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.

I got some really good gloves from Wisley the other week - so fine can tie things with them yet silicone tips so my fingernails stay clean. And washable. Much the best gloves I've found. I'll post the name tomorrow.

My favourite hand cream is BodyShop hemp hand cream - it doesn't smell brilliant but it's the most effective I've found for keeping hands soft.

Anglesey Abbey prunus are gorgeous - I didn't particularly notice them when I was there in winter but I saw so many wonderful things it's not surprising.

My cultivation of flowering plants outside my front gate has been destroyed by a kind hearted chap from a neighbouring business who has strimmed everything back! Including the end of my drive up to the gate where I carefully planted VB and valerian a few weeks ago. The areas I planted last year were just about to flower. I am . I couldn't be cross with him though as he was incredibly sweet about it and trying to be helpful. I'd spoken to him previously because he told me he was going to do it and I said not to do that section and leave anything flowering. He has gone around the ox-eye daisies. Everything else razed to the ground.

Oh well. I'll start again I suppose.

Oh no, Bertha. How vexing, but perhaps they'll recover. I accidentally cut a rose to the ground and it resprouted.

I'd be very interested in the glove recommendation, Bearleigh. I love my Gold Leafs, but they're no good at all for delicate jobs and nor are my other, waterproof pair.

oh no Bertha, how awful I would be gutted too.

Had a very productive hour in the garden with DD, we planted out the rest of the outside tomatoes, put in the sunflowers she has grown from seed, planted out the courgettes finally, fed the sweet peas and cut back huge amount of stuff in the cottage borders. We also did some flowers for the house, dd has taken her own arrangement to sit on her bedside table. With the addition of a tiny toy monkey clinging onto a calendula

That is a lightbulb moment for me. So many of my flower arrangements would be improved with the addition of a toy monkey!

Oh no Bertha, I'd be gutted. Hope as Maud says they recover.

Aveeno hand cream is my favourite. Humph that is so sweet your DD has her own little flower arrangement with a monkey.

Just had a civilised cup of tea in the garden whilst waiting for the dog. The table gets the morning sun which is perfect for me as not hot, I'm not good with hot sun.

Impressed so far with the Sarah Raven dahlias, they look good strong plants. I've a couple of cuttings in the greenhouse as well and it is right, they are ridiculously easy.

Got a couple of quotes for my car so nearly ready to get young truck driver back to discuss side gate. One that opens from both sides will make life a lot easier so I can be quite philosophical about the bump, as long as truck guy does come and do it.

Haha at the monkey and I love that she likes flowers by her bed. Oh no Bertha how could he not notice? Maybe 6" high hurdles like they have at Nymans will help in future?

Maud these are my gloves:
www.waitrosegarden.com/product/_/green-nitrile-gardening-gloves-floreo-370/classid.2000014079/

I have size 37 feet and small hands and the size small fit me perfectly.

Those do look nice, Bearleigh. I was tidying up some shelves today and found two unused pairs of gloves, but I am tempted!

Thanks for the gloves and handcream recommendations everyone! I do have a birthday coming up.... The trouble with me and gloves is that none of the pairs I own are without holes so the brambles and nettles just go through. I guess I need two new pairs really - a tough pair for jobs involving brambles (and stacking of bricks), and then a fine pair like the Waitrose pair linked to.

bertha the Valerian will grow back as it is a very strong plant
sugarplum I suppose if one is to be bumped then a landscape gardener is better than others but commiserations nevertheless
bearleigh I like those gloves

I would say I get through a pair of garden gloves a year: the thick cotton ones get ripped to shreds when weeding out brambles etc and sometimes the gloves get so terribly muddy that they can't really even be put in the washing machine. The longest lasting gloves I have are Briers but they shrunk in the wash.

Whilst watering today I noticed that a second lot of lupin spires are forming already on the plant I cut back after it had flowered in May. Very pleased-it will be a 'hot' colour section, with fuschia magellenica, red penstemon, clematis Polish spirit and the lupins 'masterpiece'.

I have plenty more valerian I can move out to the front and I'll probably find some more VB to move too. I've also got some wild flower plugs that need a home so I shall reinstate my bid to make the track flowery. Then I shall sternly warn them against strimming again.

Would anyone like any snakes head fritillary seeds? The seed heads are popping finally so I've been collecting, broadcasting and sowing but have loads left should anyone like some.

Bertha how very distressing. I hope it is soon back to looking lovely.

Some of the burnt Sisirhynchiums have little bits of green returning! It's a small miracle.

Glad you have a plan Bertha, fingers crossed it looks good fairly soon.

It is Peony day today I was out pottering earlier ie Pre 6am and found a snail so lobbed it into bushes between us and horrible fence neighbour. Was well embarrassed when I heard him fill a watering can not long after !

I occasionally lob snails next door to punish them for letting the fence collapse.

I'd love some fritillary seeds, please, Bertha. Having bought some plants from the shelf of doom in the spring, I'm going to give them a go this winter.

Sounds like you can put it right bertha phew

I hope it's just the sisirhynchiums regenerating and not the weeds rhubarb

It's Zinnia day here feeling underwhelmed, the flowers are the size of my thumbnail, is that right? I've never grown them before.

Glad I'm not the only snail lobbed!

Geoff I have Zinnia too and mine are the same. Never grown them before and feel like you. Thought mine maybe needed more sun?

The zinnias I tried to grow from seed ::failed dismally emoticon:: had small, pompom heads but were a lovely zingy red and green. When I bought them as plants, they failed dismally too. I think the snail/shade combo was too much for them!

I've given up on zinnias: despite slug pellets (which I'd rather not use) the slugs & snails seem to eat them in preference to anything else. The only ones that survived were the pink ones, and even they were a bit pathetic; just odd flowers, so I've given the space to things that perform better like nicotiana, cosmos and Malope. I've also given up on tithonia - they have always been pathetic despite looking fab. in other gardens.

I seem to be having a bit of a peony fail: the peonies have had pinsized flower buds on for a month. I'm not sure how to encourage the flowers to actually bloom: they are Bowl of Beauty and Shirley Temple. Any thoughts?

Is any one going to the Hampton Court flower show?

I think the fancy peonies are quite fussy. My plena rubra (the bog standard one, a freebie from J Parker's) flowered brilliantly, but Bowl of Beauty, which I've had for several years, produced a solitary flower, which disintegrated a few days later, as soon as it rained.

I'm going to check the opening times for the HC show on Thursday but, otherwise, I won't be going.

I wish I was going! LOVED it last year. But sadly no.

All the pelargoniums are the wrong colour!!!! Mixed up cerise pink and red/white instead of the scarlet the label said . DH insists on only red in the terracotta pots (sorry funnyperson!) but now they look pretty ragbag. There are twelve pots and I bought three plants for each, so a fair investment of cash. This is annoying.

Slugs have eaten one of my courgettes and two of DD's sunflowers. I got up last night to try and get the buggers but only found two teeny ones in the whole bed. The dahlias in pots are budding. The honeysuckle by the verandah is smelling amazing. We are both enjoying the garden so much more this year than last year due to not opening it up . The orchard is really lovely now we have fenced the geese off to one side, no goose poo to tread in and a lovely pond to look at.

Fritillary seeds on their way to you Maud. If anyone else wants any please let me know!

It's peony day here too today. I stress 'peony' as that is all I have:1 solitary flower. It is rather beautiful. But, still... There were no flowers last year, so I guess it's an improvement. I was reading something today which suggested that peonies often take 5-6 years to settle down and start flowering properly...only 3-4 years to wait then!