The first rule of potting shed is YOU ALWAYS talk about potting shed. The thread continues.

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Here goes, and feeling bit cheeky as I didn't post much on the last one.

A fine autumn day here, with much seasonal clearing done. Now I come to think of it, is there ever a non-clearing season? :o

We have had quite warm sun all 3 days so far, at least when I was out in the garden, and only had SPF cream on my face, so I have burned lips.

I'm also really happy as I've discovered a stables near us, and it has fabulous mature manure for the taking. Am itching to go back again tomorrow.

Britain in Bloom not loom. Too much wine methinks.

We got a strimmer, so yesterday he wielded the strimmer (very pleased with it) and forked out massive tall weeds with white flowers, whilst I scrabbled around on the ground pulling out woundwort roots. Also forsythia pruning and weeding, and mowing the dandelions out front. Then we went to buy grass seed and found out the garden centre was closed. Outrageous.

Then we did an egg treasure hunt. My egg was bigger than the one the lad got off his dad. Hah.

I need to get the last bit of escaped mint out of a flower bed, and in the same bed, get all the roots of the Chinese lanterns out. I didn't realise how invasive they were. I don't even remember putting them in!

Ooh idiot question coming up, if I were to use some of that weed and feed stuff on the lawn, will I kill off the bulbs planted in the lawn?

Our front lawn really is a joke, it's all dandelions except for the ribworts. But returfing isn't really an option.

I've been busy planting up a new bed today, although it looks pretty boring at the moment! I've used little cuttings from around the garden and from MIL's garden, so nothing really showing much interest at the moment. Planted some summer bulbs in there too. Looking forward to seeing it all develop (and no doubt show me where I've put plants in the wrong place!)

MrsBert - I suspect so, as I think the weedkiller is contact.
On a grass lawn note. I was given advice that sulphate of iron is really good for getting rid of moss in grass , so told DH, who googled. Yep - great idea, reads up properly , and buys some. ( Our grass is mostly moss) - bought a dribble bar for the watering can. Did it when suggested - damp grass. Works a treat - turned the moss black almost immediately. On a down side - the dribble bar had holes about 2 " apart. I now have fine black lines all over my grass .....
I was given a load of sweet william cuttings last autumn, so have planted those all out today . I wish I could get nice smelling pinks . My DF always had them. There are loads for sale, really pretty, but barely any fragrance .

Bookbook you need to look for punks oops pinks that are a strong-smelling variety. I have a gorgeous deep pink one that scents the whole garden when it's flowering. I am pretty sure it's Devon Wizard:

www.whetmanpinks.com/pinks-by-colour/mauve-purple-shades/devon-wizard/

In fact, I am glad you reminded me – I think I will send off for some plugs from Whetman , because with the exception of that one plant, pinks tend to die on me therefore I think I'm better with plugs – if they fail I haven't wasted that much money!

It's very easy to take cuttings from pinks. I've even done it with shop bought bunches.
Take a non flowering stalk, remove all but the top couple of leaves, cut it to about 5cms just below where a pair of leaves were and dab some rooting hormone on it. Them pop it in a small pot somewhere warming, a window sill will do. When it makes new leaves, rooted.
They will root without rooting compound and sometimes just in a jar of water.

Thanks SeaRabbit - they look lovely :)
JT05 - only problem is, I haven't any.... but maybe worth buying a nice smelling bunch

The hail storms have knocked off my single magnolia blossom. And everything still needs serious watering, despite it being only April.

Been an odd week here gardenwise. In all my years of gardening I have never returned a plant. However this year One of my Acatea that was struggling has been replaced hassle free from Crocus. I ordered 2 Amelanchier from Hayloft which I have been puzzling over for 2 months. They turned out to be Geranium. So they are sending replacements. Also one of my David Austin Ramblers is looking sad. I thought I bought it 3 years ago. I sent them a picture and at first they could not find the order and it turns out it was longer than that. Nevertheless they are sending me a replacement as a guesture of good will.

Garden companies do seem to offer good customer service. Oh and Primrose sent me two pots which were scratched so they refunded and told me to keep them.

pansy that sounds like great customer service all round!

DP has been telling me off for moving plants around too much. A neighbour knocked the door this week with a wheelbarrow full of plants from her garden for us, so I've been trying to work out what should go where!

I've decided the roses have definitely been killed by the Round Up :( but I think I have a new plan for their place. They are four circle beds in a row along the path, with a border behind. The border will have lots of summer/autumn interest, so I'm thinking I'll do some spring bulbs in the circles with some colourful carpet plants around them. That way, they will be tall and colourful, but die down to allow viewing of the border behind as that starts to bloom.... hopefully.

Does anyone have any nice suggestions of low growing/carpet flowers? Preferably purple, white and blue. Aubrieta? What else? Forget Me Nots? (Not creeping thyme, I have that everywhere!)

Lucky you Gin - how about pulmonaria? I have some lovely creeping , ground cover geraniums , and saponaria ocymoides too.

oh, that saponaria is pink ...

Pink is fine! I would just rather that sort of colour than oranges/yellows so the daffs stand out a bit more

Oh I like that saponaria! (What does semi-evergreen mean?)

It will keep it leaves for most of the year .

Bugle? Purplish leaves with a blue spike.

Would it be completely bonkers to plant cow parsley in a border? I really like it and think it could look pretty weaved with verbena bonarieasis, but is it just akin to planting dandelions and nettles in a border?!

It's a wild flower, I suppose. If it behaves, then why not?

Geranium Rozanne for the summer Gin'and Geranium Elke.

Funny old year for me as we had the building work going on. That's on hold apart from new French doors shortly. I'm having to think about our boundaries carefully. Some of you might remember me nearly exploding a few years ago when neighbour's son chopped 20 foot plus of our hedge down. Well neighbour's son on the other side has been at it, he took something out on their side as said it was falling over. Next minute there is a huge hole. We decided a fence would be better , me assuming it would be 6 foot as their plot is 4 foot higher than ours but no it's 4 foot with wire trellis on top.

To make matters worse their front door is raised up and only about 25 foot from our dining room window so the top of the door is about 14,foot above our ground level and they could see right in. He is refusing a 6 foot fence as it is 'too oppressive' but has put some of that roll on stuff up, it doesn't do a lot. And DS's ground floor bedroom is very exposed.

So the last week has been about us going to every single garden centre locally. Another eighbour has really really kindly given us 6 large pots of large bamboo which I've kept in pots for now, they do help but need to thicken up. We have an olive tree stood on a table which helps in the short term. Yesterday we bought two photinia which with a few cuts are now standards. Going to make a frame and tie into that to make a pleached panel that you see for the future but they are too short yet.

Todays idea is to see if we can find some pots of 6 foot hedging reasonably cheaply and just leave it in pots in the small ledge on top of the wall.

On the plus side we're moving the door to the back so the current side garden up for redevelopment. The greenhouse is going down one end . It is a long but narrow strip so I think it will be greenhouse, potager style kitchen garden plus tiny orchard.

Sorry, that is rather long !

So has anyone been brave enough to start planting out seedlings?

I haven't planted the seeds yet ! We're on the south coast and there was ice on a car roof recently. I've also seen an allotment full of frosted beans mid May before so tend to go for end of May to be on the safe side.

Hmmm. I am running out of space!

Do you know what kind of bamboo it is?

Our predecessors here planted some and it has galloped off everywhere, we are having an awful job trying to get it out. Lovely plant but a bit much!