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!

I like the pebbles idea funky I've never bothered to label things in the ground but I think I should as my memory is rubbish. I've already pulled up some morning glory mistaking it for bindweed. Mind you the morning glory I have left has hardly flowered!

fP I did see the supermoon and had every intention of getting up at 4 to look for meteors, although I woke I couldn't muster the enthusiasm to leave my warm bed. I do hope you are wrong about the rain, I will be having a massive plant out after returning from a camping holiday in Cornwall which is the last week of August.

I gave up on the standard plastic labels because the urban wildlife always sem to dig them up. Now, I either use the large plastic labels or, most recently, the black wooden labels but they do tor at ground level. I have a big batch of slate labels from eBay but haven't got round to using them yet.

A nice idea I saw at Hampton Court was little upturned

... Terracotta pots with chalk pen. They looked lovely.

That moon woke me up and then the roomba started talking to me (dh has his own bedroom usually the salon!) so I'm feeling a bit weird like you feel when you've been feeding the new born all night ! I'm sure you can remember that feeling or are probably having it now

Ref. compost heap Funnyp Leaves take longer to break down I put leaves in plastic sacks with holes in to damp them, after a couple of years they are ready : I put them on the cyclamen which cheered them up a lot.

I use my compost heap all the time and love putting all our used bits and bobs on it I put catlitter on it and it makes brilliant potting compost that holds water better, not to landfill. The rest goes to our neighbour and the birds or hedgehogs etc.

Trailing ivy-leaved pelargoniums in Maud's bucket - yes yes, lovely.

I don't label anything except my new fruit trees, as I would get my greengages mixed up. The names are in my head or on a planting plan. Sometimes they fall out of my head though. I like the idea of chalk on pebbles/upturned plant pots, but doesn't it wash off in the rain? Special kind of chalk?

It has never occurred to me to put cat litter on the compost heap but I shall from now on. It's the wood chip sort so would be fine.

I have completely missed that we are having good moons. I will look out tonight.

I do hope it doesn't rain for the rest of the summer. The lime mortar pointing is only half done and a number of window frames are waiting to be replaced. The paint stripping can be done in the rain (sorry, dh) at least.

The newly exposed brick front is looking fantastic. Not finished, but you can see what it will be like. I need to choose a climbing rose for round the door - whoop whoop! There was a gorgeous one newly launched at Chelsea but I can't remember its name. Summer something.

Oh and I discovered that the Magnolia I've been given is a dwarf one. I need a lofty(ish) one for the north facing border, so back to square one on that. I poured over the Burncoose website yesterday and think I've finally decided on campbellii 'Betty Jessel'. I really want to go to Caerhays Castle to see the Magnolias next spring. funny, I think you went this year, how was it?

Oh rhubarb I use lime mortar, isn't it important not to use it when it's too hot or cold ? (That's my excuse to only finish the utility room walls with it in spring and autumn!). Yes it's tricky when it gets too wet, there's a tower in a town on the way to Tours that literally slid down a high hill after too much rain ! . I love it though it gets better with age! Apart from having to wear a mask and hat when using it (I wear a shower cap I must look a sight! )

How lovely a new climbing rose round the door .

I didnt go to Caerhays rhubarb because we went to Kew instead- the magnolias at Kew were about 10 in number and disappointing: I'm guessing a lot went down in the storm of 87. However I agree with you that the campbellii look magnificent in the catalogue.
The national collection is at Bodnant
www.bgci.org/ourwork/magnolia_gardens/

This spring I ordered and planted the following for mum and dad's garden:
Grandiflora Exmouth
Campbellii Princess Margaret
Soulangeana Alexandrina

They are all still alive, I do hope they flower in the spring and that dad will be able to see the flowers: he loves magnolias.

I just have a little M stellata in a 3 foot high pot out front which is healthy. I might repot it

I got them from Burncoose. They arrived very well packed.

At the same time I ordered from them and planted in my own garden Garrya Elliptica James Roof, and a Hydrangea Petiolaris, which have survived under the oak without any extra watering and the 2 fuschias Lady Boothby and Magellenica in the sunny border which are doing very well. The acanthus from them got slugged but to make up for that they sold me a well grown cotinus for £2.00 at Hampton Court! The chap said he didnt know what it was and it had a log name but it is a cotinus. I haven't a clue where to plant it.

Thank you for endorsing the bucket/pelargonium plan!

Ah yes now I remember you going to Kew instead. Your choices of magnolias look lovely, you must report back on how they flower!

Pp yes, lime mortar can't get too cold, too hot or wet. It's a pain. It's a vast wall that they are doing too, so I hope they can finish before the summer is out. And I very much hope we don't slide down the hill like your tower!

That will be lovely to have a garden memento from your holiday Maud, sounds lovely with pelargonium.

Climbing rose and newly exposed brick sounds fabulous, as do Magnolia.

The water butt installed last Thursday is now full. It was like someone was chucking buckets of water out the sky earlier .

My garden is liking the rain.

I had to empty all the water butts re other week so the workmen could move them. They are now full again and will need emptying to move back into their normal positions. Takes ages.

The moon woke me up last night too, at 4am. We currently have no curtains on one of our bedroom windows (had to be moved so workmen can re plaster wall). Moon was very bright and shining directly at me. Not necessarily the best way to appreciate it.

I would like the workmen to finish my house and go and bug someone else now. They should've have finished weeks ago.

I like the pebble marking idea but think the wildlife, dog and nextdoor's cat between them would confuse the issue by moving pebbles and laughing at me from behind the shed I too liked the little upturned terracotta pots at Hampton Court. If I spot any going cheaply I may get some for the veg plot.

Nothing would have woken me last night but saw the moon and I think the space station before bed.

You know how we were saying reduced Sarah Raven dahlias are probably the way forward ? My Wilkos Pom Pom one has flowered -,the blooms are the size of a conker, totally pathetic . I'm now certain of the Sarah Raven hypothesis.

How's the business buying going SPT?

SPT give your Wilko dahlia a year or two - when I have grown them from seed, the first year's flowers are a bit pathetic but they have improved in size of plant and of flower (& numbers of flowers) year on year.

Yes SPT and I can confirm that B and Q reduced dahlia tubers from June are no good either. At least in my garden.

I like the pebble idea but think it likely I would forget the writing on the pebbles meant something and throw them away by mistake. Or they would get buried by the local squirrel population. The black labels and chalk pen sound good though and I will get some. Thank you.

Sympathising with all those in the middle of stressful renovations.

Perhaps we could organise a late birthday tea and cake celebration thing for rhubarb when maud comes back from holiday!

Ooh. Tea & cake

I'll let them stay in another year then and see if they improve. So the dahlia tubers to avoid list so far is Wilkinson's, Tesco and B&Q with Sarah Raven success.

Offer accepted today Bertha, thanks for asking . If everything goes to plan I'll be starting 3rd week of next month.

Yay, exciting. Can you tell us what it is yet? Is this one the cut flower one?

It is indeed Bertha. I'd better stock up on antihistamine for the spring, we all get hayfever !

Whoop! Congratulations SPT! We should have celebratory tea and cake for you as well!

Thank you Rhubarb. That would be lovely once it is signed and sealed