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 must look at the NGS website too. There are some lovely gardens near here which open in the spring, but I'm assuming not for a few weeks yet.

I was heartened to dig out a bit of my compost today and see it was actually pretty good stuff (although I dump vast quantities of stuff into the dalek, I don't use the output very often). The other things that never rot are the husks of sweetcorn.

It's also heartening to hear I'm not the only one who can't grow a decent tithonia (or zinnia or dahlia or ... or ...).

Oh well if any RHS stalkers read this they will now know who I am.

I saw the really rather sexy James Wong in real life today talking about growing vegetables with flavour at RHS London. Top tips were buy blueberry rubel and blackberry navaho. Soak tomato seeds in a bit of aspirin solution before sowing, lay down red plastic, pinch out all side shoots and all but one flowering tip and grow in the sun, not a greenhouse, and you will have very flavoursome blueberries, blackberries and tomatoes. He says not to bother with potatoes or butternut squash.

The trouble is that Monty is more my age and more lyrical but already taken iyswim and James is too young though more scientific.

A green hellebore fell into the basket.

Well done, funnyperson, on both the James Wong-spotting and the hellebore. I was tempted to go - a chum had a stall there (that outs me too) - but there was, as ever, Too Much To Do.

I'm impressed by all the compost doings

Oh maud there is Too Much To Do and I havent been doing that stephen covey thing of prioritising so none of the Important and Urgent stuff has got done at home and I am in grave danger of enjoying myself far too much when not working as a result.

I must look up Stephen Covey. Admittedly, too, I found the first Sunday thing a bit underwhelming the only time we went, so that was another reason for not going, but I did want to see my chum's stall.

But I got my tree shifted, so that was good.

Red plastic?

I quite like James Wong. But my heart belongs to Chris Beardshaw.

I have 25 bags of Strulch being delivered tomorrow. The delivery slot is between 8 and 5, which is not terribly helpful.

Oh and welcome back, Castle!

You are right maud about the underwhelming, however vey pleasant folk fiddle jigs were being played, and the talks were interesting and I went with a friend, and I think next month it is in your area!

Red plastic under tomatoes reflects a light wavelength which increases yield and flavour
www.amazon.co.uk/Dalen-Prod-BR8-Mulch-Film/dp/B000CSGF5Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425265786&sr=8-2&keywords=red+plastic+tomato

Tomatoes also have better flavour when grown in the sun. Basil, on the other hand, develops a better flavour in the greenhouse with silver foil on the bench to reflect light, so James Wong says.

Maud you've name changed !! I got confused! Then realised after reading twice

Funny I like both Chris and James but maybe James a bit more because he's into herbs and herbals and ess. oils etc. like me! I LOVE basil it's wonderful for calming a stomach. I'll remember that tip about silver foil thanks, but on the windowsill due to a lack of greenhouse!

Sorry, been a bit AWOL recently - bathroom refit is turning into a nightmare of hellish proportions!

We went to see the butterflies at Wisley yesterday and they were amazing - much better than I'd even anticipated. Also joined RHS so have lovely magazines for Feb & March, and the promise of lots of lovely visits back to Wisley through the year - yay!

Is it just me, or are the snowdrops particularly abundant this year?

I agree there are lots of snowdrops_ is it because there isnt any snow? Or maybe people planted loads

I will plant loads more this autumn but I will plant ordinary ones in their hundreds, not expensive ones in ones and twos. Ordinary ones are so lovely.

They're abundant and they've lasted a long time. There was a year recently when there were quite a few but they were only around for a week or so because the weather warmed up early.

Ppeatfruit - c'est un film d'Erich Rohmer, n'est-ce pas!

My Strulch delivery arrived. Hurrah! I have just humped all 25 bags of it from the side of the lane to the other end of the drive. I love the smell of Strulch.

The snowdrops have indeed been magnificent this year. Just now I found a frilly double one growing under the cedar tree, all in its own. Must move it somewhere more prominent once it's finished flowering.

I have also noticed how lovely snowdrops are this year. I planted a little pot of the ordinary ones in the back as mine are all in the front. I think I like their simplicity and delicacy. I don't know about everyone else, but my crocus seem better than usual this year too.

Ooh rhubarb maybe your frilly Galanthus will be worth something... Must explore Strulch.

You have a cedar tree, Rhubarb? How lovely!

tempted but Dh wasn't keen on the price!

I have 1 snowdrop!

I think i will try red plastic with tomatoes outside vs some inside the greenhouse love a bit of science!

My major achievement yesterday and with the help of Dh was to repot an 8 ft twisted Hazel. Tbh I thought I'd killed it last year, tried to move it and yanked out a long tap root which had penetrated through the pot. It's leaves went Brown and fell off. I spied green buds coming so we set too with trying to prize it out the pot, it took several hours!

I might have said before that my atheist friend reckons that one can get nearer the meaning of God by looking inside a snowdrop. They're all common or garden varieties - my posh Sam Arnotts quickly disappeared - but it's interesting to see how much variation there is even among my own meagre collection.

The snowdrops in our garden have definitely spread a lot since last year, so I guess that's happened everywhere.

Can I plant spring bulbs in late spring for next year?? I always think of this because it's when I see the gaps and work out where they should go, but by the autumn I have forgotten!

Oh fab - a gardening thread! Can I join in?

This will be my first proper year as the owner of a garden and I've been out tinkering a bit in the warm days recently. I've also visited a couple of NT gardens. Angelsey Abbey near Cambs has a super Winter Garden. I had no idea just how many things flower and look amazing in winter I visited.

Here we have a lot of self-seeded snowdrops, which are looking lovely, a Winter Flowering Cherry, primroses, mini irises (planted at the weekend), and a couple of cyclamens (also planted this week). I really want a hellebore or three - saw some in the NT gift shop and coveted them, but couldn't carry them while holding hand of DS2 and juggling coats, which both DC had shed.

Please do join us, Juneau! This is the rolling chat thread for obsessives people who are quite interested in gardening.

I'm just going out into the garden to do some cutting back and snowdrop planting, but do tell us more about your garden.

Love the idea of a garden spreadsheet... Currently I have a very erratically updated soggy notepad! May need to upgrade

We got our clematis (Miss Bateman) from the Lidl garden event last year and it has been excellent. Was a bit worried about it as I'm such a novice gardener but it seems to have survived my ministrations...for now at least!

Squeaky I've not name changed, but am dreadful at posting! I'm in York. Are you nearby?

Welcome Juneau. I love mini irises (and full-size ones).

Finally got the very neglected back corner of the garden cleared on Sunday, which was a great way to start March. We had very blustery wind, so the February cobwebs were well and truly blown away.

Juneau if you covet hellebores have a look at Hayloft - they often have hellebore collections - I think quite a few of us rate their 'plug' plants as they tend to be bigger than Thomson & Morgan's, and are more likely to survive. I have some of their hellebores flowering at the moment, and they are lovely.