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.

rhubarb I used to take St. John's Wort for the menopause your ds will just be like "cool man yeah"!! It's fine!

Arf at RhubarbBoy turning into some sort of laid back surf dude!

Would be interested to hear more about your experiences of taking St John's Wort and echinacea ...

Shall i pm you?

Yes, please! Your other PM got list somewhere in the ether, by the way.

Well done with the prizes Maudant. Hypercube berries in child and car in paint stripper sounds far from relaxing, glad they are both OK.funny to think of Echt ' s spring flowers when we're in the height of summer.

All my plants from Sarah Raven are doing well though I need to move my Acanthus Rue Laden later in the year. The Alstromeria looked pathetic when first in but is growing strongly (has a decent space as took heed of what Rhubarb said further up the thread).

Yesterday I spent a bit of time shaking the foxgloves and spreading allium and a quite his seed. I'm absolutely loving having a decent looking garden outside the kitchen and know it's still very early days for it and hopefully it will look even better when things have matured.

I'm very pleased with my two new pot grown David Austin roses, Princess Anne and Crocus rose. They are doing very well on the repeat flowering front, loads more new buds on the Princess Anne and the Crocus rose is having a good second flush.

The Wilko's dahlias are through but a fair few didn't make it so maybe false economy. Some gladioli bulbs bought at the same time are growing strongly so I am looking forward to them. Not the traditional one, forgotten the names. My Penstimen cuttings have joined the Bowles Mauve cuttings in flowering which is lovely and I'm going to do do more this year for the front garden which needs more in flower around this time of year.

Am loving going out to pick flowers for the kitchen. Funnily enough I included hypercube berries yesterday. Really getting a lot of enjoyment from the garden with the lovely weather this year.

Having looked I think I'm growing Gladiolus call in this or acidanthera. I'm hoping they give me some good Autumn colour and have just read they are very fragrant which will be a nice bonus. This morning I was greeted by sweet pea scent in the kitchen which was very pleasant.

Acidanthera are very pretty. I grew them a year or so ago - I think they came free with something else - but all I got was a pot of foliage. I don't know whether to blame snails or insufficient light.

Has anyone pickled nasturtium seed pods before? I'm quite fancying giving it a go.

The garden casualties due to lack of water are numerous and made me sad today. So I am focusing on the good bits. Edible igloo looking amazing and covered with beans and peas and loads more stuff coming. The flowers in the beds to the side of the igloo are starting to flower too.

Hmm I don't know if 'laid back' and ds can be used in the same sentence... maybe I need to feed him more Hypericum! Actually today the little sod monkey tried to eat Arum berries - highly poisonous - but dh was on it and got them out of his mouth immediately. Note to self: go round garden tomorrow and remove anything remotely berry-like... Dd never did this.

Rhubarbcat2 spent the night in vet hospital, but was released this morning and seems to be fine now. She will not be needing skin grafts as was first feared need more vets bills like a hole in the head.

All free time today was again spent paint stripping, so the lawn went unmown and the hedge went untrimmed and the redcurrant tree went unplanted again. Eurgh.

Sugarplum I have a Crocus Rose. It is absolutely gorgeous and possibly my favourite rose in the garden. Flowers its socks off.

I have just looked up the Crocus rose and now I want one.

Oh no, didn't realise cat incident involved vet trip Really glad he is ok.

The Garden Centre Group sell them off half price on January Maudant if that helps at all ?

Took on board Month's advice about sitting in the garden. Our swing seat thingy broke and the table is round the side of the garden I haven't done at all yet so found a table from Mum's house on the garage and brought a couple of chairs Roy d to create a little sitting area at bottom of kitchen steps on the side with the flowers so we are more likely to sit and eat outside.

If one has a big enough garden (I don't, sadly) I think it's lovely to have more than one place in the garden to sit and contemplate and enjoy different perspectives.

They built the house at a weird point on the plot so we have a bit of garden on 3 sides of the house then the front has the drive, garage etc and then what was a random triangle of grass off it in the far corner which was most bizarre. Greenhouse and pond now there. We're lucky in that it does lend itself to different seating areas.

Yes, that sounds liked am iced blessing but it does (as you say) give you an opportunity to create different areas with different seating options. It must be especially useful for creating seating areas in sun and in shade.

Argh. A mixed blessing. Drat that predictive text.

I prefer the sound of an iced blessing! Like an iced gem. Yes multiple seating areas are lovely. I always design them into gardens whenever possible. We have the obligatory table and chairs on the patio then an iron French antique bed garden sofa thing (impossible to describe!) at each end of the first terrace; one in sun, one in shade. But they require cushions getting out so we just don't sit on them as much as we should. I'd never buy something that needs cushions again, no matter how lovely.

I have decided I need some kind of seating area adjacent to the main lawn. And something in the orchard would be nice. You absolutely can't have too many!

I want an iced blessing - will it get me drunk ?!

I would love a swing seat.

I love the sound of the garden bed sofa. Our swing seat was very cheap a good few years ago and gave up the ghost whilst DH was trying to have a restful cup of tea. I'd love one of those posh ones to replace it but it's not going to happen.

Do you think an iced blessing could be something like a mojito, made with herbs from the garden?

Swing seats and iron bedsteads do sound lovely, although I know from my friend's experience that anything with cushions that have to be dragged indoors and out can become a pain in the butt. I have been thinking about acquiring a small bench to go just outside the kitchen door. It won't be very far from the table and chairs as it is, after all, a tiny patio, but it would give another option for drinking tea and pondering.

Did I mention my acquisitions yesterday? Knautia macedonica (in case my sowing from seed fails, as it so often does), lovage and eupatorium Chocolate. The latter were a bargain at 1 each and will fill a gap in my black and white border.

Is anyone doing summer pruning of their apple trees?

Mum, sounds delicious. I think a bench sounds like a lovely idea - anything that enhances tea which is one of my favourite things, has to be a good idea.

I have recently pruned the apple trees as need them to stay small. Inspired by your bargains Maudant I feel a quick trip down to the garden centre is on order, especially as I noticed they have a half price sale on.

Oh yes good plan, Maud. Actually I have a bench positioned just like that, next to the back door, and it is my favourite place to sit with a cup of tea to enjoy the evening sun after the kids have gone to bed.

When I'm not forced to strip paint, that is.

No summer pruning of apples here.

We have cherries on one of the cherry trees! They are delicious.

What is all this paint-stripping about? Are you renovating acres of woodwork?

Cherries don't float my boat but I am looking forward to harvesting my plum crop which is one plum.