Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May: Alternative potting shed thread

[funnyperson]

On the grounds that potting sheds should admit those of all cultures here is an alternative potting shed thread. Probably makeshift and not as posh as the other one. Definitely subversive and open to gardeners of all capabilities.

Thanks for reassurance about sweet peas. They should be warm because they are in a tub so huge that it swallowed a whole bag of JI and then left me looking for anything else to throw in, so they are sitting on an awful lot of not very well mixed-in manure compost. They'll either burn or be magnificent!

Another vote for moving the iris. Far more harmonious!

Please could I draw on your collective wisdom to identify this plant? It was given to me as a housewarming present over a year ago and didn't have a label. I popped it outside in a pot on the little étagère I have near the back door and hoped for the best and it seems hardy and it's very attractive. The flowers are about 5-10mm across

Sugar If that is valerian. it's very 'cultivated', mine has smaller more wild looking flowers and it looks forward IYSWIM. That's an amazing water feature behind it, are you by a lake? That frog is ENORMOUS yes kenneth suits him .

The cold evenings and nights have upset my reborn clematis which is now sadly wilting despite my ministrations. Sweet peas need a lot of water apparently Maud Dahlias are later flowerers than May aren't they?

Yes I'm always surprised when I see someone wearing high heels at Chelsea, I'd need feet of iron to walk round the place in flats, let alone heels!! Funny

Bearleigh Lovely pix, the offending tulip is fine IMO.

I bought a single kniphofia at the market on Sat. (inspired by G.W.) Has anyone else had success with them; spreading about or anything?

I can't help with that very pretty plant, HapShawl, but I'd love to see a picture of your etagere, as I have a spot in which I'd like to put one.

I'd thought that dahlias were late flowerers, but one of my cheapo tubers that has romped away already has flowers.

Oh, and, I've always been very prejudiced against kniphofias, but I saw a lemon yellow/lime green one in a magazine that I'd like for my Venetian bit.

Sorry Hapshawl I have no idea but it is lovely.

Ppeafruit the Valerian is growing wild, that's the sea behind it. That's very impressive to have a Dahlia flowering already Maud. Having had a good stare at tuber the shoot fell off, I can see new shoots - fingers crossed your damaged one does the same.

It's a very small and cheap one Maud but it does the job - 2ft high ish and about £15 iirc. I would love a bigger one but that will have to wait. It also doesn't normally have so many marigolds on it! I had lots of little pots of crocuses, small narcissi and irises in the spring. I would like to get a trailing ivy too after seeing Bertha's ladder (was it Bertha? Sorry if not).

In the course of taking the photo I also found rosemary leaf beetle on the lavender , so that is now quarantined like the rosemary (not together).

*Muad yes I've been about 'red hot pokers' too, but seeing them in the wild on GW was very interesting, mine is not very bright, the one you saw sounds intriguing, so maybe the new varieties are more low key than the ones they had many years ago. To have dahlias flowering now is unusual to say the least!

Hapshawl That's a verbascum I think, it's lovely! As is your plant shelf. I like marigolds a lot, I've planted some out in the ground (on the day when the radio said it was a new moon so the right day to plant on) ,we'll see how they grow , I need a slug pub I reckon.

Sorry about the typo Maud

Hapshawl I have no idea what that is, but it's lovely.

Thanks for mentioning Valerian ppeatfruit - the names of some plants in my garden always escape me, even though they are among my favourites- auricula, deutzia, and valerian. I think I cracked the first two as I've briefed DH, but I couldn't recall valerian's name to let him know...

Doing some planting today - the fun bit! Am excited. There are some more of those yellow irises in the back garden next to a purple potato vine, and as the yellow of the iris picks up the yellow centre of the vine's flowers, which are anyway are a softer and bluer purple than the alliums in my front bed , they look good together.

::rushes in, breathlessly::

I've just noticed that, unless it's simply some weirdness on my phone, the MN flowers icon has changed to (possibly) lilac . What do we as gardeners make of that?

What does it all mean? Has there been a policy discussion regarding horticulture in the higher eschelons? Can we predict a draft green paper?

After all, whilst we worry about the sweet peas and dahlias, and whether there will be room for a rotary line and whether a sandpit would be used as a cat toilet, there might be those who wish to pursue the prescription of gardening at a national level, international level and intergalactic level etc. We, as intelligent mums, need to be aware of the bigger picture and make sure mums and children get in there

Well, quite, funnyperson. If a national or international strategy is being formulated, MN potting shedders ought to be in the vanguard.

It's wear lilac day in honour of Terry Pratchett and to support research into Alzheimer's .

Just reporting in as have scoured the plant stands at the local village fair and come back with two Alchemilla Mollis for the long bed and a well developed hosta for the shady end of the bog garden. £5 for the three.

I have always resisted hostas due to the slug & snail issue but I'm ready for the fight as I think it will work well in my bog garden gap. I have coffee grounds ready and will resurrect the disused beer traps.

I have also ordered two sonic cat repellers to try & ward off next door's cats. My flower beds are the best place ever to poo apparently and the holly cuttings are just moving them to a different section of the bed and the sprinkle smelly powder stuff is just ignored.

Not my ladder HapShawl but I did like it a lot.

I quite like these.

Here is a lilac for Alzheimers [flower] since my poor old mum has it.

Completely irrelevant to previous discussion, but I would like to recommend this tool given to me for my birthday by a very dear friend as it is fantastic at digging up weeds, I have been having fun with it today getting rid of them now I know who they are.
www.yeomangarden.co.uk/store/category/500/product/yeo0514.aspx

Those are good buys bertha!

Planting out plants is my gardening downfall as I find digging large holes needs a lot of energy.

Potting, weeding, sowing and pruning etc are all much easier.

For my Mother too and everyone else affected by Dementia of any kind .

That looks like a very excellent weeding tool FP. Bertha, a very impressive haul.

I was sorting the greenhouse and friend turned up with some Sungold tomato plants which was lovely.

for my dad too. Not Alzheimer's but vascular dementia. He died 8 years ago this Christmas, I miss him.

I managed to do a really stupid thing yesterday. Having reconstructed my cheapo plastic mini-greenhouse, I put the potting tray of cavolo Nero seedlings on one of the shelves, and it immediately fell straight off onto the ground, upside-down

Luckily I scooped most of the seedlings up and plonked them back, cursing. I think I'll have enough to plant out anyway, I must have sowed about 50 and they grow into such humongous plants that I only need about 10.

Still highly annoyed with myself, though.

The dog likes beer. Therefore the dog likes beer slug traps. My beer-filled slug traps protecting my new hosta are now across the lawn. Grrrr.

Did anyone have any thoughts on the black bugs on the mock orange or what might have eaten my plant?

And I'm so happy with my planter! Thank you!

Haha at a beer-loving dog Bertha, although not so much at him dragging them away from your hostas. I was watching a Mary Berry programme yesterday and her dog like blackberries -picks them himself!

for Grannie

I have one of those tools funnyperson! It is v good - I have it hanging next to the back door so I take it out with me whilst I potter - always spot a weed or two to grub up