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

How lovely to have a pond lake . Ours is about 24 inches x 24 inches, big it's not!

Weather miserable here today too. Reflects my mood a bit, I've pulled out of the Nursery purchase as the Seller didn't realise Planning Dept think he is Wholesale only and said anything else against planning policy as Greenbelt. I offered on it as a retail nursery not wholesale.

A friend was going to help and we had it all worked out what we were going to do (chillis and exotics as Seller had started the exotics and I'd have bought the stock). So now I have 140 plus chilli seedlings that were to go in a huge polytunnel and instead I have a 10 x 12 greenhouse to fit them in . I've found somewhere who will take some to sell when they are bigger so I guess that is a start ..

I didn't know they were known as Russian snowdrops, but I planted some many years ago and, although they do reappear every year, they have never bulked up and so form a very pathetic little clump. I noticed today that the work to the path last year seems to have killed off the chionodoxa, but as I had gone off them, I'm not much bothered!

I am a recent convert to horticultural grit. I used to mix in perlite or vermiculite to maintain drainage in pots, but have recently started using grit instead, after I saw it recommended for agapanthus. I also use bigger gauge gravel to top-dress pots, to stop the compost going crusty. I buy it all from the gardening society.

Oh, Wynken, I'm sorry your nursery project has fallen through. How frustrating for you.

oh, no wynken
but it was right not to proceed if it doesn't work for you. still must be deflating.

Hmm, my Russian snowdrops are doing okish but nothing special. We've got something called a Mrs Peggs Handy line or something like that which folds and moves round the garden.

Thanks for the sympathy. I know it's right to pull out. It's just I got sacked from a gardening related job I enjoyed last summer by my Brother after huge family row that really wasn't my fault (never been fired before !) Then this came up and I got very excited so it's back to the drawing board.

Sorry to hear that Wynken. Hope something else comes along.

Wynken , it's hard when things you get really excited about don't work out. It's like hearing Christmas is cancelled.

I have a friend who grew too many chillies one year so started his own line in chilli sauce! It's very good and sells quite well .

Ooh. I like the look of Mrs Pegg's Handy Line!

Oh Wynken, what a shame

You are all lovely and I feel quite a bit better . Just had a long talk with DH about it all. Reading yet more planning appeals for info. Think that the Planning man wasn't saying it quite how it is and we could have the public in to buy what we grow there.

However the original plan was always to start small, it's just this Nursery turned up literally down the road at a time I was gearng up to start and sort of represented a dream. Going back to starting small is no bad thing, no stress about paying monthly rent etc. We can get a website up and running, sort branding, labelling etc. Chilli sauces, jams etc are part of the plan so there's complying with the various legislation for that to do too.

DH has a Microbiology degree he never uses (does coding for websites these days, very handy!) so we're going to look into Micro Propagation and whether we can do something with that possibly. I have a lovely friend I'm doing this with and I'm in sure in time we can get this up and going.

Thanks for all your support and for listening to me moaning. On the gardening front I now have a fair few tulips on bloom but my Hosta hasn't turned up yet, should it have done ?! A fair few of the alliums are up and the Clematis Early Sensation is just out, looking lovely - a friend who isn't into gardening noticed it today and commented. Thoroughly recommend it if anyone in the market for a new Clematis.

That sounds very positive, Wynken.

Clematis Early Sensation looks lovely. I have buds on Nelly Moser and Wada's Primrose, but nothing actually flowering yet. No, actually, that's wrong. Clematis montana (variety forgotten) is in flower.

::impatient::

The only hosta I kept after I decided that I was not going to do hostas any more is just beginning to move. My friend, though, put an amazing hosta into Saturday's show, which was fully in leaf, but hers lives on a sunny outdoor windowsill.

Oh Wynken I'm really sorry about the nursery plans being upset. Hopefully you'll get up and running with a new plan shortly again.

Humph I would love a pond some day...it would have to have lots of pink water lilies in it!

Would somebody pm me how to see the Facebook page to see the cloud pruning please!

Wynken could you ask the seller to apply for planning permission for retail? There can't be that many buyers around as good as you with the money in hand and so forth.

I love this spring rain and the green in the garden and the way all the cherries and fruit trees are laden with blossom (own garden excepting. always a bit behind)

Oh wynken. How disappointing. You sound very sensible though. I'd love to do something like that.

Mr Planner was pretty about retail. He said 'In summary while the continuation of the existing horticultural use of the site (wholesale as far as he is concerned) it is unlikely that permission would be given for any intensification of this especially opening the site up for retail sales due to the effect upon the openness of the Green Belt'.

Current owner hasn't got it up and running properly as he's too far away and too busy so there isn't a record of proven sales which makes it risky as does the fact he only has two different types of plant. I think Mr Planner and I are possibly talking about different things when we say retail sales though. I mean selling what I've grown, I think he is talking about A1 retail use.

However selling what you grow is a bit limiting as hard to start some things from scratch and Seller has been buying in big specimans of some things with big profit margins that would be difficult to generte otherwise. Also I suspect there woukd then be an issue with things like the chilli sauces, though they may just come under ancillary sales. And there isn't an electricity supply but we could work round that to some extent- the generator for the irrigation system runs off a big LPG tank, as does the heater.

If it was as advertised I would definitely have a go but it isn't. he said make him an offer but I didn't. I suppose I still could but have a feeling I should accept starting small. On a day like this with sun shining it's easy to get drawn into the dream, plus it is so close I drive by frequently which makes it hard. I hate being sensible!

I've just spoken to Mr Planning. He was very nice but public going to the site absolute no no and if he thought Owner was doing that they woukd be down with enforcement notice. Strictly wholesale only.

He said if I find another site to ring, their advice is free. His view is my best bet is to find a nursery in Green Belt with established retail sales which apparently does happen over the passage of time - not because they have planning but they started doing it and after so many years they have the right to continue.

Starting small it is then.

Oh Wynken hope the right thing for you turns up soon.

Am also trying to work out FB to see pictures of cloud pruning!

Just read that Sarah Raven is now selling ladybirds and posts them in tubes with popcorn! Ladybirds are so cool.

Am about to try to get some more weeding done before LO wakes ans sun disappears ( fingers crossed ).

I'm just about to go out into the sunshine for a spot of digging-up and potting-on too.

I will not be going outside and gardening this lunchtime. Ds is dropping his nap.

wynken sorry to hear about your nursery.

The old pear tree seems to have a larger than usuall amount of blossom.

Rhubarb - Shame about the nap I remember that time not fondly.

Usual

The dog made off with some summer bulbs last year, I've just spotted them coming up in the lawn, one is in flower

Do you think I could move some Alliums, I bunged them in last year one handed (broken left hand) and I'm not keen on the location. Have leaves but no sign of flowers?

Oh no, Rhubarb. That brings back memories of when I would take a huge detour on the way home from pre-school because I was so determined that dd should fall asleep and have a nap. She always found the car soporific.

I'd risk it, pogglebonk. As long as you lift them with plenty of soil and don't damage the base plate or the roots.

Hi Pobblebonk, Yes my pear is going a little wild too. The cat is enjoying chasing the falling blossom, so even if we get no pears (or mini, bullet hard ones) someone will have enjoyed the tree!

Frank is House of Cards inspired, yes - got half way through the first series and have since lost the obsession, but the name stuck :)