Gardening thread

[DanDanTheIceCreamMan]

Hope everyone's gardens are doing well in the sunny weather...

Thought I would share some photos as mine has finally started flowering (very late this year). I'd love to see other people's photos too

 

[CallMeHollywood]

Have a look at crocus.co.uk as you have filter by soil type, sun, etc. if there’s anything already in your garden that you like, pop it in a pot and you can move it elsewhere. Ferns and heathers are great filler plants and super hardy.

 

[coconochanel]

I recently got a house with a garden and I’m a complete novice! I’d like to have a little flower bed in this space and it’s probably a stupid question but what do I need? Pull up all these weeds, put down a liner and top with soil/compost? Also open to suggestion of low maintenance/beginner planets as it were!

You don't need to put liner down unless you are gravelling it.

 

[cesarea-tinajero]

Bulbs are coming up, hellebores are looking lovely at the moment too. Put them bedding begonia seeds in the heated propagator, soon to do lobelia and sweet peas, and then onto tomatoes, peppers, and other veggies. I did early potatoes last year which worked well but I can't remember when I actually put them in . I hate january so tend to try and do all my garden planning now to cheer myself up.

Anyone trying any new seeds this year? I did purple (tequila) peppers for the first time last year and really liked them but not sure what else I'll try this year

 

[Ruby’s mum]

I follow some IG gardening accounts and feel a bit inadequate when I see their seedlings. I can get seeds to germinate ok, but when it comes to growing things on mine always go leggy or don't grow any bigger. I know it's lack of light but there's not much I can do about it other than pray for sun on my window ledges.
Also, I was delaying sowing because people kept saying it's too early, then the end of March comes and somehow they have big seedlings with tons of roots - like they appear from nowhere so quick!

As soon as the seeds germinate mine go into my unheated greenhouse, with a lid on the seed trays at night. If you don’t have a greenhouse a plastic storage box will do the job. again with the lid on at night or if the weather is bad. Doing this slows them down and encourages root growth instead of long spindly stems.
Also, sow thinly to give the seedlings space land water from the bottom up.

 

[DanDanTheIceCreamMan]

Thankyou for replying, hard to tell but I really did not expect the amount of weeds I have got, trouble is I’m on a new build estate so who knows it could be a combination of everything either way it’s frustrating as I wanted low maintenance but now it looks like a mess, I have used the blowtorch thing in the past and managed to burn myself so may not be a viable option, I will look at getting weed killer and maybe go back to the landscape gardener to see if he can offer any solution appreciate you responding

Another question (lol) are they coming up in a line? That would show that they're coming up maybe between a gap in the membrane and you could scrape back the gravel and put another layer on it?

Anyone growing any veg this year?

I didn't last year but found I missed doing it (although I only ever have any success with tomatoes, because I'm a haphazard gardener) so I'll probably do some toms again this year...

I did find myself looking at dahlia tubers earlier this week, I'm a sucker for big showy flowers

 

[YetAnotherObsessionx]

Whats everyone been up to in their garden?

Planted some anemones & primroses, just to see some colour. Bought loads of seeds (cosmos, echinacea, sweet peas), also bought fence paint... really need to get on with that but... fence painting is a chore I don't fancy right now. Or ever! Need to also decide where to plant my new roses. I feel like I need an extra weekend to actually plan what I'm doing rather than just buying things and then not knowing what to do with them.

 

[DanDanTheIceCreamMan]

I recently got a house with a garden and I’m a complete novice! I’d like to have a little flower bed in this space and it’s probably a stupid question but what do I need? Pull up all these weeds, put down a liner and top with soil/compost? Also open to suggestion of low maintenance/beginner planets as it were!

Congrats on the house!

I wouldn't personally put soil over liner, normally you would plant through liner (put it down and then cut an 'x' and peel it back to plant in) and top with gravel or bark to weigh it down/make it look pretty...

What sort of plants are you thinking? perennials like lavender or roses? or some bedding plants just for the summer?

I've always done well with snapdragons and fuchsias (totally slug proof) and geraniums are really good for people (like me) who aren't good at regularly watering them.

You could even do some sweet peas, grow them up some canes (make like a teepee with some bamboo sticks and string) and just pick them regularly to keep them flowering.

Gardening is just trial and error, plant what you think looks pretty and see what happens

Good Luck

 

[YetAnotherObsessionx]

Anyone growing any veg this year?

