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

yes, might be a deuzia.
have more or less ignored it so far as no flowers last year and it's pretty ugly (=no foliage) in winter.
cut back an evergreen tree (no idea what it is, but it's got pretty green/white leaves and small white berries) which was getting a bit top heavy and some of the neighbours climbers (wisteria, clematis, jasmine) which were growing like mad.
frustratingly after filling the green bin (huge wheely bin) to the brim but only able to close the lid after standing in it it is barely noticable in the garden itself.

funny I don't know. I think I could actually treat them with weed killer because nothing else has germinated yet... .

In better news - my wisteria has some flower buds on it! Our micro-climate must be a long way behind some of the rest of you. Everything is slow here....

Thanks Humph - hopefully June will bring some growth!

How is Rhubarbcat?

Was lovely reading about everybody's Chelsea visits .

Maud oh dear, I hope it gets sorted quickly...

Maud my 'Nuits de Young' is deepest darkest maroon: who was your supplier? I would be tempted to send it back.

Well don't dig it up, but definitely write: I got a refund from Sarah Raven over my Princess Alexandra rose, when she only had 2 pathetic, yellowing leaves after having been planted for a year, and looked like she would not survive. (Now of course 2 years on, she's flowering, but she should be 10 times the size she is now, so I feel it's ok not to refund the refund).

Yes, I remember where I bought it, so will email them.

::girds loins::

Maybe I should do that with poor old Dr du Jamain who has given up the ghost. He is 2 1/2 years old as I bought him the October dd went up to university and she is now doing finals and he has never flowered. I will look up David Austin's returns policy.

Well, it's a large and well-known plant/garden centre and the email is sent, so I shall see what they say. I hope they don't invite me to take the plant back for a refund, though, as it's quite some distance from home and I don't really want to make the trek there.

I am really slow. I kept reading Maudant wit -Shakespearean I thought. Now I realise it is Maud antwit. Hah. Fellow ant wit here.

Err, no. It is meant to be Maudant (Mordant) Wit, with the emphasis on the Maud. It's a bad pun on my old name.

I got it, Maud, polishing off me English teacher credentials.

< Will bypass the thought that it might have indicated you'd reproduced in amoeba-stylee, i.e. Mord and Twit, like some comedy duo >:o

::rather liking the idea of the comedy duo, Morecambe and Wise-stylee::

Sounds like everyone has been enjoying the lovely gardening weather! My mum came over at the weekend and we cleared the border where the hedge had been and I have put all my pots from around the garden on it ready to plant up when I get the time.

One of them is the deutzia I bought for 50p that is doing really well so I am really happy to see the pictures as I didn't know what it was going to look like.

None of the seeds I have put in the veg patch are through yet but am still optimistic and have lots of other seedlings to pot on when I can.

Last year I planted a stipa gigantea by fortunate accident where it catches the evening sun and glows, I love when things turn out well like that, including purple borders!

Wynken, I too find gardening therapeutic and got my mum into it when my stepdad was ill. Am slowly encouraging DH into gardening through the time honoured tradition of growing tomatoes

Mordant. Yes. I see now. Having looked it up of course. Not only slow but clueless me.

Good name though, once one has finally got it.

Hello! Finally caught up after a week away in the South of France. The wild flowers down there were beautiful. The meadow/lawn around the in-laws house was a picture when we arrived, bursting with Echiums, Scabious, wild thyme and all sorts of flowers I didn't recognise. I resolved to get up early the next day to take some photos. But no! Went out for a stroll in the afternoon and arrived back to find the last corner of the meadow being strimmed to the ground. Gah! MIL and FIL are not horticulturalists.

Reading about your Mum made me sad, Wynken. I hope she gets her balcony. It must all be very hard for you.

Maud - Japanese knotweed is easily dispatched. I have eradicated it from a couple of London gardens in the past and repeat applications of glyphosate deal with it no problem. I found Russian vine a far worse adversary.

I'm glad you explained Maudant wit. I'm with funnyperson in being a bit slow on this one - I thought it might be something to do with a twit from Morden...

Not that I think you are twit, Maud.

Ha ha! Digging holes is what gardeners do, isn't it? How else would anything get planted?

I am soooo grateful to you, Rhubarb, for suggesting that JK can easily be dispatched with glyphosate. That isn't what its fearsome reputation suggests and I am already feeling a little more optimistic. Thank you.

Thanks for asking about Rhubarbcat, Castle. She's doing fine, they tell me she is happy and settled. She has four more treatments to go.

OtherRhubarbcat will not be impressed when she comes home. She has been quite disgracefully cheerful about her sister's absence.

Glad to help, Maud

our russian wine (vine?) gets a 'fringe trim' ever so often. it comes over the fence separting us from the trainline. I love the way it changes colour over the year. this time of year I need to cut it every couple of weeds or so. tbh neighbours clematis is more invasive.

Come to think of it, we used to have Russian vine arrive from a couple of gardens away, but no longer. I wonder whether it died of natural causes or whether the neighbours napalmed it.

Napalm. That stuff doesn't peg out willingly.

Hmm. Until your more cheering message, I had been planning to stockpile napalm to deal with the JK.

Maud you sound despondent here are some flowers
Rhubarb here are some treats for nutter
Wynken here is a hug for you and your mum [hug].

I am trying to redecorate. It is a Task at which I am hopeless due to lack of imagination and no real desire for change or trend. However as I have foreign relatives about to visit I thought I would make an effort, and having got it together to engage a decorator who seems a decent capable sort, he has stripped the dining room but the wallpaper hasn't arrived. This is my fault as the William Morris wallpaper I had originally chosen was thought to be not right by others, so the new, more 'grown up' choice is taking longer to come and I am feeling very feeble indeed because in my heart I like the William Morris (meadow sweet). The room overlooks the garden.