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!

It's actually just one sunflower, it just got a bit carried away at the top.

My rhubarb is in a tub too. I like the compost heap idea but mine is in the wood bit of the garden with the ground elder so don't think it will work.

I too am envious of anyone who can grow a decent sunflower because mine have always been chopped off at ground level by those pesky molluscs. I love the bronze ones (sunflowers, that is, not molluscs).

The one the other end of the bed is a bronze one. It's a bit shaded that end though so it's decided to lie down and grow sideways in an attempt to look at the sun. I didn't take a picture of that one

Ha ha! I have just dug out all the persicaria Red Dragon because it was lying down to look at the sun.

Lured by a 10% discount code, I have just bought a pop-up walk-in greenhouse to shelter the brugmansia and the lemon tree over the winter. It has probably about a pound less than replacing the plants in the spring if the frost gets them. I shall tell DH it's an investment.

Haha brilliant move on pop up greenhouse.

Did your persicaria not flower?

If I had a green house erected in mum's garden so she could use it and I could borrow the use of it, the local foxes would probably want to live in it.

Cosmos purity still flowering here too! And sweet peas and roses!

Yes, the persicaria did flower (although the bobbly little white flowers are nothing special and Red Dragon is really about the foliage). The problem, I think, was that it grew very tall - about 7 feet - and to escape the shade of the fence it was flopping forward and crushing the geums and euphorbias and other nice things in front of it. So (as it isn't the sort of plant that's very suitable for staking and, anyway, staking is something I Don't Do) sadly it has to go.

My biggest worry about the pop-up greenhouse is whether it will blow away, as it will be on the patio and doesn't seem to have anything to anchor it. At least with the mini-greenhouse there is south on the shelves it's unlikely to take off in high winds!

... So much on the shelves ...

Lovely Sunflower bertha

tunip my rhubarb is doing very well by the compost

maudant I'm rubbish at staking too

I have never found an elegant way of staking/supporting plants. Bamboo and string often looks too conspicuous (and ramrod straight isn't necessarily what one wants) and those link-stake supports are just too short for something like the Red Dragon. At NT gardens and the like I have seen them make a sort of frame with netting over it, but that requires more woodwork skills than I possess!

Oh yes 'plant supports'
At Trinity Hall, Cambridge, which has a magnificent 'tiered' border of perennials, if you look up close there is an intricate plant support system to keep the tall plants at the back from flopping over. It consists of vertical and horizontal bamboo and twine and in some places netting. Obviously an acquired skill, and it depends on the border having no gaps when in flower to be invisible.
There are those half-hoop things which look effective, and those cylindrical things, and, as I currently have to raise the magellenica flower heads off the ground, the modified coat hanger........
Anyway the last time I looked it was possible to spend a small fortune on plant supports.
Perhaps rhubarb and those who have done proper courses can guide on technique.

Yes, I have seen lovely versions if the cylindrical supports in iron for peonies and the like, which are very sculptural and would look good even when the border was bare. But ... Pretty costly.

Ref. plant supports, I saved my old broom or mop sticks to reuse as supports but have now decided that they can go . They won't look nice, also I've bought some of those 'wavy' metal sticks which are easy to push into the earth and look much better.

I tried growing those lovely white Zantedeschia lilies but they need far more watering than I realised and they died out quite fast. I then read that they like being by or IN water.

Yes, arum lilies really belong beside a pond. My soil is wet but obviously not wet enough!

I like those spiral stakes and use them for tomatoes. I also have an old violin now I thought I might use for a bit of misplaced humour.

Violin bow.

That could be interesting Maudant for shortish flowers or supported by other sticks horizontally!

Yes arum lilies like ponds.
Perhaps I will have a pond.

I experimented with one of those online free garden planners and there appears to be too much lawn and not enough curve so a pond is possible

Bow plus bow strings maud? I see large flowered clematis, or perhaps dahlias. What do you see?

