I cried with joy this morning

[Whiskycav]

So, this is the first year I have done my own gardening. Exh used to do it all, but he was an abusive twunt. I now live in a small terrace hour with my 2 kids. For the first few years I just moved the lawn and left it.

As I have been working from home, I have been less exhausted and more inclined to be in the garden on an evening. Then kids said they missed the sunflowers they used to grow.

So this year we made an attempt at it I have never been had green fingers, so didn't expect much. We are also isolating at the moment. I just let the dog out and one of my red ones has bloomed and some of the yellow ones have. I was so happy I cried.

The giant one reached 9 feet but hasn't bloomed yet.

I can't wait to show the kids but they are asleep so I thought I would share them here.

There is something wonderfully optimistic and fulfilling about starting with seeds and turning them into a plant.

They look great. The slugs chewed ours to shreds this year even though I thought I'd protected them really well

Ahh lovely - how did you manage to keep the slugs/snails from eating the stalks? I had one of those mini sunflowers in a pot and it's been stripped. Not keen on pellets so just wondering if you used a deterrent.

I'm in a very similar situation and I completely get it. I've grown broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, peas, basil and tomatoes. My sunflowers are rubbish though! Growing things from seed is so satisfying. Well done!

@RickOShay that sounds amazing! I am working today, but I could rustle that up at lunchtime.

Am I crazy for thinking I could get a greenhouse and do tomato next year?

@didireallysaythat that's true. I can't believe what they had come from.

@Teaandakitkat oh no! I lost a few to slugs. When then were in trays and then pots I kept bringing them in at night. A friend built me a big planter box for them, once they were in the ground. I put egg shells around them, but I think it was more luck than anything else that I didn't lose more.

This is lovely. If you want to keep going with seeds, it’s not too late. You could try and direct sow (so straight into the ground rather than into pots which then need to be lifted and out into the ground) marigolds, cosmos and zinnias which will flower this year. And easy things like foxgloves, forget me nots (need some shade) and aquilegia (beware - they self seed) that will flower next year. There are plenty of perennials that you could sow for next year if you wanted to keep going.

And absolutely yes to the spring bulbs.

Just seen that you’re not adverse to starting things off in pots. The world is your oyster! Candytuft seed is a good one for young kids to plant in a pot, they do need to be thinned, but nice and bright and easy.

Aww that's lovely. They are beautiful. I'm glad you've discovered the pleasure of gardening. Me and my friend whatsapp each other photos of our successes. This year I've been very happy with my rhubarb bought as a plug plant from ebay and my Cornflowers grown from seed. Such a pretty blue. I also love growing wheat from seed as I love waiting for the ears to develop and for it to turn golden. I also love the scent of my st ethelburga rose

@TheUnquestionedAnswer I think bringing them in a night helped. Egg shells might have helped. Bring them in was a pain when they were quite big. The biggest one was about a foot tall before it went in the ground. But it's possibly luck. They do get nibbled but not enough to damage it.

All your suggestions are amazing. I really need to get to a graden centre when we are out of isolation. Spring bulbs sound like a must. The garden did look a bit rubbish in spring. So that would be nice next year.

I am so glad I will be working from home permanently. Between work and picking ds up from childcare i was out 7-6.30pm every day. Now work is 9-5 and I have so much energy, I am glad I will still be able to do it again next year.

Ohh I really like roses....and jasmine! I wonder if that's a possibility.

My dream of winning the lottery is currently, bigger house big garden greenhouses and not working and spending all my time gardening

Those sunflowers look lovely! I've done the odd bit of garden maintenance but this year is the first year I've done it for pleasure and actually planned. It hasn't gone as well as I hoped. The dahlias have mostly been eaten by slugs and snails. Quite a few of my spring planted bulbs failed (between the late frosts and my cat attempting to use that flower bed as a litter tray they didn't stand a chance). I also mistook weeds for the seeds I planted and nurtured them for two months before realising! I'm still motivated and planning next year because the cosmos I planted from a £2 packet of seeds have really taken off. I've been filling two large vases every week with the cosmos and it's lovely having fresh flowers in the house.

You could grow jasmine on your pergola. The scent is gorgeous, especially in the evening. Fairly quick growing as well I think.
What about a climbing rose too?
Go crazy

I also mistook weeds for the seeds I planted and nurtured them for two months before realising!

Thats something I would do. Cosmos look so pretty! I worry about spring frosts too.

@RickOShay would a jasmine outside, survive the winter?

Yes definitely. You can get outside ones. I wish I could get the scent to you

Cosmos you plant every year. They are annuals.
I’ve also lovingly cultivated weeds 😀

Well done op, gardening is good for the soul.

Well done OP! I was about to say exactly what userxx just said.

Will you re use the seed heads too? I think you can dry out the seeds and plant some next year? Not sure how you do it but you must be able to...someone will know. Then the sunflower cycle will continue!

Your sunflower is beautiful and if you have a greenhouse then you can have the joy of home grown tomatoes next year. They really are the absolute best.

Autumn is the best time of year for planting up perennials and shrubs if you're going that far, so you could have a lovely time planning ahead.

Awww well done OP - they are absolutely beautiful! I'm clueless about gardening.

They are so beautiful! I love sunflowers, I have one plant in as the others either died or didn’t germinate, but I think I planted too late so I don’t know if it will ever actually flower.

I’m also an amateur gardener, this is the first year I’m really TRYING, rather than just attempting to keep alive the plants my dad grows from seed and passes on…today I picked my first two pea pods, from plants I grew from seed! A small victory, but given my first attempts didn’t germinate as it was too cold, and I still only have 4 tiny plants, I’m counting it as a win.
I only wanted to grow peas in order to eat them straight from the pods, so two pods is fine by me. I’m counting this as a practice year, and like you, planning for next year.

I also agree that being green fingered is a myth - it’s not innate, it’s giving it a go and learning from the experience.

Also, all my planting is in pots due to a concreted garden, and it’s been great being able to move things around if they don’t seem to be in the right spot for them as I learn what each plant likes in terms of sun/shade/support.

They're beautiful.

Sunflowers are my happy flower too. It's impossible to look at a lovely sunflower and not smile.

Some tomatoes will grow outside. If you want to plant anything bigger (fruit trees etc) then buy bare root plants in the autumn or winter, they are cheap and do better than those bought in a plastic plot. Plus they make you feel like a 'proper' gardener.

@bestbefore I was thinking about that. I might buy some more and give that a try so at least if I do it wrong, I will have something next year.

I might try tomatoes outside, if I can't get a greenhouse.

You are all really lovely and have so many ideas. What a lovely corner on MN! I am writing down all your suggestions so I can Google them all later and plan

Beautiful! Well done. I am so pleased for you and your children.