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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

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

999 replies

Blackpuddingbertha · 02/04/2014 21:15

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 Wine

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pogglebonkgeoff · 24/04/2014 13:16

Roses sound lovely, I inherited a rough looking bunch which I remembered to feed last year year. They are looking healthier . I still can't get my head round the pruning, read that link funny, I must try and get to Sissinghurst!

Castle - have a great time at your sister's wedding.

This morning I was in Sainsburys for a change, dd 1 will be 11 on Saturday and I was supposed to be buying party food. Obviously spent a rather long time checking out the plants but was restrained and just got 5 big pots reduced to £2.60 for my tomatoes and a purple passion flower. I put the rudbeckia lime green back as I couldn't remember if it was an annual or Perenial.

Dh is off tomorrow and plans to finish the decking, and pergola. Happy days :)

pogglebonkgeoff · 24/04/2014 13:20

Nightshade you do show gardens? How lovely any pictures?

FrankUnderwood · 24/04/2014 15:29

My rudbeckia is an august perennial Goldfsturm, but the lime green variety might be different, pobblebonk.

I love supermarket garden sections, as I can pop in a few little pots or compost in with the main weekly shop - it doesn't feel so much of a naughty luxury that way! Two purpley hellebores and a bad of compost snuck in from Tesco's on sunday... oh dear.

bobblypop · 24/04/2014 17:30

hello all, have you room for one more in the potting shed? I have been lurking for a while... and thought I may join you. I have finally decided to try and rescue the chaos of my gardens this year. I used to love gardening, then dc came along (all 6 of them!) and I have sadly neglected it for too long. But this year Im going to try and gradually make amends.
I have a fairly limited budget though and not much time but will try!!
SO far over the past couple of weeks Ive created a gravel and decking tile seating area, renewed our pebbled seating area in the sunny corner of the garden and completely cleared on border and started on the other two at the back.
Ive purchased 6 large rocks off ebay fora rockery area Im planning in the front (collecting on Sat) and made a start clearing the top front border.
My challenges are that the back garden was originally new build that we created 2 large flower beds in about 10 years ago. It is NE facing so some areas are shady. It is also on fairly heavy soil and at the bottom of a hill so is quite wet.
The front is south facing and very dry with fine poor soil mostly.
Along with that we have 2 dogs who seem determined to sabotage just about any efforts I put into the garden LOL But I will succeed this year!

LushAndVerdant · 24/04/2014 18:39

Hello bobblypop and welcome! Are your dc old enough to be pressed into service in the garden?

I am loving the rose talk. When I started with the climber (more like a rambler) on the back fence, I was tying it in horizontally to encourage flowering, but have rather let it go in recent years. I am trying to reclaim it now, but will need to do more next year.

bobblypop · 24/04/2014 19:15

Hi Lush my dc are definitely old enough to be pressed into service! They are 16,14,11,9,8 and 6. So far they have all helped EXCEPT the 14 and 16 year old LOL and in fact the best weeding has been done by my very enthusiastic 6 year old!
so wise gardening folk, quick question...I planted a bare root peony that I got in Wilkinsons(obviously had gone in for tap washers and paint and came out with plants LOL) the other day...how long will it take to establish? any chance of flowers from it this year or not? (assuming I can stop the dogs digging it up long enough to give it a chance!)

HumphreyCobbler · 24/04/2014 21:33

Hello bobblypop, welcome to the thread. How lucky your children will help Envy

I think the peony will not flower this year but should be fine for next.

I have just had to order red orach plants. They normally grow everywhere in the garden and I can pull them up to eat in salad but not this year. There are hardly any seedlings and they have all gone brownish. I depend on these for my herb beds so bit the bullet and ordered plants. I bet I get LOADS of seeds coming through now...

mousmous · 24/04/2014 21:44

your garden sounds great, I'm sure that it will look really nice.

my sweetcorn and tomatoe seedlings are outside hardening off, but the tomatos are looking a bit sad and as if neighbours cat has sat on them I guess I have to sow a couple of new ones. also plan to sow the cougettes.
and sunflowers.

Blackpuddingbertha · 24/04/2014 22:05

Hi pop. Am I the only one reeling at the idea of 6DC and 2 dogs and still finding time to even consider gardening!

My sweet corn are still struggling to germinate mousmous, only one so far out of 30! I have bought a back up packet so may need to get them sown this weekend. Courgettes are getting big though and I may move them out of my conservatory and in to the plastic greenhouse.

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echt · 25/04/2014 06:38

Hello, bobblypop welcome to the coven band of green-fingered MNers.

ANZAC today, so a holiday and a cold start but now at 3.30. it's a lovely 20. Today was tidying up and getting things out of pots and into the ground, in this case a bottle tree and some kangaroo paws. The bottle tree had spent few years in a pot and as I moved it, yes, the tap root had snuck through drainage hole and burrowed into the soil. They are tough as old boots - even the huge 8 metre ones can be dug out with a Bobcat, put on a lorry and taken elsewhere, so I snapped it off and dug it in.

More delicate was rearranging a 3 metre-high cactus that had grown under a frame for bougainvillaea so DH was up a long ladder and battling with the thorns from each plant to free the wretched cactus. :o I say it's wretched because although impressively big, it never flowers.

