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

[echt]

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.

Agree with Maud, old towel on a tray should do it.

Maud, feed with something like this. Then make sure late summer it is watered well, ideally with rainwater. That's when the buds form for the next year and if they don't get enough water the, you'll be short on flowers the next spring.

I will look out for that, Wynken. I had wondered about something like sequestrene, but expect that that would be better. Thanks for the tip.

Everything is warming up here, buds all over the place, I can feel that I will not win the battle against brambles and nettles this year.

Maud, I'm no Camellia expert but I read once that with large potted shrubs, in addition to top dressing you could try lifting it out of its pot, knocking off a good portion of old soil from around the sides and trimming the roots. Then re-pot into fresh new ericacious compost. This should encourage the roots to put on new growth and give the plant a burst of energy. Never tried it myself though.

I chopped back more yew hedge today. Took it right back to the central stems and revealed long lost iron estate fencing running through the middle. It's in surprisingly good condition considering it can't have seen daylight for decades. I better bung some Hammerite on it or something.

That's interesting, Rhubarb. I've got nothing to lose from giving it a root trim ...

How nice to have found some antique fencing, too.

I love a bit of old iron fencing, especially a gate. There's quite a few in the abandoned land around us that I have my eye on. Not sure what I'd do with them, but they are nice.

Just settled down to watch GW in bed.

I'm loving Monty's big pot with euphorbia, heucheras and violas - some of my favourite plants for spring.

I was up early this morning and was thinking of you Rhubarb doing battle with your yew hedge! Congrats on the lovely antique fencing!

I spent most of this glorious sunny day outdoors pottering around, rescuing long forgotten daffodils from a sea of brambles , battling with said brambles, re-planting the climbing rose, digging a hole for the second climbing rose, tidying up the area around the stable (DH just leaves junk old broken drainpipes, cable from the house build, an old broken door etc everywhere . I like the place to be orderly!

I have four old sheds to clear out before they can be useful...earmarking one as a potting shed, one is semi-cleared and has horse feed/bedding in, one will be for storing firewood currently out in the rain beside the sheds in an unruly, ugly sprawling mess I'm quite sure DH will help once I get started, but I need to get the ball rolling.

Anyway I'm getting ahead of myself, as usual!
Tomorrow's job (after work) is to plant the second rose.

Still no decision made regarding the bank... 4 rosa rugosas waiting to be planted, and I now think they are wrong for the bank....argh!

Sweet garden dreams to you all!

And yes to old gates Bertha.

My magnolia has a flower!! It's only a baby (knee high), I put it in last year and I moved it earlier in the spring. I can't believe it has an actual flower.

Also, my clematis Montana has buds I love climbers but I have a terrible track record with clematis, I've managed to kill 2 with my unnecessary tampering. The garden is really starting to look like my garden.

It's almost enough to give me my gardening mojo back. I really need to pot on the plugs I over wintered (penstemen, delphiniums) and get some annuals going from seed (sweet pea, cosmos) but I've got a cold and its freezing out there.

My clematis Montana is very close to opening. It grieves me to think I will lose it when the fence is replaced - it's so old and woody I don't think I could dig it out, to move it to a place of safety.

I have just invested 99p in a climbing rose from the 99p Store. I was going to use it to replace the dead Breath of Life, but I have just remembered about rose replant sickness, so can't decide whether to take a chance or not.

It'll be fine to plant it if you use plenty of Rootgrow. 99p - what a bargain. What rose is it?

I love Clematis montana. I want a 'Marjorie' after seeing one looking fabulous at Sissinghurst.

Could you take a cutting of yours Maud in case it doesn't recover from the fencing work? They are easily layered.

Could you take a cutting of yours Maud in case it doesn't recover from the fencing work? They are easily layered.

Oops

The rose is labelled simply as climbing purple. Overnight, I have thought of somewhere else to put it, as I have also seen a rather lovely David Austin rose in this month's GW magazine which would be even better in the Breath of Life spot.

I've never taken cuttings from clematis but, you're right, I should give it a go.

My one remaining Clematis 'Freckles' is being eaten. It'll never survive. That'll teach me to buy baby Clematis - next time I'll fork out for substantial plants.

My Freckles (or maybe it's Jingle Bells) is lost in a tangle of ivy (mine) and honeysuckle creeping in from next door. I'm waiting for it to flower and then I'll try to hack everything back.

I agree about tiny clematis plants. I think the answer is either to invest in a substantial plant or, at least, to grow small plants on for a year or two before planting out.

I lost a few baby clematis initially but I think that was down to dry summers and insufficient watering. More recent £1.89 jobs from Morrisons have taken very well. I am even feeding and mulching them now, so they are doing even better.

Yes, all the teeny clematis I have planted have not prospered. I need a montana though, DH and I always argue about where to put it.

Potted on a load of ammi magus today - not sure if they will transplant ok as the packet said to sow where they are to flower but I couldn't do this as the border isn't ready. DH extended the marjoram hedge along the path. He wants to do it the other way too but that would mean losing a great chunk of the dc's beds. I really like it that they have their own garden outside their playhouse even though I micro manage what they plant there

Also went to the garden centre and bought three more ivy plants, two Erysimum plants for odd corners that are bare atm and lots of mint. I am going to have all the mint in tin buckets outside the back door - spearmint and applemint I already have,as well as one with really dark blue flowers I don't know the name of. I now have lime, basil and indian to add to the collection. I used to have all of them in a tin bath but that has been going for a few years and has got a bit tired.

I grew ammi majus from seed last year (in cells) and potted them on. They made nice little plants but I noticed that the ones at the Eden Project were about three times the size - whether that was because of the transplanting or generally less favourable growing conditions I don't know.

My mint collection is looking tired too. Some of them are sprouting away nicely but some I fear perished over the winter.

That is encouraging Maud, although I don't appear to be able to spell the plant's name, I may succeed in growing it! I am going to put them in with polka dot cornflowers.

I have asked for a glass teapot for my birthday so that I can make mint tea in it. I should grow camomile too.

how about Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) as 'tea' plant?
delicious smell and lovely as iced drink with or without pimms in summer.

Good idea, I have that but have never made tea out of it. But I did make Darina Allen's Potato and Herb soup using it the other day which was lovely.

I have a rogue borage plant about to flower, how strange is that? It overwintered under a sage.