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I love hostas and have a lot of them. I grow them in a gravel bed and most of the year they survive, the slugs and snails don't like gravel, but towards the end of the summer the slugs seem to find a way in.
BC if you love buildings and colour and paintings and vibrancy you will love Florence. I have not been to Rome but spent a long weekend based in Florence. OH had to work and I had a whole day to myself in Florence, was in the Uffizi as soon as it opened, before the queues, then just wandered all round in and out of the cathedral, churches, museums, markets. Wonderful.
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I haven't even finished your thread and you've cheered me up Rose :) I love the thought of spring and planting seeds and bulbs.
I always want to plant vegetables though lol
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BC if you go to see the Statue of David ... think on lol I had a fiance who was David's 'body double' apart from......!
SRS what veggies do you want to grow? we had really good spring onions last year grown in a big pot, and the potatoes did well, though I always pull them when they are small, I'm too impatient to wait and they do taste lovely .
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Would have been MIL b'day today , I always leave the deccies up til then, only had tree and cards this yr, I took the cards down and dusted this afternoon. hubby and dau dismantled the tree later, and it's whooshed away to the attic,with the new tree and deccies,hubby and dau bought in the sales.
I'm glad when they are all down.. bah humbug me !
Never grown begonias before , had a beautiful display last yr, hope we've over wintered them for another crop for later in the yr, if not I'll buy new.
Hubby is the main gardener and grows annuals from seed, I buy hardy perennials.. (needed where we live) whenever I fancy them,:Many of our successful ones are classic ones my from dad's or even from my grandfather's garden.Gramps died in 1958, but dad saved a lot of the plants before the house was sold.
We have a very large garden, hubby grows all sorts of veg, dad's was even bigger.. with marvellous fertile soil, gramps was like an orchard, huge..dozens of various fruit trees and veg patches, but he loved his roses.
He also had a very, very large house where each of his 4 children lived with their children in their own self contained flats. one son was a baker, so apart from a cow for milk they were all self sufficient.lol.... until they were able to move to their own properties.
My only remaining aunt aged 91 now, mum's sister and Gramps dau ,also had a very large back and front garden. It was lawned with pansies in the flower beds ( another of my favs ). Gramps words to them when he last visited them ' What a total waste of garden ..all this grass and a few little pansies !' She didn't take offence of course, she just remember his words with humour:)
I've never been any good with roses, just got one climber which gets wind swept !!
Love the cranes bill, have little low growing one, cerise in colour,which seems to seed everywhere( my fav ), a white one( bit taller) the 'common' pink one, and the taller deep purple one.
Also sucker for poppies, again all perennials, tall brilliant red ones and smaller yellow white and orange Welsh ones.
I 'do' the shrubs, and some watering in the warm weather we sometimes have!!!!
Hubby's side is potted annuals, but I always keep an eye on our veg !
Good advice one the slug problem * Mel* , never have baked them before tho.or used hair clippings ..am always chopping mine! Hair that is !
Love Sweet William and Cherianthus (sp) Rose, must get hubby to get some.
Excuse the rambling post.. but I am on Rose's thread .lol.
Sandie.xx
Edit~~~ to Amanda, we have an abundance of Forget me nots, grape hyacinths and primulas /primroses, I love blue and yellow flowers, but the height we live and our clay soil don't have much success with Daffodils....tho living in Wales !!!!!!
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Hi Rose, like you I cannot wait till Spring arrives,and seeing Crocus,Daffodils and Hyacinths showing their pretty heads lifts my mood instantly! I loath wintertime,it does nothing for me.....except for another birthday ;O(...but then who wants to stop having them lol
I've not been to Florence BC but I love all of Italy so hope to visit there one day.Bet you can't wait for your big adventure!
Your mention of David's statue Rose reminds me of an apron I once saw for sale in Rome......David printed in full glory on the front pmsl
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Good Morning Rose and All you gardening ladies, and Happy New Year.
I wanted to add to this yesterday Rose, when you first posted. But, I had had a medical procedure yesterday morning, and was feeling quite grog by the time you posted, so could only read and not type. Back to normal this morning.
I marvel when the first bulbs poke their little green heads through the ground. The fact theat they have managed to survive and grow through, particularly this winter, all the frost and snow. I like them all, snowdrops, daffodils, tete a tete daffys, hyacinths, tulips and frattileries, just to name a few.
I have grown my bulbs in containers in the greenhouse this year, to be planted out in their growing positions sometime soon. I did it this way round in an effort to thwart the flippin' squirrels, who like to dig in my hanfgng baskets and window boxes, looking for bulbs. As if they havn't got enough to eat with the seed and bread we put out for the birds.
Whilst I marvel at the bulbs prowess through the bleak weather, sadley this year, it has taken my cordylines, in large tubs on the patio. Yes I will replace them, but at my age, I will never see them grow to the height, about six foot, that they were. I had had them for about 25/30 years.
Also in large tubs I grow my Hostas. Everything I do grow in tubs, which are permanent planting, I cover in fine gravel as a top-dress. This helps keep away the slugs, thankfully.
By March, I give over to seriously thinking about summer bedding, and planting, though I have started gathering packets of seeds already from the garden centres. Honestly, we only go for a cup of coffee, and to get out of the fours walls, on these dark days. But I always manage to pick something up.
Having two permanent borders down either side of my garden, I go in for hanging baskets, window boxes and huge planters, in a big way, and this gives free licence to be as avant gard, and colourful as I like. I also grow Alpine Strawberries in a hanging basket and also some tomatoes.
By the time it gets to the end of Feb, beginning of March, I am starting to suffer gardening withdrawl symptoms, and have been known to sink me hands into a bag of compost, just for the smell, feel, and muck under me nails.
OH grows the veggies on the allotment, aswell as both soft fruit and hard fruits. Its down to me to get it all into the freezers for later consumption.
Don't like to take me decs. down, but know it is necessary because it is 12th night, and it is that long since I cleaned in the living room since they were up, I might find something growing in the corner. LOLOL
Take Care all, and Happy Gardening
Julia in Derbyshire
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Glad you feel better today Julia.
I have a lot of cranesbill as well, some have been banished down the garden because they turned out to be thugs!!! I have all colours from white, through pink, mauve, purple to deep red. I have to be careful with them as we only have a small garden.
Back to taking the decs down.
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Morning Ann, thanks, alot better than yesterday.
I'm doing the decs. this afternoon so that the OH can help.
Well, the pile of ironing I am doing at present, is manly his things. So, fair exchange and all that. LOL
I like cranesbill also, but do not have many varieties. Must look for more.
Take care
Julia in Derbyshire
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