The potting shed: sheltering from the rain and musing about the garden

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Years ago, there was a potting shed in which we could recline on slightly faded deckchairs while browsing bulb catalogues, so might it be time to re-open it? I’ve hung some bunting at a jaunty angle and put the kettle on, so come in and tell us about your summer gardening joys (or woes) or plans for the future.

All welcome.

I’m thinking we should order some badges or possibly even medals for crocosmia digging …

That’s a good idea!

in addition to Crocosmia, I will also be digging up and dividing Hemerocallis, Stachys and Dierama. I can’t put any of it in our plant sale though, in case I accidentally export the evil fungus to other people’s gardens. It will be rather galling chucking them all.

I’m always digging up crocosmia! Percy who lived here before was very fond of it along with ivy and hardy fuschia and seemed to like pink and yellows. I don’t do yellow as a rule.

I didn’t used to do yellow (apart from archangel, which I bitterly regret planting) but my colleagues gave me rosa “Charles Darwin” when I retired and then I felt I had to add a bit more, so that Charles didn’t look odd and lonely. I’ve now got “Vanessa Bell” in the front garden but secretly wish she was more yellow - she’s really a little too pale.

I love yellow. It really makes the other colours sing, especially blue.

Very chilly here today so I stayed in my nice warm greenhouse, sowing more seeds (stocks, Verbena bonariensis, Zinnia, Cosmos Apricotta and Helichrysum Salmon Rose). The propagator is now full, so I need more stuff to germinate to make space. I’ve also run out of seed trays, so will also have to wait till I can pot on some that have already germinated.

I am being braver with colour on tge alliotment.

How is everyone doing? I’m just starting to harden things off in the hope the weather may stay warm for a bit.

I’m also hardening things off. With some (a great deal of) trepidation, I’m taking over my husband’s allotment, and am hoping these seedlings will make it look abundant and thriving.

Oooo congrats Maud, allotments are fun 😀 if you whack a load of fruit in it makes things easier. As well as the fruit I’m doing Borlotti beans, poatatoes, oca , pumpkins, butternut squash, sweetcorn, kale, garlic and shallots , broad beans and peas so nothing that needs regular harvesting.

I’ve spent 2 hours on it this week which was mostly grass and getting rid of nettles. It could do with a weed really. I’m going today but with a friend for a coffee and I’m not working as need quiet day for Chelsea tomorrow. When there is more woodchip delivered I’m going to get rid of more of the grass as that is taking most of my time. Wolf garten push pull hoe is an amazing bit of kit and worth the money . Will put current photos on group.

My three veg beds were collapsing so I’ve started again. Wooden sides binned, raspberries moved. They are now just feral mounds of soil and weeds, with a few rogue sweet peas that have self seeded and of course are doing far better than the ones I’ve actually sowed, nurtured, fed and watered elsewhere 🙄

I’ve built a new, single veg bed of more modest proportions and filled it with the contents of the compost heap. It is home to the relocated raspberries and some physalis seedlings.

Yes, we went with fruit and other perennials like rhubarb from the outset, but the allotment very soon became DH’s territory so now I need to work out what to do with it. At the moment, the broad beans are cropping prolifically, but he was the only one who really liked them. Sigh.