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Original poster

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

999 replies

echt · 12/01/2015 21:04

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.

OP posts:
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Rhubarbgarden · 23/02/2015 17:59

To get the coloured stems you need to prune it back hard every spring, or some say every other spring.

On each stem, take the year's growth back to two buds. If it's quite congested, remove some of the oldest stems completely.

Rhubarbgarden · 23/02/2015 18:06

Lots of lovely plants there funny. I'll have a think.

In my trough I planted a box spiral in the centre, flanked by a Convolvulus cneorum on each side. Some Bergenias inbetween and Erigeron karvinskianus bunged in each end for trailiness and because it grows so easily here. I'm not convinced the Bergenias are quite right, but I had a number of them knocking around so it made sense to use them. I might replace them with trailing rosemary next time I go to the wholesalers (hopefully soon).

funnyperson · 23/02/2015 21:25

That's really useful about pruning the cornus Rhubarb I'll have a good look at the bush before I go to work tomorrow and see what to do. I had noticed that Benington gardeners had been clearly quite radical over the years as at the base of each cornus group of coloured stems was a thicket of dead old wood presumably from years of hard prunings.

I know what you mean about bergenias but you have a very interesting variety of foliage shape and form there.

Rhubarbgarden · 23/02/2015 23:49

Bergenias are incredibly useful for that reason. Gertrude Jekyll was right about that. They have featured in every planting plan I've ever done, I think; their leaf shape contrasts nicely with just about everything.

I'm not sure why I've got a niggle about the trough.

LightTripper · 24/02/2015 00:10

The bees look after themselves all the time ppeat! All I have to do is not pull up the pulmonaria which is fine by me as I find it a very useful and jolly plant in my shady garden!

I have to admit I have an irrational dislike of Bergenia. I have seen it looking fab but there's something about its fleshiness that I just can't get on with Blush

Squeakyheart · 24/02/2015 07:05

I'm with light tripper on the bergenia, I think because in the first garden I had it was everywhere and was so messy when it died down its put me off.

sugarplum hope that your gallbladder is settling down, it's awful when they play up. I had mine out this year and it is such a relief!

choutte have you name changed? I lose track so easily, you must be up my neck of the woods as I am hoping to go to burton Agnes next week.

Gardening wise I have managed some tidying up but not much as DD not keen on the garden at present, mainly as she is so clingy having picked up everything going for weeks now. Today is another day off work, my second in two weeks, I am so thankful that my mother can take her. Unfortunately any non baby hours are at work or trying to get the housework done. DH is very busy at present but this should settle soon and then he can free me for some gardening time. Roll on the later evenings!

ppeatfruit · 24/02/2015 09:25

Funny What about a shrub; ornamental quince Nicoline? It doesn't mind shade.

I've got a strange bright pink stemmed cornus type plant that just arrived, but it has fleshy stems so it's not like the english type, it's pretty most of the year with sprays of little white flowers and large pinkish\greenish leaves. So I'm loathe to cut it back it just dies down in the winter and comes up happily in the late spring!

Thanks for the info about bees lighttripper I'll think seriously about it. Grin

MaudantWit · 24/02/2015 14:20

I killed my cornus by moving it, but I noited at Cambridge Botanic Garden that they had just been hard-pruning their cornus. The stack of sticks looked very impressive!

I dislike bergenia too. I was given some when I started the garden, but the leathery leaves and sickly pink flowers did not appeal to me. There is one with deep pink flowers which I'll admit is more attractive.

My mail order lily bulbs have just arrived. Should I plant them now or wait until it's a little warmer? And for what must have been a good reason at the time, I seem to have bought yet more geraniums. I'll squeeze them in somewhere.

ppeatfruit · 24/02/2015 15:28

You see Maud mine doesn't have stick like stems . It's got a soft hollow stem which just goes brown and falls over in the winter . I'm not sure mine is cornus alba, it 's something else Grin.

I quite like my bergenias, they self seed around the place in places where nothing else would survive Grin

MaudantWit · 24/02/2015 15:59

No, that doesn't sound like cornus alba. Have your neighbours got it? Can they give you a clue?

ppeatfruit · 24/02/2015 16:11

No I've not seen it around at all. When it flowers I'll post a pic.It's not in any of my reference books either.

