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.

Welcome newbies! Karbea some leafy veggies grow OK in shade - spinach for example. Quite a lot of garden centres sell vegetable seedlings although I don't think root vegetables are likely to succeed. But last year I had a good crop of sweetcorn from some rather scraggy looking garden centre plants.

Do you watch gardening programmes? It's worth watching Gardeners World, and there's another, more practical one, called Beechgrove Garden, which is on at obscure times, but is on iPlayer.

I watched Friday's GW this evening and Monty was saying how much rain was expected and that things would really start to grow. So, inspired, I popped out and at 21.00 was planting my sweetcorn, cucumbers, broccoli and Cavolo Nero. I also sowed some beans. I am now Ready For The Rain.

I'm hoping for rain too, though with a preference for overnight rain!

I really must finish weeding the lawn, or things will set seed and it will be proof of the saying one year of seeds, seven years of weeds. This week I want to finish planting the wall pots and get as many as possible of the remaining plants in the ground. I know gardens are never really done, but I'd quite like to get past the slog stage and onto the restful appreciation.

I'm watching GW now and will then go back to the last bits of the challenge programme. I like the hanging basket man's enthusiasm, but the results do look a bit naff to me.

Karbea welcome, nice fig tree. I have no advice to add but your garden plot looks lovely.

Well done on the planting bearleigh

I know what you mean about the slog maud I need to weed the front.

40 delphinium bertha wow! The ones I grew last year and planted out last year have disappeared but the ones I grew on in 1ltr pots and planted out this year are really big plants!

I caught up on GW I shall give up on the ammi visagne which monty was planting, the two that germinated are the size of cress.

I'm looking forward to Chelsea from my sofa!

Yes, I must check the telly schedule. Is there a preview programme tonight? Think I'll just watch a bit more of the challenge programme before I get up. Our iPlayer connection is flaky and it conked out last night.

Pretty pics SugarPlum. shame about the hay fever, have you ever tried turmeric? DS and I take it and for hay fever symptoms and it's FAB It works!

ref. sowinks I sewed some seeds directly that I had hanging about, yesterday evening , in front of the acanthus in the chicken garden. Some were old and some new so we'll have to see what happens. Nicotiana, marigolds, camomile, and there some sunflower seeds , or they were possibly rudbeckia .

Agree about hanging baskets on G.W. Maud and I noticed the cute man who produces them uses "some" peat which if you're producing 10.000 baskets is a hell of a lot of ripped up ancient peat bog land.

My first peony is tentatively out! Always feels like the first sign of summer. I need more days like last Wednesday and less like today though. On Wed I spent half an hour weeding at lunchtime which did wonders for me both physically and mentally. I am going to try and make that a routine for this summer (I work from home, so in theory its easy to do).

I have asked DH to buy me a "nice houseplant for my office" for my birthday. Any ideas?? I'd love a really classy houseplant, which doesn't have to have flowers (though it could). Over the rest of the house I just have a sorry collection of spider plants, peace lillies and a prayer plant.

When I asked about houseplants for a very dark spot, Bramshott, I was recommended the ZZ plant. It's very attractive if you like sculptural plants. I can't now remember what ZZ stands for, but if you google ZZ plant it'll pop up.

I love peonies. The ancient one that came with the house no longer flowers - I think years of dumping old pot compost on the beds means the soil is now too deep - but the one that I think came as a freebie from Parker's is going great guns.

I really like Christmas Cactus because they are easy and flower at Christmas, anything else I manage to kill.

My Peony didn't flower last year, only 2 flowers the year before but this year lots of buds. I'm going to try and divide it after its flowered.

maud there is a preview program tonight at 8 all set to record and on series link so I can watch without dc's moaning!

Unexpected day off work today - dd2 did some rather spectacular unwellness last night and therefore is not allowed to go to school. She's absolutely fine this morning, obviously, however I've had no sleep and I'm struggling, I could do with a middle aged nap but dd2 is 5 and perfectly fine and bouncing around the place so no snoozing. I'd go out in the garden but it's pissing down

Half of our fence has now been replaced and dh and I are currently haggling over the budget for planting up the border, he appears to be labouring under the misapprehension that I will be able to do it for a tenner He wants to replace the edging before I get started, to be fair he's got a point as it's a) nasty cheapo board and b) rotten, but patience has never been a strong point of mine.

The rest of the garden is coming along, not much is flowering yet though, the only thing showing any effort at the moment is my Clematis montana and one azalea. My other azalea is looking a wee bit poorly, I will follow some of the advice upthread.

Bramshott Ficus plants are amazing, they can take a lot of drying out as long as you occasionally give them a good soaking with coffee dregs water, there are variegated ones for more interest too. DD1 still has one that's almost a tree now, our 'housetrained' rabbit nearly chewed it up 16 years ago !!

They need light though. Of course.

