"in the midst of winter, I found there was within me, an invincible summer" Potting shed chat continues here

[funnyperson]

So as agreed (by 2 other people!) I have started this thread for spring gardeners follwing on from the previous thread : Welcome one and all. experts and novices alike and draw up your chairs and join in discussion on all things garden related (and even not garden related)

And there's nothing, nothing like playing on a lawn when you're a kid!!

Though I now pity the person who has to deal with the grass stains!

I just hover around trying to protect my lovely plants from wayward footballs! I'd have been an awesome goal keeper!!!

It's been pouring here this morning, but at least the water butts are full.

Can anyone identify this plant? It's growing as a mystery freebie in the pot of alstroemeria I bought last week. At first I thought passionflower and then I decided not. Then I wondered about caper spurge and decided probably not.

Could it be hypericum?

Hmm. Too lanky in its habit for that, I think (I've grown hypericum before), but maybe ...

Maud -some sort of climber? Looks a bit like Morning Glory but I don't think it is.

I've got some morning glory and the leaves aren't right, but I do have a nagging sense that it's a climber.

It looks a bit like ornamental red clover to me?

e.g. Trifolium rubens 'red feathers'

May has gone and it is a new month already!

I have no idea what your plant is, maud but I don't think it is hypericum, morning glory or a clover.

The Sanguisorbas have survived the winter, the irises are throwing up stunning blooms, Mme Carriere continues to strut her stuff and a mauve large flowered clematis has bloomed at her base. The Astrantias and geraniums are all thriving and blooming. Next week I will give the phaeums the Chelsea chop.

The Acanthus Rue Ledan have survived and are looking healthy: Clematis Marjorie, Broughton Star, Foxgloves, ferns, bellis, hostas and nectaroscordum are all doing their thing set off by the Ceanothus in blue bloom looking like a cloud. The bees are happy.

A Rhodedendron's buds are opening in the deep shade under the oak, rather exciting as it is a rare large leaved one, and the flowers look as though they will be very lovely.

However some of the younger plants have been well and truly slugged: the edible violets, cosmos and centaura have all suffered and even the sweet peas have been attacked!

No matter: I love the sound of the wind rustling through the oak leaves, and the garden has been a pleasure to sit in. Just as well: Mother was admitted to hospital at the very beginning of the bank holiday weekend following a fall and is very ill, so it has been a relief to come back and sit in the garden. So sad when someone you love is old and poorly and dependent and in pain, even if this is the natural way of life.

Oh gosh funny I'm so, so sorry about your Mum. I know how serious a fall can be for an older person - I'm really hoping she feels very much better soon. You must be worried and tired out -sending you

FP I am so sorry We were told yesterday morning 24 to 48 hours for my Mother so I'm waiting for the final call . I've just watered the greenhouse as distraction and already chopped my phaeum.

No idea about the picture Maud, sorry.

for those of you dealing with illness and loss. I find that the garden is so therapeutic at these difficult times.

Sorry to hear about your mothers, both of you

Allegedly it is now summer. I've been watching the rain for the last 24 hours and trying not to think about what a wonderful time the slugs must be having. My cosmos is getting eaten so I nipped out yesterday and put crushed eggshells around.
Not much else I can do in the garden until it dries out a bit.

Oh, funny and SugarPlumTree, I'm so sorry to hear about your mums. I'm also sending you and a slioghtly grubby gardener's hug. Is your mum still overseas, SPT? As we were saying only very rcently, gardening can be very therapeutic at times like this, because it requires your attention and soothes.

My garden is squelchy, too. Yet the plus side is that everything is growing rapidly and looks pretty perky (apart from the viburnum opulus, whose leaves have been reduced to skeletons by (I assume) grubs of the viburnum beetle, so that will get a post-Chelsea chop and burn).

I'm so, so sorry sugarplum.

I am sending you a picture of the rose 'sweet memories' in the hope that you have some of your mother that you'll never lose.

.