A smaller, very spiny cactus had fallen over, being too fat and heavy, so much bubble wrap needed to lift it prior to planning it in a pot for a while. Now this IS a flowering one. I'll see if I can put up a photo.

The final tidy up was digging up all the cannas: they simply don't flower in the scalding sun, and nowhere is properly shady in the garden.
Still, more room for plants that can take it. Smile

Rhubarbgarden · 25/04/2014 07:38

Hello and welcome pop. I also take my hat off to you for even considering gardening with six dcs. Two are challenging enough for me!

I visited Groombridge Place yesterday, and was checking out the rose pruning there. I must try to get to Sissinghurst again this year, that article that funny found was great. I was taught to do rose training like that when I did my internship at Kew, but have never really had the opportunity to have a stab at it. This will change hopefully - I plan to buy many roses for this garden.

My wisteria is flowering and looks beautiful. It only has five flowers on but I'm surprised it has any at all, as I gave it a major prune last year to get it under control, as the previous owners had left it to its own devices.

echt · 25/04/2014 07:52

Here's the spiny cactus in bloom. This happens in about November, it may have two blooms that last about there days.

He who dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose
echt · 25/04/2014 07:53

Hmm the scale isn't good. Each flower is about a handspan width.

mousmous · 25/04/2014 07:55

beautiful flowers! does it have edible fruit as well?

silkknickers · 25/04/2014 08:03

Have I got clematis wilt???
I planted clematis Montana (Elizabeth) a couple of weeks ago at the base of a tree. It seemed fine to begin with, but now its flowers seem to be falling off! Is it the dreaded wilt and if so, what can I do about it? I've done the usual stuff: watered well, added plenty of compost to the hole, covered the base of the plant with crocks to keep it shady. however, I may not have planted it as deeply as I should, so I wonder if that has something to do with it.
Any ideas?

echt · 25/04/2014 08:04

No, just the flowers. The one in the photo is the one that's fallen over and is now in bubble wrap on the garage floor. I'll pot it up tomorrow. Don't know if it will flower this year, though within a week of its falling, three babies had sprouted from the stump.

mousmous · 25/04/2014 13:24

just inspected my bare veg patch in peeparation of the sweetcorn going in. it seems there are a lot of tomato seedlings. from last year?
keep them or dig them in?

Blackpuddingbertha · 25/04/2014 16:56

Mousmous - I get tomato seedlings randomly growing from my compost when i spread it on the the garden. I presume they are from composted kitchen tomatoes. I pull them up.

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bobblypop · 25/04/2014 18:29

evening all.
echt cactus flowers are lovely. I cant imagine living somewhere that hot!
managed to weed rest of bottom border on front garden before rain set in for the day.
I am hoping to go to Newark garden show tomorrow...(if weather isn't too vile!) and it's pay day so may come home with a few "bargains" LOL

Rhubarbgarden · 25/04/2014 18:36

It's the spring plant fair at the Garden Museum in London on Sunday, for anyone up that way. They are usually good. I really need to take myself off their mailing list though; I always want to go to their events but quite frankly I'm never going to be able to these days, so it's a bit pointless.

Stunning flower, Echt.

Could well be clematis wilt, Silk.

Bearleigh · 25/04/2014 20:31

Welcome bobbly. It occurs to me that you could mix the soil from the back with the soil from the front with some compost/rotted manure, and end up with some lovely loam. Lots of trundling back and forth but it might be worth a try with your army of willing helpers.

Blackpuddingbertha · 25/04/2014 21:19

I swear Monty looked at the camera in tonight's GW with a glint in his eye when he said, "but first I'm going to take some clothes off".

I think he lurks on this thread...

Missed the first half due to niece having an unfortunate accident with hair oil. My carpet's not going to be the same again. Will catch up on iplayer once I've had sufficient Wine and Lindt chocolate rabbit to forget about the carpet.

I think I've lost two thirds of my alliums this year. I presume the wet winter did not agree with them. Sad

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funnyperson · 25/04/2014 21:50

I missed Gardeners World, I'll have to do what Wynken does and watch it over breakfast tomorrow,

Hello there all newcomers bobblypop and silkyknickers Blush Welcome Do have a cup of coffee Brew

echt those cactus flowers are stunning. just stunning. I want to know if everyone in Australia has flowers like yours or whether we are just very lucky to hear about your garden on this thread.

frankunderwood I'm sorry you mentioned this a few posts back but can I ask if you could tell me the difference and relative merits of echinacea and rudbeckia and if planting together in a south facing little garden what variety will go with what in your opinion (and anyone else's opinion) as I have been considering them for my little front garden. The colours will need to go with the purple buddlea peacock/gryphon/hugebirdthingy and I would like bright colours

funnyperson · 25/04/2014 21:54

blackpuddingbertha as this is the first year I have planted any alliums I was thinking perhaps its a bit early for them to come up but from what you say maybe I have lost most of my alliums too.

funnyperson · 25/04/2014 22:18

I am pissed off. Some dork in the bbc has decided we cant watch gardeners world on iplayer till after its been shown at 6.30 pm on a Saturday. This puts my whole weekend gardening rhythm out of joint. What is the point of having 'jobs to do this weekend in the garden' when the weekend is practically gone. Who on earth wants to watch a gardening programme early on Saturday evening anyway. Most normal people want something more lively by that stage of the weekend.