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Gardening

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

Original poster

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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48
Bearleigh · 03/05/2014 19:55

For lack of Monty, I watched last week's Beechgrove Garden, and the visit to Wemys Castle, and the acres of erythroniums. They are just so lovely, I might just have to give them a go. Beechgrove seems to be on countrywide BBC2 TV early on Sunday mornings, so I have set to record the series. Quite apart from anything else I know that if they are planting things out in Scotland, it should be fine for me to do it in SE England.

pogglebonkgeoff · 03/05/2014 20:52

Monty was on the Island, I left it too late to get tickets, sold out :(

I'll look out for that show bear.

Lovely day here, Dh has almost finished the pergola. I planted out the rest of the sunflowers, a few cosmos and some bulbs I'd been given last year that had been languishing in a pot of soil. I have no idea what they are, leaves last year looked lily ish

The white lilac is in flower and is fabulous, smells good too!

funnyperson · 03/05/2014 21:51

Erythroniums aka dogs tooth violets are one of those plants which are really nice close up on camera and quite modest in reality. Beautiful though. I agree I also am thinking of planting some erythronium revolution this autumn. Along with the saffron crocus and autumn flowering cyclamen.

Squeakyheart · 04/05/2014 08:02

castle congratulations! will put some elderberry wine aside for you for later!

Had a lovely time at the flower show last week and treated myself to a recycled metal heron statue to replace the one I lost. Didn't buy many flowers as all the ones I was thinking of buying were not there, probably autumn selling ones!

My neighbours have pulled the hedge out and the fence is going in next week. Yeah! A lovely new border to work on.

Tried to think of a useful suggestion to the sowing seeds problem but other then a bucket of water and a water gun couldn't think of any sorry would be fun though

Castlelough · 04/05/2014 12:01

Poggle I'm very envious of your white lilac! :-) Would love some lilacs in my garden! It must be exciting with the pagoda being almost finished! Photos please!

Funny thanks for the suggestions! I got another stretch done yesterday. Will get a bit more done today and hopefully finish it off tomorrow. DH helped with the raking a bit, but he didn't weed out any of the many thistles that have suddenly appeared everywhere, so I had to go back over it. Bubble wrap sounds like hard work! If the seeds take, good! If they don't I'll plant the bank, or at least sections of it, with something else next year!

Can anybody recommend nice gardening gloves?! Grin

Castlelough · 04/05/2014 12:02

Thanks Squeaky Wink. Glad the flower show was good and you have an entire border to plan! Grin

echt · 04/05/2014 12:50

Congratulations, Castlelough, and all the best health to you and your rosebud.

Not much to report here due to humungous rainfall, which is all good, though it keeps me indoors. Watching films.

Bearleigh · 04/05/2014 16:01

Can anyone help me identify this plant? I am almost sure it's a Euphorbia but I can't see anything like it on nursery websites. It's purply chocolate brown, very delicate to look at. And about 18" tall. I got it as a cutting from a NGS garden a couple of years ago and they couldn't tell me what it was either!

He who dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose
He who dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose
LushAndVerdant · 04/05/2014 17:35

Yes, it's euphorbia Chameleon (or another variety very like it). I have it edging a bed.

Original poster
Blackpuddingbertha · 04/05/2014 17:53

It's beautiful

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Bearleigh · 04/05/2014 18:40

Thanks Lush. That gives me something to work on. It is hard to tell for sure from the photos on www, as some photos of 'Chameleon' seem to have its delicacy, and some look more like a traditional euphorbia, but a beautiful purple colour.

LushAndVerdant · 04/05/2014 19:08

Well, your looks the same as mine and mine was sold to me as Chameleon, but that too was at an amateur event so who knows? Mine is definitely not as chunky as many other euphorbias, such as amygdaloides purpurea, which is another favourite of mine.

Bearleigh · 05/05/2014 08:55

The RHS used to offer an identification service, but the old link doesn't work with their whizzy new website, but I'll see if I can track it down. It would be nice to know what it is wouldn't it? It's so pretty.

LushAndVerdant · 05/05/2014 08:58

Yes, the whizzy new site is in some ways not as good as the old one. I discovered that last night, when I was searching for a plant profile of Chameleon.

Lexilicious · 05/05/2014 14:56

Hello all! I have done gardening this weekend, amongst the usual visits to friends and DH DIY helping.

I noticed while scooping pond weed that one of my two clumps of sisyrhinchium had become an ants' nest, so I dug both of them up, taking the opportunity to split them into about 15 individual plants, and immediately replanted them in the border-I-used-to-dream-could-be-all-edibles. Then noticed two clumps of congested primroses, so dug them up and started splitting them - realising that the reddish soil amongst their roots must mean the original two plants had come from around my parents' farm in Devon, and they've only been there since 2011. Got two full trays of little primroses, plus there are a handful of self seeded plants along the same border.