Thank you all and what beautiful roses Shove. Yes she is still in Thailand Maud which has complicated issues somewhat with things like getting hold of morphine.

Would vibernum beetles be partial to munching on magnolia leaves ? A fair few of mine have been munched and three weren't many to start with.

I too am sorry to hear about your mothers, funny and sugarplum.

Isn't it amazing how much things are growing at the moment? I potted some Moroccan mint for a friend, so watched its progress carefully, to be sure it was big enough to transport - it grew 1" in 4 days! And the roads around my office (which is in a residential area) are bursting with gorgeous roses - a red and pink growing together look surprisingly good, and I will take & post a photo of my favourite combination that I mentioned last year - brown/bronze cotinus, plus cool white rose.

Thinking of you both funny and sugar

Interested in the wm garden discussion. I have a dog and dc's so for the time being its best to leave it be. The borders are getting wider though

A friend came round today and actually asked my advice about her garden. That has never happened before, I must be getting the hang of it!

You are PurpleRibbon!

DH was at the size of the rhubarb when he finally went round to see it. Next door's son collared me whilst I was out earlier about the design for blocking off our drives once we're ready. They are continuing the existing grey stone retaining wall then planting for screening. We have the same retaining walls so should look good.

I potted up my metal trough and some other pots for the deck and the kitchen steps plus my white lavender .

Thalictrum on the Secret Gardening Club

The roses are truly magnificent this year round here though I notice that they have come out first in the the south facing gardens.

My Gertrude Jekyll is divine, as is Coopers Burmese this year, which I put down to adding manure to their pots in the spring. They are, however, competing with enormous Valerian blooms.

Mums Generous Gardener and Gentle Hermione roses have bloomed, slightly creamy yellow. The neighbour's Iceberg rose is out. Anyway I am going to try and go to the RHS rose show if I can: this will definitely be procrastination if I do go as the dining table is piled with admin waiting to be sorted.

My mum is being well looked after, but as with my father, a certain degree of time consuming, tactful but persistent...supervision... and perhaps...guidance.... of nursing and junior staff is needed. I never fail to be amazed at how many lies get told. The occupational therapist assured me repeatedly that my mum had had a ct scan of her hip which was normal when in fact she had an x ray which showed a fracture. I couldn't keep a straight face when the student nurse told me seriously that on the morning round it had been decided that the cause of mum's delirium was constipation. After a bit I gathered enough energy to calmly negotiate with the junior docs and matron and eventually they put up a drip to treat her severe dehydration, gave her intravenous pain relief for her fracture and intravenous antibiotics for her infection. As well as, of course, the laxatives.
The delirium resolved and the following day she was sitting up in bed looking comfortable and herself.

Now I know she is in her late eighties, but if they want to just let the elderly die in pain and thirst because they don't believe in treating them, why do they not have a blanket 'no admissions after eighty ' policy and let them die peacefully at home? Also I couldn't help wondering why it is in some way better to have resolved one's constipation before death. Is it easier to manage the dead body or what?

At some point today I saw a bit of the 'instant gardener' programme.

I found it a bit distressing. Done on a very tight budget with little time or labour to spare and appalling horticultural knowledge from the lady presenter Helen Skelton (she thought rosemary and mint shared the same growing conditions which I thought was sad as the Rosemary planted in a herb pocket on a damp wall was inevitably going to die) this was a sad outcome compared to , say , Alan Titchmarshes 'love your garden' show which has a massive budget, loads of expensive freebies from garden retailers and horticultural experts galore.

I think it is possible to make a lovely garden from a tight budget but time is needed (which is why Monty's big dreams is a success) and horticultural knowledge, and therefore I think the 'instant gardener' programme is a horticultural failure and Helen Skelton must go to some sort of horticultural school to earn her place on it otherwise she is misguiding lots of watchers. Danny Clarke needs to put his foot down with the producers about Helen Skelton and the budget otherwise he will earn himself a bad name in design.

Please tell me if you all think I am being grumpy.