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.

Interesting tips about roses rhubarb - maybe that explains why my William Shakespeare hasn't had much black spot this year.

Here are a few pics from Gravetye. It was so bright they don't really do it justice, but they give a flavour of the planting style.

Beautiful, Bearleigh. I'm hoping to go there for afternoon tea at some point over the summer.

I should be mowing or hedge cutting or something. But a close friend has been diagnosed with something horrible and all i can do is stare out of the window at the wind in the treetops, and feel pointless and helpless.

Oh dear Rhubarb - I am so sorry to hear that.

In a little while maybe a bit of hedge cutting will be the thing to get out your anger at the unfairness?

I think afternoon tea at Gravetye would be perfect - they have lots of shady spots with tables looking towards the lake.

I am so sorry to hear that rhubarb it's hard to know what to do or say in that situation. :(

I've harvested the first cucamelons, snuck one in dd2s packed lunch -she really liked it. Yay. Finally have some ripe tomatoes, courgettes and pattypan squash.

That's interesting info re rose spot, does anyone bother spraying?

rhubarb

Thank you everyone.

Hurrah for Geoff's cucamelons. I'd like to have a go at those.

My cucamelons always had loads of wonderful green growth but very few actual cucamelons. Didn't do them this year. Just went for entire melons instead.

Rhubarb

from me too, Rhubarb.

Rhubarb.

Fair bit of black spot on my roses this year and I did prune them and mulch them. Don't bother spraying though.

Best the blackbirds tk a few cherries this year. Our planning application has just gone in for direct access to the road. If we get it I'll need to re home the cherry tree and William Shakespeare amongst other things. It will seem weird having a great big hole in the hedge and lose pur current total privacy in the front but will be more convenient. We might get refused anyway so jumping the gun thinking about it really.

Well I've been going to work by minicab for obvious reasons this week and this has given me the chance to look at everyone's front gardens. It is clearly a glorious summer for roses. All roses except mine atm) seem to be covered in the most gorgeous flowers. The minicab driver showed me his garden roses on his iphone too. Then the day lilies are coming out everywhere and in the evening on the way back everyone is out watering in the balmy summer weather! Many of the front gardens look neat with well pruned hedges and shrubs. Thats surburbia for you!
My own garden is looking overgrown and a bit wild and neglected. The change happened within a week! Its odd how quickly loosing the 20-30 mins a day of gardening affects the garden! The roses which are not deadheaded look sorry for themselves.
But I have to say, the deep red rose Dr Du Jamain is fantastic and rivals Munstead Wood easily! It likes a northern facing shady spot and its flowers are not only an exquisite shape but scented divinely!

PS RE blackspot: I admit to spraying some chemical or other over New Dawn which had been badly affected last Autumn and again early this spring. I sprayed the plant and the trellis. Then I pruned the rose.

Sorry to hear that news Rhubarb.

I have been gardening with my grandfather in mind this week as yesterday would have been his 92nd birthday. On Sunday we were at my grandparents old house (which now belongs to my aunt and uncle), and sat having tea in my grandfather's garden (definitely still his!). It struck me just what a lovely, lasting legacy a garden can be, and how long the planting schemes that we set out can go on for.

Hope that's not too gloomy for a Thursday morning! It wasn't a gloomy thought, but a deeply comforting one.

Agreed - I saw a friend's photos yesterday of an NGS garden she visited at the weekend - it belongs to some very wealthy people, and it's been created in the last 4 years - it was lovely but things like the trees were very young. It will look so different in 10 - 20 - 30 - 50 years' time.

I love that saying - The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second best time is now.

So sorry about your friend, Rhubarb

I have finally read The Morville Hours, as recommended by someone on here. Absolutely loved it - thank you to whoever told me I had to read it. I can't get over how much she knows about everything and how interested she is in things.
What amazing ambition and courage though - to jump straight into creating a garden on that scale.