Also yesterday in the ex-edibles border I planted out the geranium phaeum which funnyperson dug up for me last weekend in her garden, and a clutch of perennials/ shrubs that I bought at the autumn RHS show in the Horticultural Halls. One of them looks rather, how shall I put this, dead. Today I scattered about 60 little allium bulbs that I found in the shed... I think I paid actual money for them in September and then just left them drying out. They've sprouted, but might have exhausted themselves. And it's the wrong time to plant them. Ah well, if any come up now, it'll be a bonus.

and after all that, I've given the border a liberal scattering of anti-cat gel stuff, so now it makes me sneeze to be out there!

Congratulations and gentle virtual hugs to Castlelough !

Lexilicious · 05/05/2014 14:58

Ps funny, could you share the recipe for the fig drop scones, they were delish!

pogglebonkgeoff · 05/05/2014 17:45

Lovely plant bearleigh.

Ants me too lexi I noticed the Gunnera wasn't looking happy, teaming with red ants, on the advice from another gardening page I concocted icing sugar mixed with bicarbonate of soda and water. Not sure if it worked.

Great gardening weekend plus managed to get to Ventnor Botanics, all the Echiums were in flower which made me realise I've planted mine too close together.

Top tip for tomatoes, I bet you all know, but was recommended to me to use florist buckets from the supermarket. Sure enough Co-Op were more than happy to give me as many as I wanted.

I've put some FB pictures up of the ongoing pergola build!

LushAndVerdant · 05/05/2014 18:08

I haven't noticed any ants yet, but the lilies are full of lily beetles. I am doubly pleased when I interrupt two of them mid-bonk as that must halt their population explosion in its tracks.

WynkenBlynkenandNod · 05/05/2014 18:08

Congratulations Castle, lovely news Smile

Still sorting out parents which is distracting frm gardening. However I've just been out looking at the roses. Am miffed to see that Mme Alfred Carriere who is on year 3, has one solitary bud. I did warn I woukd have a horticultural tantrum if it didn't finally flower this year. Can anyone placate me and say their plant is currently budless?

funnyperson · 05/05/2014 18:42

Wynken I cant work this out because my Alfred Carriere is dripping with buds, . You didnt prune did you because I did say not to prune.
However, it is early in the season and may I suggest you feed your plant with New Horizons organic peat free compost buy 2 get one free? This has worked really well for mine. Also water in well apparently they like loads of water when forming buds.
Sorry about your parents. I ran away from mine and didn't visit today, and have pretended to the wider family that I am abroad.
I had a lovely time visiting a local ngs garden.
It is interesting how more mature gardens deal with the 'middle canopy' ie the plants between the trees and the ground cover. These are often old roses or flowering shrubs and many old gardens prune these to one main stem so as to raise the flowering top layer and then have perennials underneath.

funnyperson · 05/05/2014 18:53

lexi Drop scones with Figs

Waitrose soft dried figs from a packet finely chopped
organic white flour 4 large table spoons
organic brown flour 4 large table spoons
Green and Blacks Belgian hot chocolate 2 large table spoons
brown Demerara organic cane sugar 3-4 large tablespoons or to taste
baking powder 3 level teaspoons
3 eggs

Mix it all up with enough milk till it slides gently but slowly off the spoon and whirl around a bit with a fork to get air in.

Heat up frying pan with a little bit of vegetable oil in (not too much oil) and when hot, drop the scones in with a spoon and fork. Usually about three at a time, about 3 fingerbreadths across. Turn over when you see air bubbles on top. Eat, yum. Could be even better with damson jam and clotted cream of course but one has to think of one's arteries.

funnyperson · 05/05/2014 18:56

wynken I literally emptied 2 whole watering cans of water onto the base of the rose a week after I mulched it with compost, so much that it formed a puddle, like Monty planting clematis.

Castlelough · 05/05/2014 19:29

Lexi you sound as though you've had a great day in the garden! Grin

I did a bit of half-hearted bits. Left my morning glory seedlings out overnight, and to be honest, they look massacred. Sad I transplanted a few into a planter with a teepee of canes and am hoping for the best.
The clematis is still in the bath. BlushBlush I can't decide where to put it that won't be possibly being attacked by a digger machine in the coming months. Everywhere 'safe' is difficult to dig. All the flowers have fallen off, that's not good is it????Confused
I transplanted a few of the aubretia seedlings.
I came to a truce with DH about the orchard. He has offered me the WORST (overgrown) spot possible, but it is big enough for 10-12 M25 trees so I graciously accepted his offer on the condition that when the diggerman returns in the autumn that he will do the hard work of clearing bushes/trees and completely digging over the soil and making it level (or slightly sloping, as is recommended).

We won't mention the wildflower bank

Any recommendations for nice gardening gloves?

Original poster
Blackpuddingbertha · 05/05/2014 20:26

I go through so many gloves Castle that I just buy whatever seems reasonable when I need some more. Although I do try them all on before selecting one.

Lovely day at Nymans. Weather was beautiful. Unfortunately it's really in between time at the moment on the flowering front, another couple of weeks and it will be glorious and I will need to go back

Thank you to whoever suggested taking a picnic. It was heaving there today and the cafe was bursting at the seams. Picnic with a view in the sunshine though was heavenly.

Managed to grab some time in the veg plot tonight to sow my French beans and prep a couple of beds for planting stuff out. Would really like the threat of frosts to pass soon.

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