Wintersong

What's the weather like in your area?

Wettest April on records  because some numpty mentioned a drought.

South-East Inland: wet, windy, windy and wet.

April in Your Garden

Thanks for the support guys  

I will think about redesigning that area this summer (or between rain)

cost of entrance to gardening shows

This is really sad for you Roger and you're not the only one who cannot afford the rising costs although I don't think Gardening shows are the only victim. Think of the upside, at least you will be cosy and snug at home with a cuppa and no crowds when watching the BBC's brilliant coverage of Chelsea etc (with Alan's witty banter thrown in for good company) and treat yourself to a few featured plants at your local garden centre whilst staying well within your budget  And there are always the NGS gardens to visit for a fraction of the price and just as good in display. There's a website devoted to it

I'd love to see some of these this year but sadly I have no transport and the nearest one is more than five miles away.

Anyway, hope that helps you feel better 

April in Your Garden

me too figrat! I am a dire fan of mulching!

Got out into my garden after dinner this evening as blue skies abound. First time this year that I've managed an evening's gardening with some good and bad news.

Finished off my second compost bin as mulch for the Fatsia and discovered some incredibly nice dry material to begin layering anew. It came out of one and a half compost bags left over from last years prunings. I have an enormous Pampas grass in the middle garden that got left to grow for 15yrs in my ignorance of how to stop it growing story of my garden really...anyhow, last year yielded so much material once I was brave enough that I stored it in bags randomly dumped in a corner and are now very tender and ripe for compost.

On the bad news side, I did some research on Raspberries and how to control them, reading many very scary forum stories about their invasive nature. I'm too control freak to let them be, one stray runner is already popping up in the lawn and after suffering a mountain of next door brambles and bindweed before they moved, I'm in the process of ripping them out I love Raspberries and have baked muffins every summer, but I'd rather buy them than pollute my beautiful flower beds with raspberry shoots.

Luckily the soil is very easy to dig but now I have a design headache of what to do with my south facing fence and a little area beside the arch. I'm a bit sad tonight.

April in Your Garden

Oops sorry Kate1123, I thought you were sandy and dry like me.

April in Your Garden

Sure. I remember you have light sandy soil such as mine is. I find this allows for easier digging and good drainage afterwards, so I tend to move herbaceous material quite late. I've also seen them moving herbaceous plants in mid summer at Great Dixter! Ooh err. Just try to be as nurturing as possible of course

What's the weather like in your area?

South-East Inland: Grey skies, threatening rain on and off.

So, I got out for a couple of hours. The soil is soaking wet but I managed to move a Phlox, plant a Salvia that I rescued from the garden the other day and moved a large clump of ALchemilla Mollis which I purposefully planted alongside my veg beds last year only to read that the plant wilts in full sun  Anyhow, some went under my Aquilegias as experimental succession planting and the rest under my Fatsia Japonica in the top garden.

That large and splendid shrub has been there years, its nestled into a north-facing corner next to the shed and over hangs my patio area. I love the big shiny leaves and the Jurassic-type leaf buds and flowers but I must get round to sorting out something to go in the ugly L shape gap between the Fatsia and a large Acanthus. Perhaps Alchemilla will do the job, I'll see by the summer.

idea's please

I would try to create a lush jungle feel as opposed to anything mediterranean. Think lush jungle, think serene woodland, think foliage, think large leaf, think elegant ferns, think climbers, think evergreens, think water features, think stone, think garden art and garden furniture that can be just as pleasing as sun loving flowers. Think mirrors for capturing light. Your garden might not see much sun, but that means the soil wont bake hard in mid summer, so you can grow shade plants that will thrive in rich damp soil.

In areas that do perhaps get summer sun, grow those sun worshippers that you cannot live without. Some plants can survive on as little as four hours, if its good strong sunlight. It will be trial and error of course, personally I'd get rid of the lawn (grass needs sunlight to grow nicely) and indulge in a forest of foliage and climbers. You'll be surprised how many gorgeous plants grow in shade. even certain cultivars of roses will grow in part shade. Monty did a feature on GW last year.

Garden Gallery

What a brilliant piece of history!

Beasties etc found in lawns

I'm not sure bugs in the ground would munch through a whole lawn. (I could be wrong!)

There's a couple of reasons I can think why your lawn might be dying back over winter. Sunlight levels drop and the sun does travel further north which might shade out part of your lawn, also, some lawn grasses are not as tolerant of cold weather. I'm sure you made an informed choice of grass seed, I've never actually met anyone who sowed their lawn with warm season grass, but I know it exists!

Good luck with what you decide. (I cut a very deep shade border where my grass didn't grow so well. The sun struggled behind some large shrubs and the ground never dried out, the grass that grew was lush but ugly patches and now I have a gorgeous shade border some 15x15

June in Your Garden!

Chelsea!

Chelsea Chop

What's it like in your garden?

Ooh ooh so excited!

Talkback: Informal planting

Why Miss Bateman?

Phormium newbie