Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

[SugarPlumTree]

Potting shed thread for those who enjoy talking about gardens and plants. Plenty of garden chairs and the wood burner lit now there is a chill in the air, please join us !

They probably have viruses or something Geoff actually think I have a problem. I can't leave cheap plants. More lawn will have to go....

Climbing Iceberg for £1.79?[shock]
I might be revisiting my whole Iceberg v Wollerton Old Hall dilemma if it's going to save me £16!

Don't be swayed by price Rhubarb. You are going to have to look at it on the front of your house for many years to come and need to get it right. Much as I love a bargain, don't let £16 come into it for a plant in prime position.

Sorry, that was a bit bossy, feel free to ignore me !

Ha ha! Don't worry I'm fussy as anything about quality. I never buy from shelves of doom or cheapo websites for that reason - I've learnt that the hard way.

That said, I'm brassic at the moment, and beggars can't be choosers.

I bought a spiral box topiary from a man who randomly knocked on the door yesterday. He said he was from a teak garden furniture company that sells in village halls through the summer (I've seen them advertise their 'events' locally), and they use box topiary in their displays. As they'd reached the end of their season, they were selling off the box. It was top quality and an absolute steal - if I wasn't so skint I'd have bought half a dozen. I told him to come back next year!

House renovations do sadly have that unfortunate side effect I am glad we're nearly done after many years and hoping the damp patch on the ceiling isn't going to mean an expensive repair.

A spiral box topiary sounds lovely. My box cat still looks more like a squirrel sadly. On the subject of roses, what has been the most successful this year ? (If anyone is thinking of saying Mme Carriere, break it to me gently as it's still a sore subject)

Ooh I never thought about that aspect of bone China. OTOH the plates will hive been fired at temperatures high enough to kill off anything. I never T&S thought that very strict vegans would avoid bone China, but it does make sense.

I'm too busy doing stuff like washing and tidying, (as MrB is still not able to do anything), for me to do any work on the garden. Sob...but on the bright side there are still lots of flowers out.

Most successful roses... Hmm I'd have to say the Savoy Hotels which just bloom and bloom, BUT they did get a hefty mulch of poo last autumn and I've kept up to the dead heading and removal of black spotty leaves.

However, the Crocus rose has been almost as good; and that has had zero attention. It is truly a stunner and I shall be buying more.

Mme Alfred has been underwhelming, if that's any consolation.

'blue for you' and 'hansestadt rostock' have both been nice this year.
lots of flowers more or less constant since they got going late spring.

Most successful roses: American Pillar (for prolific flowers) and Munstead Wood (for repeat flowering and scent)

My Aged Aunt was not a Jain she was a Hindu from a very priestly branch of the family. It would have been a standing joke except everyone was scared of the matriarch in that branch! She wasn't unkind at all to anyone in the family, quite the opposite, and gave to the poor very regularly and generously but she had very firm views.

I need hardly tell you that my younger sister and one of the younger cousins considered themselves very progressive and would do things like invite visiting (non Hindu) tourists onto the verandah and give them tea, (in clay cups) or 'accidentally' touch a broom just to scandalise her! Both these events would usually result in orders to take a bath in the scared river opposite her house for cleansing purposes: a good excuse for a hilarious outing!

My aunt epitomised a dead way of life: dead because of the generation gap. The generation gap is a good thing: it provides for progress and change and tolerance. I always remember her when I disagree with the children due to any antediluvial idea of mine. It helps me be more accepting of change.

Just trying to catch up with you all... my gardening has taken a backseat for the moment while we are busy trying to get the new house finished. I do need to bring all my pots to our own house, from rented place....that will be a big job...

My best rose was 'Sceptrd Isle' although I'm convinced that DA sent me the wring rose. It doesn't look a bit like it should but it is fab, whatever it is!

For the record my Aldi £1.79 Climbing Icebergs didn't bloom. I planted them either side of the stable door, they put on good growth but no flowers this year. DSiL did say several times that she had accidentally on purpose let her horse prune them back...so that might have been a contributing factor...

