…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.

[funnyperson]

Those plans sound lovely humphrey I do think you are good at planning beautiful borders.
I went round to mum's today, and now that the chestnut and a conifer have gone she has metres and metres of borders which are south east facing. Previously they grew mahonia and euphorbias under the trees but now they can be proper mixed planting.
Ammi magus sounds lovely. I liked the crambe cordiflora when I saw it growing last summer and I'm going to plant some of that.

[HumphreyCobbler]

Thanks funnyperson! Crambe Cordefolia is fabulous. We have one in the cottage borders and one in completely the wrong place in the front garden. I must have planted it when we first moved in and forgotten about it. We were nonplussed about it for another two years until it flowered!

Lots of new planting space - how exciting.

[HumphreyCobbler]

sorry missed your question earlier. I will plant up the geraniums in the greenhouse although they are not coming till march. The snapdragons will be planted up by DS1's class in the school polytunnel to grow on. Not sure about the hostas and agastache, probably will bung those in the greenhouse too. May plant some sweetpeas soon but the greenhouse is unheated so maybe not.

[funnyperson]

Hmmm yes, I have been wondering about whether to sow my sweet peas. The packets are in the kitchen looking tempting but I don't have a greenhouse and think it may be asking for trouble to sow them outside just yet.

[Rhubarbgarden]

Lovely sounding planting plans Humph. Sorry to scare you re the bracket fungus. I wouldn't have thought twice about mine either if a friend hadn't just told me they are having to have their beautiful American red oak removed because of bracket fungus, despite its TPO.

Funny I guess the new planting space makes up a little for the loss of the chestnut. What do you plan to plant there?

[Blackpuddingbertha]

I think it was a fungus of some kind that killed off our mirabelle

I've been perusing seed catalogues this evening. I am not ordering anything until I have been through my seed box though

[HumphreyCobbler]

Don't apologise Rhubarb, I was glad to know. Now I won't bother planting a rose up it. What a shame about your friend's American oak.

[funnyperson]

Good point about going through the seed box. I have some astrantia seeds given me by Lexi and various other seeds collected in the autumn such as dill, fennel etc
I'm thinking along similar lines, though the pictures of the agastache in Humphrey's border on facebook are tempting me already.
rhubarb you are right: I am beginning to get quite excited about mum's new garden appearance. Though I must say I do mourn the chestnut. I rang the tree surgeon up and asked if I could have the stump (thinking about fashioning a seat or a base for a pergola) but he said it had already been shredded.
Anyway in the first instance we are going to divide up existing perennials from elsewhere in the garden in the spring - lupins, asters, hardy fuschias, shasta daisies, pulmonaria, snowdrops, geraniums, rudbeckias, peonies, lavender etc and also some of the stuff from my garden eg ceratostigma, sanguisorba, japanese anemones, deutzia, gaura, salvias etc to put in the border. Those will start it off.
In theory we ought to be thinking of colours and artistry and so forth. In practice, because I have no imagination, we put the tall plants at the back of the border and the smaller ones at the front and that's about it. I must say I do envy people with any talent at all in grouping plants together which includes you lot.





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[Aethelfleda]

Hello... I put my head in on the last thread, hope it's still ok to be here?

Have bought some spring bulbs very late, was shopping and the market stall I passed had snowdrops and alliums going incredibly cheap... Put a few in tody and will do the rest in the next few days. Tell me they have half a chance of coming out?!

And our trellis is now festooned with lots of dormant new plants: evergreen jasmine, winter jasmine, hardenberghia violacea, passiflora, at intervals along it. The maiden whips of the fruit trees are sitting there snoozing. I've not pruned the leader from the pear/plum/cherry tree (so I can fan grow them) yet as I can't quite bring myself to do it, apparently I have til march to pluck up the courage......

[HumphreyCobbler]

Hello Aethelfleda. Everyone is always welcome

Trellis sounds lovely.

Tall plants at the back and small ones at the front - exactly my plan too funnyperson. New borders sound fabulous.