The thought of putting an old violin in the garden is slightly sad: the wood would rot. All our stringed musical instruments (violin and sitar included) are oiled/tuned regularly even though no one plays them anymore. DD wasn't allowed to sell the good trombone to raise uni funds (she sold the second best one) and the piano has been kept (though the blind tuner no longer comes) humphrey has a musical household. DS got played classical music in the womb and was born able to sing pitch perfect! I was not able to go out as much lax with dd who was also in the choir though.

The bow is past its best and can't be restrung cost-effectively, hence my thinking it could be Upcycled as a plant support rather than sent to landfill. The violin itself I have kept. While dd was learning I thought I might relearn with her, but we are no way near as musical as the Cobbler family!

This Cobbler isn't particularly musical, it must be said. Although I do a mean rendition of The Wheels on the Bus.

It normally takes children years to learn to sing in tune funny, your DS must be exceptionally musical! I once spotted that a little boy I knew could sing remarkably well in tune for his tender years and he ended up Head Chorister as a famous catherdral.

or cathedral, even.

DH made lots of those half hoop wire ones, they rust up and are hard to spot in the border. We tend to forget to support stuff until it actually flops, by which point it is too late.

Lovely happy-making sunflowers.

Ref plant supports - the best solution is woven hazel or willow 'frames', made anew every spring as the perennials first appear, and composted with the dead plant material every winter. Kew do this, and many historic gardens. Lots of places do courses in how to make them, and from what I've heard it's pretty simple, so those with a crafty bent could probably figure it out by looking at them.

It should be pointed out here that I have never done a course nor attempted them, though one day I will.

Excellent rhubarb idea. I may steal that.

Loving the musical talk. I love singing, despite being completely off key. The local toddler group that I lead doesn't seem to mind, fortunately.

I begged and begged my mother to allow me to learn a musical instrument when I was a child, but I was always told it was too much money and I'd get bored so they weren't forking out.

My dcs will have enforced music lessons as a result.

Excellent idea re music rhubarb - I had the same conversation with my parents.

We encouraged BabyBearleigh to start the violin - he seemed to have some talent but refused to practice so, after warnings, the lessons were stopped. Now of course, at 15 he wishes he'd learned, and, for half a minute tried to blame us - till we pointed out how difficult it is to force him to do anything he doesn't want to. Still he does help in the garden as he likes that...

Also, MrBearleigh has just had open heart surgery, and BB has helped around the house a lot, bless him. (so I have arranged help in the garden for a while - bliss, or not?)

Get well soon to MrBearleigh.

As a child I learnt various recorders to quite an advanced level (beyond the hideous initial screeching) and the violin too for a while. I gave up the violin when the homework schedule got too much and now regret that I can't still play. So, DD has played various instruments, either compulsorily at school (ugh, the ocarina) or voluntarily. I was keen for her to continue, as I don't want her to have the same regrets about not continuing, but as that was more about me than about her and as she never took the instruments out of their cases to practice, I have had to accept that she was just not that into it and so we have not signed up for any more lessons.

DH is a good guitar player playing by ear like DS who is very musical and continues playing guitar,jembe drums, etc. to this day (he doesn't earn much at it, doing tree work etc. to make ends meet, in case it sounds like I'm boasting). I agree that it's impossible to 'force' music lessons though.

We sent the DDs to 'susuki' piano classes - I 'd recommend them; they need to be started very young though - but they can still play what they learned many years ago! Though they don't do much now.

Sending virtual to mr bearleigh

I stake things too late as well and must get more organised next year, the Cosmos are all leaning over the path and need something stronger than bamboo canes. I didn't realise the Dahlias would get so high either.

Another one deprived of music lessons due to cost. I took up the clarinet in high school, but never mastered the art of reading music. I learnt 'going home' Hovis add In The seventies and played it over and over!

Dd1 has played the piano since aged 7 mainly because she has beautiful long fingers. It really helped with her maths. I was surprised that she got a music scolarship though, as she doesn't seem that musical. I did used to plonk her in front of baby Mozart on repeat play as a baby

She has just commenced saxophone as a second instrument my poor ears