"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)

Oops photo did not post

Excellent example of upcycled improvisation, Astrantia!

Thank you.

::slumps into dusty old deckchair at the back of the shed::

Half way through operation tidy-up and I am exhausted! Going out again in a moment to refresh the compost in the pots of lilies.

::girds loins::

Suddenly we have flowers in the garden- lots of daffodils primula and snowdrops, and some miniature iris I had forgotten I'd planted last year, after I kept on ordering and buying bulbs having forgotten about previous purchases. It cost so much (woops) but from all the shoots that are appearing we are soon going to have lots more lovely flowers.

I am having a 'no-spend' year in 2017 for my own clothes and also in the garden, as I did go a bit mad on both last year - only essential replacements and tools like compost allowed.

Same here Searabbit, so lovely to see. Our Camellia whilst still small has a fair few flowers this year which made me happy. My Hellebore seedlings that did nothing for ages are now flowering in amongst the builders dust, clearly i was too nice to them before.

Drainage went in yesterday for extension so another section of garden is now mud the dog's sectioned off bit is intact though apart from having furniture dumped in it, which means we'll have the herbaceous border to look at this year.

The greenhouse is down so the new parking has emerged. This definitely means I can take the old driveway area and incorporate into the garden, might di some raised beds for veg. When the greenhouse gets rebuilt it will be much nearer the kitchen, would like to get some tomatoes going but it might not be up for months.

I too need to have a no spend year on garden. I was given some garden vouchers but am trying to save the, as would like to buy one of those small column forming Cherry blossoms with them.

Holly over on another thread ( It's Happening ,I think ) you mentioned candelabra primulas and I was wondering if you could suggest where to buy .Should I look on line ? And if so ,where is reliable ?

Glad you're on the mend !

I've name changed from gingeroots .

We too have more bulbs flowering this - mainly tete a tete narcissus and miniature iris as the February Gols seem not to realise they've only got a couple of days to live up to their name! The camellias only have a few buds, so think I might give up there.

I had a no spend on clothes year last year, although I gave myself a huge get-out clause for charity shops and had some amazing finds. I've had to admit to myself that the garden is full, so that helps to reduce the spend, but not eliminate it entirely. It helps that many of my acquisitions - pots and plants - are in their various ways preloved and therefore relatively cheap.

GW is back on Friday, Spring must be here !

Ooh is it still an hour long do you know?

Not sure Searabbit. Tonight's the night, though I will probably watch tomorrow.

ooh , hello! this had dropped off my list.
Gardeners world tonight , goody, that definitely means spring is on the way :) but seems to be just 30 minutes , looking at the schedule - 8 until 8.30.
Everything seem s to be coming out at once - including bluebells everywhere - oh dear.The first miniature daffodils are opening now too. Need to get tidying up the dead branches and stems stuff that I leave on over winter.
I have been a bit quick maybe, but have also potted up my overwintering dahlias and geraniums. The greenhouse needed to be tidied ready for the onslaught of sowing

I am running out of space for seedlings!

How tough are cuttings of hardy plants? I have several (cistus, lavender, hypericum) that have been in the porch getting their roots going all winter. Would they survive outside, in a sheltered spot?

I spent 7 solid hours gardening today

Pressure washed the patio, mowed the lawn, attempted to sort out 10,000 pots and baskets I should've done in the autumn (job half done), planted snowdrops in the green from my aunt's garden, pruned various things, sowed some basil and trailing begonia bulbs (kitchen surface!) and on and on.

Doesn't sound a lot written down

Wish I had somewhere to do seedlings! I vow not to do many then end up with kitchen surfaces full of them

Hot bath tonight HaveYou ?
I have a greenhouse, and my kitchen windowsill is still sporting some seedlings - the greenhouse is still too cold for the little darlings....

Mrs Bert how about putting half out, to free up space?

I was out today too - it was so warm I was in just a t shirt for part of the time. Mostly clearing up but also digging up and splitting my rhubarb. It is too late according to some books but I reckoned it was worth a go, as it was in such a shady and dry spot I never got any rhubarb anyway. Next door neighbours' new cat joined me, and was most entertaining. I then sat outside darning DS's shirt that had got ripped by his (ex-) girlfriend (G!!)

How lovely that the thread will come to life again!

I had a nice hot shower bookbook but surprisingly not too achey today, can't have worked hard enough

The weather's looking good this week SeaRabbit, isn't it nice to be pottering short sleeves! Feline gardening companions are the best Hope the shirt-mending was a success!

We're having a warm, dry autumn here in Melbourne; late 20s to early 30s, and gagging for some rain. I'm inundated with tomatoes, late cues are coming on, the mooli is huge, tons of aubergines, so a ratatouille is calling.

The tomatoes are not good quality, so end up cooked rather than in a salad. I now know what is meant by "a good slicing tomato" as I once saw them described in a greengrocer's. It made me go at the time, but I sort of get it now.

DD, who has loathed tomatoes for 20+ years, now likes them. Aubergines next.:o

Lovely to hear from echt .
Its all going quite well here - everything is popping up really welll, just so much moss in the grass lawn, it may as well just be called green .
Sadly had to cut down virtually to nothing an old , enormous Viburnum Tinus this week - the viburnum beetle has just massacred it in the last couple of years. Tried pruning last year, the blighters came back and ate all the new growth :( So, cutting every last bit of old wood out, to just leave a little, sad looking clump , with the hopes that I can spray the small area left . If that doesn't work , its curtains. I have a huge gap that it filled .

We are running out of thread here....
I just came on to ask for recommendations for forks.
DH has been digging out the Viburnum, and the fork ( not new, but only about 5 years old - a Joseph Bentley has snapped. Not where the wood of the handle meets the shaft , but where the metal shaft joins the head/tines - stainless steel pah - it is mild steel inside, plated with stainless steel. I only bought it when my solid ( shaft, tines everything ) one got stolen at my allotment a few years ago :(

Had lots of bees visiting my clematis Freckles today

Quite gratifying as I've been trying to attract bees with my planting for a year or two and it hasn't been happening. Hooray for bees!

Someone needs to name the new thread, I'm not brave enough!!!

Gardens are not made by singing 'Oh, how beautiful,' and sitting in the shade. - Kipling?

OR: The first rule of potting shed is we ALWAYS talk about potting shed.