He who dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose

[Blackpuddingbertha]

New thread for the potting shed crowd using Rhubarb's rose suggestion and Squeaky's quote for the new title.

Spring is underway with promises of summer in our gardens big and small.

Elderberry wine for all

The allotment program was the one I saw the location of when on a client's Estate last summer. It was not as it appears on the TV. I asked what was going on as the walled garden bit was completely surrounded by huge amounts of Harris fencing and there were security guards. It looked like a building site from the outside. Apparently it was all very cut-throat and the contestants weren't allowed on the site on their own in case they sabotaged each other's plots! They had to book time to go in so they could be supervised...

So busy with work at the moment and I'm desperate to get out in the garden, it's so beautiful weather-wise. I remembered earlier that I had some seed trays germinating in the spare bedroom which I'd forgotten about. I have very tall, sideways growing seedling. Whoops. Hoping they will recover.

Funny - glad to hear you're on the mend... how are your astrantia Venice seedlings doing?

I have finally opened the packet from Lexi (thank you again Lexi!) and done my research. It looks like a beautiful plant and I would love some in my garden. The web seems to say sow it in a propagator, wait 2 weeks then put them in the fridge for 3 weeks. Is this really necessary?! I have sprinkled them in seed compost and wrapped them in a sandwich bag. Please someone tell me what to do next!

I got the Carol Klein book on propagation for Xmas - but I really need the dummies guide...

I have found some summer snowflakes 50 for £29. Is that a ridiculous amount to spend on fancy snowflakes? Dry bulbs in autumn are much cheaper (£13.50), are these less reliable? They are from naturescape.co.uk - I've never heard of them before but now I want to give them all my cash for the promise of a lovely wild woodland themed garden.

I want to watch Allotment now... But DH is vetoing me for Game of Thrones.

read a bit more about bluebels, apparently the native ones can be blue or white but the pollen needs to be yellow. if the pollen is white or blue it's forrin.

I don't know from personal experience NANN, but the RHS says to plant the dry bulbs in autumn, and the good people at RHS are the fount of almost all my gardening knowledge...

That said, I went a bit mad at the wonderful Perryhill nursery today, buying 14 plants for my various empty beds, mostly shrubs or sub shrubs. The labels were already pretty comprehensive but I thought I'd do a bit more www research and what struck me was the differences of opinion you could get between RHS and nursery websites, especially about whether a plant is best grown in sun or whether part shade will do. One plant that was growing very successfully in dry shade in our garden when we moved in* was stated firmly by RHS to need full sun.

*it is linaria purpurea Canon Went, the lovely pale pink toadflax. I pulled it out thinking it was a baby ordinary toadflax which seed themselves a bit too freely; also, frequently, in dry shade.

I also got a Euphorbia Griffithii Dixter, which I have been after for a long time, but not seen to buy. Such a beauty, so I am thrilled.

Ooh, I love euphorbias. Chameleon is self-seeding itself in all sorts of unlikely places.

I had a sad time yesterday, throwing out tulips which had failed to flower, but the upside is that some of my nicest pots are empty and ready to be replanted.

I think the RHS and other websites tend to focus on where plants will do best, for optimal performance, whereas experience shows that they will manage in a broader range of conditions. As much of my garden is in shade or semi-shade, I often have to play fast and loose with planting conditions. Sometimes it works and sometimes it backfires on me.

funny sorry to hear you've been poorly.

I watched the allotment program on iplayer, amazing what they could cram in. I was less interested in the challenges though.

lush I'm the same the only bit of full sun, in my garden is not well drained.

I've sown yet more seeds -white lavender, munstead lavender, and multiflowering sunflowers which I'm going to use as teacher presents.

www.seasonalwildflowers.com/january/winter-heliotrope.html

I've finally identified the weed at the bottom of my garden, this is a great site!

There is a truck load of wood now in our garden, Dh is building decking, various pergolas, uprights and more raised beds. Apparently wood is about to go up in price by 20%, not much about due to it being burned for bio fuel.

Am I wrong to feel of pogglebonkhusband and his ability to build decking? DH has many wonderful qualities, but building a pergola - I would love a pergola - isn't one of them.

all they new wood 'buildings' sound great.

the plants for my sister have survived (so far) an rta (we are fine apart from a sore shoulder on my part, but the car is written off) more than 2 days in the boot of various cars. so I am hoping they will do just fine.

the wisteria cutting will go in pots and water. mum says water, monty says pots, so we are doing both.

what do you say? it's a bit colder here than in the se. my parents have a 'sun room' which used to be a veranda , but has double glazing put in. should I put them there or outside?

oh, and should I re-cut the cuttings?
they look fine, the leaves have not lost juice in all that time.

Oh mousmous. Even if you're not badly hurt, an accident in which the car is written off must be a shock.

