When the hounds of spring are on winter's traces…...

[echt]

I realise it's later in the UK, but couldn't wait to start a new thread. If another title had been agreed, just tell me and I'll have this removed.

Other than that, seek out those deckchairs from the shed, check them for spiders and get nattering about the spring's promise.

I was on a roll. I even rang to friend to pick up dd from school, to buy me an extra hour!

I suspect I may be unable to move tomorrow.

a friend not to friend.

I am crippled by a million pains at the moment, but still hope to do do some gardening tomorrow. The show stopper bed sounds grand - what was the final planting list?

You must listen to Julian and Sandy, funnyperson. I bet there are clips on YouTube and I guess it's on iPlayer somewhere as the BBC still broadcasts it. They were on Round The Horne, for which I was, of course, too young so I don't remember now how I first came across them.

God, I remember Round the Horne. It used to come on the wireless after 50 million way Family Favourites about 1.30. -2.00. on a Sunday.Each season was a shortish one, then it would be The Clitheroe Kid. I have book of Julian and Sandy scripts as well as some from the whole RTH shows. The boundaries of double entendre were never so pushed.

I still remember the disappointment when it wasn't RTH, much like the one I feel now when it's not The News Quiz on Radio 4 for seven weeks.

Oh God, I realise I have some cassette tapes of RTH.

rhubarb sounds impressive!
unfortunately we still have snow on the ground and more forcast. Currently is alternating between sleet/rain and light snow and is very cold and soggy so I wont be venturing out into the garden today
I am going to buy some seed trays though and may get a few things started on the windowsill...
quick question: Do I NEED a greenhouse?? Still deliberating over possible purchase of one. I want to grow a lot more form seed this year hence thinking a greenhouse would be good....do you all have one? It would be a poly/carb one, not glass, 6 x4. would I need a heater?(no electricity so would be complicated..)...any opinions?
Off to browse more seeds on line till the horrible weather buggers off!

Echt - Don't be ashamed. I have cassettes ::antique emoticon:: of Julian and Sandy. Living in London, I like the trivia that Hugh Paddick (Julian) is the uncle of Brian Paddick, who was a big cheese in the Met Police and one time candidate for Mayor. Sadly, we have nothing now to play cassettes on, or I'd introduce dd to their charms.

Oh, hyperhops, I think one can always find a use for a greenhouse. I only have a little plastic one, but would love to have a real one if I had the space.

Definitely get a greenhouse. I don't have one since I moved house, and I am pining for one. I think I may end up getting a pop up one as a temporary measure.

We still have tapes and a tape player. Hilariously, Dh works in the music industry, at the cutting edge of new technologies. Oh the irony.

Plant list for Showstopper bed:
Melianthus major
Acacia pravissima
Skimmia japonica Rubella
Loropetalum chinense Fire Dance
Hydrangea paniculata Limelight
Acer palmatum Crimson Queen

Kniphofia caulescens
Echinops bannaticus Taplow Blue
Hemerocallis Burning Daylight
Geranium clarkeii Kashmir White
Potentilla Gibson's Scarlet
Bergenia Eroica
Helianthemum Ben Ledi
Sisyrinchium striatum
Dianthus Memories
Papaver orientale Beauty of Livermere
Leucanthemum Aglaia

Yes Rhubarb but even more ironic is the return to vinyl!! We've got a real 'needle time' record player that we're thinking of rescuing from the junk room and placing in our sitting room AND the records . I was keen to get rid of them a while ago that'll learn me .

When the weather improves I'll be out with new iPad and take pix of the caves. The problem is getting the pix small enough to put on here (I need dh's help and he's not always here, also he'll show me once and expect me to remember every detail ).

hyperhops I bought a greenhouse this time last year and love it. I don't have a heater but am thinking of getting a parrafin one- I think they're quite cheap, but in any case grew so much from seed last year without a heater, plus tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and melons that do better under glass.

In fact I am quite resentful now I have to buy tomatoes again.

I'm going to try cucamelons this year :)

Cucamelons do look very appealing!

My dad and brother both have paraffin heaters for their (glass and metal) greenhouses. In the days when I had more time and energy, I used to put a tea light in my plastic greenhouse on very frosty nights.

ok..greenhouse it is then!
am too scared to go for glass with 6 dc, 2 dogs and a cat...though.
may go order now
Have bought seed trays today, and it is Feb tomorrow

I love my greenhouse. I hide in it when I want to get away from the family, plus it gets sun first thing so it's a great pick me up.

I have been known to start seeds to early. Is there anything I should really be thinking about all ready ??

ooh you are talking about greenhouses... Been feeling really quite despondent about the garden as there is nothing I can do until I sort out the question of WHAT GOES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GARDEN shed or keep existing planting and improve.

