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.

Lack of rain, I'm pretty sure.

Ive just had an email advising that there is a Rare Plant Fair on near Guildford this weekend, in a lovely old house's garden. Tempted.

Following the conversation unthread, there was also a link to this website, which sells some well-priced and sensible plant supports. I think they'll be selling at the fair- I've never come across them before. I like the look of rusting iron supports:

www.snapecottagegarden.co.uk/stakes.htm

Yes, water stress for mildew. But I think that can sometimes be almost the same thing as lack of space/light. In your case, firstly because the water can't reach the plant underneath due to the growth above, and secondly because something thirsty that has a lot of leaves is more likely to grab water preferentially.

My apple tree had mildew last year because of a ridiculously full canopy. I spent a day over the winter carefully pruning out about a third of it until there was much more space and light and it has not returned. I guess getting rid of all that material reduced water stress and improved light/air circulation too.

A rusting iron support is just what I'd like for William Shakespeare. I think my local (expensive) garden centre may have something, but first I'll look at that link!

I have just got back with a rusty iron support for poor old collapsed William. It's not what I had in mind but seems to be working pretty well (and I didn't break the plant getting it into the support, which is a plus).

I seem to have tiny fruit on both my olive tree and grape vine.

My climbing Claire Austin has loads of buds on - I literally can't wait for them to be out. Very jealous of those of you with floriferous, if slightly floppy, roses!
I'm looking for a pair of lollipops to put either side of the entrance to my lawn. Do you think that Yew half standards could be kept to about 5 ft tall and a metre(ish) across? I so do love Yew....

Hmm. My roses don't seem very floriferous - maybe they're still too young or I wasn't adept at pruning - so I don't really understand why William S keeled over. Darcey Bussell is, as ever, the best flowerer.

I was musing today that if ever I have a house with a big terrace (I wish) I'd have a box parterre with some fastigiate yew for the Italian vibe. I don't know how hard they are to maintain, though.

Oh oh...Darcey Bussell is one of the roses that I ordered. So pleased to hear that she's a good one!

I have a W Shakespeare too, and I do remember in Sarah Raven's book about Vita S-W's gardening methods, she said that WS's branches are so floppy that they have to have the Sissinghurst bending over into a half hoop treatment.

I would love a Darcey Bussell, but it will have to be for a future garden I think

My Alan Titchmarsh Rose book says that Darcey is perfect for growing in a pot.

Aha. Thanks for the tip, Bearleigh. Next year I will contort poor old Will in the VSW method (I read her gardening books years before I acquired any roses, so didn't pay much attention to what she said about them. My yearning for zinnias comes from her).

LostInMusic - I'm afraid I'm a bit of a Darcey bore. Every year I wax lyrical about her. She is utterly fabulous.

I've just found this article by Sarah Raven on the roses of Sissinghurst.

I'm at maximum pot capacity tbh!

Oh, me too. I think I'm going to sling some more of the spring bulbs, simply to get the pots back. I am at peak pot!

Good thing you found that Maud or I'd up have led you and William Shakespeare in quite the wrong direction - it must have been that article I read and half remembered.

Oh no. Your reminder about the Sissinghurst method was very helpful, as I'm going to consider which of my roses I might submit to it. Space may be an issue, though.

I linked to that article on a preceding thread last year, perhaps that is where you remember it from, but it is one of those which one needs to have in a separate file somewhere to be able to read and re read. A bit like Monty planting clematis or Carol taking cuttings.
At Sissinghurst nuits de young flowers well on this treatment and has bendy stems. I think you have that rose maud ? My nuits de young is still in a pot and I didnt bend its stems much this year though it is flowering perhaps I will next year after planting it out in the autumn. One needs hoops to do the rose thing properly.
On weeds; They are growing fast atm. I'm keeping some herb Robert and herb Benedict - herb Benedict is a pretty little wild geum said to have medicinal properties-
Thank you for linking to those plant supports- they looked quite reasonably priced!
Does anyone else watch the syndicate? I like the gardener with Aspergers!

I haven't caught up with the thread yet, but I'm just running into the potting shed in search of a hot sweet tea because

I just set fire to the garden.

Who would have thought that using a flame thrower on the weeds on a gravel path next to a border newly mulched with Strulch (straw) on a windy day was a bad idea?

I got to the end of the row, happily blow torching away "have at ye, weeds!", looked behind me and the whole border was on fire.

And the idiot of the year award goes to...

Wondering if anyone could help, I have a rougly 70cmx1m patch in front of my house which only gets the sun til around 11am, I've been looking at some rose bushes today and as its part sun was wondering if they'd have a chance there? I'm desperate to fill it with something pretty I can keep pruned to fit the area. The soil has been mixed with compost and looking heartbreakingly bare It was part of the lawn until dh decided to dig a moat 'prune' around his precious grass area.

rhubarb Are you OK? Did it do much damage?

I would have been in a total panic!

and for you for coping!

storybrooke - you can get shade-tolerant roses. They need 4-5 hours of sun minimum, so you might just about be OK.

I would think about something else in there too that you can enjoy in the winter when the roses will be all stick-like.

rhubarb oh dear, sounds like something I'd do have some and

Thanks for the link bearleigh those supports look really good, I would have bought them but need to set up a PayPal account.

Oh, Rhubarb! Hope you're ok. Will the plants recover or are they scorched beyond hope of revival?

I have roses New Dawn and Zepherine Drouhin, which are supposed to be among the more shade tolerant, but they don't flower terribly well. I agree with Holly about the benefits of underplanting with something that will provide ground cover and provide winter interest.

for rhubarb Disaster !!! At least it is out now and you and the children are safe
and any one else who would like some!