"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)

Yes, beautiful quinces.

The sun came out briefly yesterday. I'm hoping it will again and the flowers on the brugmansia will open before it goes back in the greenhouse. Happy days.

Echt, mum had a lemon tree in the uk for years, never once produced a lemon!

Yes, I gave away my lemon tree because it failed to produce a lemon!

I get ridiculously excited when I see lemons on trees, so I am envious echt. Fingers crossed you get some this year.

Anyone got idea for what to underplant 3 standard roses with so that we don't have to weed? Ideally perennial.

Sweet Cicely is low maintenance and weed suppressing.

echt - lemons 'yum'
and those quinces look amazing- I hear they make the room smell lovely SeaRabbit
Flash Emoji How about evergreen ( well, very nearly..) geraniums Geranium x cantabrigiense varieties are lovely ,
Or Lamium ( spotted dead nettle)

I don't know what quince smells like...now where can I find one...?!

Fleshemoji as roses need a lot of feeding, I ouldnt' underplant but would mulch with garden compost or well-rotted manure & maybe let nasturtiums or othere annuals sprawl to hide it.

Lorelei our local Waitrose has quinces - they do scent a room nicely.

Underplanting roses with alliums is reputed to be good at keeping the pests away. One of the nicest rose gardens I've been to in the last couple of years (can't remember which) used lots of hardy geraniums as underplanting.

Underplanting roses:
-1) spring things with shallow roots which self seed eg snowdrops and crocuses, bluebells
-2)summer things with shallow roots which complement the roses and grow well in clay eg peonies, geraniums, alliums, marigolds, nepeta
-3) autumn things eg autumn flowering crocuses

Glorious Autumn colours are coming into their own round here, with all the wonderful damp woody Autumn leafy smells.

Well, a lovely spring day at last. I planted out some cosmos seedlings I'd let go a bit leggy, and moved orchids into the shade. Earlier in the week I planted bush beans in a container: they did very well there last year.

Broad beans are podding like mad.

The afternoon was spent in the front garden the sun, with a G&T, reading the Saturdays, and later China Mieville's "The City and the City". It's a re-read for me, as I've found it difficult to read books since DH died - not an unusual reaction, I understand. I can read to teach, but not to enjoy for myself.

It was fab, and the dog and cat came to sunbathe, and keep me company. Lots of bees in the nasturtiums, and he sounds of distant cricket ( the game, not the insect).

Bliss.

Very brief hijack - I have The City and The City waiting to be read . Would you say that it's in the same category as Perdido Station ? If so I'll have to postpone reading until I'm feeling really strong .

I've been busy pruning buddleia, avoiding tidying and attempting to improve a selection of winter planters and baskets I rescued from Homebase.

I've also made some bird fat balls hooray. Mmm lard!

The lawn looks like it could do with a mow but I'm avoiding. I hate the autumn/ winter tidy-up and grumble about my lack of greenhouse/ overwintering facility

In other news ALL my summer annuals are in full bloom and it's nearly November. Granted I'm in the SE. Realistically I think they'll perish in the coming week as the temperature is due to plummet.

I haven't read "Perdido Station", gingeroots but a glance at Wiki says no.

Thanks echt ,sorry to have gone off on a tangent .

If you can squeeze some space, I do strongly recommend a small pop-up greenhouse for overwintering things. I've just put all the pelargoniums in mine and the brugmansia will go in once (fingers crossed) its flowered.

I've lost my reading mojo too. I hadn't associated it with the awful time around my dad dying, but it's worth pondering the link. I've just finished Girl on the Train, thinking it might be good preparation for seeing the film, but it's made me doubt whether I want to see it at all.

Well timed post as was contemplating moving greenhouse over winter ready for the spring. That would mean overwintering things in something else but thinking about it have a couple of suitable things.

I lost my reading mojo when my Mum got ill, am trying to get it back now. I think it slowly is, but with emphasis on slowly. I'm off to see Monty Don this week so looking forward to that.

There is now a shredder on the premises and a bit less garden waste.

Mirabelle sorry about your mum and how it affected your reading .

Maud when you say pop up greenhouse ,what sort do you have in mind ?
I've found these
www.amazon.co.uk/VonHaus-Tier-Mini-Plastic-Greenhouse/dp/B01CQYYMJW/ref=pd_sim_201_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XZKQJFXD4RQW6BBN9PE3
www.amazon.co.uk/Pop-Up-Green-House-Greenhouse/dp/B00JSRALMI
do you mean that kind of item?
and Mirabelle what are you going to use instead ?

I'd like to try overwintering my pelargoniums but don't have a greenhouse .Not from lack of space but cash !

I'm trying some cuttings in a cloche which I remove each day for ventilation but knowing me I'll miss something obvious ( should I leave the 2 little vents open during the night ? ) and they'll die .

I don't have windowsills in my flat (or anywhere coolish ) otherwise I'd try the cuttings inside .

Any advice or tips gratefully received .

I have had a succession of that first type over the years. The current one is now full of seed trays and hand tools and whatnot, and I'm trying to empty it and get rid of it as it's very rickety, the cover is disintegrating and it's not worth paying for a new one.

I used to have some of those pop-up cloches from the pound shop. They're great for covering individual plants - and I want to buy some for the cosmos seedlings which have inexplicably appeared - but need to be weighted down as otherwise they blow away.

This is more or less the same as my greenhouse. It's far more useful than the other one because the open space in the centre is big enough for things like the brugmansia which are too big and heavy for the shelves (which, frankly, are a bit flimsy).

That looks good ,thank you Maud .

Yes I do have my doubts about the first type - buy cheap ,buy twice as they say .

Thank you Gingeroots

I have a round pop up one in its packet still they someone gave me which might do for a couple of plants. I also have one a version of those plastic greenhouses but it is low and wider - not quite sure what you would call it. I've had those small tall ones before and found they are ok for a bit but benefit from a paving slab on the bottom and ideally tying down so they don't become their nickname - a blow a way!

I've also had one like Maud but with the green plastic cover some of them come with which might possibly be a bit thicker ?

Absolutely lovely autumn day here today.

I have a feeling the flat is too warm for the indoor hyacinths to grow.
Also I got given one of those indoor crocus things with the special vase. The water is meant to reach the bottom of the bulb. I've had it for two days and already enough has evaporated that it's not touching!

Hello everyone. Just girding my loins to go and sweep up the fig leaves that are swamping the beds.

Hi Maud. Do you get figs that are fit to eat off it?