Tickle the earth with a hoe, and she will laugh with a harvest

[Rhubarbgarden]

Potting shed chat for all those interested in wittering on about gardens and sharing the love of plants. Plenty of dusty old deck chairs to sit on and sloe gin to warm the cockles; join us!

That sounds like an excellent idea. I only have space for one compost bin, so I tend to put the most noxious weeds in the bag for the council's green waste recycling. I trust that they use enough heat to kill off even perennial weeds.

Yes, the council will compost at a much higher heat. Our council charges for green waste collection but they sold us some very cheap compost bins and we have plenty of space. We've inherited a composting system to die for, tbh - 4 big heaps in wood/wire frames, so we'll use 3 for compost and one for leaf mould. Only problem is, it's all a bit overgrown with nettles which we need to do something about pronto or we'll end up with nettle seeds in the compost spreading nettles everywhere!

Tunip pull up yr nettles put them in a big bucket add rain water and leave with a top on; you get good nettle feed for nothing . Mine has helped my roses a lot !

Sugarplum Neighbours can be the pits . At least he's talking to you.

Blimey rhubarb that pinky hydrangea is HUGE! My white one does look like that but much smaller of course we'll see how it does in a few years, I know I said I want large plants but that's probably a bit too big!

Oh my white butterflies are, yes you've guessed "Large White" butterflies! they're common but come from mediterranean countries.

virtual flowers for bertha

tunip I love the sound of your garden and how lucky to have all that space for composting, I am

Lovely Hydrangea, I have an Annabelle in my basket not quite committed to paying for it!

One of my Tescos Dahlias is finally in flower, quite a cheerful orange and red colour tbf I think the others are being slugged the minute they produce a flower bud.

Yup me too Geoff but you've got a flower !! I've got one pot in proper leaf with holes in them and no flowers yet. I'm not bothering again! Mind you the tubers were given to me so it's not my fault .

I don't understand why the slugs LOVE the dahlias but won't touch the pelargoniums!

Ppeatfruit, thank you! That's a brilliant idea! It's exactly what I will do.

Wow, one huge hydrangea and jealous of nettles as want to make feed. Bought tulips at garden centre as spurred on by tulip talk.

Could I inflict a pic of hole in the hedge o you to keep me calm in real life ? It was green right behind the 3 compost bins before.

for bertha

Yes my b and q Bishop of Llandaff finally has an open flower, which is not as bright scarlet as I had hoped. The canna have great leaves but no flowers as yet. Gardening is all about dashed hopes sometimes How I envy Monty his cannas and dahlias.

Too tired to make it to Wisley today, so I will go at the crack of dawn tomorrow instead as neighbours say the dahlias are brilliant there this year and I really really want to see the Oudolph borders and hydrangeas.

Rosa magenta bleu is still flowering , such a lovely scent and 'antique' rose pink colour.

Gosh no wonder you are upset - bit of a thick emoticon but I had imagined an actual hole as in a long deep trench! No suggestions I'm afraid other than fast growing climbers!

Hopefully the cannas will flower soon and you still have them to look forward to FP.

Thanks Geoff. It looks worse in reality than the picture. I really don't know what he was thinking of when he merrily chopped them down. Trying to look at it as an opportunity as the hedge was thick and there's some more space now.

Rather randomly my Mme Carriere has just produced its 4th flower in its 3 year history.

Jealous of my nettles? Wait till I tell dh.

I see why you are pissed off about the hole. A nice neat hedge would be much better. Like your collection of compost bins, though.

Sugar I had a neighbour do that to me years ago he up rooted all his old conifers and the the gorgeous mock orange that I was sure was on my side but came home to find it all gone it really changed the look as well but once I got used to it I could admit that the condition of the soil and sun in that area improved though I never did get around to replacing the mock orange

Bertha hope things settle quickly,

My tiny white hydrangea is fading to pink and is really lovely but nothing like that one, I really must get around to going to scampston gardens as they are Piet oudolph ones and I am thinking probably looking really good as well at this time of year. Nunnington hall and stilling fleet are also on the list I really must start making better use of this mat leave

Stillingfleet looks interesting, Squeaky - I didn't know that one.
I've been to Scampston a couple of times but never at the right time of year - last time was in the spring before it really got going. DH hates it because it's one of those gardens that makes you want to go in a certain direction but forces you to take the long way round. He gets irrationally annoyed by it.

sugarplum you must be feeling bereft of your garden. Did you say you are going to get fence instead?

