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

Clematis Blue Eyes looking wonderful but annoyingly all the flowers point upwards. Looks fantastic from my bedroom window though. Plus a picture of my solanum Glasnevin. Everyone should have one!

Those are lovely.

I have a white solanum but, despite being about a decade old, it has not bulked up like that. I just let it do its thing, but should I prune it to encourage bushier growth?

Hi kits and kinky, your gardens look and sound great!

I love reading about all the new plants on here that I don't know about! I have been admiring a plant in a neighbours garden for weeks and having googled cerinthe from Maud's post I now know what to look for!

I raided the shelf of doom in the range this week and got a healthy looking tree peony for £2 and a deutzia Montana Rose for 50p so very happy

I have planted my veg patch up and then dragged DH outside with a tape measure to start the planning for the garage base and it looks like I will be moving my veg patch and greenhouse around so will probably lose all my crops .

Have realised I am quite a haphazard lazy gardener as having watched GW I too don't do the things monty does. No polythene/ propagators for me just bung seeds in modules and pray and I am notorious for not hardening things off, it's a definite survival of the fittest in my garden!

Keeping fingers crossed for rosebud and nutter!

Maud, I have a white solanum too. They are very different beasts. The white one seems to act more like a clematis in its climbing habit. The blue ones very quickly form more of a shrub with woody stems and need supporting.

Squeaky, my seedlings aren't nurtured much either. We do ok. I talk to them a lot in an encouraging way though and tell them off if they sulk.

Evening all, Bertha I love that Solanum, very pretty, I wonder if I could fit one in somewhere.

My hands are shredded to pieces from doing the pond this week and it's still not finished but hopefully, by the endof the bank holiday I will have it finished and partially planted so I shall post a new picture then.

I don't think it's been discussed yet but what did everyone think about the Laurent Perrier best in show garden? Everyone was raving about it on tv, but I was a bit Meh about it, I think I find it a little plain and dull!

I really liked the Night Sky garden best.

Lovely photos, Bertha.

Maud, pull the suckers off below ground level if you can.

Humph it is not often that my feral df is described as 'brilliant'! He is very good at edging though and always has been. I just wish he'd visit more often.

Off to Chelsea in the morning - Hurrah! I wasn't keen on the Laurent Perrier garden either but will reserve full judgement till I've seen it in the flesh.

Oh of course Chelsaea didn't finish on Friday did it. I always used to love going home through Victoria and seeing people with their spoils. The best was sharing a small carriage with loads of beautiful tall Delphiniums in varying shades of blue, plus their proud owner. They scraped the top of the carriage.

Kitsmummy I have a blue solanum between two old apple trees, so in very dry shade and it's booming away. They seems to be very 'forgiving'.

Yes, I was thinking yesterday about the sight of hundreds of people carrying home their loot from Chelsea. It's always a marvellous spectacle.

Thank you for the advice about the rose sucker, Rhubarb. I think I can dig down a bit and get to the sucker more or less at source.

I'm back from a very pleasant day at Chelsea. Very busy though compared to last year when we went on the Wednesday.

Managed not to see the Perrier Garden. I liked the Help for Heroes garden I think it was, the Potters Garden and the Leamington Spa exhibition inside.

Haven't come back with anything and don't have a long list of plants I want like last year though. I hope Rhubarb that you weren't any of the poor people caught outside in the deluge and not allowed into the Pavilion. Some idiots inside were taking photos of them. We were very lucky and only time we got wet was waiting for the coach from down here.

Next year I'd like to try Hampton Court.

Co-incidentally met Rhubarb at Chelsea. Dressed immaculately and sensibly for the occasion she was and looked great.
The show was heaving, and consequently very unpleasant at times. The umbrella broke, and my suede shoes were only marginally more suitable than my friend's open sandals , but the DS's old school fold up waterproof cagoule thingy saved the day.
I liked the Potter's garden and the Night Sky Garden best. I managed to come away with a lot of the Potter's garden in spite of having forgotten to take a foldable trolley.
The Queen of Sweden rose looked stunning in at least 2 great planting schemes.
The iris Domino Noir, which nearly made Chelsea plant of the year was very lovely.
I need some Lysimachia astropurpura Beaujolais.
The delphiniums were wonderful, as were Hillier's and Burncoose's displays.
I have very mixed feelings about the sell-off. Serious preparation, a lot of oopmh, with a penchant for risk taking and flamboyance plus a serious degree of physical fitness and fortitude are needed. Also six arms would be handy. Also a disregard for the economics of the event.

