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've got a plastic one of those maude I've never successfully grown anything in it. At the moments it's got a few pansies which are not flowering. I'm going to give it away. Strawberries might work?

Herbs really need full sun. I don't know any that will thrive in shade. Have you tried chives? They are about as robust as it gets.

I don't know where to begin suggesting nice shrubs, there are so many. Any factors to narrow it down a bit? Evergreen or deciduous? Scented? Season of interest? Any particular form or size?

Bearleigh's hazel sticks sound exciting.

I finally got a few hours in the garden this afternoon. I weeded the narrow border along the path to the back door, and put in the Nerines that Hayloft sent me this week to replace last year's white ones. I haven't taken out the white ones though; I think they will look lovely all together.

Then I weeded one of the borders along the south facing side of the house, in the orchard. The builders pretty much destroyed all the planting when they were re-pointing the bricks, so it needs re-planting. It's hot and sheltered, so I think it's going to become home to the Echium pininanas that Geoff kindly gave me, which have got through the winter happily in their pots. I had to get DH to dig out the roots of a couple of old roses, which he did with a very bad grace. I also need the stump of a massive Virginia creeper digging out but I told him to do that when he can be less bad tempered about it.

I've tried and failed with strawberries too in the past. I think there's too little compost and too little water, because the hole at the top is relatively small. Perhaps I'll get rid of it in my next garden clear-out.

I've got one with strawberries in it; they don't work either.

Maud - My sympathies, there is nothing nastier than fox shit

We found a decomposing skeleton in the middle if the lawn today. It's too big to be a bird or squirrel. Maybe a small fox or massive rat. Boak. It's still there, neither DH or I had the stomach to move it.

Geoff - My camellia is from Lidl, one of my best buys. Lovely intense pink flowers.

I have a simple vibernum tinus. I am now lusting after a guelder rose and a hydrangea Annabelle.

I also laughed at the supposedly 'small' London garden.

Inspired by someone on here (rhubarb?), I made my own pot feet out of left over smashed up terracotta roof tiles. DH says my row if cottage like pots makes the new slate patio look messy, and I'll admit they could do with a wash and some cracked over the winter, but when the tulips come out I'm sure they'll look glorious.

You could try sage, I have that and Rosemary in a shady part of the garden where they are not supposed to cope but do. Not the biggest fan of either as herbs but lovely flowers!

Have potted up my new trees and discovered that the pear and apple need pollinators, whoops schoolgirl error! Don't think there are any nearby so back to the drawing board. Good to hear that it will take a long time to fruit especially as i am still not sure what shape I want to train them.

I'd never thought of DIY pot feet. I need some more, as I overdid the bulb buying and so have pressed every available pot into use. I have some --naff- amusing ones from the pound shop that look like snails.

I was about to plant a teeny sage in the herb bed, but perhaps I'll try it in the herb pot, although generally you're making me think that donating it to someone else to have another go might be the best thing.

I've got a terracotta one of those pots maud and herbs have never grown successfully in it. Perhaps fill it with gravel and grow mint in it? Something which doesnt mind drought anyway.

ppeat I've been in this house for yonks but didn't garden very much till recently when the children went off to university. Before then the gardening year was tulips and forgetmenots followed by clematis and roses and irises and alchimella mollis and really that was the sum of the flowering year. Sandpits and tricycles and bicycles and washing seemed to also feature a lot.

Hmm. I've got several different mints in sunken pots in the herb bed, so don't really need any more. I'm coming to the conclusion that, nice as they look, those pots just aren't functional. I'll take them to the hort soc sale.

I had to go to work today so no chance of gardening although I did manage to nip outside for long enough to see an enormous bee busily working its way through the snowdrops outside the back door. The weather's about to turn, apparently, so no idea whether I'll make it back out there in the week, when I actually have some free time for once.

I had one of those strawberry pots and mine didn't work either. The plants are happier in the ground, I find.

(Waves and does complicated Archers handshake with ppeat)

Did someone mention the Archers?

Yes maud Halsall and I are on the "fastest long term thread on MN" Are you also an Archers fan ? ( said casually from behind a newspaper).

Ref. those strawberry type pots I have never had success with them fancy type pots! They look lovely though.

Hi gardening people, could I pop into your potting shed to ask a question? Is it too early to plant a lavender hedge? I want it all along on bed and have seen the plants on offer 3 for £7 but should I wait a while until it warms up a bit?

