April in Your Garden - Page 9

Leadfarmer your garden looks lovely.

David spikes what is that??

I did not cut the grass, make lemon curd or put up bean poles. Jobs for tomorrow.

You will get wet-especially when making lemon curd.

Miss Bateman wrote (see)

Yes Geoff living in the Outer Hebrides, the picture above is taken on the Isle of Harris.

Camping generally tends to be" dreek " in Scotland, and of course the dreaded midge!!! Was it the Isle of Skye you went to as a nipper?  You would of crossed over on a ferry in those days, now of course they have the bridge.

Thankfully Inkadog no great white sharks here, however our surfer boys dispute that!. Basking, blue & short fin sharks are more often spotted.   Miss B x

Miss B

It is so long ago I cant remember-we did go on a ferry and visited, some islands went up a mountain-brr-went to Oban and got chased by a nutter.

I am not sure if those are highlights or low-lights but I don't think it was a happy visit and was glad to get home-must have only been 12 or 13 at the time.

You picture is lovely

Morning All,

Absence note in the post!

Grey, wet and cold here today, again!  Mind you, the plants are loving it.  The Camellias have never looked so good.

Steps: Geoff, 47, wrong.  Koala, 42, wrong. Kate, 48, wrong.  The answer is of course...39!  Really!

Inka, hoovering the freezer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  Mind you, I do defrost the freezer with the hairdryer.  Makes it super quick.

Wintersong, nice to hear you joining in.  I know what you mean about the noise from neighbour's children.  We have decided not to have any, but I was a Nanny for 10 years, and never let my charges encroach on the neighbours by endlessly shouting and screaming.  We were driven out of our last house by the screaming kids from next door.  The parents just couldn't be bothered.  They'd go out, shout at them, make threats about them having to come in if they didn't quieten down, but then do nothing about it.  We asked nicely, complained, then ended up rowing about it.  Our garden was 140 ft long, their's was 40 ft long.  We could still hear them, at the end of our garden, with our ipods on!!!  We had to move, and did so.......now, WE HAVE NO NEIGHBOURS!!!!!  YAY!  A road on 1 side, fields on the other sides, and only horses and sheep anywhere near us.  Our nearest neighbours are almost a mile away.  Heaven!  The garden is 1/3 acre, with apple, pear and plum trees, large lawn, and 3 main beds, in colours; orange & yellow bed, blue and white bed, reds pinks and purples bed.  Lots of shrubs, and the usual perennials and bulbs.  I love Euphorbias and Hosta's.  I have lots of pots on staging on the patio that wraps around the house, and this seems to have cured the problems of rabbits eating everything in pots at ground level.  I have to cloche lots of things in the beds though, overnight, or when I'm not there.  I love gardening!  Your Ceanothus makes mine look like a baby! Lovely pic.

Yvie

Hi Yvie-glad you have edited your text since last I looked-though you did miss a bit-after the hoovering freezer comment

I feel such a thicky about the steps question

Oh yeah.  Well spotted.  I thought you'd get the 39 steps in seconds.  You're slipping, my friend .  I need to ask a gardening question...

Yvie

Go on then

I have had a sunny morning after my failed attempts to get some free horse manure I bought 3 bags of well rotted. I have incorporated the first in my new dahlia bed.

It is raining now 

39

9 have read my 'double planting' post, none have answered.  I am bereft!

Yvie

Yvie-give it time- it has only been minutes.

Kate-I have rotted chicken manure

Hot news-I have just sold 9 tomato plants!!

have orders for another 6!!

Geoff good news about the tom plants, who are your customers.

Yvie I am an avid double planter but not with mesh baskets, they worry me a little. I would wait for the bulbs to die back and then plant annuals.  Not sure how it would work with roses, under or over the baskets?

Geoff, I am a very impatient Girl!

Kate, when you say 'Annuals', d'you mean just planting something for that year, on top of the Tulips when they've died back?  And then lift the Annual when it's finished, and let the Tulips do their thing again?  Could I do that each year?  If so, what sort of thing would you suggest for my cottage garden? Sorry if these questions are a bit basic and silly.

Yvie

Yvie -there are no silly questions-I was a bit baffled as to what you were trying to achieve.

You are spoilt for choice as regards annuals-what about bedding geraniums?

Kate-it was a man in a car who said someone had told him-anyway made £3 so that has covered part of the costs

Yvie when my tulips/daffs die back I plant cosmos and nicotianas on top(they are growing now in pots), Then in November pull up the plant and top dress the tulips. I have also thrown poppy seeds over spring plants in pots, these will be pulled out after they have finished flowering just in time to pop in some chrysanths.

Geoff good news, your marketing has worked

Hi to Yvie, so many friendly voices here, I feel all warm and cosy even in the rain! 

Well, I photographed my garden in the rain and now I'm making quiche for dinner.

I'm terribly interested in expanding my gardening experience of under-planting or double planting as Yvie says (not sure if there is a difference) because I haven't done much of this yet, so keep chatting you guys, I'm just hanging around listening.

I did wonder if my idea of under-planting Aquilegia with Alchemilla Mollis was any good? I might see how that works this year, since the Alchemilla Mollis stays compact long enough for Aquilegia to have their moment and then could burst through once the Aquilegia foliage goes over, mine does anyhow. It turns purplish, which is nice but dull, but could work as a major contrast to the crisp smooth green and yellow froth of Alchemilla Mollis.

I am on here and should be doing the ironing

Pam you 

Wintersong-have seen your photos you have done very well.

Pam-do the ironing tomorrow-how is it when we don't have to go to work we wake and get up far too early?