It will not always be summer; build barns. The potting shed goes on...

[echt]

Please ignore my first, illiterate thread. I'll try again.

I hope this quotation from Hesiod captures the moment of movement from high summer to the splendours of harvest and the planing for the new year.

:o

There are so many to choose from, but I nearly always buy Prinses Irene and my new favourite is Burgundy. I prefer the strong colours, but might also go for Spring Green this year. I like the look of this collection.

Oh, and commiserations on your difficulties, Bertha.

I have just noticed that some (maybe all) of the tulip collections on the Torygraph site are also on Crocus. I'll leave it to someone else to do a price comparison.

I am sorry to hear about Maud's and Bertha's difficult times, and hope things get better soon.

I love Prinses Irene too, and also 'Carnaval de Nice'. Burgundy is rather lovely, too. I must get some Peppermint Stick too - a friend has them and they multiply gratifyingly. I bought quite a lot of bulbs from Crocus last year and they all came up and looked good, whereas Homebase's and Wilkinson's offerings had always been disappointing. I do think though that Sarah Raven offers the most splendid varieties- she sells in 15s so they look more expensive, but I think that per bulb they aren't. Dolls Minuet looks fabulous.

searabbit I hadn't made it before one of the school mums assured me it was worth the effort. It's a Hugh Fearnley whitingstall recipe. Tastes ok I've stored it for Christmas - meant to go well with cheese.

I'm hoping some of last years Tulips will reappear I carefully planted them after flowering. Princess Irene look good though. I noticed today lots of forget - me- not seedlings growing on the path. Need to move them - hopefully they aren't weeds!

Ooh. Doll's Minuet has everything I look for in a tulip. I can see I'm going to have to buy more pots at this rate!

maud It does seem to have been a strange summer with glorious weather at times but the all this rain and challenging stuff
Thinking of you, and bertha.
Tulip 'american dream' and 'purissima' have worked for me. 'spring green' hasn't flowered that well for me in the past.
I might go for Sarah Ravens white collection and some orange 'ballerina' tulips
Forgetmenot seedlings are coming up everywhere in the garden!

'burgundy' tulip looks just the thing. I planted 'queen of the night' last year and might do that again. Or I might go for 'sarah raven'
I wont plant my tulips till late oct when the perennials are dormant and I can see where the spring gaps will be.

Just googled your collection, maud , it looks ike good value, they source their stuff from crocus dont they?

I am trying to persuade dd to come to Wisley with me this afternoon. After weeks and weeks of no walking I am desperate for some exercise in the sunlight and it is their flower show!

Ooh, how lovely to go to the Wisley show.

I don't usually do yellow tulips but American Dream looks rather fabulous. I'm hoping that all of last year's tulips will come back (it's the third and subsequent years that generally seem to be a problem). I had Queen of the Night and Negrita; Negrita was a disappointingly wishy-washy purple once open.

I suspect the Telegraph do source their stuff from Crocus, as their website even uses Crocus' photos. At least that should mean my bulbs will be good quality!

Oh and for anyone contemplating buying bulbs, GW magazine was offering free for postage alliums last month (I still have the voucher if anyone wants it) and species tulips and other things this month.

Ooh some of those GW bulb collections look good. Thanks for the tip Maud.

If anyone lives in an area the library of which offers Zinio*, that now has GW magazine, so I now read it online & don't pay anything. (I also get to browse Hello...)

• Zinio is a website from which you can download the current edition from a selection of magazines. It has quite a good selection including Homes & Gardens, various photography magazines and some women's magazines. I know Surrey offers it to users of its online books service.

Every year I wish I'd bought Prinses Irene. This might be the year that I actually do.

Prinses Irene is beautiful in terracotta pots. I think there's a newer variety - Orange Princess or something like that - that is an improvement on the original, but I've always been happy with it. Go for it!

for Maud and Bertha. FIL passed away Tuesday so things a bit difficult here.

I think Prinses Irene might be in my shopping basket from memory . Absolutely can't be doing with putting up the sofa, very complicated.

The one thing I have been trying to do is wate the camellias. I really need to ge out and deadhead things,

I'm so sorry to hear about your FIL, SugarPlumTree. Have a slightly grubby, soil under the fingernails, gardener's hug.

for SPT

I like the look of Burgundy Maud. May also check out the GW offer.

Searabbit things are still on for Sunday although you will now have the pleasure of seeing my children again as they are coming along to 'assist'.

For me, Burgundy is the perfect combination of colour and shape (I love lily-flowered tulips).

I'll be sorry not to see you all on Sunday. Have fun!

Thank you both

I did deadhead earlier, the grass is growing too quickly.

Sorry to hear your news Sugar.

Today should have been my first day back at the showstopper garden, to discuss a plan of attack for the autumn. My client cancelled though, so I cut back lavender and deadheaded roses.

Sorry to hear your news Sugar.

It'll be lovely to have some little assistant gardeners on Sunday! I am sorry you won't be there Maud. I won't bring BabyBearleigh, as his days of interest in gardening seem to be in the past. He's now in full-on teenagerdom, including those classics:

Running a bath while wearing his earphones so he don't hear the water gushing through the kitchen ceiling;

Then complaining about his father being very angry with him (having been woken up by the gushing sound);

Then protesting that he couldn't be expected to know that allowing water to run into a closed container such as a bath would lead to the container overflowing if he didn't stop it running. He's doing Physics A Level. God help us.

Once I'd mopped everything up, I had to laugh. Happily no lasting damage seems to have been done.

Oh dear, SeaRabbit. And I thought Archimedes was part of the GCSE Physics syllabus.

I'm sorry about your FIL sugarplum

For various reasons, gardening will be just the thing this weekend I hope it doesn't rain too much.

Work is far too intense and family are too ....needy is the only word I suppose

I want to sit and stare at water and plants for a long while and I am going to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow and go to Wisley first thing.

The Norwegian weather service which I generally find more accurate than dear old met office says it's going to be lovely & sunny on Sunday though not that warm so perfect gardening weather.

Sorry to hear about your FIL, sugarplum

too to Bertha and Maud.