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!

[NotAnotherNewNappy]

Oops, sorry I didn't mean to post twice.

Lexi - I think I waited too long to plant them. I assumed I had to wait until spring but I've since read it's better to sow them when they're fresh. I think somebody else on here managed to get them to grow well. So, if you've got any more this autumn... I'd be really really grateful for another try!!

I have my long sunny border a good tidy up today - lots of weeding and cutting back the brambles which are trying to climb over from next door. I pulled up a hydrangea which I didn't like the colour of (muddy pink/blue, I want white) and moved a climbing rose I'd planted in the wrong place.

[JennyOnTheBlocks]

Thank you for the lovely welcome, I love gardening but not been able to do much this spring/summer due to health.

Anyone any good with hibiscus? Have got one with varigated leaves growing in a pot in sheltered corner of south facing garden. Most years all it's given me is lots of foliage then dropped it all - but this year looks like I'm getting flowers! Do they take time to nature or have I just fluked it this time and managed to feed it correctly I wonder?

[funnyperson]

Thank you good people for your graduation wishes which I shall pass onto the children. We had a truly lovely day today. There really is something unadulteratedly happy about seeing one's offspring graduate, just like the day when they take their first steps or say their first word only even better, and one feels very very lucky indeed, especially seeing the happiness reflected on their faces and their friends' faces and the faces of the other families around.
Lunch and tea were yummy. The ceremonies generated thought (see higher ed thread if interested)
There were some very nice hydrangeas in subtle colours growing over 6 foot tall in the college gardens. I didn't get a chance to see the college gardener so didn't get my cuttings. Must go in next week under the pretence of watching open air Shakespeare

[funnyperson]

jenny welcome: I think hibiscus like food and water, I fed mine Tomorite this year and a have loads more flowers.

[Rhubarbgarden]

Welc

[Rhubarbgarden]

Oops

Welcome, Jenny. I've never grown hibiscus, sorry.

William Robinson's garden at Gravetye was an absolute delight. On a par with Hidcote, I'd say. He pioneered a more naturalistic style of planting, and everywhere was waftiness and swishing of tall lovely things moving in the breeze. You could also tell that the current head gardener used to work at Great Dixter; that same exuberance of colour and height filled the borders. Some really unusual and interesting plants too.

And the walled kitchen garden! Oh my god. It is oval, and on a slope. Espaliered fruit trees dripping with fruit, picturesque rows of flowers for cutting and outrageously giant vegetables of every description and variety. Quite the most beautiful and impressive and clearly loved kitchen garden I've ever seen. It reminded me of the one at Heligan.

Totally recommend a visit. I think garden visits are by appointment only, but if you go for lunch or afternoon tea (as we did) you obviously get to prowl round to your heart's content while you are there.

I now need to read William Robinson's 'The Wild Garden'.

[JennyOnTheBlocks]

Mine always gets tomato food too, mainly sea weed organic liquid as I feed everything at the same time. I have to grow everything out the front of our house, back garden is almost entirely shaded north facing.

Hooray for diligent feeding this year then

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Welcome Jenny. I think I put hibiscus flowers in champagne once...

I have convinced DD1 that she wants to visit Hampton Court Palace for her birthday trip next Friday so I can check out their new kitchen garden. I do love a kitchen garden.

It didn't rain. We had to get the hose out...for nearly two hours. Might get rain next Tuesday apparently. I pulled some carrots for lunch today and the soil just crumbled into dust around them.

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Oh, garden centre trip wasn't too fruitful. We were late and it was closing but did rescue some red trailing verbena from the death section. I will try and eke some life out of them in the pew planters but I think they'll clash terribly with the pink pelargoniums. However, I've been quite taken with red poppies next to pink cosmos in the fairy ring so I've convinced myself that it will work. And they were practically giving them away...

