Talkback: 2013 in the garden

Happy New Year to you too, James and my resolution is the same as it has been for as many years as I can remember for just that - to make it is happy as I can and that goes for the garden too. I mean to enjoy it rain or shine but a bit more shine would be good as you say. I know "Into every life a little rain must fall" but this has been much more than a little!

I love Marigolds,I grew the common old fashion ones this year and they such a long lasting show and were the only plant that did so well.I grew them on my front border and they looked stunning even if I say so myself.I wish you a very happy new year and may it bring you a lovely summer and happy hours of garening.

My alternative last year was to grow gaillardias which put on a fantastic show all summmer until November!

My new years resolution is to plant more self-saved seed, and more unusual seed collected as I travel around.  Only problem is knowing where to plant the successes when I discover what it is I have grown!  So far I have 6 golden rain trees, grown from sseed collected at a motorway service station in France, and probably far too big for my small garden and several Wisteria from pods of my Wisteria "Lawrence".  These I will grow on in pots out of curiosity to see what happens in ten years time!

Like you I don't like marigolds but I found an old bed beneath massive & dense weeds in the front of our French cottage bordering a road. The bed has very poor soil & is very dry, I chucked marigold seeds around with gay abandon & unfortunately I forgot them for weeks whilst making new borders around the rest of the cottage but when I did check on them they were magnificent & flowered abundently with very little care right through until the first frost in November. Bad soil, very hot, 2,500ft above sea level & they still performed - marvellous!

hi got a qweshton about sowing clematis seeds sowd twis but not havin g eny look i wood apeshea a bit of advisedif you have any thancks andrew