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.

Yes, very true. I was 30 before I saw the attraction and older still before I became obsessed.

Your garden sounds lovely Humphrey.

I got home last night to a present to me from DH - this:

www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/14/a-natural-history-of-english-gardening-mark-laird-review-groundbreaking

It is utterly beautiful- full of gorgeous and unusual illustrations. I could only have a quick look, but one is a painting of an aerial view of English countryside from a balloon, with lovingly-painted clouds, from about 1780.

Last year I got one of those 80 perennials for £20 offers, including some delphiniums: all bar one (an insipid pinky lilac) were heavily slugged last year, as I thought, to death. I knew one was coming through this year and assumed it was the pinky lilac but it's actually a lovely ice-blue one.

Well done on the surviving delphinium, Bearleigh. I gave up on them years ago, but I did once manage larkspur from seed and might one day have another go.

Are you still here, Humph? I meant to ask you about mint. When I divided and repotted mine a few weeks ago, they were sprouting nicely. Now, though, some of them have no visible top growth and seem to have been nibbled off at ground level. I've never noticed pest damage to mint before. Could this be slugs? Vine weevils?

Oh and the book looks gorgeous. I'll read the review later.

gosh, I have not seen that either. Could it be mice? Do they like mint?

Ooh, I don't know, but we do have lots of mice around.

::imagines mice languidly sipping on mojitos::

I'll have to live in hope with my children and gardening.

What a lovely DH you have Bearleigh.

Had a bit of a traumatic school run home when a truck reversed into us and was then threatened by one of the guys.

However the gut driving was only young abd clearly quite shaken , could see his hands shaking. He came to see me later and apologise. Partly about gettjng me to not involve insurance company no doubt but I think he was genuinely sorry for other guy's behaviour.

I had by then had car checked out and just small bit of superficial damage and DS had stopped crying so was in better frame if mind . Think what we're going to do is he will do some work in garden and we'll sort repair.

Morale of story is, if you ger reversed into, try and make sure they are landscape gardeners !

Guy driving that was supposed to be.

Wow Sugar how upsetting - but what a useful silver lining!

That book looks gorgeous Bearleigh. I am that you have such a thoughtful dh. It is my wedding anniversary today, and dh didn't even bother to get me a card. He brought me home a small box of truffles after work out of guilt, but they are dark chocolate which I don't like.

Oh Rhubarb, have some flowers

Gosh sugar how upsetting, but I am glad about the silver lining for you. It could have been worse I suppose -could have been on the way to an exam...

Awwww rhubarb - have a series of flowers and some wine from me too. We agreed years ago (my suggestion) not to mark anniversaries, not even a card, so it wouldn't matter if we forgot. DH doesn't often buy me random presents like that (so I do appreciate my lovely book), but he is good at present buying generally - so much better than I am.

Eek, Sugar. How unsettling but, as others have said, at least there's a bonus in some free garden labour.

And, oh dear, Rhubarb. Do you think he might make amends tomorrow with a lovely breakfast surprise? ::optimist:: Anyway, have some and and from me too.

Thanks for the wine, flowers and chocs! I'm not that bothered really. I'm used to it. Every year at some point he buys me dark chocolate then expresses surprise that I don't like it. Once he even bought me out of date dark chocolate, which was going some, even for him! Fortunately he does have redeeming features.

I stripped turf for three hours today. The ground was hard as iron. It was not fun.

I have had a superb day - total IT/telephonic failure at my police station led to our whole department being sent home 2 hours early as we literally cannot do anything as everything we do is IT based

So i spent the time planting out lavender and sweet peas :)

Neon lit nhs day today
Not helped by visiting mum (who has alzheimers) and finding out that mum told her gardener to plant the delphiniums in their pots 4 ins deep into the soil, (so most of the pot still above the soil ) then stake them, then fail to water them, (so bone dry) and to uproot everything that could possibly flower in the rest of the bed. (lots of heleniums, a rose, a magnolia, lavender)
It should be funny but is actually so sad.
He charged her £30 an hour for that. People can be quite cruel to the elderly.

On the bright side some lovely pinks and the fuschias are flowering there

I don't know what to say about the chocolate issue.
I think it is serious because chocolates should be lovely and pleasurable and smiles and ribbons so to fail on chocolate would be quite a big fail in my book. It is not hard to get very nice belgian or swiss chocolates these days from practically anywhere. I would flounce. I would withdraw any kind of sexual favour and I would demand very seriously nice not dark chocolate wrapped with ribbons for weeks before giving in. Otherwise you are letting yourself in for years of chocolate disappointment.
........that is, if I wasnt on a diet, was young and lovely, and, of course, if I were still married!!!!!!

Hah! That makes me feel better, funny! They did come wrapped with a lovely purple ribbon (which Ds immediately claimed) and were top quality - just wrong for me. It's the lack of thought that's annoying.

How sad about your Mum's garden. I feel quite angry with her gardener on your behalf. Could you persuade her to find a new one who is more caring (and less of a rip off!)?

Trufflehunter that sounds like a lovely day!

That does sound lovely, TruffleHunter. ::whispers:: Are you part of the thin blue line?

We've had some rain here, but not a great deal. There was a huge storm at my parents', just a few miles away.

:yes:

Here are some pics of our garden. We moved in in july 13, as you can see the garden was a bit overgrown ! I have great plans for it but with two adults working full time it's difficult. So i am training up DD ;)

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Truffle I absolutely love that, it will be fabulous, your DD is gorgeous.

It's nearly Peony day here, when it will open. All one flower but my first ever.

Yes, it's all gorgeous. I have patio envy now, as ours is too small for the huge outdoor table that I'd like (although it would feel a bit bigger if I got the zillions of pots off it).