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!

Great excitement here today - two parcels of plants!

What plants maud? You can't say you got plants and not tell us what plants!

I received my replacement lavender plugs from t and m and they are in already. I have put them in little 4 inch trays: I save all my empty pots and plant trays from the nurseries and they come in very useful.

The Gloriosa Rothschildiana has been outside draped over the swing seat but this weekend I'm potting it on and bringing it up to the verandah where it will be sheltered over the winter. I'll put something over it when it gets frosty.

Loved Gardener's World and the little garden, though we couldn't see all of it as the Matrix was on another channel and DS wanted to watch that so we watched GW in the lengthy ITV breaks, which DS found interesting, as he grows parsley and basil on the kitchen windowsill and had been muttering earlier that he probably ought to have a herb wheel outside. I'm surprised, it seems that quite a few of his friends (in their early twenties) grow veg. He must be in with the wrong set: I thought they were all meant to make millions in the city working round the clock, but it seems a lot are doing post grad and growing veg.

funny That's great about yr ds and his friends Our ds helps in an arboreoculture business. The dds are interested in gardens but both live in flats so it's difficult to pursue their interests. Oh and ex dil has bought a part rent in an allotment! I think it's the new rock and roll!

Yes, looking around our allotment site there seem to be more younger people, so it is the new rock and roll. In fact, several years ago I heard someone say (or perhaps it was in a gardening magazine) that gardening was the new rock and roll and Diarmuid Gavin was the new Elvis!

Sorry to be so mysterious! The parcels contained my 'chic' tulip bulbs from van Meuwen and the free-for-postage climbers from GW magazine. Two of the climbers are teeny little plants but the trachelospermum jasminoides is quite substantial. I will pot them on this morning.

Yes Maud And we've all been sooo avant grade because we've done it for years!! It's like an article in the Financial Times saying that ess.oils and veg oils are the new thing for cosmetics! I've been using them for years too!

Yup, it's not often I find myself at the cutting edge!

I've just had a productive (though slightly painful) couple of hours in the garden. I have emptied the pots of lilies that didn't do much this year - I need to free up some pots for all the tulips I have bought - and started to hack back the overgrown mass of ivy/honeysuckle/rose/clematis that is swamping the fence. I was pleased to see that the clematis Polish Spirit that I thought had died was alive but had grown so tall that it had gone up and over the fence and all the flowering was happening on the other side. It has now had a radical prune.

For Rhubarb and anyone else who knows about magnolias - my magnolia stellata seems to be dying back from the top. The tip of the leading shoot has gone brown and dead looking. Is this the beginning of the end or just a bit of wind damage or similar?

SugarPlum sorry I know nothing of the nursing homes round here. I don't even know anyone with parents nearby - everyone's families seem to be miles away.

Oops didn't mean to hit post then.

funny your ds sounds so lovely!

Maud my new Magnolia liliflora that I was given for my birthday is looking similarly sickly. I sent photos to the company it came from, and they said that Magnolias always look like this at this time of year - apparently they are amongst the first trees to lose their leaves in the autumn. I didn't know that. I had a nose at the Magnolias at Nymans when I was there the other day, and they looked crappy too. So hopefully it's nothing to worry about.

That's fairly reassuring, Rhubarb. What bothers me is not that it is losing leaves but the leading shoot is so much darker (and more dead-looking) than the rest of the plant. But let's remain optimistic ...

Hmm yes that doesn't sound great, I must admit. Post a picture so we can have a look?

I'll try to get a picture tomorrow.

I am having an early night with Monty on iPlayer. The garden with salvias is lovely. He is right about not growing salvias on clay; Hot Lips seems happy here but culinary sage always dies.

Oh yes that salvia garden was lovely on GW. That reminds me did anyone hear GQS? They were at the Geoff Hamilton Garden and there's a good book by his twin brother Tony called The Complete Gardener which gives plans for his gardens,and really helpful hints for planting etc.

I just caught a few minutes of GQT, where they were discussing the judging of horticultural shows. (Been there, done that, got the t-shirt).

rhubarb ooh I'd love to pay you a visit, will let you know what our plans are as soon as we know really rubbish at organising stuff

I'm just recovering night shifts and yet to watch GW.

