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

Love the name maudant also love how fast this thread moves and have enjoyed catching up.

The only mint I have is in a pot by the back door, apparently it stops flies coming in.

nann I don't know really I'm just being optimistic, I love your Alliums, the ones I have that are in flower are all white. If I can remember where they all are I'm going to move them in the Autumn and, mix them amongst my Hostas.

I am regretting not putting the Dahlias in pots and in the greenhouse, no sign of them yet. I'm tempted by the 30% Sarah Raven offer too.

My lawn is full of bare bits, mainly from the extension to the dc's slide. I tell them to take it off and store it when not in use but of course they don't. I have several rectangular bits of grass in various stages of dieing. I've stopped caring tbh, it still looks lovely when mown, even the weeds. anyone want a slide?

whilst I've worked and slept Dh has been sorting out the lawn edging, he's lifted all the victorian stones, the grass was growing over them in places, and relaid them straight. We're nearly ready to re gravel the paths and driveway.

I've lobbed my dahlias directly in but am working on the assumption they will take a fair bit of time to come through.

Just ordered 8 of the purple Dahlias, really only wanted 4 but that amount was sold out

I expect when they arrive the ones I already have will surface, oh well. I never even used to like Dahlias and have never grown them before.

Hmm. My should I have grown it on or just bunged it in dilemma relates to a canna. I started it off in a seed tray of compost with a chocolate cosmos and when they both showed signs of growth I planted them out. The chocolate cosmos continues to grow but there's now no sign of movement at all from the canna. Hey ho.

The plant I am recommending today is jasminum beesianum. The flowers are tiny but it is a very pretty shade of hot pink.

that's more like it.

That's lovely - is it Blue For You?

yes, my other roses have buds but are not as far.

I have got some promising-looking buds on Darcey Bussell, Nuits de Young and Winchester Cathedral, but nothing that's about to open.

I'm just going out to pick a bunch of honeysuckle.

Ooh I often see jasminum beesianum in Morrisons' £2.00 climbers range, and dithered, but I shall actually step up to the plate next time I see it: thanks Maud.

I have the odd flower on Albéric Barbier, as he's in a sheltered spot, but he has loads of buds to come.

Some climbing nasturtiums have clambered up him, and have a few flowers showing, which looks lovely as Albéric has small very glossy dark green leaves.

That reminds me - for people who share my childish delight in anthropomorphic plants - I have General Sikorski entwined with an American Beauty.

Haha! what a great idea. Albéric is also planted with Polish Spirit clematis so I can think of him sipping a small Vodka.

Yes, I suppose I should have planted my General Sikorski and Polish Spirit together (although I'm still waiting for conclusive evidence that Polish Spirit is still alive).

I have just been browsing the gardening section of Ebay and found someone asking for 35 for a fair-sized clump of agapanthus. It makes me realise what the garden might be worth, should I decide to dig it all up and flog it on Ebay.

Mousmous - lovely rose, v unusual colour.

Wynken - I am still totally freaked by the woodlouse nest I found yesterday. They are v creepy, even for mini-beasts.

I have been in the front garden today, making a window box out of cuttings, from my mum, which have just rooted - bright pink begonia, aubrietia and a green succulent, with pink star shaped flowers, i only know as the 'Ibiza plant' (can you guess where the original cutting came from?). It's for a very awkward shady corner, atop of my ugly gas meter cupboard. I tried Lobelia & daffs previously, both failed.

I have really enjoyed my tulips in pots, but I'm not sure if I will do them next year as moving them into the ground to free up pot space has been a total PITA. Plus, I'm not sure it will even work - as it's its tricky trying to get them deep enough.

I am more hopeful for the cyclamen I've transplanted in the hope of naturalising. Although the slugs do seem to like these.

All that effort was to free up space to pot on my best lavender. It has lots of buds just turning purple. I'm v excited as I have bought and killed many lavender plants over the years - but these ones I've raised from tiny plugs. I think they've been happy with lots of sand mixed into the soil, a sunny spot to bask in and plenty of benign neglect.

Ooh Maud that Jasminum is lovely.

