replanted and renovated some window boxes and planted some tulips that, to my shame, have been in paper bags since November. I will need to go out tomorrow to buy more compost and grit.

You're right, mousmous. It does feel very good although when I look at the state of my lawn and the hole in the fence, I want to weep.

isn't is strange how the lawn looks so much worse after you started sorting it...

the halfwhere the foxes haven't been digging looks good, though.

tomorrow I want to take some ceanothus and wisteria cuttings to give my sister for her new garden.

My lawn has, I admit, looked dreadful for a year, as it got trashed when we had the patio done and we never had the right combination of good weather and free time last year to get it sorted. Now it has huge bald areas and an attractive assortment of noxious weeds.

Jealous of your gardening activities, no time today but tomorrow is booked for garden time. (It's going to be raining isn't it?)

I did have a little wander around today to see what's coming up. Anenome Blanda looking lovely, muscari close to flowering, the two flowering hellebore are beautiful, and...I have two asparagus shoots showing!! So early.

It is very exciting when you discover fresh shoots. I was thrilled to find an eryngium that didn't get planted last year and survived the winter in its little plastic pot. I have some lovely hellebores, but can't tell whether they're the ones from Hayloft or random ones I've acquired from bring and buy plant sales over the years.

I too had a glorious day in the garden, pottering around in warm sunshine, including washing the big terracotta pots, glueing one of them back together that had dived off the terrace, and repotting the successful pelargonium and fuchsia cuttings from last autumn. I don't know why I've never taken cuttings of these before... (Though Mr & BabyBearleigh have had to be very patient over the various trays of cuttings that made drawing the dining room curtains so difficult).

Thanks for the tip about alliums and roses Funnyperson.