Reassuring to hear funny got her lavender plugs replaced.

I've had a funny week, dd1 has started secondary school and has to get up very early 630 to get the bus at 715, I was worried how she'd handle it. She is fine I am not -dragging my arse out of bed a whole 90 minutes earlier than I used to do is taking its toll I'm sooo tired and hope its all worth it.

Despite all the tiredness I did mange to pot on all my Munstead lavender plants, they are in quite big pots now as I can't decide which path to line them with, so will do it in the spring. I've also potted on the Geraniums from Hayloft and found the key -2B aka Johnson blue hasn't made it, a bit annoying. The others are all doing well though.

I've just listened to it too, rainwater for Rhododendrons -didn't know that. The plant I rescued from a border and now in flower is I think a Rhododendron, or Azalea reddish, pink flowers. I'll try and put up a picture I'm sure one of you lot will know what it actually is! :)

sugarplum you could start a thread in chat or local to that area about nursing homes?

Hello oh gardening goddesses! I hope you don't mind me butting in with a gardening question.

I have a patch of earth just by my front door, about 215cm by 70 cm (or 27" by 85") which is sorely neglected, with a crummy old shub and a rubbish rose, and some weeds. I would love to plant it up nicely, but not sure where to start.

East facing. Get a very small amount of morning sun, but mostly in the shade. Quite protected by the house/ garage. Surrounded on three sides by the concrete path and at the back by the brick wall of the house.

I'd like to fill it with something (or more than one thing?) very easy to maintain but that looks decent all year round (as it's right by the front door). Some kind of shrub?

Any suggestions? I'd be most grateful.

Hello, Wigeon.

Do you know what your crummy shrub and rubbish rose are? Could they be revamped with a bit of judicious pruning or are they destined for the great compost heap in the sky?

It's quite a common shrub but viburnum is a good "doer" that will grow in shade. Viburnum tinus flowers very early in the year and viburnum bodnantense Dawn is also good. (I have seen viburnum tinus sold as a standard (ie lollipop), which might look good in front of the house). Daphne aureomarginata odora smells lovely and will grow in shade, as will sarcococca confusa (sweet box). You could underplant with lamium, hardy geraniums and heucheras - the more groundcover you use, the less scope for weeds to invade. All of these things are happy in my very shady border.

Hello wigeon Yes to Maud's suggestions, I would also suggest a nice hydrangea or maybe the bamboo nandina domestica which is really slow growing, looks beautiful in every season and I can vouch for it's good temper (it came from London to Fr. in a pot where I planted it) and it's fine .

Your shade sounds better than mine Maud; Johnson blue geranium has died and the alstromeres needed moving to a sunnier position before they expired.

White Japanese anemones, peony Mlokosewitschii (soft yellow) and lily of the valley all grow well for me in a similar location, and in the summer, I also have pots holding half hardy fuchsias, regal pelargoniums and lobelia, all of which are really happy in the shade.

Thanks Rhubarb and Geoff. I did start a thread 8 chat but not very successful. We've decided that DH'S siblings who are semi retired will have to step up as we are saturation point with work and children.

Not much happened in my garden as very busy week so lovely to hear what you are all up to. Need to start planting bulbs.

Ooh hello again, first time I've spotted this thread!

I did introduce myself on the last one and mentioned my hollyhocks (wasn't particularly riveting so entirely possible it's been forgotten!) anyway, I wasn't sure if they would be pink or yellow until they bloomed and they were.... (drum roll) ... Yellow! Hurrah.

I've loved having them the snails have loved them too and they grew even taller than my apple tree, which has also done exceptionally well this year, fruitwise.

Anyway, as these are my first hollyhocks, I'm not sure what to do with them now they're almost done. There are a few fresh sprigs but most of them look empty and sad. I'd be grateful for any pointers from experienced gardeners

Had a lovey afternoon buying plants - bought 4 lavender plants (which were past their sell by day???) for 99p each and they are quite large, and lots of potted herbs 90p each, you have got to love aldi

Hello kinky I've never planted a hollyhock in my garden, they just spring up ! I'm a 'natural, gardener so I don't remove them. The ones in full sun are very happy the others not! . Just cut them back and leave them for next year.