I have been flicking through my mother's old Yorkshire Cookery book in a desperate attempt to find a cake recipe for ds's birthday party next weekend. So far I have come across recipes for oak leaf wine, coltsfoot wine, cowslip pudding, dock pudding (which it stresses must be made with sweet dock, not cow dock) and nettle porridge.

I'd heartily recoomend it, Rhubarb, especially if you can get it for 2 at Morrison's.

Not quite sure what to think of that cookbook.

::Too timid even to eat violas and nasturtiums emoticon::

It's not just weedy delicacies; other appetising gems include:
Wartime soup
Wash-day pie
Old hen pie
Rook pie
Invalid pudding
Emergency sweet
Mock goose
Sand cake

Hungry, anyone?

I love the sound of that book Rhubarb

sand cake! Tasty
Invalid pudding. Don't know if I fancy eating an invalid.
The poor old hen..

Many of the recipes include the word 'cheap'. Most are barely more than a paragraph long. It's an interesting reminder that cooking used to be functional, and both money and time were in short supply. Compare that to cookery books and telly programmes now, when everything is fancy and complicated and designed to impress.

I generally hate cooking - the faff, the mess, the forward planning involved in sourcing ingredients, the time it all takes. I think I need to delve deeper into these old books. Maybe not sand cake though.

Ooh, I have that Jasminum. I got it (for around £2) from Sainsbury's last year. It's in a pot by the back door as I'm hoping it will scramble up amongst the white solanum I have there too. So far though, it is not thriving. Is yours planted out Maud or is it in a pot? Tempted to move it to grow up the fence at the front but worried that I will kill it completely.

I read that as in-valid pudding, so 'not actually a real pudding'. I think invalid pudding makes more sense. I like the sound of Emergency Sweet. I quite often need one of those.

Also intrigued by nettle porridge.

I have the jasminum beesianum in a big planter by the front door, sharing the pot with rosa Gloriana and euphorbia myrsinitis. The idea is that in time it will scramble through Gloriana.

Mmmm. Maybe I just need to give it some TLC.

Dd2 birthday is next Sunday, she has requested some sort of cake she's seen made with Oreo biscuits. rhubarb I'm not a great cook either but I must be improving because she normally asks for a shop bought cake! I'm already nervous about the impending party I've got to organise for 10ish 8-9 year olds.

That book sounds familiar, I've either got it somewhere or saw it on a world war 2 history program, I'm sure they made mock goose!

I may or may not have that Jasmine, I bought a pink Jasmine last week from Sainsburys for £3, they've put the price up

Yes that jasminum looks nice. I've got a nice variegated jasmine with creamy flowers I bought at Hampton court last year. I've got too many plants, I need to do something about it.
Like plant up the front bed.
I divided the astilbe lexi gave me and potted on the crocosmia. Potted up the lime green nicotiniana seedlngs which arrived from Sarah Raven. Planted out the osteospermum and a little convolvulus with silvery leaves.
I need to take some more rose cuttings.
There are buds on many of the roses here. It will be at least a week before they flower though except for flowers out on mme Alfred Carriere, sweetly scented. Excited to see what Nuits de Young will look like and loving its mossy stems. Its a first year for 5 of the roses which are in pots out the front.
I'd like the recipe for nettle porridge please, my nettles need cutting back and look very healthy.
I've got far too many plants growing on and being nurtured: its because I like the propagation process as much as I like the planting out.

Funny if the convolvulus with silvery leaves is Convolvulus cneorum, be warned that despite Sarah Raven says ('space 14" apart'), if it's happy it can grow enormous. I have one that is in a sheltered spot by a wall, and not only is it a metre across, it's started climbing up the wall (behind a trellis for support). It's almost 2 metres off the ground now, looking gorgeous.

My Mum had a Yorkshire WI cookery book with recipes like that in Rhubarb. I remember Rook Pie in particular (she only ever made the chocolate cake recipe). I've inherited her 1950s WI book of cordials and wines that says slightly mournfully that it's no longer the done thing to put laudanum in home-made medicines. But if anyone needs a recipe for nettle wine, or comfrey syrup I can oblige.

I think sand cake is a cake made partly with cornflour, so has a sandy/crumbly texture...