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

[echt]

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

Wow Una that is impressive gardening!

I have given a light dig of the veg patch today (it is very small and I just anted to get the compost a bit mixed in). The sweet peas are sown and in the shed by the window.

It is lovely to see the sunshine today even though it is VERY windy. I hung my sheets on the line today (many pegs) and they were dry in an hour. Hurrah!

I went to Kew today, and I saw they are growing a climbing rose around and up a 5-pole hazel pyramid Una, so another possible use for your poles? Thanks for a reminder about tromboncino I love them.

I was at Kew for the orchid display which was breathtaking. I wasn't expecting much, having seen a disappointing display at Wisley a while ago, but there were just so many and they were shown so imaginatively. I then bought a fabulous deep pink one.

Oh Searabbit, you didn’t take me - I’ve never been ! I haven’t been to Wisley either thinking about it.

That’s a lovely swing seat Fuzzycustard. I think one of my Cherry trees is Stella

Love seeing those green shoots MrsB. My sweet peas are starting to germinate.

Una I am impressed at your armchair gardening !

Maud did you mention Cobaea scandens? Seeds arrived today but Google suggests might be tricky to germinate.

Planted £2 Wilko peony with not much expectation of flowers as am not good with Peonies. Am trying to grow sweet potato slips on the window sill which is causing DC some amusement, it looks like a mandrake root apparently..

Been in my shed today and my nerines (in a pot) have started sprouting already!

I've never been to Kew or Wisley either. Very envious.

I got all fired up about a Kew trip with the kids for half term, but the weather on my 2 days is utter utter shit.

Yes, I did mention cobaea. I haven't grown it for about 20 years. Last time round, I put it in the wrong spot, so it didn't flower well, and I thought I'd try to do better now!

We're off to a Potato day today. We're lucky to live within reach of Wisley and Kew, although there never seems to be enough time to go as often as one might like ...

I've just nicely got home from a few weeks away, so had a run around my garden.
DH planted a sarcococca last autumn - its not very large yet, but covered in a profusion of tiny white flowers. The scent was lovely, though I had to stoop a lot to get near enough :)
I do sweet peas every year to plant out at my allotment. I am a bit lazy with them in truth . I put 5 seeds per 4" pot , and leave 'em to it. I plant the whole pot as it is when they have sprouted, and they are about 6" tall . I do okay with them that way, as long as they are hardened off properly first, though they do hate the wind.

Sarcococca and sweet peas are the things I can't grow, so I'm particularly impressed. Gardening books say Sarcococca is easy but I've killed two...

I managed to kill a sarcococca too Searabbit - planted it last year because the bed was lacking winter interest before I realised quite how full of perennials it was, and I think the poor thing just got swamped. Did the same with a chaenomeles but have learnt that lesson and have put my new sarcococca in a pot. I'd planned to do the same with the replacement chaenomeles but it's arrived 1m tall so can go straight in! (It was from gardening express which has consistently surprised me with how big and healthy its plants are for the price - would recommend!).

I can’t grow sarcococca either! I’ve managed not to totally kill it but it’s on life support. Cobaea seeds in heated progagator which am not entirely sure is heating at the moment. Sweet peas are peaking through now.

Just had an exhausting but satisfying couple of hours in the garden. Have planted my new crab apple and witch hazel and emptied some other pots. It's heartening to see the new shoots emerging although - judging by Twitter - my garden is behind many others, despite being in the urban heat bubble.

I was just wondering if anyone has heard anything from @Shovetheholly. She has always been so inspirational and it is such a long time since she listed. If you are reading this, Shove, I hope you are OK.

I had a great day in the garden yesterday, even managed to get my husband out there! Although he was doing boring jobs like filling gaps in the driveway with fresh gravel. I bought three sarcococca having smelt some in the garden centre and deciding I must have them, hope they are easy to grow :/
I was all fired up to start moving my heuceras to make room for the sarcococca but ran out of time yesterday and its miserable out today...wheres the nice weather gone?!