Also, I had a visit from a gardening Mumsnetter who gave me a talking to about what to do with some bits of my garden ('Why did you put the nasturtiums there?' ) which was very helpful indeed and has given me confidence to do more.

Sugarplum, how is your dd getting on with Japan? My brother lives there and I went out to see him a long time ago now (1999). It is lovely. If she has inherited your interest in gardening there will be a lot for her to see.

I would love to visit the gardens of Japan.

I'm feeling glum because the clematis that was to provide height in one of my mixed pots seems to have been dried to a crisp in the heat. Do you think it'll recover? I fear not.

Yes it will, there will be green shoots of recovery if you wait.
I have just planted out my delphiniums and was feeling particularly proud because I grew them from seed, when I remembered I forgot to put any compost in the holes.

I hope you're right, Countess! It's too entwined with other things to dig out, so I'm drenching it and feeding it and hoping for the best.

Well done on the delphiniums. I love them but always lose them to the slugs.

It is because of my incredible slug-eating ducks!

Ah yes. I would love some ducks!

hello, anyone watching GW? It all looks lovely tonight. I adore Monty's writing garden, it seems so lovely and understated.

I have spent the day in hospital with toddlercobbler after realising last night that the bit of stuff I had fished out of his mouth yesterday afternoon was in fact an old lead washer with bits falling off . He had to have an x ray and bloods taken. Nothing showed on the x ray and blood results on monday. Goodness knows where he found it, somewhere in the garden. It is possibly from a roof, but must have fallen off years ago! No wonder I am going grey rapidly.

Planning to weed the veg patch tomorow, sow some more rocket and lettuce, pick the raspberries and any stray strawberries left and weed the pigscot borders. DD is going to help.

Eek about ToddlerCobbler eating an ancient washer. I'm glad that everything seems to be fine.

I missed the first couple of minutes of GW - might watch them in bed now - but loved the rest of it. I almost cried at Woolerton Old Hall, it was so beautiful. Isn't that where Rhubarb's roses 'come from'?

Oh goodness, poor toddler cobbler and poor you, Humph.

I haven't watched GW yet - I have about six episodes videoed that I haven't watched yet, so I've got some serious catching up to do. My Woollerton Old Hall roses are going great guns out the front - I need to tie them in again.

It was our village's horticultural show today. I won first prize for my rambling rose stems, but they were (cough) the only entry in that class. I did also get second prize for my vase of herbaceous perennials, though, and they fought off some quite stiff competition so I was pretty proud of that.

I couldn't collect all our entries at the end as dd had a party to go to, but a kind lady from the horti soc offered to leave them on our doorstep. Unfortunately she didn't return dd's precious beans though, so that was an awkward moment.

Well done, Rhubarb! We too occasionally have victories where we've been the only entrants in the class, but it's always very satisfying when one sees off the competition.

::hopelessly competitive::

I have come home from another school fete with another mystery climbing rose. It's labelled as pink, so I'm hoping for something strong and bold. I have my first flower ever on Zephyrine Drouhin and am very pleased with that.

Zephyrine D is a splendid rose when it gets going! At the David Austin rose garden they had it trained up a pillar and it was lovely against a blue sky. As was Wollerton Old Hall rose.
"hot chocolate' rose is looking nice growing against a background of tall grassy carex in my garden at the moment.
Also, for the first time ever I have flowering hostas !!!!!!!!!!
Last years canna lilies are making a reappearance, which is a nice surprise, and clematis viticella 'abundance' has climbed into the ceanothus, which has finished flowering, and is blooming a reddy purple colour.

The garden isnt nearly as wonderful as Monty's though, and some serious moving of plants in the borders needs to take place.

Please do tell me what is flowering in your gardens now!
Well done on your prizes rhubarb!

Thank you. There were tears this morning when dd remembered that her beans hadn't been returned. Ds joined in for good measure. So we had a chat about all the nice things the dcs might like to grow next year, and that cheered them up. Now I am properly committed to making that veg bed this autumn!