I now nothing about houseplants though spider plants are said to clear the air, geraniums pong, succulents can be lovely if fed and watered, bathrooms and maidenhair ferns were all the thing in my student days, and this was interesting the last time I looked
www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/photos/15-houseplants-for-improving-indoor-air-quality/a-breath-of-fresh-air

sorry-know nothing not 'now nothing'

Chelsea flower show coverage on the box all week apparently. I am going on Saturday, a bit nervous as I cannot walk as well as last year, but determined to go whilst I still can!

Hmm - I had wondered about a ficus - it's quite a light room.

First bit of Chelsea coverge on iplayer now.

The formal front garden with box balls and a flower in between like geraneum Rozanne sounds really nice actually and would be colorful as well as smart.
My cosmos purity are flowering and various pale rhodedendrons and white and purple centaura in the bed below Mme Alfred Carriere who is covered in buds and has produced her first flower!
The Chelsea programme earlier had a preview of a beautifully coloured garden by Cris Beardshaw with purple irises and orange geums. How on earth do they get them to all flower at the same time?

funny I think it would work really well in our front garden. if when it stops raining I'll post a picture as I'm slightly unsure about a couple of things...

That sounds lovely FP. My Mme Carriere has lots of buds too now which makes me happy.

I'm really enjoying watching all the lovely plants. Think there is a lot of manipulating nature going on with plants being kept cold and others given extra light and warmth to bring things together. Haven't seen Chris Beardshaw's garden yet as watching in bits.

I didn't have time to see the Chelsea coverage this afternoon but may catch up later.

It's been tipping down here most of the day but - of course! - is now sunny and fine. I went to buy my cheapo greenhouse and the convo went like this:

Me: Hello, I'd like to buy one of the little plastic greenhouses - plastic arcs, you call them - but the display model seems to be the last one. Have you got more in stock please?
Salesperson: sorry, I don't know. I could ask, but they're at lunch.
Me: Erm, if you wouldn't mind (thinks: WTF?)
Salesperson (on walkie-talkie): Hello X, sorry to disturb you, have we got any more plastic arcs?
X: Dunno what you mean.
Salesperson: repeats
X: Still don't understand
Me: It's the SMALL GREENHOUSES, plastic ones.
X: Oh right. No. All we've got is the display one.
Me (to salesperson): Can I buy that one, then, please?
Salesperson: ummm, that should be OK.
Me (helpful): Shall I go back to where they are and dismantle it?
Salesperson: Yeah but I'll get someone to come along to take it apart.
Me: stands by greenhouse for some minutes. No-one comes. Finally dismantles greenhouse, packs it into box, phones dh (waiting in car), to come and help. Walk back to till with greenhouse.
Salesperson: Oh!
Me: I did wait but no-one came, so I did it myself.
Salesperson: oh, sorry. I'll take your card then.
Walkie-talkie crackles: Hello Salesperson, sorry it's taken a while, where's your lady with the greenhouse? Because yes, it's OK for her to buy the display model.
Me (taking credit-card out of machine): Well, that's good.

[exeunt]

That's hilarious, Halsall, and a better outcome than when we recently attempted to buy the display model of a kettle, only to discover that this was Not Allowed.

I've been watching the end of the GB Gardening Challenge and the first bits of Chelsea coverage. As ever, there are some gorgeous plants and gardens on show. And, ooh, here's dear old Monty.

Haha Halsall. And no-one commented on a customer dismantling the display?

Regarding houseplants, I like scented plants like gardenias but they tend to be hard to keep happy. My mother was very good with them but they turn up their toes for me. I also like Streptocarpus - we did leaf cuttings of one on a propagation course, and mine not only took; it flowered.

Googling Streptocarpus (being inspired to grow seem more) I came across this website which looks interesting ( I always think it's better to kill a small £3.00 plug than a £8.00 full-size plant):

www.dibleys.com/dibleys-shop/index.html

Ooh, Bearleigh. Help me save my streptocarpus. It was a thing of immense beauty when I bought it, but is now just two miserable leaves. What's the best remedy? More water? Less water? More light? I hoped to propagate it with a leaf cutting but dare not deplete its leaves by fifty per cent!

iknowright regarding gardening on a very tight budget: it is possible to do this enjoyably though more effort is involved:

-Sow seeds rather than buy a ready gown 2 litre pot for £20 of the same thing
-get plants from lidl/aldi/goneover shelf at nurseries
-get and grow cuttings from neighbours and relatives and friends
-buy plants at school fairs/fetes etc
-make own compost heap
-choose hardy sturdy good growers with a long flowering time
-keep the planting scheme simple

Avoid in season flowering plants from b and q or the local corporate nursery: unless they have a very long flowering season.

My annual garden budget was £50 till the children left uni. You can do a lot with the money.

sugarplum I just watched Chelsea and thought of you when the woman growing pinks was on!

Very funny story halsall

Is Saturday the plant sale day funny ? Have a lovely time.

No buds on my Mme Alfred Carriere I hope I haven't got to wait 4 years!