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

Hello and welcome!
Unfortunately, my gardening mojo doesn't ever seem to wane...however, much to the annoyance of my dh and ds, my housework mojo is totally nonexistent!
Good luck moving the Peony - I planted 5 more the other day as my mum was getting rid of them from her garden - they spent nearly 48 hours in a plastic bag, then bucket, but, with a little tlc, do seem to be doing okay....fingers very much crossed!

Umm, housework is another matter
I don't believe in the old wives tale about peonies not liking being disturbed, so long as you don't plant them deeply they seem to be okay. I shifted mine several times as the garden developed and they've survived and flowered.
We moved from a half acre walled garden to a decidedly tiddly garden- it's less work of course but my plantaholic tendencies mean it's jam packed and the lawn's shrinking! The patio is losing a battle with my pots too.

Welcome on board, Nonna. Am so comforted to see you are of the lots-of-pots-on-patio tendency. There are quite a few of us on the thread with this affliction.:o

Today DH and I Indian mynah-proofed a nesting box so as to attract rosellas, so fingers crossed. Lots of weeding in the veggie beds.

The first signs of spring are here, with coastal wattle and tea tree just starting to flower.

Thank you
I love pots but not so good at being ruthless when they're past their best.....only good thing is I can sneak in more plants without DH necessarily noticing (failed to work with two big Agapanthus pots!)

It is a clear sign that our summer's days are numbered when echt starts talking about signs of spring. There is something beautiful in that though. Symmetry or something. One of you poetic lot will no doubt have a better way of articulating it.

I was only thinking yesterday about how much I love the seasons, and I couldn't live somewhere with a more constant climate, like a number of my friends do. They come to visit and moan about the weather, and go on and on about the joys of constant sunshine. It wouldn't do for me, much as I love summer.

You're right about the seasons, Rhubarb. In many ways I think I prefer spring, not least for the sense of great things about to happen.

Welcome to nonna

I've spent all day in the garden, inspired by shoves shady thread I decided to do something with the gone over foxglove border ,eaten Hostas, and non flowering Agapanthus.

All the Hostas are now in pots and have been replaced with Heuchera x2 , 6 small Hellebores and Japanese Anenome Honorine Robert. So I still have plants in pots on the patio -just different ones

I agree about the seasons thing rhubarb hope you get your mojo back August is a tricky month.

echt I do hope you attract rosellas, far more exciting than the plumtious pigeon currently nesting in our bay tree!

I like the seasons. Though I do think winter could do with shortening.

Last summer I went round various gardens wondering what to plant in mine for late summer/early autumn/winter.

For autumn I settled for saffron crocuses, asters, japanese anemones and helenium waldraut and various grasses most of which are currently in pots still waiting to be planted out.

For winter I have Mahonia, Clematis Wisley cream, Clematis Jingle bells, winter jasmine, Daphne, Sarcococca and Garrya Elliptica. And the various topiary and grasses and berries on things.

It is all probably too traditional though. Even if it were in flower at the right time (unlikely).

Those all sound lovely, Geoff and funnyperson.

I have lots of white Japanese anemones - Honorine Jobert, I think - but they're not in flower yet. Should they be? I know I once won a prize with them in our summer show in early September, so I'm beginning to fret, perhaps needlessly.

We went to a NT garden yesterday so naturally I have bought yet more plants - geum Blazing Sunset and francoa sonchifolia.

A couple of my Honorine Joubert are out, but plenty more are in bud, and won't be out for a while. I do love them - they glow at twilight. And are great in shade.

I have discovered that Gravetye offers more (or rather less) than a full £25 afternoon tea - you can just have tea and biscuits for £5, if you want, so I've booked for me and DH & DS in September, so I can appreciate the late summer planting without it costing a bomb. Maybe I will get to go once a month!

I will go and peer at my Japanese anemones tomorrow, to check whether they at least have buds, then!

That sounds like a great way of visiting Gravetye (although I do like a full-blown afternoon tea).

... And now I'm enjoying Carol's plant odyssey on roses. The photography is stunning.

Hi Nonna amd welcome

My gardening mojo has been rather temperamental of late, there's been a lot going on. We're away at the moment in the Netherlands, having a spot of bother with the local wildlife of the small furry kind. Havem't had a chance to explore much yet but am hoping those lovely white hydrangeas we saw a few years ago will be out. The centre bit where we're staying is sunk down and made of stone creating a rather hot micro climate and a Mediterranean feel plus associated plants you don't usually associate with Holland.

Rhubarb for your difficult time.

I have commandeered a local teen to feed cats and deal with garden. I could tell she thought I was nuts when I said to pick the sweet peas, there aren't really flowers in her garden.

Did notice before I left that a Japanese anenome or two were out and also a couple of asters. My dahlias hadn't got off the ground though am hoping to go home to a few more back than the two blooms I left. The French Beans were just starting.

Fact of the night, ducks quack at 4.20 am, I'd rather thought they slept.

Hope the Indian mynah proofing is working Echt. I also love seasons, though agree with FP that winter can go on a bit. I think the constant cycle and changes are very grounding and being a gardener keeps you very much in tune with the rhythm.

Guess it won't be long now until we're talking bulbs. This summer has flown by, not long till DD's results really, she's starting to get nervous. Fingers crossed she will just scrape into 6th form and the courses she wants.

Fingers crossed for your daughter, SPT, and anyone else waiting for the results of public exams.

After Carol's programme on roses last night, I watched the one on tulips, which was equally good. She talked about tulip mania, which has prompted me to take Anna Pavord's The Tulip off my to read pile. The aerial shots of the Dutch bulb fields made me both want to visit and place an order!