I went to Wisley after all- got there at 5- they charged me the full whack and pointed me to the dahlia tent but the dahlias had been taken down at 4 pm and the flower art show was closed. Personally I think they should charge half price after 5 and make it clear on the website that the tents and glss house close at 4.

The upside was I had the piet oudolph borders round the glasshouse water practically to myself in the fading light and they are stunning. They passed all my expectation. Photographs do not do this style of planting justice. Do all go if you can.

I think it would be wonderful if there were plantings like that in Regents Park and Hyde Park so that the hoi polloi such as myself can see them for free as Wisley was like a little bit of Eden but too expensive for frequent visits.

My photo was taken scavenging for dahlias dumped from the dahlia show in the skip at the back of the tent and a police car slid in as I walked out of the gardens at 6.30. As I was in my paint stained tracksuit bottoms and downmarket comfy sandals I probably looked very suspicious.

I did gather some seeds accidentally on my cardi as I brushed past the Eupatorium maculatum and will sow them, though it looked like the sort of plant which grows best from cuttings. It is magnificant with sanguisorba red thunder, gaura, miscanthus and heleniums there at the moment. Do go if you can.

Poor Monty and the box blight

Wisley sounds amazing funnyperson, I do wish I could go.

Gardeners World is making me cry

Come and stay here if you like humph and visit from here it is quite near

www.horatiosgarden.org.uk/

Funnyperson why not join RHS? You'd get The Garden each month plus free entry to Wisley whenever you want. And entry to other RHS gardens and partner gardens. I love the freedom to go to Wisley whenever we want (bizarrely MrBearleigh is free as an accompanier but we have to pay for BabyBearleigh). We are lucky enough to live only 20 mins from Wisley.

I was thinking of going to Wisley this weekend and buying some tulips, but MrB is in hospital so I'll be visiting and doing chores.

I discovered yesterday (when the parcel arrived... ), that I had ordered some bulbs from Crocus and totally forgotten it. The order included some very early Daffodils (Rijnveld's Early Sensation) that flower in January. Our neighbours have them and it's lovely seeing the flowers so early in the year.

Yes, funnyperson, join the RHS and then we can have meet-ups at the London shows.

I'm about to watch GW on the iPlayer. Is it upsetting? I'm generally quite hard-hearted but I don't think I could cope with seeing Monty in distress.

Oooh I'd forgotten about the London shows - I've been to one and loved it.

Back in pre-history when I joined the RHS, there was a London show every month. That was lovely. Now there are fewer shows and I can't always get to them, but I enjoy them when I do.

I'm a member of Ventnor Botanics,and that's it, the expensive stretch of water I have to travel to get anywhere puts me off.

Has anyone been to Perch Hill, I've just read the latest email. Sarah is predicting that Nicotiana Knightiana and persicaria orientalis will be the next thing like Vebena Bonsaris. I do love lime green and bright pinks together.

Oh dear, I hope Mr B is ok and makes a quick recovery.

Thank you for the sympathy. Apparently he is putting in a fence and there is a piece of string to indicate height of posts which will be tall. Him and his wife moved in with his Mother who isn't an easy woman. I'm putting it down to temporary carer's insanity as that is something I can relate to. That night when we went round at 7pm he was in his PJ'S and smelt strongly of alcohol so suspect he's not the happiest of of people right now. I will thank him for the new fence, move the compost heap, cut the stumps right down and put in a couple of raised beds to grow veg. That will be next to the tiny pond so hopefully Bob the frog will keep slugs down and it will be something new to look forward to.

Just watched GW and welled up. I realised after the first couple of times she said his name who he was. Many years ago my friend's boyfriend was in Stoke Mandeville and I went a few times. Really lovely seeing f that fabulous garden, it would have made such a difference if we could have sat out there on visits.

I'm now tempted by early daffodils. FP I suspect you don't shop at Tesco but if you do you can trade in Club card vouchers for RHS membership. I did last month and am halfway through reading the magazine that arrived this week.

I take back what I said about the cheap dahlias, they are doing ok. I was late planting them which didn't help. I am absolutely delighted to have a proper back garden with flowers this year now we've moved on from the children's play equipment. I mentioned before that I'd started cutting flowers now Hayfever season over and it is so lovely to have a constant supply of flowers for the house. Took some for Mum in her favourite vase I found and included herbs. She was delighted and couldn't stop smelling them. She's got horrible manky legs and s UTI so really cheered her up.

I have plans of setting DS to courgette cake making using Bertha ' s recipe today.