General Chat

Looks like a good weekend to clear out the greenhouse. Everything too wet and cold to do much anything else in the garden.

One plus point of the cold weather is that the flowers on the bulbs have been lasting longer

Thanks for the tips about potatoes. Will look around for tubs and bags.
Tess

If it's a sunny day and then it rains the smell from the Philadelphus is beautiful. A really beautiful scent.

GP

EDIT - If you are not sure what it is, it is also called the "Mock Orange" plant.

And smell good too.

I think my Philadelphus is going to look lovely in the summer.

GP

a tribe of echiums, most about 3 ft high, not lost anything that was important. protected echiums from frost , but thats about all

Give him the bucket and soil and say he can't win if he doesn't do it himself. :-D

As we don't eat a lot of potatoes and they do take up a bit of room in the veg garden, I grow a few in potato bags and they always seem very successful. I've been using the same bags for several years now.

OH went to the local gardening club last night and came back with 2 seed potatoes that I have got to plant (note that's me, not him!), one to a bucket and later in the year there will be a competition for the best yield.

We grew them in tubs and a potato bag (from the garden centre) last year and they were very successful

You can grow spuds in plastic dustbins or get a proper kit to do it from most garden centers.

I am sixty-four and have never really gardened (is that a real verb?).

I hope to start this year.
My lawn is long and rather waterlogged.
Will probably have to get someone to help me out for a while, til I get the hang of it.

Also have rather painful knees, so not sure if I am barave enough to dig a hole to plant potatoes.

Have grown tomatoes and cucumber in gro-bags many years ago. Hope to do so again.

Will be looking on here for tips for an unfit newcomer to gardening.

:-S :-)

Thought about Mowing the Lawns today, walked down the garden and Squelch Squelch.too wet still,Oh well put some more seeds into the propegater and into the greenhouse till they,re ready to plant out.then had a small malt. :-D

No gardening today, dark and damp outside, been raining off an on, not really cold though so good for the garden to get a bit of rain.

Maryana, your last sentence is the best maxim to have until about Easter weekend. No good rushing. Things will catch up. Different circumstances for different parts of the country.
When I see gardening projects in magazines, advising the setting of seeds about mid Feb., I despair. Think these gardeners must have under soil heating, and heated poly tunnels over the seed beds.
Only thing to be gained from early planting, is the loss of seed, and a waste of time.

Julia in Derbyshire

:-D Maryanna! I cannot speak for Prickles, but I DO love to visit pastures new so don't forget to chat to me now and then! :-D <3

Tidied up today, everything coming up nicely now. Daffs Oh so nearly out, a lovely patch of crocus and some Snowdrops I don't remember planting.

Won't be long and the Forsythia will be out and the Hawthorne hedge is really quite green.

What I would like to know though is, what ever have Buttercup and Prickles been doing in my garden over the Winter. My flower beds are full of tiny Holly trees and Buttercup plants !!!!!

Am itching to get my seeds going, but one sunny day does not a Spring make and I must resist temptation.

What a lovely day.. M

That is all we are doing, tidying up after the winter.

Sounds nice Mersey, somewhere to sit with a coffee, or glass of wine?

Have just come in from doing a bit of tidying in the garden although there is warmth in the sun the soil is still freezing cold and very wet in places, I wont be doing anything other than more tidying for a few weeks yet.

Hi all

I am loving this thread, im taking note of all the plants and tips too. I now have a gravel patch with a sandstone bench and sandstone bird bath I got at the weekend and looks lovely with the passion flower climbing up the back wall which is all tidied and cut back. :-)

The Koi carp are begining to stir ,looks like its Springtime a coming, start feeding more regular and start up the pump.**M**.