[Rhubarbgarden]

Do it, Aethel, do it! Get those secateurs out and snippy snip snip! Tis very satisfying.

[HumphreyCobbler]

My roses need some snippy snip snipping too. It is too rainy.

[mousmous]

anyone elses roses going crazy?
lots of new growth going on.
should I wrap them with something if we get a frosty spell?

[mousmous]

a question: my sister has a south facing trellis in her new house that separates the garden from the street. she want's climbers, but different textures/colours.
could I give her cuttings of my neighbours wisteria and honeysuckle? or would they take a long time for good coverage?
she's moving in around easter, it's a total building site, so the ground might need improving before planting anything.

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Of course you can Buggerlugs (my Dad used to call me that ). If you've just moved does that mean you get the exciting prospect of watching the garden to see what appears during your first year?

The sun was shining today.

Mousmous, there's loads of stuff growing in my garden, I too am worrying about what happens if when we get a cold snap.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Ooh it's very exciting hearing about early signs of plants stirring back into life and people's planting/sowing plans. I have some plant porn a catalogue from Hayloft to look at.

Welcome from me to new and newish aficionados too.

[Bearleigh]

And from me!

Mausmaus, I recommend your sister checks and improves the soil if necessary before she does anything. I did that in this house, not having done anything in our old garden and it's made a huge (positive) difference to the results.

[Blackpuddingbertha]

I have teeny tiny snow drops almost ready to flower. This is their second year after I moved them from a naturalised clump by the orchard and I was hoping they'd be a little more vigorous this year but not looking that hopeful yet.

[Aethelfleda]

Ooh, I really hope my little snowdrop bulbs get cracking and come up! I had snowdrops in our old house and was gutted when we moved....was too polite to leave holes in the old garden beds!!

[NotAnotherNewNappy]

Hello everyone, I'm just catching up. I'm seriously impressed so many if you are out and doing already. My garden is wet, cold and covered in green algae. I mostly stare at it out of the window and wish for spring.

DH bought me some jazzy RHS /Hunter wellies for Xmas and it treated us to afternoon tickets to Chelsea. I've never been before, v excited.

I'm currently planning a rear extension which will mean redoing our patio and path. So prepare for lots of agonising about path designs and best pots for an east facing terrace!

[HumphreyCobbler]

I want some Hunter wellies. I also want to go to Chelsea!

Managed to spend 45 min clearing one of the herb beds yesterday. Felt a tremendous sense of achievement! Will try to get out again today to cut the catmint back, it is making everything look v manky.

I am very frustrated at my inability to put baby Cobbler in a sling on my back when I am on my own. Managed to put some sweet peas in first thing with him strapped to my front but this is NOT ideal.

Things I urgently want to do
clear out the potting shed and greenhouse.
clear the rest of the herb beds.
sort out potting area so that I just have to dash out and get started.
uproot all the fennel seedlings/alchemilla mollis in the paths and pot on
plant more broad beans
weed the paths

I think if I keep a list handy it will concentrate my mind when I have a spare minute. At the moment I waste valuable time by trying to sort out what to do.

[Rhubarbgarden]

Welcome Buggerlugs.

Humph it is inordinately frustrating trying to garden with a small one. With dd I can remember trying to rake leaves with her in a sling - didn't really work. Then I tried weeding with her in a bouncy chair next to me. Worked for all of five minutes. Then I gave up and just did the gardening when she napped; it seemed to be the only way! Now that she's old enough to amuse herself or even help me, I am hampered by ds.

Not counting down the days till they're at school and nursery. At all.

[HumphreyCobbler]

Is IS, isn't it? I am making sure we have a playpen ready for the summer, just to make the most of the odd few minutes. I get v frustrated with the way in which I am always interruptible (is that a word?) and DH is not! just because I have breasts When DD was little I realised that the only way was to get up, fling on clothes and rush out to the garden before DH was ready, then he had to sort out the DC