"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)

My spring pot is outside with plants in it. I think the in the dark thing is to force them to flower out of season/early , (as the hyacinths for Christmas)

Went to Lidl yesterday and bought tulips. £1.50 for 10. Then went to Homebase they were £2.50 for 8. Love a bargain.

Someone on another thread posted this link to a brilliant garden programme
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p03sz2z7/all-mod-cons-5-the-outside-room

I went to Wisley on the way home, and came back with some nice apples for cooking and eating, some miscanthus and a white aster. The weather is idyllic still. I really do think I have been living in heaven these last three months or so. Clear blue skies and relative warmth. I do sometimes think it awfully good of our maker to have put us on this good earth considering how imperfect we all are.
Anyway I mowed and fed the lawn. Happy evening.
As the South facing front gets the sun and the back doesnt, I am in 2 minds whether to plant Mediterranean Lavender Oregano Thyme Rosemary etc underneath the Buddleia peacock, or whether to plant Rhubarb Beans Garlic Lettuce Raspberries etc at the front since none of these things do well at the back.
The main difference is that the fruit and veg will need feeding and watering.

Yes, that's how I do it too, although I did read somewhere that the planting depth isn't so crucial for bulbs in pots, especially if they're going to be used only once and then got rid of.

Oops, sorry, missed some of the more recent posts.

Was talking about bulbs in pots, obviously. I've never heard of forcing bulbs in the dark except for hyacinths or paperwhites that are being coerced into flowering for Christmas.

Ah, see on the other thread, people are saying their bulbs do grow again next year in pots.

I re- use all my bulbs in the garden tbh after they have flowered, so actually have no idea if they would survive!

Lorelei what other thread is that ? Where bulbs are being discussed ? I need to learn about bulbs in containers .

ginger, there's a couple of threads where I have asked questions on bulbs

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gardening/2736175-The-new-hour-long-GW

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gardening/2735522-Layering-bulbs-in-pots

i know they look waffly but all my questions were answered so hopefully yours will be too

probably a really stupid question all...when you see creeper - or anything else - trailing nicely down the middle of a building, where have they rooted it? There's a wonderful 3 storey white house near here which now has red creeper going down between floors 3 and 2 - it makes me think I'm in Boston although I've never been!

Now I think about it, same applies when wisteria is grown on a high wall, have they rooted it round a corner perhaps?

I think today in London is going to be one of those "good for garden" days - those of us without them are just peering gloomily at the rain!

Another "what shall I plant?" question. The Gloriana rose in the front garden has gone from ailing to dead, so I need something biggish to replace it in a huge pot. There's a jasmine beesianum that will grow up through it (as it did Gloriana before she pegged it) and euphorbia myrsinites in front. Ideally I want something red or blue, so any ideas?

Do you think the Jasmine killed it?

have you a trellis for a climber - if so maybe an evergreen clematis, though white like this
or a quince shrub

So windy today, the last balcony rose was just in bud but almost broken so I've had to cut it ....wonder if it will open indoors. I brought the solar lights in as well....I do hate the approach of winter. And winter!!

Working at home today so will use the last hour to put the balcony into its final winter arrangement. Had to move the heuchera as well, it has been quite bashed today, so now only bulb pots will be at the edge.

Still unsure about how often to water bulbs that won't catch any rain.

*last hour of daylight I mean.

Thanks, bookbook. I have got a small obelisk I could use, but was hoping to have one plant growing through another. I like the idea of a quince - I planted two babies when this garden was very new, and they perished, but they might well be happier in the front garden.

Glad I picked the rose
Looks very nice, opening indoors
Now I'm not sure how far back to prune it?

Today has been cold with rain, hail, fierce rain, wind, yada yada.

Soooo, I sat indoors and did DH-style chicken stock (not knowing his recipe) while watching Deadpool.

Result: Jamie Oliver's recipe is too complicated and too long, resulting in too veggie a stock with less good chicken-y bits for the animals.

Deadpool is still tip-top.:o

I haven't seen Deadpool, will put it on the winter to watch list. I have one of those Instant Pot pressure cooker things and tried a whole chicken once, which resulted in some in some decent looking chicken stock that I've frozen for soup, but there wasn't much of it. When I deliberately set out to make stock I'm a bit rubbish.

Chilly start to the day here, my phone claimed it was one degree. I've spent loads of time in the garden the last few weeks but it's all clearance at the moment, I'm contemplating a shredder. The tree that was leaning over the garage is finally down and for the first time in years a car is under the carport.

I've decided that I can accommodate the greenhouse in the back garden by getting a new shed, which makes sense as the old one is falling to pieces. I think the new bit of garden we can have now where the old drive was, will have raised beds on it. With the talk of rising food prices it has made me rethink the garden a bit and consider how to make it as productive as possible now we no longer have an allotment.

Work to reclaim space hidden by old conifers is going well and I estimate if I have the nerve to cut the trees down we'll have an extra bit for parking 6ft x 22 ft. I need to check the stuff which came with the house to 100% check the boundary. My new D saw is surprisingly effective and I've been able to do far more by myself than expected, though the remaining ones are much to tall for me to tackle.

We have finally made the decision to go ahead with the extension so a chunk of the garden will be a mud bath over winter.

One degree? Thank goodness it's not that in London, I hate the cold so much. Though I hate the grey murk more, yesterday was dire.

Yesterday was murky but fairly warm, so I had quite a productive session in the garden.

I planted the last of the pots of tulips and moved some other winter pots out of the greenhouse, so that the pelargoniums could go back in it. I also made good progress through the planting queue, so I've got a better sense of where the gaps in the borders will be next year. So, all quite encouraging, except that I can see that the back fence really isn't going to last much longer. Sigh.

Oh and virburnum bodnantense Dawn is flowering, after a couple of years off. I think having more light since the great hack back of things on the fence had encouraged it. Smells gorgeous.

My viburnum isn't flowering yet but looks like it will soon. My pineapple sage is also on the verge of flowering - it is one of my favourite plants but for its own sake it should flower earlier - the frosts will be on us soon. Our neighbours cut back a tree, so all of a sudden things in my big bed are flowering again e.g. a salvia guarantica.

I'll post a picture of most of my quince crop - they smell gorgeous.

Quinces

Sunday was somewhat of an improvement, so I pulled up the last of the bolted chard and lettuce, and planted spring onions and butter lettuce. The espaliered lemon tree has at LAST had several flowers so we may get the lemons in winter. It is not a proper Aussie tree until you have left bags of lemons for colleagues at work, or at your garden gate.

On the post stock-making chicken-y bits front, I have found animals do not care if the chicken is in shreds or proper bits of discernible muscle; it's all good, and they look at me longingly when I'm making their meals.

The evening is beautiful, warm and sunny so I went for a run (ish) and now it's dog walking time. Blissful. This spring has been vile, so soaking up every bit of sun.

Lovely quinces, SeaRabbit, I can smell them from here.