[mousmous]

update on my box: it's definitly not dead, lots of teeny tiny new leaves.
it's not a ball amymore, hopefully I will be able to form it again.
would repotting it solve the soil-too-dry problem? so far my approach has been soaking the pot in water once a week (put in a feed as well) and sprinkling it from above nearly every day.

courgette count is 12, a few of them quite big (500g+). the dc are not yet quite convinced tat hey like them, they will wolf down mince+courgette though if I chop all plant bits finely...

[nightshade1]

courgette cake..........tell me more.
although my plants are a little behind, ive got lots growing well and im sure we are only a few days from saying 'what the hell am I going to do with them all!'

[HumphreyCobbler]

Funny, glad you had a wonderful day. What a lovely post.

mousmous, I would repot the box. Glad it isn't dead after all.

Rhubarb the garden sounds lovely.

Jenny, I have tried really hard to feed things properly this year too. I have found that mint in particular looks brilliant compared to last year, and all the clematis I have in pots have done really well too.

[ppeatfruit]

Jennyonthe I was given a hibiscus 3 years ago but it took a year after cutting right back till it flowered again,it likes full sun in the house overwinter and proper watering only after it's really dry.

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Nightshade - my courgette cake recipe. Really easy and very tasty.

2 cups plain flour, 2 cups sugar, 2 cups grated courgette, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup chopped nuts (optional), 3 eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1tsp baking powder, 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 table spoon cinnamon, 2 tsps vanilla.

Throw all in a bowl and mix together. I tend to squeeze the grated courgette slightly if straight from the garden as they tend to be much juicier than shop bought and can make the mixture a bit sloppy.

Pour into large pan (or two small ones) and bake in middle of oven at 180 for about an hour (less if small pans) or until knife inserted into middle comes out clean.

You can put a cream cheese filling or topping on it but we eat it as it is hot from the oven

[traviata]

Thompson & Morgan have a 20% off flash sale today.

I bought a fig tree Violette de Bordeaux and some tree lilies and pink lily-of-the-valley.

[Rhubarbgarden]

I might have a bash at that courgette cake tomorrow, it sounds lovely and easy enough even for me. I'm still working my way through the doggy bag boxes of leftover cake from Gravetye though - so maybe later in the week actually!

Dh, FIL and the kids went off to Petworth House today; I stayed behind so that they could all fit in one car and because I saw an opportunity finally to do some gardening. I went to Petworth years ago and wasn't all that enamoured - I prefer gardens with plants in them to the Capability Brown thing, so was quite happy to miss out on the trip.

I finally got the redcurrant tree planted, although it wasn't quite as straight forward as I expected. It turns out that there is a foot and a half of concrete extending out from the east facing wall, buried under only an inch of soil. So I had to strip quite a bit of turf before I was able to dig a planting hole, and then I planted the tree tilted towards the wall. We shall see if espaliering it works.

I dug out the first shovelfuls of home made compost for it! Very satisfying. There was an egg shell in there, but apart from that it was all lovely and black and crumbly.

I also got the grass cut for the first time in ages, and then DF turned up out of the blue and decided to do some edging, which was handy.

[ppeatfruit]

Yes I was wondering how much time you mum's of L.O.s and with work out of the house manage your gardens! It's nice to be retired and do what you want when you want!

I finally moved my ailing rosa alba plena climber from it's too shady spot, to almost full sun against the now exposed woven fence just outside our kitchen window, the earth was chalkier than I had expected so I put lots of acid soil from under the pines in the hole and a nettle feed; we shall see how it does ; cross fingers!

[funnyperson]

ppeat it musyt be nice to garden in your own time but

As a working person when not ill I garden at the weekends in and in the evenings like all the other people of working age round our way who don't have gardeners. It is still a pleasure.

When the children were little they ran around the garden while we gardened. Most families with adults 30-40, with children, do their own gardening and work.

