"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)

today I was pottering round Homebase's outdoor plants and saw a lovely plant with silver leaves and now totally can't recall the name. Meh.

First thing that comes to my mind is Senicio, Lorelei but there are others . Was it a shrub, or a perennial?
I am sat looking out at the rain, which has started here somewhat earlier than expected (-Hah! who believes the weather forecast.) We were hoping to plant a couple of small shrubs today.We have been clearing away a lot of overgrown stuff near a footpath at the front of the garden next to the road. It originally had 6 leylandii hedge trees in, which we chopped down about 7/8 years ago as they had got diseased. So things were planted then to plug the gap, and somewhat left to get on with it. DH has bitten the bullet and been in there with saw and secateurs to prune things back. And we finally managed to rock out the rotten stumps of the trees to free up the soil. So Its been dug, loads of compost on etc. We went and chose a couple of smaller evergreens to put in the two gaps left, to keep the informal hedge look. Managed to get a well established Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Tom Thumb' on the reduced table half price , and an Escallonia "Red Dream" that wont grow too big .

looking at the leaves, I am not sure, could be!

How about covolvulus cneorum?

Hello all. I fell off the thread, too. Whoops.

Other silver plants are cineraria and astelia.

I've been having another tidying-up session in the garden and installing my new fairy lights. You might soon be able to see my garden from space!

Maud, that sounds fab! I'm jealous!

It is indeed silver cine wotsit. I bought it. And some red cyclamen to put in with it. I may have to remove the chair from the balcony, it's getting a bit silly now.

SeaRabbit, convolvulus immediately calls to mind "the little stranger" by Sarah Waters. Funny how things like stay with you.

My Brugmansia is finally in flower I love it! I did resort to popping it back in the greenhouse where it gets watered 4 times a day by an automatic water thingy. Once I'd done that it grew about a foot in a week!

Has anyone bought bulbs yet? I'm planning to pot up some small narcissus hopefully to flower at Christmas. Dc's back at school next week, I am looking forward to some uninterrupted garden time- so much to do!

just looked up brugmansia, looks lovely.

I have actually got bulbs yes, because I heard they run out fast and I'm new to this. I was under the impression the snowdrop bulbs should be planted immediately because they dry out so I've done that but they are hidden under the chair on the balcony so they won't get too much sun/wind/whatever we get this month.

Not sure when I will do the others - crocuses and narcissi minnow.

I have bulbs, and have planted some already - mostly because some Cosmos had gone over (lack of water) so left a gap in the bed which I filled with bulbs, then pansies and Sweet William. Some of the bulbs were last year's tulips in a pot which I thought I might as well bung in under some narcissus Thalia. The garden is looking so dry - even more organic matter called for I think.

My order from Shipton bulbs arrived - Tulipa Sprengeri and a couple of other things that I ordered back in May, after seeing Sprengeri at Sissinghurst. The bulbs are tiny.

We went to Wisley on Sunday - as we , an idea slowly formed that maybe it was the Wisley flower show, and so it proved. Usually we park in car park 1; once when there was a Craft Fair it was 3. On Sunday it was car park 5. We got away from the crowds eventually , an arboretum that we've never been to before, with some magnificent Monterey pines. We learned that they grow into the prevailing wind, and the branches grow into the ground to brace the tree, so they are good for providing shelter in big gardens. The rest was heaving which sort of got in the way of the garden which was looking lovely, and not apparently suffering from lack of water.

My brugmansia has lots of buds - far more than it had last year - but still looks to be a way off flowering. I can't really give it the microclimate it needs. If I lived nearer to you, Geoff, I'd invite you to adopt it!

I have already bought some tulip bulbs and got some daffs for my birthday. I'm hoping to plant the daffs this weekend.

But I'm saving my best news 'til last. This garden this week has been full of dead molluscs in a way it never has been when I've used pellets. I can only assume it's because I put down huge amounts of coffee grounds that I got from the cafe and they've died of a caffeine overdose! So I'd strongly recommend that anyone struggling with slugs and snails befriends their local cafe and gives it a go, especially as it also adds organic matter to the soil and makes it smell lovely.

Oh, SeaRabbit, we were there on Sunday too! Sorry to have missed you.

I've not been to Wisley
It's very hard for me to get to and tbh last time I went to Kew - on a weekday - it was so heaving I was disappointed.

Is Wisley always crazy busy?

Wisley is always fairly busy, and at weekends and in school holidays it can be hard to get into the car park (and it's pretty inaccessible by public transport). My favourite RHS garden, because it's quite easy for me to get to and never seems to be crammed in the way that Wisley is, is Hyde Hall.

Thanks Maud
I'd be going via public transport, it doesn't look bad although of course the cab fare will add to the cost.
Re Kew, it seemed to be heaving with groups, unplanned events (I mean not on the website) and we were completely stunned at the number of screaming toddlers but I think it's free for them to get in!
So much as I'd like to see it, if it's always busy on weekends I'll just assume it will also be mad busy on a weekday and give it a miss.

I will look up Hyde Hall now.

I think my Brugmansia only flowered early because it was in the greenhouse. I've since turfed it out because it got too big. The lovely fragrance lingered for a couple of days. I'm sure I bought a white one though. Oh well I'll have to buy another next year!

Fantastic news re molluscs maud I don't drink coffee but I'm going to try nematodes. We have a visiting hedgehog - he's made a little gate for himself under the back garden fence.

My other news is that I spent 2 days digging out some kind of dandelion weed from the lawns. I must of removed 200 of them. Best tool for this my bulb planting trowel. Any way the lawn is full of holes so I'm going to fill the holes with crocus bulbs.

Geoff - such gorgeous flowers!

That is lovely Geoff.

I'm having fun armed with telescopic tree pruner plus a hedge trimmer. Next door is emitting OMG mind my tree vibes from the other side of the huge conifers.

Given he is the sod who cut my hedge down I'm ignoring him and have cut down a conifer behind the fence he stuck up after cutting my hedge down, I think he wanted that left as went a bit pale when I saw him in the summer and mentioned it.

Mirabelle, it's your conifer, yes?

I like conifers.

boy, I need a garden visit!

Yes my conifer so he knows he can't say anything! There's a fence he put up behind it so won't be a gap but will have to put up looking at my greenhouse until I get round to selling it.

I really hope to make it.to Wisley one day.

Just back from Aldi with a an awfull lot of bulbs. Sold in bags of 20 for £1.39. I bought mainly Tulips and a few Daffs. :)

And if anyone's into crafting they also had lots of yarn, and cute craft kits.

Won't you miss your greenhouse Mirabelle ?

Great prices, might have to head to Aldi...

I'm replacing it with a smaller one Geoff. It was bought to fit a weird bit go grass we had at the front but now we have a drive direct to the road it's in the wrong place and I think really too big to go anywhere else, though I am still thinking about it before taking the plunge.

Geoff, I shop at Aldi and they haven't had them when I've been in - then again, they haven't had a lot of the special buys either. Meh.

Just realised that while I was on my hols I missed Sosidges' request for garden ideas. Are you still here, Sosidges? Where have you got to with your plans?