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.

Hello all! I haven't been on my computer much lately because of ds1 problems but I wanted to report that:

1. we had a garden party on Sunday for people from dh's work and it was lovely - the garden was much admired. I thought it looked terrible and I realised it's because when I look at it I just see the weeds, but everybody else sees the flowers. Does anybody else do that? There's a metaphor there somewhere!

1. the first lot of scented pelargoniums I ordered have arrived and I am beyond excited because I've wanted some ever since I was a student when a friend of mine had loads of them in her college room. I already had a couple but this brings my collection up to 8!

Hope you're all enjoying your gardens.

I do love spotting poppies & going back for seeds. I do that lots. I passed fields full of poppies today, so bright, just amazing.

I'd enjoy my garden more if DH finished cutting the lawn that he started last weekend. But you're right about spending too much time looking at the weeds that you forget to be wowed by the flowers.

My sweet peas are a way off flowering yet too. They are growing though which is encouraging.

Mine too Bertha.They're slowly making their way up their £4.99 obelisk though. I have tried sweet peas twice before and failed so if I get any flowers at all it will count as a win.

Countess I totally get that. Dh often says "the garden's looking lovely" and I'll turn to him incredulously and say "are you on glue?" Because all I see are the things tasks that need doing.

My Dad was down last weekend and saying the garden looked lovely. I was thinking it was bit June gapish and how it would look when other things come out.

Finally got all my cosmos and antirrhinum in. Cosmos has been hit heavily by slugs this year. The ones I bought which were small and flowering are rubbish and won't grow. I guess being forced and flowering before they are ready takes it out of them.

Finally one of the Penstemon cuttings in water on the window sill is showing a bit of root. I'm gong to channel my inner Carol Klein amd see what cuttings I can do.

Yes I think this time in late June is a good time for cuttings, especially of plants which have finished their first flowering.
I'm getting my pots ready for cuttings of sage, rosemary, lavender, roses, lupins and delphiniums and am wondering whether it is too early to divide some of the more rampant geraniums.
Does one deadhead Astrantias?

It seems pruning is something of a minefield! Thanks for your advice, Rhubarb.
I've not taken cuttings before - maybe a new venture.
I had one sweet pea last year. I planted two lupins in my new border and they've been gobbled by slugs, which made me very sad. One still has a bud clinging on. If the blight era go anywhere near my beautiful baby tree peony I won't be held responsible for my actions! What was the sheep poo deterrent someone mentioned earlier?

Looking forward to hacking away at the holly and letting some light into the garden. Will also have to tackle DH's prized native hedgerow...

My delphiniums have leafed but not flowered. Oh well.

I've been fortunate enough never to have sweet peas fail on me. This year's are looking healthy but a good way off flowering.

I took cuttings from this the other day which I think is a viburnum? It's a very pretty shrub anyway that lives in a public area across the road. Need to check on my rock rose cuttings. This is the first year I've really done any cuttings but I am spurred on by the success of the white currant cuttings I took from the plant I moved (from suggestions on here). I now have some well-rooted little currants that I will have to pass on to someone else at some stage because the moved plant took very well too!

hapshawl pretty shrub it could be Deutzia.

Re cuttings -I've taken to popping secatures and bags in my pocket when I walk the dog. My last cuttings -a cultivated honey suckle and some sort of fragrant climber have taken.

I didn't realise that you could take lupin and delphinium cuttings -must investigate that!

I know what you mean about being too critical of the garden, -mine is looking a bit too purple in the top border, mainly self seeded linaria and a purple bell flower ground cover plant. I've popped some potted red pelagoniums amongst them. Red does look good there, so any suggestions of a red Perenial plant in flower now would be appreciated.

I think it is the gardener's propensity to see the less good bits and overlook the good!

I've just been watering the most parched-looking plants. Although rain is promised, some are so bedraggled I don't think they can wait! I haven't got anything red in flower at the moment apart from roses. I have some bronze lilies and magenta geraniums, if you stretch the definition of red!

How about a red Potentilla?

Anyone been to this?

Geoff I have some red geums out at the moment which look good ( though one, bizarrely seems to produce yellow flowers too - I am almost certain it's not two plants together.)

That exhibition looks interesting rhubarb - that new mega book that DH bought for me has a lot of illustrations drawn from the Royal Collection and many are very beautiful. DS when about 7 was an ardent royalist, so we went to Buckingham Palace a couple of years running, and saw some fabulous things in the gallery on Buckingham Palace Road.

I have some gorgeous tall mahogany red lilies out atm, along with a white Hippeastrum from Christmas 18 months ago. I've never seen them in UK gardens but doh! of course they will flower naturally in the summer, and are forced for Christmas.

That exhibition does look interesting.

You've reminded me that somewhere in the mess close planting I have potentilla Monarch's Velvet, which is a lovely red. My geums seem mostly to have perished, although a yellow one in the herb bed looks about to flower.

Wow. I just scrolled further down that page. Did you see that you can go sketching in the Buck Palace gardens? Only drawback is that one has to be a schoolchild, sadly.

Could one be accompanying a schoolchild?

Good to hear that Monarch's velvet is nice - I just ordered some for my client's garden!

Red poppies, surely. I was going to say geum as well. Love the idea of red lilies - how lovely.

I still find taking cuttings incredibly exciting and can't believe it when they actually root!

Talk of cuttings reminds me that there are red salvias (salvia Hot Lips being my introduction to the joy of cuttings).

I am enjoying the novelty of watching GW as it goes out, rather than on catch-up.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll see if the local nursery have any of those.

countess I've sown ladybird poppies in the back border, they are far from flowering unfortunately although I will move a few.

Perhaps try some oriental poppies too.

I took this photo in the garden today - it is a fleeting annual moment when the Philadelphus flanking the Leylandii arch at the back of the main lawn is echoed by the white rambling rose draped over the arch at the back of the middle lawn, so it looks quite pretty when you look all the way through.

How lovely, Rhubarb.

That is gorgeous, Rhubarb. Makes me optimistic about the philadelphus cutting that's awaiting planting (not that my garden compares with yours)!

This will sound rather sacrilegious, but I will probably be ripping out the Philadelphus. It looks glorious (and smells heavenly) for a few brief weeks in June, but looks a mess for the rest of the year. That would be fine in a less conspicuous spot in the garden, but because of the arch it's a real focal point.

In my grand plan, that border will be my winter border, as it is what we look directly out on from the house, so I want colour and drama there at a time of year when we aren't in the garden as much. All the other borders (there are plenty!) will be spring/summer colour.

The Philadelphus looks awful in winter. Structureless, messy branches. I want Hamamelis in their place; Cornus and Salix with coloured stems, and a host of other midwinter lovelies.

But then every June I think "No! No!" and they get a stay of execution.