A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot!

[MaudantWit]

Join us for ongoing gardening chat in the MN potting shed. Blow the cobwebs off a deckchair, help yourself to a glass of elderberry champagne and tell us about your garden.

Ah, that's good, funny - I'm happy for your ds. How wonderful to be going off travelling round Scandinavia!

Tree surgeon came today to remove the dying cherry tree from the side of the lane. I got him to dig me a planting hole for the replacement tree while he was at it; I have purchased a Garrya elliptica 'Glasnevin Wine' to go there. Evergreen to screen the view of the unsightly bungalow opposite, but quite smallish so that it won't block out the view of the church spire beyond.

I really, really need to water the new fruit trees in the orchard and edge the grass around their mulched circles. But every evening I'm too knackered after running around after errant children all day. Ds is embracing irrational tantrums and contrariness at the moment and it is very wearing.

I forgot to congratulate Castle on her plants growing on her bank, and on reaching 12 weeks. Lovely.

I dreamed I visited Echt and her wonderful Australian garden last night.

You have a lot on your plate rhubarb but I'm intrigued at your choice of Garrya Elliptica
I have Garrya Elliptica James Roof (from Burncoose) which I planted this spring, tis only 2 ft tall as yet. I'm hoping it will cope and even thrive in the 'dappled shade' under the oak tree, and have been watering it, but may move it to a less shady corner in the autumn, though the oak leaves will fall so it will become less shady I suppose.
I have never been to the land of the midnight sun.

Ooh, in someone's dreams, or my garden at least. I've been guilty of garden envy at the spacious expanses of "Humphrey's*.

It's been very very windy indeed, and a palm tree I'm not keen on is suddenly leaning towards the house. Its trunk is very thin, so under the limit for chopping down, but I have to get the species confirmed by an arborist: if it's a native palm, I need permission. I'd love to see the back of it and plant a bird-attracting tree - palms are pretty useless in this respect.

There's a garryain a garden at the top of my street, and I always admire its fabulous blooms. It being winter now, I see lots of camellias flowering, one with a sulphur-crested cockatoo chomping on the buds today. The clivia are getting started, and lemon trees (not mine, unfortunately) full of fruit. Still can't get used to crocosmia being a winter flower but aubretia being summer. Why…WHY??

It's the end of semester 1, and a fortnight's break, so mucho tidying up of the garden awaits.

Thanks for the suggestions yes funny if plain old laurels are happy then azaleas and rhodies should be but I wonder if it's too calcareous when their roots get down and the absence of clay might make it harder for them. I was told that geraniums were happy everywhere but not here!

I've got an auntie in Denmark and keep meaning to go there but haven't. dd1 went there and said I'd love it because it's not hot, it's very clean and they eat pumpernickel all the time (i'm wheat free) !!

Geoff I've got crocosmia in our east facing garden that's grown almost 2 ft. more since the rain! I love the dark orange in the dappled sunlight but I guarantee it wouldn't like it under the pines!

well, ive done nothing this last week apart from giving the garden a passing glance as I rush here there and everywhere. Today im potting some little sedums and things into teapots, cups and vintage motorbike parts (wedding - 2 days to go) but I will try and catch up on all your garden news soon

Ppeatfruit we have some bright yellow alstroemerias growing in deep dry shade under lots of deciduous trees. When we first arrived in this house there were loads of them and I disliked them (too much) but after a good sort out there are only a few & I like them. In good soil & sun they grow enormous but there they are only half size.

Are they daisy like or like lilies Bear?

They look like the second Alstroemeria aurea from the left on this link:

pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Alstroemeria

Sounds like them too as I suspect they are a thug in good soil, but can be contained in poor soil. They are flowering now in our garden and do look rather nice.

YES Alstroemeria can be thugs. A garden I once worked in was infested with them and I regarded them the same as bindweed. I spent hours digging them out. If you can keep them contained, lovely, but...

I know this may sound like a really daft question but, is it possible to chop a very tall tree in half then replant the top half?
For some strange reason I think this might be doable.

I'll leave proper gardeners to answer that question!

Given the rapidity of duplication of alstroemerias I can't understand why they are expensive and hard to find.

I wouldn't have thought you could do that to a tree, though I'm no expert. I would guess that most of the tall tree in the middle would be dead wood. Though people do take hardwood cuttings. This would be an extreme form of hardwood cutting though!

I would say not dripty, judging by how hard it is to keep new trees alive even when they have roots and everything! You can do it with willow sticks though.

I'm pretty sure that, if it's a sizeable tree, you would stand no chance of getting the lopped-off top part to root. You might, though, find that the bottom part of the tree would sprout new growth, so you could reduce the height of the tree that way; it's more or less a form of pollarding (or do I mean coppicing?)

Maud, the plants you gave me are doing splendidly. Promise I will put some photos up tomorrow!

Oh, please do!

I didn't water the garden tonight because it was starting to rain, but the rain didn't really amount to anything and the plants will still be parched.

::frets::

Oh Maudant whereabouts are you? It rained here too (southeast) but I just assumed that meant I didn't have to water and didn't really notice whether it rained much. Hmm. Will have a look tomorrow.

Forecast says heavy rain tomorrow. So may be let off watering.

Fretting here too, Maud.

TThank you

raining nicely here now.
the right kind that will properly drench the soil but gentleenough not to damage the plants.
can I ask a boxwood question?
have 2 newish box balls in pots that have got a bit dry. I have watered them but the soil doesn't hold any water, it flows right through.
do I need to pot them into better soil?

These are the roses that weren't doing well at the start of the year! They are the colours of my wedding bouquet so make me very happy and the red ones which aren't quite out have the most fantastic fragrance.

Love the thought of your sedums nightshade hope everything goes well for you and if it's ok can I pass on some advice I was given? Lots of the day will go past in a blur so look for the three or four things/moments that sum up your wedding day for you and truly treasure them.

Good luck for your wedding nightshade1

Sedums sound lovely, Nightshade. Could we see some photos?

yes I will put some photos up, spent last night constructing pew ends from dries wheat and lavender - I slept well!