It was, however, fun to see the Chelsea flower show bus special to Victoria.
Sorry not to have mt up with you Wynken

I got a bit carried away at the garden centre today.

I went there to pick up summer bulbs, all 50% off. I left with four trays of nicotiana & antirrhinums, a sedum, a geranium, and one of these.

I want to plant the indigo in a large pot, and I am thinking clematis alpina to keep it company. I think the indigo has a fairly short flowering season. Any thoughts about other companions in the pot, to extend interest? It will be right by the back door in a sunny sheltered spot, so it would be great if it had interest for most of the year.

This weekend involved some very therapeutic pruning. One was of a huge scented-leaf geranium, the precise smell of the essential oil, this in order to get at the grass beneath to kill off before planting fruit trees. The other was giving a haircut to a bank of apetia cordifolia, some 8 foot by 3. It's so succulent, it's like picking up a huge bucket of water. The only reason I've left it so long is seeing bees in its tiny red flowers. I'll chop it back and see if I can succeed this time with some native ground cover.

I planted five westringia in a circle round the lemon-scented gum sapling in the back yard: they grow very fast and can be clipped into hedges, balls, etc, more easily than box.

An exciting discovery was native plantsman at a local market ; very cheap tubestock native plants, $2 a time. He carried lots of less common plants, as well as the old faces, so I stocked up on banksia blechnifolia, a plant I've had little luck with and is rather expensive usually, but at his prices, I'll give it a go again.

funny it was lovely to see you! That is a perfect summing up of the sell-off. It reduced me to tears at one point, when I realised my plant greed had resulted in me reserving more plants than I could physically carry, as everything turned out to be in much bigger pots than I was expecting.

My haul included three delightful little Cornus canadensis, a Geranium renardii, five Alliums (brand new variety with short stems, glaucous leaves and white flowers), two Salvia argenteas with gorgeous big floppy fluffy leaves, and an exquisite Auricula. I had also reserved a massive Rheum, and I will be eternally grateful to Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants for taking pity on me and giving me a refund, as I couldn't even lift it, let alone carry it along with all the rest of my booty.

Thank you for your compliments on my Chelsea outfit, funny! I fear I actually looked rather like a giant daffodil. My yellow flowery cagoule turned out to be inadequately waterproof though and I was damp all day.

Those Lysimachias were fabulous. So annoying that nobody was selling them off.

traviata I love the look of that Indigo. That's a new one on me.

Echt how nice to have found a cheap seller of native plants. I love Banksias.

I hadn't realised you were both Going yesterday FP and Rhubarb, would have been lovely to see you.

We had originally thought we would have a go at getting things in the sell off but ran out of steam and couldn't face it. It might have been the Night Sky one I liked but it wasn't always possible to get to see the signs as to which it was. We enjoyed ourselves but had a much more pleasant time last year on the Wednesday and I will never do the Saturday again - too busy after a long trip.

Glad you mentioned the Lysimachia FP, I did like that but forgot what it was. A couple of plants did catch my eye- Lilium macklinae, Cornus Florida Rainbow and another I couldn't find a label on, will post a pic in a minute if I can. I also would quite like an alpine auricula So think I might order a couple from Drointon.

Does anyone know what the white one is please?

Yes such a shame I didn't know you were going Wynken, I'd have loved to have met you.

That's Silene fimbriata. I wanted some of those too but the show gardens weren't selling them and the nursery ones were all already reserved. This is just as well, actually.

Excellent, thanks Rhubarb, I am definitely going to get my hands on some of that, very pretty.

I've just been staring at my garden and I'm going to have to do something about the big, bare gap the conifer removal has left as I doubt that side of the neighbours hedge will ever grow again. The camellias put in will take years so think I might need a few willow hurdles for now.

Bertha - Fab climbers! I have a solanum, it has become enormous. DH is always muttering at me to prune it, but I love it all wild.

