General Chat

Shall have to try some freesias in the mixed baskets. Not planted those yet though, will do those in 2 weeks when we return from the Lake District. :-)

Don't usually have a paper but just bought DM, for 4.90 postage can get 3 dwarf buddleias which is about the price of one. There are other offers through the week but the buddlieas will be be a better size for my garden and will encourage the bees and butterflies hopefully :-D

Rose, I do wish you lived near me - I've got quite a few buddlieas that have self-seeded, which I shall be digging up. I've just been out in the garden to pick a bunch of Daphne for my d-i-l. It's scent is intoxicating. It's growing near the pond and, yes, the frogs are still at it in there!

Like the idea of freesias in hanging baskets - might try that.

It would be nice if I did Wend :-D Daphne does have a wonderful scent, mention of that just prompted me to go and see if my two lilacs that I planted last year have survived, and they have, only small so it will be a while before they flower but always worth the wait.

My friend in Wales had lupins growing in her hanging baskets, by mistake, but they did ever so well as the slugs and snails couldn't get to them lol.

OH and I were having a sort out and found some daffodils we had not planted eeekkkkkkkkkkkkk. They had sprouted well, so we put them in,,,,hope for the best now. Also planted some more nerines that we were given. Now have a tidy boiler house, and untidy greenhouse !! Also sowed some early carrots in our raised bed,,Nantes 2 can recommend them as they were delicious last year. Also planted broad beans, and one lot of ealry potatoes (in a bag) they are called rocket and had chitted well,so hope for the best...they are in the greenhouse and will move them out when it gets warmer.

My horrid sycamore is now down, and we just have the fence and the decking to repair,,,,,,but we do have at least £100 of logs.

Also took custody of a brown bin for our garden waste. It will be handy, but we have a large garden and wouldn't cope when we have a good clear out. But we shall get our moneysworth out of it...we have to pay a yearly amount.
Regards Jan

We pay £36 a year for our garden waste (brown) wheelie bin Jan. There are hardly any fortnights through the eyar when it doesn't go out for collection, well worth the money as it says the petrol for a trip to the dump. Not allowed garden waste in the landfill bin.

Wonder if the daffs will bloom, be interesting to know.

rose, just trying to imagine lupins in a hanging basket! A bit top heavy I would think!

I LIKED THE LOOK ON THE CARTON OF A BUDDLIA swo ive planted that, lupins are slowley growing,catkins on my willo tree and on my magnolia, my honey suckle never lost it leaxes and its getting more on it its grown all up my raised pond. im sure i heard a bit of frog antic behaviour, i remember the firdst time i saw frogs mating i though the were drowning each other. :-D

JoyBoroAngel I like the sound of your hanging baskets also growing your broad beans at the back of your flower border great idea.

Greenfingers have you ever tried Royal Chantenay Red carrots I started growing them a couple of years ago after I received some free seeds from the BBC Dig In, and touch wood I've never had a problem with carrot fly attacking them and I think they are delicious

Puss more falling, plants what were they?

:-D :-D :-D

lesley i have never been able to get carrots to grow
they have lovely tops and misshapen bottoms
or are short and stumpy

my son one grow some massive potatoes
when he was little from potatoe peelings
my hanging pots are still flowering from last year but not up to scratch
soon as easter comes i will have the new ones in
my fuchsias plants from last year are still in the pots
and starting to bud so i may take cuttings
and grow this years from them
this year has been a starange year

lesley, i didnt even know thwere was differnt types of carotts, ive been sent to seeds the picture on the front looks like carotts, but it says to chop and stir fry, its something orientel, but the seeds are in my plastc house, will have a look tomorrow lol xx :-D

JoyBoroAngel I always add a lot of sharp sand to the ground where I grow my carrot and water them very sparingly that normally works for me, but having said that the Royal Chantenay Red is a short dumpy variety, here in Essex my fuchsias aren't showing anything yet.

Puss what are you like.
:-D :-D :-D

i go to B&Q and buy some big trays of plants for my pots
grow some myself then i go to boot sales and pick up some bargins
i bought some hostas 50p each a few years ago
grown them in pots and this year
i am going to split them into lots of pots
one is called stripper and the other joker
or thats what the lables said
one gets all the slugs eatting it if i am not careful
and the other the slugs never touch

and i have a small pond full of newts hundreds of them
as they are protected by laws i cant add fish to it or do anything with it

OH read or saw on TV re hostas (we have a lot) that the time to put slug bait down if you use it is before the hostas show through the ground, can't remember why. I know a lot of people won't use slug bate but I do resort to it on the hostas otherwise they'd be a waste of money.

i have beer traps use slug pellets and have high power torches
the neighbour laugh when i slug hunt with my salt pots in the rain lol

my side garden is riddled with them
they come over the wall every time it rains

AnninGlos it's probably because of those pesky little slugs that live in the ground, I use slug pellets when necessary, but I don't like to.

JoyBoroAngel BandQ is where I buy my sand, not from the garden centre section but from the builders yard, lucky you having newts a natural predator for slimy slugs.

Sorry missed your answer I'm slow at typing, I would use salt but not sure I would waste my beer on them.

i love my garden and can go out do a bit
and forget about all the world and its whoos

till the dog digs me a four foot hole
and fills my path that i have just jet washed with mud lol

I remember when I went to Hampton Court flower show a few years ago, when my friend and I were at the Hosta stand, the guy told us his best bit of advice re timing to deal with Hostas-v-slugs was:

When that Valentine's card plops on your mat, think SLUG!

Trouble is I don't get a card, so I don't remember :-( :-D

i think i will start today and slug pellet

the butler says throw the pellets over the fence into next doors garden
as he is sure thats where the slugs are coming from

Yes, I did mine yesterday, a bit late it was supposed to be february. No gardening today as it is chucking it down out there.

its raining here to
baby satans come over with his leggo

so no time to garden today

except for the pelleting