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.

anyone still sowing seeds? I've sown some seeds from the packets that say June on them including Zinnia, Nigella, Night scented stocks, and Plum pudding poppies. I am not terribly hopeful about them but thought it was worth a try.

My perennial border is still looking very bare - I have my Sarah Raven annuals coming, should I just dot them in between or do I need to be patient and let things fill out?

rosa hansestadt rostock
and the hydrangena that looked a bit sad last year and now aftef a good prine and feed.

Sigh...I think I'm going to have to wait a few more years before the pear and plum and apple trees really get going. I'm fairly certain I pruned the apple trees wrong anyway after a visit to Brogdale. Still, the raspberries and strawberries in the veg trough are flowering and have little unripe fruits which I shall have to make squirrel and bird proof this weekend. I thought of putting up an edging of tall hazel sticks and winding twool around.

Wild brambles frequently make their way into the garden. If I trained them do you all suppose they would produce blackberries for eating?

sorry- missed some posts

-yes I'm sowing seeds: night scented stock and more cosmos and gilenia trifolia and lettuce in the veg trough.

• basically as the seed trays empty I sow more seeds

-mousmous wonderful hydrangea! and rose!

-peat are there dry stone walling experts round there?

-wynken glad to see you surviving upthread how are the raised beds going?

welcome to all other people who newly posted and can anyone who has any please let me know if your clematis viticella have buds yet?

mousmous pretty rose! My hydrangeas are really happy this year they love the rain!

How oid are your fruit trees funny? I reckon that we're told they'll be much quicker to fruit than they really are. I got ambitious in London and planted a cox's then heard Bob Flowerdew say they are the most difficult to grow We had about 2 after 4 years and then we moved

Yes train your brambles! Think about the country lanes where they grow happily in full sun and are sooo delicious!

Thinking about stone walls. There are experts who sadly price themselves out of the market. They're not 'dry' round here; they use a specific lime based cement pointing for the walls so that the stones can 'breathe". I've even bunged up a gap in our utility room wall with the lime and just a load of little stones and earth (it's very basic) but it's worked!! I'm proud

I remember once seeing the caves at Troo, where Jane Grigson lived - I have severe cave envy.

Bearleigh Move to this area and esp. Saumur the (there are real houses built into the caves there! opposite a fabulous river )you can buy them they aren't anywhere near as expensive as in england!

ive found you!

been slightly manic here what with wedding stuff to sort (wine to taste)

the garden is looking great - if a bit weedy but everything seems to be growing on well. I need to move a couple of things because they are in the wrong place really. but as it was a blank canvas a few months ago its looking good.

Humph when is your open day or have I missed it?

more importantly, when is your wedding? Is it soon? How exciting!

It is a week on Sunday. Fingers crossed the weather holds. The garden smells heavenly at the moment. The roses are all just coming out on the rose walk and the penstemons in the borders are doing their stuff. I am really pleased with the Hilltop Geums in the pigscot borders and the herb beds are nicely full, which can be difficult as one of them is in a lot of shade. DH has been trimming the baby hornbeam hedges today, along with clipping the box. The garden has never been this tidy, I am actually looking forward to after we open, when I can just let stuff go and sit down and watch some tv instead.

All my mint cuttings have taken! I am really pleased about this, so I have done a few more.

Baby Cobbler has a cold and won't be put down at all today, so I have been a little frustrated by my inability to do anything apart from essential watering.

Rambling Rector, Constance Spry, William Lobb, Bleu Magenta, Alfred Carriere, Blush Noisette, Debutante and New Dawn are all out on the rose walk. Just waiting for Blush Rambler and Belle Vichyssoise now. Tuscany Superb and Rosa Mundi are about to come out in the cottage borders.

That hydrangea is lovely, moumous.

I planted two in my back garden and they both got fried. One is still with us so I'm digging it up. potting it and it can live under the carport, the only place in the entire garden where the sun doesn't scorch at some point in the year. It's too good for cars and is home to the shade lovers, having a table and chairs.

Here's the one I'm moving:
www.haarsnursery.com.au/hydrangea-strawberries-cream

Though I got mine from the sad plants unit at Bunnings.

wow! Caves in the garden!

Lots of watering today. Had to pop to the garden centre as I finally accepted that after three attempts I wasn't going to get any French beans to germinate (I suspect duff seeds rather than general incompetence) so bought seedlings. A couple of chocolate cosmos fell into my basket.

Humphrey sounds amazing would love to see your garden, whereabouts are you?

Did anyone else get the amazing thunderstorm last night? Glad I spent all that time yesterday watering . Everything is a bit flattened in my garden this morning.

Yes, I was reading your post about watering just as the heavens broke here, BlackPudding! Hope it all springs back to life again. Hoping to clear some weeds and get some more attractive ground cover sorted next week, if I can get out there.

One of the lovely things about this thread is the variety of gardens on here - traditional English country with pigs, an Australian one with possums, one with caves, urban gardens, something for everyone.

My raised beds haven't happened as yet FP. I think they will probably be next years project. The willow panels are in and covering the bare conifer bits well, though I need another. I have started a topiary cat, inspired by the Great British garden program. Woukd love to see FP's peacock.

I too need to buy French bean seedlings after several sowings have failed. Problem is when I looked in the garden centres before, there weren't any, but I'll try again. My new border and the veg patch are going pretty well . Any idea if my penstemon and bowles mauve cuttings are likely to flower this year ? Am trying to be good and not over plant.

OOH 2 exciting things happening on this thread

Humphrey You're brave to 'open' your garden esp. when you have a LO. I went to one recently near Tnbridge Wells it was beautiful, there were lots of people but because it rained the parking got very muddy, and the teas were in a windy garage (the cakes were nice ). I love the sound of your rose arch, lovely that they'll be blooming for the 'day'.

nightshade Are you having your reception at home?

Talking storms (we had one forecasted for last night but nothing happened) does anyone collect rainwater? i've got a fab. idea for conserving it if anyone's interested.

If there was a storm I didn't hear it. Antihistamines are knocking me for six, but it's the only way I can still be outside.

My Hayloft Geraniums still haven't arrived, did you get your voucher maud I found they had emailed me a link following your recommendation which I didn't notice in time to use so it may be worth writing to them.

48 lavender plants free in gardeners world magazine if anyone's interested. I'm definitely sending off for them and plan to line the pathway to my front door.

Sorry I see funny already mentioned lavender offer!

Come to think of it, no, I haven't had my voucher. I will investigate.

The wedding is a fortnight today!

Oh drat ive got wedding rehearsal the day your opening Humph you are not very far from my parents (Dorstone) so I was going to come over for it.

No we are getting married about an hour away from home in my OH's family church - we have hired the church hall for the reception.

Oh, I do love a wedding

Come and visit another time nightshade1 when you are in the area.

We are in Monmouthshire.