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!

Eh? Where did my post go?

Gah, will try again.

Schizostylis is South African, yes. It did ok in my London clay before we moved though. Might be worth another go?

Yy to hide and seek opportunities, and fountains, little paths to run along, giant topiary, weird plants like that Magnolia. Kids love gardens. I think it's such a shame that a lot of people bypass the actual gardens in these places and head straight for the adventure playgrounds.

Somewhere, I have got a lovely picture of DD as a toddler, holding her grandad's hand in the garden at Nymans. We really must go again.

Nunnington has a Mud Pie Kitchen.

Kids do love gardens, but whenever mine see a giant topiary they try to climb inside it (shouting 'Tombliboo bush!) and we have to stop them because they could wreck decades of bush in an instant.

Exactly Rhubarb: there is so much for children in gardens.

BabyBearleigh has been to lots of gardens and woodlands since he was little. When he was tiny he loved seeing the bees, and tickling the griffins at Polesden Lacey (they have 6 beautiful griffin statues, and he loved them -would give them hugs, and tickle them under their chins). When he got older he was more interested in hide and seek and running around (& NT and RHS & English Heritage are so good about children running).

Now he's getting interested in the plants, but mostly loves walking in woodland, and loves identifying trees.

I am so grateful to NT in particular for their gardens and woodlands that are giving him this developing appreciation of nature. Biology is his least-favourite school subject at the moment but he actually has quite good knowledge - just nothing they test in exams! At least he can plant potatoes and tomatoes, and knows they are related. You can't expect much more of a 15-year old, can you?

Yes, statues do go down very well with kids.

Oh gosh they do don't they? There is a statue of a water buffalo somewhere in the gardens at Lotherton Hall in Yorkshire, which I have very happy memories of sitting on as a child. I can still feel the excitement and the cold of the bronze under my hands as I clung on.

One of our great pleasures in the garden is seeing the children picking and eating raspberries and strawberries. I am sure that is why DH planted so many.

Paths are brilliant for children, the way they lead on enticingly and offer opportunities for hide and seek and exploration. Children see stuff from such a different perspective.

I asked my dds if I could teach them how to dead head the cosmos. They wanted to live head them where did I go wrong.

They do love the botanical gardens at Ventnor, they completely ignore the plants and hunt for lizards!

That reminds me of when I incautiously deadheaded some flowers near my toddler DS.

I lived to regret it [gri]

Mine loved the Yorkshire sculpture Park and Winkworth arboretum in the spring and the deer at Knole and in Richmond Park.

rhubarb I could give you geranium pheum and johnsons blue divisions?

It's possible that children get more out of garden sculptures than adults: I have to admit I am more interested in the plants.

There used to be a big bronze sculpture of two stretched doughnuts which was wonderful to hide in. I assumed it was a Henry Moore but don't know and it's vanished now. It was near where the new rose garden is.

I'm waiting to get my off duty, but Dh has promised me a mainland trip to celebrate our recent 10 year wedding anniversary. We're thinking of Brighton, used to go there all the times pre dc's so could possibly do Nymans as well. Does it always look good?

humph uh oh a toddler could do a lot of damage

Rhubarb, my SIL works at Lotherton Hall. (House though, not garden.) I've not yet been there but when I do I will look out for the water buffalo.

I need some advice here. I decided to remove the very overgrown cerastogima (sp?) and ivy from the front of our garden which is immediately in front of the terrace of our house it's built on a large rock, You can't see it though. Sorry it's hard to explain . Underneath there are loads of loose large rocks. I'm assuming that the last owners put rocks on top a rock IYSWIM. I want perennials that grow slowly and love sun and rocks !!

geoff Nymans has lots of interest throughout the year IMHO - it has glorious views and lots of interesting conifers in the pinetum, so while it doesn't have a specific winter garden I would say it's worth a visit at any time of year. However I like it best in spring through to late summer. It has loads of bulbs, and magnolias, rhododendrons, and other spring shrubs, then the roses and finally in late summer the Jekyll border plus lots of perennials throughout in a fairly new border between the walled garden and the café (well, I remember it being created).

If you can combine with a visit to Wakehurst Place which isn't far away it would be lovely - that is really good in winter and autumn especially, but it is worth a trip at any time of year.

Combine it with a visit to me too Geoff - we are inbetween Brighton and Nymans (sort of)!

Oh yes Maud, toddlers and deadheading... I had a similar experience. I had taught the dcs to weed the gravel path; everything in the gravel needs to be pulled up and it comes up easily. What could possibly go wrong? Ds wandered off after a while and I thought he'd just got bored and was amusing himself elsewhere in the garden. I could hear him twittering to himself behind the orchard wall.

Of course when I later walked round there to see what he was up to, he'd pulled out all my newly planted Nerines from the little border by the house, which I'd mulched with... gravel... Only myself to blame.

funny that's really kind of you re the geraniums! Thank you.

Bearleigh if I send you my 15 year old will you train her to plant potatoes and tomatoes ?

My 2 got a lot out of a sculpture garden in Germany a few years ago. Thought they would moan their way round but they got into it.

Rhubarb I know this is a bit of the wall but do you know of any decent nursing homes over your way ? FIL this time sadly.

We're going to have to move Mum again, hopefully for the final time as current one let her legs into a right state. New build this time, project of another lovely local place. There will be vegetable gardens which the local school will be planting up and a woodland walk. It's where I wanted her to go but not ready yet. Still a building site and visiting Monday. Have said when things calm down I would like to volunteer in the garden.

No I'm an idiot I've got 'snow in summer' coming out of my ears which is called cerastium! Ceratostigma is the lovely plumbago which I would LOVE to have growing every where!

I might try it growing it again actually!

I am now planning a holiday for next year to see Nymans, it sounds lovely, I was planning on going to scampston tomorrow but DH has informed me that we are getting 10 tonnes of hardcore delivered at some point.

Gardening has taken a back seat as it's hard to be motivated when it looks like a bomb site but hopefully the new inspiration gardens at the flower show will help. I have still been trying to get all the garden furniture cleaned and treated whilst the weather lasts, was using DH's pressure washer but it was no use so resorted to the old scrubbing brush and the washer for rinsing. Shame I had done the love seat and arbour by hand before finding the on switch!

Will probably buy tulips at the show and am going to look at fruit trees in lidl/Aldi at some point

Rhubarb your border sounds lovely but I wouldn't know where to start with planning a border, I just buy and plant randomly.

Tunip, if you visit lotherton take care on the very sharp corner outside, I may have dinged the telegraph pole opposite through a minor misjudgement

So what are you looking for, ppeatfruit? Something to replace the snow in summer? I love lewisias, which I believe grow happily in the gaps in dry stone walls. Would they work in your conditions?

I have just taken some osteospermum cuttings. Fingers crossed!

Yes exactly that Maud Thanks, I'll look up lewisias I don't want annuals though.

A word of warning about pressure washers squeaky DH effed up our expensive wooden terrace table using one on it! Also he loosened some of the stones on our stone steps. He buys these things uses them obsessively for a week then forgets them (boys and their toys eh )

Ppeat I have a sign in my house that says the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys! I have to say once I got it working I got a bit carried away and cleaned the greenhouse and some of my pots, but drew the line at the patio because it was tea time

Well the hardcore arrived as I was trying to get the baby to sleep and because of issues with the telephone line and gutter height it got dumped outside the front door so a very lovely friend helped shovel it away from the door so we could get in and out! Still think DH has got the measurements wrong as there is definitely not enough!