Hello. Having been watching you all on and off for a few weeks I've decided to join you. I am slowly being sucked in to MN. I'm fairly novice at gardening. I knew nothing when we got our first garden 5 years ago. I did an adult ed course and have been experimenting since, as well as doing up the house and getting the hard landscaping sorted (losing asbestos garages). We live in the south, in a long narrow garden, smaller than Joe swift's! So from last autumn and this spring/summer I am trying to get my planting sorted. My aim is very much easy care. I need to be realistic as a working mum of a young family. I was over ambitious before and was very disappointed after lots of work... My plan is to mix up edibles and flowers.

DH is taking on re seeding a bed to amalgamate it into the existing lawn and widen the play space.

So, inspired by you all I put sweet peas, tomatoes and verbena bonariensis in my windowsill propagators last week (sprouting already, yeah! Such an exciting time of year). I hope that's right, although I'm a bit confused about the sweet peas (first time with them). I am planning to grow them with beans, but plant the bean seeds directly outside in a bit. Does that sound reasonable? To get my 20 month old into the idea, we have watched Mr Tumble "allotment" several times. She has got quite involved in keeping the seeds damp...

someone mentioned a Dino jungle. My parents have wildflower patch through which a maze is mown. Could something similar work?

Hello you two atic You need full sun for successful lavender, but if that's what you've got and the bed is sheltered, not in a frost pocket, then go for it! You could mulch around the roots to protect if the weather turns bad!

Starface Sweet peas need a LOT of water esp. when they start to flower then dead heading (that is advice from GQS on the radio) I didn't realise how much work they needed and I don't bother now sorry. I'm hoping tp plant beans for the flowers this year I think they're easier but someone else will let us know! That maze sounds nice.

Yes, I'm an Archers fan but don't always get to hear the omnibus, which I used to rely on. I joined that thread, as I hoped it would keep me up to date, but it outpaced me!

Welcome to the newest newbies!

Well it's worth lurking Maud as you know it's sometimes very funny!

I noticed something I've never noticed before in the garden today, the underside of some of my cyclamen leaves are a pretty purpley pink. They blend in with the violets and purple flowers of my non stinging little nettles (I can't remember their name).

I hope it's not a disease !

Thanks ppeat. I'll see how we go then as I can't always stay on top of that, and watering always seems to involve my daughter getting completely soaking which makes it rather a bigger task.

The maze is good, though rather happened when I had grown past it. Younger sibs enjoyed it though. Now its the grandkids turn!

Does anyone else have epimediums erythroniums and hepaticas flowering yet?
I ask as I planted some of these last spring but they dont appear to have survived the winter in my garden but perhaps it is too early
The Archers- I tuned in for some reason some days ago after a comedy programme whilst driving and was a bit bemused as it seemed to be about floods
Sweet peas: grow better with a long root run or a ceramically glazed pot which doesnt dry out

I think sweet peas are wonderful
For years I couldnt even germinate them and despaired because it always said 'easy' on the packet, but now I grow them up hazel pyramids in the beds and in pots, lovely scented flowers they are very pretty!

Maud and funnyperson, I'm more a lurker on the Archers thread but do break cover to post occasionally. As ppeat says, it's v v amusing though.

OK, derail over. I managed to stuff all the dead stems of my Jerusalem artichokes in our green council bin this morning and they filled the entire thing. They're collected only fortnightly so thank heavens we've annexed two neighbours' bins as well (with their permission). Also both full, though.

The thing I do love is that 'my' robin, who follows me round like a dog as soon as I emerge from the house, is now practically within touching distance as I furtle around doing the weeding. Might even get him/her to accept a few worms from my hand soon.

Jerusalem artichoke and carrot soup tonight, I think

Yes I had friends years ago who had Jerusalem artichokes hence I know not to grow them. Globe artichokes are another story

Something very odd is happening in my garden- the irises are a good two inches taller than they were this morning, yet the tulips are still looking feeble.

My tulips are very variable - the survivors from last year's pots are several inches tall, while this year's new bulbs are only just emerging. I have got my first flowers on a pulmonaria, some tete-a-tete narcissus and the tiny clump of pushkinia that hasn't grown in the 15 years since it was planted.

Funnyperson - When I was out being the old muckspreader (which I thought was a Rambling Syd Rumpo, but apparently not) I noticed some flowerbuds on the epimedium. I don't have any of the others. I planted some erythroniums more than a decade ago, having admired them in the college garden, but they, like so many things, sank without trace.

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