Gardening

Hi Lynn

I have all my tubs and containers done, at the weekend we'll be planting more daffs and the odd tulip outside the bedroom window in the bank above the wall, where the apple tree is. When they come up there will be a beautiful display when the curtains are pulled back.

Next priority is the plot/allotment at the top of the garden. That's a project for the few months to spring. I've to make high raised beds and paths for the wheelchair, then staging at the right height so I can slide under it. After that, put the polytunnel up over the top of it all. I'll be doing it all in manageable small steps. 

Looking forward to it all

Tvman x

Sounds like a lot of hard work Tvman, I only have a very small garden and its mostly pots these days apart from a small strip of earth at one side. I don't profess to be a good gardener but i do like to potter and make up nice pots and baskets and i find it very soothing. For the last two years i haven't managed  spring bulbs as i was too ill to do it but next year should be a nice show and of course if i leave them in they should come up year after year. I need to go buy a new bulb planter as my old one fell apart this morning ! Hubby is going to buy me a small greenhouse so i can grow more from seed next year. Nothing better than a plant you have grown yourself i think.xx All the best, Lynn 2 x

Hi

I got some teeny tiny wallflowers for about a penny each from Thompson and Morgan a couple of weeks ago. They looked too small to survive the slugs in the garden so I put them in pots and they are thriving. Will I get them out into the garden? Who knows. Either way I’ll enjoy them next spring. 
I have planted out some gorgeous tulips. A mix of purples in pots out the back and a mix of orange and cream in the beds at the front. 
I also spent a happy hour clearing a small patch of one of my borders on the one sunny afternoon this week - Wednesday I think it was. The puppy played around me as I worked. It was joyous. 
xx

Hi Lynn

If you enjoy pottering about in your garden, then that's what matters. You don't need to profess to be the world's best gardener, if you enjoy what you're doing then you're happy.

A small  garden can be so beautiful and have a wealth of colour. Growing in pots enables you to get the compost so perfect for example if you have a large pot with an azalea then you can grow it in an acid rich soil by using the right type of compost.  What is important though is not to forget to add grit or perlite for drainage purposes. Either is helpful to avoid the compost becoming compact. 

I love to grow daffs and tulips etc in pots to make a lovely display at the front door and along the front of the house as well as window boxes and hanging baskets. You can buy from specialist bulb suppliers on the internet, though sometimes the more beautiful the flower, the more expensive the bulb!

If you're anything like me, Lynn, I wish I didn't have to wait so long for flowers after planting up my pots!

Enjoy your gardening, Lynn, and remember, gardening doesn't have to cost the earth As you say, you don't need to do anything to have a lovely display year after year.

Tvman x

Hi Daloni

I've never had wallflowers in either pots or in the beds. A good friend of mine grew them year after year. I think they may have been perennials and he told me that sometimes they flowered right through the winter. When he talked about them it brought back memories of 40 years previously when my dad used to grow them. I hope you enjoy them next year. Did you know that wallflowers belong to the brassica family along with cabbages, cauliflowers, sprouts etc?

When buying bulbs for pots and containers you have a blank canvas to work with and you can get your favourite colours to work with your ideas in mind. What more can you ask for? 

I'm wary however, of buying in bulk, for example 50 "mixed" bulbs for a decent amount. I bought a bargain busting deal from one of the major supermarkets, 100 mixed daffodil bulbs for a really cheap price. I planted them all along one side of my vegetable plot - about 70 ft long - with the intention of enjoying lots of beautiful colours the following spring when most of the work is done in a large vegetable plot. 

Unfortunately the reality was the following spring brought just 3 or 4 different types and within that, roughly 70% have white petals and a yukky pale orange/peach trumpet. My hope was for bright yellows and oranges. They're up year after year, and I'm thinking of taking them out when I'm preparing the perimeter for putting up my polytunnel.

I look forward to seeing photos next year after year etc. There's hope for us Daloni 

Tvman xx

Hi tvman

How disappointing that bulk buy was! I do hope my wallflowers won’t be the same. I’ve grown them in the past, usually buying them as a bunch of bare rooted plants about this time of year. The ones I have are not perennials and yes I did know they are brassicas although I’d forgotten. That’s why you can’t grow them year after year in the same place. I always try to put them somewhere visible from inside as they bring a welcome splash of early colour when it’s too cold to be out much.

The arrival of the puppy has brought an extra added benefit as I’ve been out in the garden with her lots. I’d recently got rather stuck indoors and it’s been a joy being outside, especially early in the morning. I keep a close eye on her as she’s so tiny and that gives me time to just look rather than always getting on with a job. It’s been a real pleasure. 

xx