"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)

The neem oil is used dilute (1 tsp per litre) and you add a small amount of detergent also. I think this is enough to stop it blocking the leaves, though I imagine if you completely coated them over and over again, it would do some damage.

Some time ago I asked for a recommendation for a rambling rose for my shady, north facing garage. I chose Veilchenblau. I can't remember who recommended it, but I would like to send thanks. I planted it in the corner In two years it has spread across the garage and halfway down the garden too.

thats lovely Kwirrell.
I can pluck up courage now for recommendation. I have a hole to fill. Would love a rambling/climbing rose, as I only have 1 rose in my whole garden. It will get sun in the morning, but will be in shade in the afternoon. I suspect it will need to be vigorous, as I want it to climb up through the structure of a dead leylandii along a hedge and behind a pear tree. Not asking much am I? Would love it to be scented. Its in a corner that is bound by a low growing variegated euonymus, and my hypericum Hidcote. Do you think I should stick with the yellow theme, or tend towards a subtle colour shift?
I had a quick look and seen this ,
www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/the-pilgrim-climbing-rose
has anyone got this?

If you don't mind white, then try Rambling Rector. It grows really quickly and is highly scented. Be warned though, it is very vigorous.

shovetheholly, it could still be drought if it is brown patches of leaves? Blight seems to come from inside, with patches without foliage coming up from inside.

I am just waiting for the sad day we get blight. There is so much box in our garden

I killed a box in a pot due to lack of water. I read that box doesn't react to drought at the time it happens but some time later.

Lovely pictures here, I need to catch up.

humph - I'd love it to be drought, but unfortunately it has rained buckets here over the last month. I noticed it develop after an entire week of 100% humidity, incessant rain, and warm air. The plants are in the ground rather than in pots. Where other places in the country have had spells of rain, we had a system just stuck over the Peak District for about 10 days and it caned down the entire time.

I dug out and disposed of the affected ball which went from green all over to half sickly brown in a matter of a few days. It works FAST this stuff. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the other balls, which have been sprayed with fungicide - so far they look OK but I know the stuff is in the soil now, so I don't hold out so much hope

oh that is such a shame

Bookbook I have an Albéric Barbier

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_%27Alb%C3%A9ric_Barbier%27

It is fast growing but not as vigorous as Rambling Rector, I think. It is on a NE fence, so gets little sun, but still flowers very well. It has just gone over but is gorgeous when in flower. One plus for me is that it has lovely small shiny dark green leaves which are evergreen, so it is a good support for other plants such as clematis that flower later.

OTH a friend always swears by Albertine, which I agree is lovely.

SeaRabbit - the Alberic Barbier looks perfect ! I like the idea of it being evergreen - it has to hide the ugly brown bits of dead leylandii - and the yellow into cream Thank you very much :)

No Gardeners World on tv today

How did your climbing Wollerton Hall rose get on rhubarb?

This Sunday, weather permitting, I will amble round a rose garden with a friend and then sit and discuss World Affairs over tea. I hope it doesn't rain again. It has been a good year for roses.

If it rains I expect I will sit at home and do the interminable home admin, it being of no comfort whatsoever that other people fail to sort it out.

bookbook I think the alberic barbiere flower is very sweet and informal

Boo to the absence of GW.

We've just had yet another downpour, so I'm hoping the garden will be drier tomorrow, for some deadheading and pottering. The New Dawn roses are looking good now.

Yes, New Dawn is lovely here too

The rose garden was wonderful with some amazing delphiniums in Regents Park too.

It was lovely smelling the roses and also lovely watching others smell them

One thing that I realised is that there is an optimum height for scented roses (climbing roses excepted) in that they are best if the stems are long and bendy enough to be able to bend a rose down to smell it. If too low, bending down s a real effort, if too high, one cannot reach up to smell the bloom properly. A height of about 4-5 foot seems best

I found a similar thing with lavender at the Abbey Gardens in Torquay: The lavender there is grown to a height of about three foot so that one can brush one hand against it as one walks past on the path, releasing the oils and scent of both leaves and flowers_ perfect!

I have just spent a nice hour pottering around. tidying and dead heading.
One small joy - I have 2 hibiscus that have not been looking well the past few years, I have fed, mulched, watered, but it rather looked that they were on the way out. I was a bit sad, as my DM bought them for me , so they are about 18 years old. Last year really sad yellowing leaves. They are looking much, much healthier this year. I wonder if its all the extra rain, or the mild winter.
I also suppose some bushes have a shorter life span than others.

The loveliest thing in my garden is my neighbours hibiscus. Their garden is totally wild, never attended to, but it flowers prolifically every year coating my fence with purple flowers.

How lovely to have hibiscus! I have still done pretty much nothing other than a bit of deadheasing but did watch Monty to soothe my frazzled nerves.

Bookbook it may be an idea to take cuttings or try layering (my favourite way of propagating shrubs as its so easy) in case they do die. Now while they are looking happy because of the rain is a good time. But other flowering shrubs don't live long (ceanothus for example) so maybe hibiscus don't either.

I put up a Heath Robinson sort of construction for my gherkins and Tromboncino courgette to grow up. I am ridiculously excited to have gherkins growing - I have tried them in previous years and had no luck, but now I have teeny ones coming. It sounds like a lot of work to pickle them, but I do love a French-style gherkin with ham - in sugar-free spiced vinegar they are food of the gods.

James Wong was writing in yesterday's Guardian that you can cook & eat dahlia tubers - cactus type are the tastiest apparently.

Thanks SeaRabbit - may have a go at that, though cuttings may have to be the way to go, as the hibiscus haven't got any branches near the soil to pin down. May try though, as I like layering too!

A few weeks ago, I discovered that the hibiscus that I planted years ago and thought had perished was still hanging on in there, hidden in the shadow of the huge acanthus. I think I'll take a change on moving it - it's little more than a stick - so I hope it'll be happier in a new spot.

I've had several lovely hours in the garden, deadheading and repotting. I always vow to reduce the number of big pots, but somehow it never happens. Inspired by Monty on Friday, I have also just tried rubbing off the outer petals of some balled roses. I'll report back on whether it works.

I too have been running balled rose petals today. I managed to get a couple of plants in thd ground but didn't get much more than that done.

A couple of cannas and flowering - do you all plant them in Borders or pots ?

My dad was a canna fanatic and grew them in the ground, in an island bed that got plenty of sun. But that was on sandy soil and mine is stodgy clay, so when I grow them - I've just got a couple after a gap of several years - I grow them in pots. The garden isn't really sunny enough for them, but they remind me of my dad so I'm trying again.

Thanks Maud. I do have a fairly sunny bed with soil that drains fairly well, think i'll put them in . I really hope this year's pots go well for you, fingers crossed.

I'm a bit worried about where my dahlias are going. It"s a lesson really, just because you can make new plants doesn't mean you always should!

Please come and hold my hand on Bereavement.

Oh, Echt, I certainly will. (((Hug)))