I really don't think gardening is just for the retired. This is why I find Beechgrove is such an irritating programme and Titchmarsh a fundamentally irritating person. Gardening isn't only for the deadly serious over 60 year olds with time on their hands and makeovers are not only for the very very deserving with OBE's ( I refer to that ghastly series 'love your garden' )

Give me petunias and pansies and a few perennials and roses every time over any tv designer garden needing hours and hours of designr and strong men, and costing thousands in marketing from the 'posh shed company' and hard landscaping. To me, an ordinary family out there in the open air on the ageing patio having squash and buns looking at the pots and the roses is just fine.

humphrey and rhubarb are of course dedicated and amazing but they are unusual. I love plants and gardening. But I don't support reverse ageism or elitism. I don't think it matters a hoot if a garden is neglected sometimes and just left to grow while people work and do other things. I'm sure you don't either ppeatfruit

[Callmegeoff]

Will definitely try the courgette cake.

Just as I have a glut the fridge freezer has broken argh. I'm not having much luck in finding someone to fix it.

The cooking apples are ready, I'm planning to harvest them just before we go away, I stored them last year but forgot about them really. They lasted 4 months then went on the compost. I'm just giving them away this year.

My Dc's are dead against gardening but I think it's more that mum is uncool so what ever I liked they wouldn't :(

We had a family meeting to decide what to do in Cornwall, as well as the usual beach, surfing, we all get to do 1 thing. Dh pub, dd1 fishing, dd2 butterfly walk. Me Heligan . Straight away they start moaning even though dd2 s butterfly walk can be done there. They only moaned for a bit though, it suddenly dawned on them how mean they are to me!

[funnyperson]

Oh yes I had moaning at breakfast yesterday (about the state of the house and my general social incapability) and because I'm not used to it I got really upset. This resulted in contrite behaviour and a most marvellous clearing out of the lower hallway! They don't garden though, they think thats mum's stuff, though they will water the plants if needed and regularly point out what needs planting .

[mausmaus]

tbh I don't spend much time doing stuff in the garden. maybe an hour a week? I spend much more time just sitting in the sun or tumbling about with dc.
good preparation is the key, prepare the soil and keep on top of the weeding. and lower my standards

I'm not too keen on beechgrove, they seem to be a bit trigger happy with weedkillers. I think those should be reserved for very invasive weeds.

[Callmegeoff]

I've never even seen beechgrove my in laws were raving about it. You are so right mous regarding soil prep and weeds. I have spent hours and hours this year just trying to get it manageable. Hopefully I won't need to do so much next year.

[SugarPlumTree]

I like Beechgrove a whole lot more now Chris Beardshaw is on it. Much prefer Monty's ethos but do find the little trials they do interesting.

My children aren't interested in gardening. DS used to be but it's worm off. However he did sit out with his friend for their lunch yesterday and two 10 year old boys sitting at the table with a little jar of flowers between them looked enjoyably wholesome. Sadly it didn't last long as a wasp arrived and DS was hopping round the garden in an agitated manner. DD is using the garden as part of her photography project though which is nice .

[ppeatfruit]

Funny I couldn't agree more actually I 'designed' our garden to need as little work as poss. I don't dig (unless it's a hole for a plant!) I tell you what has saved me a lot of time was investing in a battery powered mower I recommend them!

I'm not good in the sun and hate getting bitten so I mainly work in the garden when it's cooler and shady, early on. I do painting and housework etc. later.

mousmous I have learned to live with even the most annoying weeds (I pull them up or whatever) Luckily I don't have Japanese knotweed!!. Since the govt. here have banned spraying the verges the wild flowers are magnificent and more and more birds and butterflies are returning it gives me hope for the future .

[NotAnotherNewNappy]

Re soil prep - I go mad with mulch (chipped bark) spring & autumn. I tell myself every £1 spent on mulch will save me hours weeding or watering.

I am training the DDs to deadhead. I have previously got them to round up snails, as a fun garden game! but they don't fall for that anymore

I try to do little & often in the garden. I def spend less time on housework/DIY now that I have a garden to keep pretty instead.