Rhubarbgarden · 24/02/2015 16:34

I don't know of any Cornus with fleshy stems. Apart from Cornus canadensis, which is low growing ground cover, all the others I've come across are woody.

MaudantWit · 24/02/2015 19:16

Strewth. I've been browsing the garden section of Ebay, as you do, and someone is asking £65 for a heap of old plastic pots much like I (and all of you, I imagine) have stacked up in the corner of the garden. Money. Old rope.

funnyperson · 24/02/2015 19:51

lol . I have loads of plastic pots but being of a miserly thrifty nature, I keep them in case they come in useful.

RHS says to coppice cornus. This sounds scary but is probably what they do at Benington.

As coppicing sounds scary and technical I am probably going to go a middle way.

Bearleigh · 24/02/2015 20:20

Lol indeed. Our garden centre has a big bay holding dirty plastic pots, presumably from their casualties. Some of them are pretty big and fairly attractive, so I saved myself a bit of cash. I've never seen anyone else riffling through.

That 'Cornus' sounds interesting and I look forward to learning more. I like bright pink in a garden.

didireallysaythat · 24/02/2015 20:35

One of our garde centres has a recycle pot bin where you can give and take as you like. It's about a metre square. The dahlias are exclusively in pots from them and one fantastic trip I found saucers !

MaudantWit · 24/02/2015 23:44

I reuse a lot of pots when growing things for plant sales and often donate them to the reuse/recycle shelf at the hort soc, but it had never occurred to me to ask £65 for them on EBay!

Anyway, I am just back from a preview of the Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with the news that dear, dear Alan Rickman has directed and appears in a film about le Nôtre making the gardens at Versailles. Sounds like the perfect film to me - is anyone interested in a London(ish) meet-up to see it?

Rhubarbgarden · 24/02/2015 23:51

Oooh! YES.

funnyperson · 25/02/2015 00:42

oh all right then......its clearly not of interest to dc!

Bearleigh · 25/02/2015 00:49

Definitely! Not the sort of thing la famille Bearligh will be interested in, but I'd love to see it.

Bearleigh · 25/02/2015 00:52

It sounds like the sort of film Curzon cinemas will show and there is now Curzon near Victoria, and I believe a lot of us live Surrey/Sussex/ Kent.

MaudantWit · 25/02/2015 01:23

Yes, very much a Curzon/Lumière kind of film and I've been wanting to go to the new Curzon. It's the official film of RHS gardening week, so I will check when that is, as I guess that's when it will open. How exciting!

Bearleigh · 25/02/2015 13:16

The audience will be like that when rhubarb & I went t see An Evening with Monty Don... But yes exciting.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 25/02/2015 13:40

Humph - I just bought 2 packs of 2 bare root agapanthuses (agapanthi?) from Morrisons. One had three in but the other was empty except for some compost Angry
It was only £2 though so I don't know if I can be bothered to walk down there and complain. If I do I'll get tempted by something else and end up spending more.

The other thing I have to report is that I went to Hampton Court at the weekend and was very impressed by the Pointy Tree Garden, aka the Privy Garden, which was restored in the 1980s in an early 1720s style, all pyramidal box and holly balls.
The Tudor garden (heraldic beasts on poles) was a bit of a disappointment though maybe would work better in the summer.

MaudantWit, I don't like bergenias either, but they are very useful.

hyperhops · 25/02/2015 14:39

hello all.
Im am very rubbish at keeping up with thread - but do read of all your garden exploits daily.
Things are very hectic in my life right now and I am feeling the strain tbh but my garden is keeping me sane Grin
My little greenhouse is up and I have spent some happy hours in there already! I have potted on my sweetpeas and sown some lupin, larkspur and some stocks Grin
I have ordered some ferns for the back garden - shady and moist spot. Never tried ferns before so very exciting
Have also ordered some snowdrop bulbs in the green and can't wait to get those in the front garden. I have 3 little patches at the moment which are lovely and make me smile every time I walk past them.
So much on my wanted list at the moment though!