Spent a lovely few hours outside yesterday, clearing the old seed heads etc. It was heartwarming to see the plants in the new bed, poking through the earth and buds on the shrubs.
Hi Alice and Fanny , gardening is really good for the soul, so I hope you enjoy your new gardens.
Penstemon are really good cottage garden perennials and have a long flowering season. Bedding annual Begonias are easy looked after summer plants.
Have fun.

I put in a sarcococca by the front door late last summer. It has survived the winter, but I am concerned it may not enjoy it's spot as it will get quite a blast of sun.

No sign of Shove, sadly. I gathered she had some health issues.

Thank you Bert. I am so sorry to hear that.

Oh I hope shove is doing ok ,her posts were unfailingly helpful and encouraging and super knowledgeable .

I found them such an inspiration .

But it must have taken a lot of her time .I was hoping she was just getting on with life .

Poor shove, I do hope she's better and back in the thread soon.

I may not be able to grow sarcococca, but I do have a Daphne that seems very happy, so I do get some scent in winter. It is right by the door to the garage, and the door banged into it, until we put in a little post - just put into the earth, no concrete. That had moved so last Sunday I decided to hammer it in – and as our mallet has died, I decided to use my foot…

The next thing I knew, I was doing an elegant twist in the air, and landed on the lawn on my back, with my feet at 90° up in the air. It must've been hilarious to see, but DH came out into the garden just too late. I bent a few plant supports, but worst of all, I brought off half of the Daphne. It was sort of divided into two already, so as long as the break heals ok, it will look better. We now have vases with lots of Daphne in the house, which scent the air so beautifully.

Any advice about how if at all I can help the cut to mend?

I was totally unharmed apart from a slightly muddy bottom.

Ouch SeaRabbitm your poor Daphne and backside. Very unhelpfully I have no idea what you can do to help it mend, sorry.

I hope Shove is ok, she was indeed very inspirational.

Just had a good go at the garden. I’ve got 6 more quite deep raised beds to fill so am putting in layers of shredded stuff to reduce amount of filling I need buy. Decided to make one a Hugelkultur bed so managed to chop out a very old decaying tree stump plus bits of another old tree and some of the sweet chestnut pruning. Definitely time for a tea break.

Oooh everyone's been busy!

We had a lovely sunny, windy day here today so after doing lots of washing, I did some weeding and cleaned out the shed. A thankless task and a bit spidery, but pleased it is done.

The hellebores are really coming into their own now...I potted up half a dozen seedlings earlier this week so hope that by next year I shall have a little forest of them.

Hello - lovely to hear about everyone getting busy again. My day off was today and so I had two hours hacking back hydrangeas which hopefully will spring back revitalised rather than keel over. Camelias, daffs, snow drops and quince all flowering - very pleasing. Put some tomatoes, chillies and cape gooseberries on damp kitchen roll to germinate and ordered ridiculously big mange tout from real seeds as they were lovely last year. Still have no solution for the raised bed/ chicken conflict but a couple more weeks before I plant anything in there. Also need to clear out the greenhouse but this weekend is looking manic . I need to be independently wealthy- my work life interferes with my gardening!

Snatched a bit of gardening time while my toddler napped (he doesn't do this often which leaves me short on gardening time!) I have finally cleared the last big plants out of my new perennial bed - still needs a good dig over/weed but there was a tangle of rose and buddleia that had thwarted me for ages. Have dumped the buddleia and found a new home for the rose (hope it will survive as it did get a bit hacked about as I tried to untangle it!). I also made up some coir/vermiculite mix in anticipation of my new heated propagator being delivered. Spring is coming :)

Its turning cold here ...
SeaRabbit - glad to hear you are unharmed . re Daphne - I think the new thinking is to leave wounds open these days, just trim back to tidy. Hopefully it will thrive!
I had a little look around my outdoor 'nursery' today, to see if anything needed moving/protecting. - I know I have kolkwitzia , and yew cuttings - but the big black pot with cuttings stuck around the outside, which are starting to sprout ( old lady brain - oh course I don't need to label those - I'll remember....) I know its a hardy white fuchsia , but the variety - can't remember

The bright weather is cold, but popped out to prune! Unfortunately my long loppers sheared.
So it’s off to get some new ones tomorrow, I love getting new equipment.

I'm also hoping for some garden time tomorrow - won't need much as it's likely to be so cold!