::slightly grubby gardeners' hug::

Is wisteria one of those plants where you're supposed to let the cutting dry/harden a bit before you pot it up? If not, I think I'd trim the ends of the cuttings.

Oh mous that's horrid, you must be very shaken.

I have no idea about the cuttings, the first cuttings I have ever done - Buddleia have all rooted and got potted on yesterday. I used rooting gel, only because I got some included in the greenhouse package.

thanks for the hug. the garden-grubby ones are the best :)

yes it eas quite a shock, but thankfully it was 'only' the car versus the crash barrier and no other vehicle involved.
the fox didn's survive, though.

will do some gardening with mum later, well I will instruct her as dr says no lifting for the next couple of weeks. I hope the cuttings will take, as they are from a flowering plant. also my family is bee mad, and the wisteria was full of them last year.

Gosh mous that sounds quite an accident. Glad to hear you're basically OK. The couple of propagating courses I've been on were relaxed about keeping hardy plant cuttings outside, but for myself they need to be close to the house or I forget about watering them.

One technique that I was taught that worked for me over one winter was taking a black bin liner, spreading it out, adding a handful of damp compost about 4" diagonally away from a corner, popping the cut ends of your cuttings in that, then covering it all with a fold and rolling the whole thing up, tying it firmly then popping it in a cool shady place in the garden and forgetting about it for 6 months. When you unroll it you have rooted cuttings which you pot up and away you go. Over winter there would be more moisture around of course.

Mous you poor thing. Thank God you nobody was badly hurt, but how frightening. [hug]

funny hope you are feeling a little better.

poggle as a teacher, I would love a gift like that! That's where my little struggling chilli plant came from 2 yrs ago! Great thinking!

Rhubarb How is Rhubarbcat?

The wildflower seed has arrived!!!
Will spray the weeds tomorrow or late this evening, if I can fit it in. Then sow the seeds the following day. Happy, as this was the one thing I really wanted to achieve these hols.

That bin bag cutting technique sounds intriguing. I was just cutting back salvia Hot Lips so have dunked the cut buts in hormone rooting powder and will see whether they take as cuttings. I have a very poor track records with cuttings, so fingers crossed!

might try the bag thing, too.

here a picture of thr ground elder production of my parent's garden.
had some with pasta for lunch.

was it tasty?

I have just pulled up all the orange wallflowers from the bed outside the back door. The colour was all wrong with my lovely, delicate geums that are just coming into flower. Looks much better now and the wallflowers are in vases in the kitchen and look great.

yes it was very nice actually.
we had it cooked and pureed with onions and brie cheese (with the rind cut off). a bit like pesto.

Looks like my ground elder Mousmous. Did you just eat baby ones or full grown ones too? Been pulling mine up by the bucket load so we can appreciate the bluebells until it grows back. Accident sounds scary, glad you're pretty much ok.

Hugs mousmous
of pogglebonkhusband
that wildflower seed has arrived for castle
Please give nutter a gentle get-well stroke from me rhubarb

What does ground elder look like close up?
The astrantia seedlings are growing. However the martagon lilies have not survived the winter.
I'm feeling OK but a bit woollyheaded and can't seem to get my head even round something like gardening. I know I want to garden tomorrow but can't think what do do. I might just take cuttings and sow seeds.

My next weeding session will concentrate on the ground elder that has popped up by the back fence. I thought I had got all the dandelions on my last session, but I found more today. Harrumph.

as we had the choice bertha we only took the fresh light green leaves. but the darker ones are fine as well. it tastes a bit like spinach, maybe a bit more iron-y.

my parents have resigned to it, they have the proper flowerbed tanked so that is ground elder free, the rest of the garden it fights it out with 5 or 6 different kinds of mint. in the sunny areas it seems that the mint has the upper hand. for any other herbs they have a mint-free herb garden in an old bathtub.

oh castle I have missed the wildflower seeds. how exciting!

Funny, I will take some close up photos of mine for you if you like . I am determined to eat it at some point. I think I shall pesto it as you suggest and not tell DH.

of wildflower seeds and excited for you at the same time. I hope they work well, that bank will look stunning if they do.

Ouch, Mous, that sounds awful. Glad you are ok.

Fascinated by the plastic bag technique, that's definitely one to try.

I forgot to watch Chris Beardshaw's soil programme tonight, bugger. Will have to see if it's on iplayer.

Rhubarbcat is home after her surgery and recovering well, thank you Castle. Unfortunately they have recommended a course of radiotherapy to follow, which is a blow. I feel bad putting her through it, but she's the sort of cat who takes things in her stride incredibly well, so if any cat can deal with it, she can. At the moment she's just peed off with cage rest and wants to be out there destroying wildlife like OtherRhubarbcat. I'm so glad to have her home though, I missed her terribly while she was in hospital. Not looking forward to her going off again for the radiotherapy at all - that'll be a whole two weeks in hospital for her.