Thanks Maud. She has just had an email to say her short film has been selected to be screened at a Youth film festival which has cheered her up no end. I've negotiated with school for them to accept her Japnese language proficiency test as one so she needs 4. Think she will just scrape it.

Wonder if it is too early for tulip bulbs to be in the shops over here, will have a look. Would be lovely to have some in spring to remind me of holiday - though so far I'll be happy to forget this one!

The catalogues now are full of bulbs - I was just drooling over some fringed tulips in the bath - but I'm not sure whether they would be despatched now or nearer planting time.

Having a film selected for a festival is a real achievement. Well done to your dd, SPT. Let's hope she gets the other passes she needs. Is there any wriggle room if she narrowly misses that?

Thank you Maud It was shown in one back in Houston earlier this year as well. I told her to find some things to enter as damage limitation when it became clear GCSE's weren't going well (lots of vomiting through anxiety), saying not to get hopes up as you have to enter lots to get anywhere. Then blow me down she gets selected for the two she entered

Re wiggle room I have spent many sleepless nights on this. I am pretty hopeful she will get both English, Japanese and Photograohy so with the JLPT that's 5 and she's in. If not I am prepared to go in and firmly point out if they had put her back in to resit Core Science in Year 11 after getting a D in it at end of year 10 then I am fairly confident she would have got a C in that. Instead they put her in for Additional science which was all new material and she won't have passed.

Maths will need to be a resist. That will clash with an A level option so I'm hoping it can be Sociology as I know that will be a rerun of Philosphy & Ethics GCSE and she'll hate it. That will leave her with A Level Art and Photography which are coursework heavy and the end exams aren't the whole sit in hall thing so will suit her much better. Plus BTEC Creative Media Production which is 100% coursework. I am ready to be firmly assertive next week if it comes to it.

Sorry to splurge on the gardening thread, slightly anxious time here with the wait. Also the other day FIL was on sips of water only and dying and we were having to be ready to jump on a plane to Spain. He seems to be eating again so the inevitable now delayed for a bit. Brother having lots of problems with my Mother and her Dementia in Thailand and emailed this morning to say he wants to stop one of her meds as it makes her fairly sharp cognitively but she is very very paranoid and getting even nastier with the carers and mentally tortured by the sound of it,

I'd actually really like to be home and pottering in the garden now to be honest, it's been my salvation through all the ill parents disaster of the last few years and being away from it whilst dealing with emotionally difficult news makes me realise how much I rely on it psychologically as a stress reliever. Even though my mojo had gone a fair bit I find it very soothing to be out there.

Hoping to go to Amsterdam tomorrow so will have a look at the bulb situation . I'm a sucker for a tulip with a fringe! Apologies again for splurging .

Please don't feel you have to apologise for splurging or venting here. I sometimes read the elderly parents thread and know you're having a tough time on pretty much all fronts. I've been reading a bit recently about mindfulness as an antidote to stress and anxiety and think gardening can be very beneficial in that way. Even when my mojo is somewhat limp, I find an hour pottering really lifts my spirits.

My good news is that the window cleaner may (touch wood) have fixed the wonky connection on my waterbutt, for which I paid him with half a sack of compost.

::informal economy::

Thanks Maud, it has been coming at us from all directions for rather a long time now it seems, good to get it all out every so often. A friend was talking about mindfulness, she has found it very helpful. It was interesting to see the coverage on Chelsea this year about gardening as therapy that we discussed on the last thread. There seems to be a growning recognition of the psychological benefits . Your limp mojo sentence sums it up well!

Love the fact you paid in compost, how fantastic

Yes, I was very proud of that bit of barter! It wasn't even barter. We often have a bit of gardening chat and, as he mentioned he'd installed several water butts, I asked his opinion on mine. He went farther than that, though, and made a very plausible attempt at fixing it. He didn't ask for payment but, as I wanted rid of the compost, as it won't get used, I was glad to offer it to him. He also took a broken flowerpot as he needed some crocks. So, mended water butt and less clutter, hooray!

Sorry to hear you're going through a difficult time too, SugarPlumTree. I just had to invent a reason to go and visit df up north to check how he's living, as I feared he was sliding into hoarder next door type territory. Things weren't anything like as bad as I'd suspected. So that was a big relief. I also visited a friend recovering from brain surgery and caught up with db and sil, who is dealing with ageing parent health nightmares, and sorted through some of my late mum's papers and stuff. On the whole quite an emotional weekend.

I have finally got a water butt too. Waiting for DH to install it. This could take some time.

Fingers crossed for those awaiting exam results.

Rhubarb - I paid someone to install my waterbutt rather than bodge do it myself or wait a hundred years for it to get to the top of DH's to do list. It wasn't a perfect job but at least it got done.

I'm sorry to hear you have ageing parent worries, too. It seems to be pretty much universal these days. I have a friend I see regularly at organised events, after which we go for coffee and almost inevitably end up comparing our current dramas.

I paid someone to install ours too as wanted the benefit of them this decade !

I'm also very sorry to hear that Rhubarb I'm glad your DF isn't into hoarder territory, can imagine it was a big relief. I hope your friend is as ok as she can be and feel for your DB and SIL. So difficult being the sandwich generation, you feel like you're juggling lots of balls and dropping them all over the place.

We strolled up to one of the restaurants earlier and I had a good look at the planting. It wasn't hugely exciting but pleasant enough.

Thanks. The whole sandwich generation thing is so true. But I've also got three friends around my own age recently diagnosed with cancer too, which seems particularly cruel.

Very tempting to get someone in to do the water butt, I must admit.

I'm typing this while watching Carol's rose programme on iplayer. It is indeed a delight, isn't it?