Most successful roses for me are Albéric Barbier, a rambler because it has such lovely glossy evergreen foliage and for the two weeks it flowers it's gorgeous, and Feuer Tanz, that I got from one of those 3 for £10 offers. I wouldn't have chosen it as it has no scent, and the first year it was a rather brassy scarlet but this year it was a stunning bright crimson and flowered for ages. It also produces lovely hips and is very healthy:

foto.mein-schoener-garten.de/Rose-Feuertanz-Juni-2011-neu-foto-1755342-24.html

Most disappointing is Susan Williams Ellis, that does not flower all year from very early despite what D. Austin says (and lots of feed), and the flowers are smaller than in his catalogue. And the foliage is very dull

That's beautiful bearleigh

castle my pots wouldn't all fit in the removal lorry, I'm still sad about the ones that got left.

My best rose was a nameless one in the front border that has repeat bloomed all summer, and the Aldi ballerina rose is doing well too.

What should I do about gladioli bulbs that have come up blind? Do I pull them up or is there any chance they will flower next year? that'll learn me for buying them from poundland

Geoff I was wondering the same about my poundland gladioli. I've decided to leave them in another year. Tbh I think the squirrels will get them anyway.

My crocus delivery of bulbs and stuff arrived in time! Though for some reason there is a rhodedendron luteum which I didnt order. I did order the miscanthus but now it has come it looks too much like pampas grass in miniature and I might send it back.

Oh Geoff . We are only moving a mile away so I'll be able to move them myself - well DH can take the heavier ones in the van...

It's the cats I am most worried about moving, as we aren't going too far. I hope they won't keep returning to the rental house...

We went to the pumpkin festivals. One is our village (in the valley) but it majors on roasting burning sweet chestnuts and a big car boot thing.

The other is just past the amazing town of Richelieu and is as you would expect; It's held in an ancient churchyard of a truly rural medieval village .Lots of exhibited pumpkins from tiny to huuuuge (the schoolchildren get prizes for them) and sell them for hardly anything. Also traditional dancing in costume, lots of baby animals. Fab. homemade macarons, honey, flowers, foods etc. etc. .

There are drawbacks with battery run mowers ; they run out before you're finished!

The pumpkin festivals sound fab, ppeat.

Castle just make sure you keep your cats inside for a few weeks and give them lots of treats so that they associate the new place with good things. It's good that the weather is getting worse as we go into winter - they should be more inclined to stay at home where it's warm and dry than go on great expeditions.

I didn't get any gardening done today as we had to go up to London to visit some friends of DH's. I won't get any done tomorrow either now, as dd has an upset tummy so I won't be able to send her to school. Bah.

I have finally managed some time in the garden. Feel so much happier. All bulbs in other than the crocus that are to be planted in the fairy ring. I need more snowdrops to plant with them. I also did a big tidy up in the veg plot and directed DH on some heavy jobs.

I am now back on the sofa.

Pot pictured was a birthday present from MIL. I have, for the first time, attempted some layering of bulbs. It should pop up with snowdrops, then crocus then some short alliums, and if the timing is right, should have flowers from January to May. I can see it all going horribly wrong but will keep you all updated.

Couldn't believe how warm it was outside today.

Nice pot Bertha, and fingers crossed the layering works. I got out in the garden too: wasn't it a fabulous day? I tidied, pulled out the cosmos & nicotiana, & planted lots of bulbs, and still have more to go. I assume that when they say "plant 10cm deep" they mean the bottom of the bulb, but I always wonder! Cosmos has tiny roots for such enormous plants. Nicotiana has much more proportionate roots. Both have been amazing this year.

I've decided Helianthus Lemon Queen is lovely but too tall for my garden and other plants - any ideas for a substitute that isn't such a spreader & so tall? I do love the way it keeps flowering and what a haven for bees it is, but it overshadows everything.