I had a fab time at Chelsea in Friday. It was my first time and we had afternoon tickets, which I think was plenty of time go enjoy it without being completely exhausted. I bought a pair of gloves and some croc type shoes. I wanted lots more things (obelisk, trumpet plant supports, wiggly silver sticks, jug of pims) but I was with miserly DH.

I noticed that most gardens were made up of the same 8 or so plants repeated over and over again. my favourites were the telegraph guardian (I know,but there was no guardian garden!), potager edible garden and the topiary artisan garden.

I am taking my first steps towards achieving a Chelsea garden by persisting with my propogation programme. I have cuttings of euphorbia ascot, euphorbia from the park and wallflower Bowles mauve all sitting in pots of gritty compost, in the shade with plastic bags over them. Opinion please on weather they will root?

I have transplanted the tricky penstemon into my borders. The leaves on these went all brown and blotchy, but i Cut them right back and they seem to have recovered.

I'm also having another go at the astrantia seeds from lexi. This time straight into the larder with a plastic bag over the top - no chilling in the fridge.

Slugs have eaten a few of my cosmos plugs but have thankfully left the delphinium in peace.

Yes it was interesting how many of the same plants were used in the gardens this year, and even more interesting how this worked beautifully in about three of the gardens but was a bit meh in others. Watching and learning how to place plants is one of the nicest things about going to Chelsea; some designers are so talented.
My own garden is looking very stunning in a different way atm as the delicate blue/lilac cloud pruned ceanothus is out next to mm Alfred Carriere with her lovely scent and underneath pale geranium phaeum and astrantia and nectaroscordum and white alliums and in the opposite bed the purple irises and tall purple alliums and deep maroon geranium phaeum with palest of pink clematis Countess of Wessex are making a great display and yet again I am reminded that whilst show gardens have their place, there is nothing like watching plants grow and flower and surprise in ones own garden.
My garden makes me so happy!
I loved the cerise pink gladioli byzantium in a bright pink and purple bed in one of the gardens at Chelsea and am going to plant some out front in the autumn. At the moment the valerian in going wild there, as is the buddlea peacock which is not yet in flower.
I have got too many plants to plant and need to plant up one of mum's beds.
I can't decide whether to plant in blocks and swathes or whether to go for the delicate see-though naturalistic planting as at Chelsea which is actually quite difficult practically to achieve.

See-though planting requires lots of the same plant in small clumps interspersed with other plants in small clumps and many of the plants in this see-though planting have small flowers or are grasses like the quaking grass. It seems to me that this type of planting is better seen close up and is probably better for young eyes.
Maybe this is why the Titchmarsh approach of planting 3-5 of the same blowsy brightly coloured flower in blocks has been so popular among the elderly. Their eyes can see the display more easily.

I always love the descriptions you give of your garden FP.

Today is the only day of the weekend where I've got time to do some gardening. It's raining. I'm going to get wet aren't?

You are in good company Bertha, I've been getting soggy in the garden today too. The weather is not going to stop our bank holiday gardening pans! The DDs even insisted we put a banker down on the wet grass and have a picnic

I went out to stake the 6 delphinium I transplanted last week, only to discover they are actually scabiosa blue jean (see pic). I'm quite pleased really, as I need more bushy clump forming plants and was getting quite stressed about how to support the delphinium. I did have to move 1 though, as I'd planted them all at the back of the border. I'm trying not to move the others, as they look so happy and I don't want to disturb them. It is bothering me though...

I finally have buds on the mid sized alliums which I thought were blind. I've forgotten which types these are, so it'll be a nice surprise when they open.

The wet weather was perfect for weeding, so I tidied up my raised beds (filled with potato and strawberry) and mulched with bark.

Blanket - not banker!!

Am very jealous of those that have made it to Chelsea! I am catching up on iplayer but it is starting to get a bit repetitive coverage not the gardens I too am a bit meh about the Laurent Perrier one but love the potters and quite liked Alan tichmarsh's one not biased because it's about yorkshire am also really enjoying Toby Bucklands problem solving bit.

Have had a lovely morning in the garden as DD napping a bit better at the moment. Have planted up a Rose that was completely pot bound blocking the drainage and some other shrubs plus potted on our toms and scattered weed killing stuff on the patch of green weeds/moss lawn so hope it will look better this year!