Busy-Lizzie

What's the weather like in your area?

Rain all day, 6°, but there are some daffodils coming out, but mostly the cream ones. The yellow ones usually come out first, but most of them seem to be blind. Could that be because we had a drought in 2011 that lasted until May 2012? No local hay for sale in 2011, bought it in Northern France for 3 times the price.

When is it too late to a plant pot or root ball laurel hedge?

If they have soil around their roots they will be fine if kept moist. It's bare-rooted plants then it's urgent.

new border for boring garden

Smaller plants tend to transplant more easily and are cheaper to buy. Here are some to get started. Photinia "Red Robin", Ilex altaclerensis "Golden King" (you need male and female hollies for berries), Choisya, Eleagnus "Gilt Edge", Nandina Domestica (perhaps not for background as it's smaller), cotoneaster lacteus (bird's like the berries, so good for wildlife).

Under a conifer

It is very difficult to get anything to grow under a conifer as they have lots of roots near the surface that steal all the water. One plant that I have that does grow under a conifer and is evergreen is periwinkle (Vinca). Mine is Vinca Minor with lavender blue flowers and it's a bit of a thug to keep from spreading into the rest of the border, but you can get bigger leaved and flowered ones, Vinca Major and there is also a variegated one.

As for shrubs, I have a euonymous fortunei, Silver Queen (I think) under a conifer that is managing OK.

new border for boring garden

Your second post just came up before my answer. If it's clay soil it will need as much rotted manure and compost as you can lay your hands on to help make it more workable, which will add nutrients as well.

new border for boring garden

Is it in sun or shade and what is the soil like? Will you be making a border in front of the evergreens? Do you like contemporary or traditional? Will the border (if one) be wide or narrow, straight or curvy? To allow for room for spreading plants or not. Why not buy a book such as "How to be a Gardener" by Alan Titchmarsh? Have a look at Amazon and see what they have in the way of how to start a garden sort of books. Gardening is a big subject, also personal taste comes into it a lot.

Did you want shrubs as your evergreen background? Try "googling" evergreen shrubs. You will find sites like this http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Plant-trials-and-awards/Plant-awards/10-AGM-plants/10-AGM-variegated-evergreen-shrubs  It all needs research, you can't be a garden designer overnight and then everyone can make mistakes but you learn by them.

Fork Handles

Sarah Raven always wears a skirt for gardening. I prefer to keep my knees clean in jeans.

What is "beige"? No, I don't mean the colour. Bunny and Geoff have been there.

Glyn, I have knautia. It's very easy and survives drought, heat and neglect, but it can get a bit floppy and I'm not good at deadheading and cutting back. But I don't know how it would have felt about England last summer!

Gardeners World new season

Hear, hear, Yarrow 2. You've explained my thoughts so well.

Snowdrops

It looks like Flore Pleno in the photo here:

http://www.galanthus.co.uk/snowdrop/Nivalis-Flore-Pleno

Has spring arrived for you yet?

In South West France, Dordogne, you would be thinking Spring had arrived. It thought it had about 10 days ago, but it changed it's mind. Zero temps every morning and pouring now. A few daffodils, crocuses, snowdrops are on the way out. Tulips that are meant to flower in April are just poking out 1" tall. We've had snow several times.

Trouble typing on some of the threads

Gardens we have visited 2013

no emails as well as small text

Cleaning greenhouses

Rose pruning and frost

reviews

Why did you all start gardening?

uploading photos