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.

I have a big planter next to the fence on the side that faces north. It's hit and miss. Daffodils come up every year but open a few weeks later than my next door neighbour's which are in the sun. In the previous 3 years I've had tulips, anemones, gladioli and herbs growing well but the bulbs I planted this spring didn't grow this year so I filled it with annuals I grew from seed in late May. It could have been a combination of problems this year like the explosion of slugs, my cat trying to use it as a litter tray and the late frosts. I'm planning more shade loving plants for next year as insurance- snowdrops (planted last Feb), foxgloves (sowing seeds now), ferns (buying next year) and then filling the gaps with annuals.

In the shady part of my garden I’ve managed to grow a climbing rose. I’m absolutely obsessed with roses, the blurb on the website said it would be happy in the shade.

Also our garden soil is clay and we put agricultural gypsum on it and put lots of top soil on and the drainage isn’t too bad now, we had thunderstorms on Tuesday and the garden was only ankle deep in water afterwards!
We laid the lawn ourselves during the first lockdown, previous owners had out decking all over the garden.

My Christmas cactus is mournfully sitting on top of a chest of drawers in my bedroom currently. It was previously in the window of the dining room, so Rick you may well have been walking past my house 😂

Whisky my plants do have personalities, the orchid is quite belligerent and aloo. My SMIL gave me a garden in a bottle a few years ago and that seems happy. I occasionally water it but it doesn’t seem to require much else (thankfully).

I do envy my MIL, plants spring to life around her, she even has strawberry plants growing through the cracks in the patio of her garden!

Ooooh frazzled what rose is it?
Sounds like just what I might be looking for!

these are closest to the ones I got last year, I bought mine from Bakker, but they don't seem to have them in stock anymore mine were called 'Climbing rose Rosa 'Santana' red - Bare rooted'

They grow quite happily in the shaded wall, I do dead head the roses and they actually have a rose scent (which I'm thrilled about too).

Lovely thank you! How shaded is it? The area I'm considering is a North facing wall, it gets a bit of morning sun in summer but nothing at all in winter

It’s a north facing wall, has a sliver of sunlight early in the morning and that’s it, it’s in the shade rest of the day, not helped that it’s overshadowed by a towering tree from the garden opposite ours.

Oh fab! I'd love a pic! Of course unless you'd rather not for anonymity purposes

Currently roses have been dead headed there are a few buds, can see the shade that’s how the wall is permanently.

I love roses, my grandparents back garden wall was full of climbing roses, pink and white and red, smelled heavenly.
One day when I’m rich I’ll have an enormous garden full of roses.

Planted them in March last year, they were little stumps when we got them.

@theemmadilemma & @LittleBearPad thank you

That climbing rose is lovely. And thank you for the suggestions for shady spots.

My back garden is almost south facing. Its just that side that gets shady, it's right at the base of the fence. The few weeks the sun is at its highest, it fine until about 2ish. But for most spring-early summer it's not that long. And then late summer autumn it isn't.

So I think I need thinks that like shade...but can take full sun as well. Hate the neighbours fence.

She had it fitted this year and her work men trampled a rosemary I had, that I was convinced would be huge by this year. 🙄🤣

Ooooh frazzled that looks very happy!
A shade loving rose, who knew???
Thank you

I’ll take pictures when the new flowers open up.

There are two other roses which may or may not be suitable for shady areas (growing on the left and middle) but the one on the right is the one for shady areas the leaves are reddish then turn green.

I've got a climbing hydrangea doing really well on a wall which only gets sun first thing. It self clings too which is handy.

I went full steam ahead without waiting to check out the sun's path and have lots of sun loving plants in that border but they do ok - helenium is a good one, it flowers so long and gets little direct sun.

I picked these yesterday. Complete novice and it gives me so much joy!

Its so nice hearing about everyone's successes! Its really brightened my week!

@coastergirl they are amazing! Well done you!

My orange sunflower is attracting bees. I got so excited when saw a bumble bee on it this evening!

Thank you! Your sunflowers are absolutely gorgeous. Mine were awful!

your sunflowers look like picture postcards, so pretty.

I've never got sunflowers to actually bloom, I have tried even watering them and everything.

Thank you both.

I actually think a dahlia 'may' have come through. I had a plant in a wheel barrow shaped planter, that mum got me. I suspect it might be a weed so didn't really fuss too much but it has flower buds that are round spheres

The rest failed but this one seems to have won the good fight!

That’s so exciting I hope she blooms soon!

This is it. But the head are pointing down like a snowdrop. So no clue. I don't remember if that's where I put a dahlia bulb or not🤦‍♀️

Looks like a dahlia to me. I have a similar one that has opened up into a daisy shaped flower.

Oooh yes, that’s a dahlia, lovely colour
Well done you!

Ah Yay!!!! One grew!!!

I, genuinely, don't remember put the bulb there so have no idea what I did differently, that, that one grew. And the others didn't.

But I do really love the colour of this one.

You're lucky. Mine was from a mix of 5 bulbs that were supposed to be yellow or bright pink. It's a deep burgundy They look lovely in isolation in a milk bottle but a bit odd while growing in between my pink roses. The other four still need to flower but they're all a bit scraggly from the slugs and snails.