We moved our arbour nearer the house. It looks a bit Grimm but we cannot face chopping it up for firewood...

I tried ordering greenhouse from Simply something or other but they were booked up six or eight weeks delivery dates - so if anyone has an joy with a company that can deliver a bit sooner please post the info.

I have a big Hydrangea Paniculata Limelight btw rhubarb It is quite upright and a bit scraggy at this time of year - quite airy compared to a glossy hydrangea, and with much smaller and more delicate flowers. Also a prey to slugs in London - not sure why..

hyper a cat! You have a cat now - is that a new introduction? I do think cats and gardens are a very poetic combination - they drape so nicely..and shin up trees.

My kitchen has two beautiful hyacinths in it from Morrisons - 1.38 each and they have brought me pleasure now for three weeks in bud and flower. I had forgotten how easy it is to buy happiness!! Also some succulents in a glossy green pot that I made into an arrangement for dh for Christmas. They are looking rather longingly at the light but luckily kitchen window is freezing enough for them to pretend they are in a greenhouse.

Hello again everyone. Will try harder to contribute in future.

Cats are a poetic addition to the garden? I'll beg to differ there.

::wipes cat poo off new gardening clogs::

The cat... Yes Swan! Had I'm for 18 months now. I found him hiding under a car crying in car park when he was about 6 weeks old. He was filthy dirty and very skinny. Brought him home, supposedly just for the night till I found somewhere for him to go and he's been here ever since!
Must say he causes less destruction I the garden than the daft dogs!

I'm not a great one for seed growing, we're away too much. I like propagating from cuttings though and LOVE watching the plants self seed! No greenhouse but we've got 'petit toits' which are the french version of little sheds without doors, around the edge of the right of the garden (by the compost heap) where I keep bits and bobs ,overwintering dying pelargoniums, fleece for the fruit trees, stuff to be recycled etc.

Hello everyone, would you mind if I join you all? I'm very new to gardening though - we moved into our house last year and then had a baby, so not had chance to do much!

We inherited a pink Camellia which flowered twice last year but has been in (abundant!) bud for a few weeks now. Hopefully it'll be OK.

Really enjoying reading about all your gardens

Just spent an hour in the sleet digging up ivy and periwinkle. I think I'm going to be doing this all year - the root structure is amazing. Still, I can't see the border from the lounge so the border can remain bare earth and I can keep going back to it. I'm not in a rush to plant it up - I fancy ferns and hostas (a white and green border which doesn't get much sun). But I may rethink that after the size of the snail hotel I found at the back of the border.

Hi Chouette. Welcome

Ppeat we recently resurrected the record player from its home under the spare bed. It needed a new little tiny drive belt as the original one had perished and now we have vinyl again. Not sure if this is anything to be proud of really as I now have no room on the TV cabinet and vinyl piled up on the floor. The DDs had no clue what it was and were very suspicious!

I've grown cucamelons the last couple of years in the conservatory. I end up with a huge wall/curtain of plant material with a small handful of fruit. One lot last year were cut back & overwintered as they are actually perennial. Not growing them this year though because as amazingly vigorous as they are I would really like them to be productive. They may be better in a greenhouse with more bugs for germination. I always got hundreds of the flowers.

Welcome Chouette.

It's cold here, but no sleet or snow, mercifully. I have just potted up the free hostas from GW magazine (I thought I'd decided not to bother to get them, but they turned up midweek) and a hippeastrum that I'd forgotten about and found lurking amongst the gardening gloves in the kitchen. By the time I'd finished that, my hands were entirely numb, so I came back indoors. There are lots of signs of new life in the garden and now that things are a little tidier I can see that the grapevine produced a bunch of (about six) grapes last year.

Thank you for the welcome!

Enjoyed some cold, cold sunshine here today and was really pleased to see the first cluster of snowdrops under the cherry tree. I love seeing all the shoots and buds appearing.

Maudant, can I pick your (and anyone else's!) brain on vine pruning? I have no idea when or how much to try and cut it back. It's a bit wild and very vigorous so I don't think it's been touched for years.

I got a packet of cucamelon seeds for Christmas so might give them a try!

I just rather satisfyingly pulled up a weeping willow that wasn't doing much. The root ball was the size of the pot I guess it came in (planted by the previous owners). And now we've dug out a badly placed laurel, I think I can chop down the badly placed hawthorn and plant one tree in the space. I want an amerlanchi (sp?) - we had two in the last garden, one that took on a tree form and was fab, and another which was more of a shrub and not so great. Of course, I can't remember the species of either exactly.... Any ideas before I get the big green book out ?