"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)

Ha! The ridiculous things is that we don't much care for figs and never harvest them. That said, we tend to find that most drop off over the winter and so very few reach their second year. This year, though, the tree had grown a lot and we have far more gigs than usual, so maybe next year we'll have a decent crop and poached figs for pudding!

The only way I like fresh figs (except in jam) is roasted in a hot oven - slashed,with a little honey in each slash and a little water in the dish.

Hello everyone

I love figs and was getting quite a crop on the last tree we planted, we left it at the old house so have started again. None so far but I did pull off a solitary pea sized one a few weeks ago so hopefully next year.

No real gardening news, I picked the last of the tomatoes and am attempting green tomato .I've just Tulips to plant, the Dahlias to dig up and yet more leaves to rake.

Lidl Christmas cacti are in various stages of flowering the big ones 2 years since purchasing and the red one last week.

Sorry - green tomato chutney

Those cacti look gorgeous geoff?

Just popping in to ask whether anyone is doing the Hardy Plant Society seed scheme this year? I just got my list and am VERY excited.

Ooops, that was supposed to be an exclamation mark! Not a question mark. Because there can be no question about it - those cacti ARE gorgeous!

you are definitely getting me to look at at that now shove .
I have spent years and years gardening without growing from seed. But I now have a greenhouse and the time, so I have no excuse!

book - it's a really good way to get hold of some stuff that is a little bit rare, or just that bit expensive and risky where you think "Oh my goodness, if it goes wrong, I just wasted £££!!" The only thing is, you're not guaranteed to get what you ask for, so if something is in big demand, you might not pick it up.

I am thinking of getting some Arisaema seeds!!

I may have to bite shove - there is a nearby group too, and they have plant sales..... :)

The plant sales are fantastic! So many wonderful specialist growers full of knowledge - and the plants are less expensive than the standard, boring things you find in a lot of modern garden centres that sell more jam than plants.

I haven't plucked up courage to go to a talk yet. I am slightly terrified as I think it might be full of posh people with acres and acres! It's silly - I should just go!

I've bitten the bullet and joined HPS - you convinced me shove!

My FIL used to be a member, DH tells me. Oh gawd - it's bad enough turning into your mother but your FIL... especially when he was a rather weird/eccentric minister of the church who disliked wearing clothes. I suspect that's more the sort of person who's a member actually

Yay! I suspect you will be significantly reducing the average age of membership in your area! But there is a rather sweet newsletter twice a year (full of really interesting recommendations for unusual plants and tips of how to grow them, intermixed with remarks on the kind of cake on offer at the AGM). And the seed exchange is great! I suspect if you are in the biz it's a great way of making a network.

And your FIL sounds like an interesting fella. Hope the naturism was kept in check on family occasions, though! That's not something you want to see over the Christmas turkey...

Well quite!

I have been good. Everyone has real problems with presents for me, as I am very lucky to have most of the things I want or need :) So - I have added it to my wish list for Christmas. Fingers crossed.....

I've asked for a new watering can for Christmas. In the past I have asked for and received a Japanese hand hoe, a Dutch hoeL, and some Japanese shears. Christmas is good!

Oh - I got a lovely red Haws watering can a couple of years ago - it's fab!

Amazingly my clematis Jingle Bells has the grand total of 4 buds on this Christmas - finally

Ooh. I must go and check on my winter clematis, but I'm not expecting anything this year as they had a hard prune a few weeks ago.

I'm thinking about hippeastrum. I have one carried over from last year - Black Pearl - but want more.

I have one planted up Maud as the dog ate the box when I bought it so it seemed sensible to chuck it in the compost, it hasn't done anything though as yet. I really enjoyed having one last y ad and would like more. Black Pearl looks lovely. I noticed some in pots that weren't too expensive so may yet treat myself.

Think we have probably lost the plot but Builders due to start next week.

My Hippeastrum, new this year, put on 2" a day, and is now about to flower. Black Pearl is lovely.

And a pale yellow orchid bought 2 months ago in full flower, so cheap(ish, as it's a big one) is about to flower again. Orchids seem to be my sort of house plant - they don't like being watered.

Even the DC noticed the rate of growth with mine last year so it must have been noticeable. I can get Orchids to reflower but not as quickly as you Searabbit, impressive !

I'm envious - I treat orchids like cut flowers (enjoy them then compost them) as I can never get them to flower again!

Why not try again with orchids Maud? the lady at our garden centre that specialises in them told me they always look sickly after they've flowered, and they can take 2 or 6 months to reflower. She recommended using orchid feed. I put mine after flowering in our south facing spare room that they seem to like. I have recently bought a white one splashed with maroon that I adore.
I seem to be becoming obsessed...

I do try again, in the sense that I keep them for a few months and then reluctantly chuck them out because they're no longer flowering and the leaves look shrivelled. That said, I have got one at the moment that's had a reprieve as it hasn't shrivelled ...

Mine have a fairly shady spot on a cheat of drawers which they seem to quite like. I should feed them then maybe they would flower sooner ! I give them the drip feeders whilst flowering then fill the empty case with water when they are in the recovery area. I did read so.etjjnv about an I've cube on the top of the slim post once a week

The one I had for Mother's Day last year has just thrown out a new flower stem.

Need to transplant the contents of big container on decking today as decking coming down tomorrow as start of the building work. There's a big climbing rose and other bits that i'll be sad if I lose so must get digging .