I will try to, yes
---

Year before was a bumper crop for everything. The tomatoes went mad and I had to get the neighbours over to pick some as I had far too many.

Exactly the same for me, I got all sorts before - sweetcorn, peas, beetroots, carrots, gooseberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, tomatoes, cucumbers... but 2022 was unsuccessful for all of those!
---

I did find myself looking at dahlia tubers earlier this week, I'm a sucker for big showy flowers

Me too. I've got really huge dahlias on my allotment, they've survived a few winters without having to be dug up, I'm going to try some new ones in my new garden this year. I also want peonies and hydrangeas, and giant alliums

 

[SoulDestroyer]

I’ve found that the paper pots encourage mould, so if you’re going to use them definitely don’t over water and keep them separate so air can circulate.

I’m about to start sowing sweet peas - probably white ones like Swan Lake.

 

[coconochanel]

Whats everyone been up to in their garden?

 

[coconochanel]

Anyone growing any veg this year?

 

[DanDanTheIceCreamMan]

Anyone trying any new seeds this year? I did purple (tequila) peppers for the first time last year and really liked them but not sure what else I'll try this year

I've got a couple of packets of seeds (gifts) to try and grow this year... a wildflower mix from a wedding and some forget-me-nots from a funeral.
As I'm known as 'the gardener' (lol) in my group of friends it feels quite important to succeed. Forget-me-nots are easy to grow but I fear for the unknown wildflower mix...

I've started hacking back the roses now the winter is (hopefully) coming to a close and I can see that the peonies/daffs are sprouting. spring is just around the corner

 

[Jojoanne1]

We grew potatoes for the last couple of years in potato grow bags. They grew fine and we did have some lovely potatoes, but not that many.

 

[MavisBeacon]

Delighted to see bulbs coming up, including some snowdrops from my mum that originally came from her parents' garden that I planted in the green last spring. I'm trying camassias for the first time, along with the usual tulips and daffs. We moved into a new build in may 2022 and there was NOTHING here except crap turf on heavy clay/rubble so it has been a real labour of love to make a proper garden happen.

 

[DanDanTheIceCreamMan]

I've got this dream of having a little patch of ground covered in snowdrops with them spreading each year. So every year I go the garden centre and buy a few pots of snowdrops to plant in my mini woodland area, never to be seen again the next year. Does anyone know why. I could understand if I planted them as bulbs in the autumn but I plant them in the green as I'm told they are likely to keep coming back but they never do. Same with cyclamens. Could it be mice?

Mine also disappear without a trace... my thoughts are maybe it's my soil type (it can get quite boggy, so maybe they rot). I've given up and just plant Daffs (favourite being 'Jetfire').

I've pruned the roses and cut the grass this week (because we had a brief moment of it being dry). Now the garden bin is full, so I wait for bin day before I can do anything else

 

[Also_smoke_and_mirrors]

Hi all! A bit of advice please- I have strawberries using up 2 raised elho planters- i’d rather use them for lettuce- what could i move them into? I container plant mainly- back problems so don’t dig and avoid bending if I can- any ideas gratefully accepted!

Hanging baskets work well. In a 12" diameter one you could have 4 plants if you use the water holding gel crystals and feed regularly. If it's particularly shallow you might be better off with just three though.

 

[YetAnotherObsessionx]

Thankyou for replying, hard to tell but I really did not expect the amount of weeds I have got, trouble is I’m on a new build estate so who knows it could be a combination of everything either way it’s frustrating as I wanted low maintenance but now it looks like a mess, I have used the blowtorch thing in the past and managed to burn myself so may not be a viable option, I will look at getting weed killer and maybe go back to the landscape gardener to see if he can offer any solution appreciate you responding

I've recently moved into a property where the garden soil is terrible, the earth under the lawn is full of builders rubble & general crap, which seems to encourage weeds & make it difficult to dig them up, so I've also used weed killer to try and reduce the problem. You could get a second opinion from a different gardener, also ask your neighbours how they manage theirs, if you know them well enough, as their soil is likely to be much the same as yours. Good luck!

 

[DanDanTheIceCreamMan]

Anyone got any ideas on what I can do?
I have a tree in my garden which we are going to cut down as it gets too big and hits my neighbours house. We cut it down the last two years but it’s so much work and we just read that it’ll keep growing to that size as you’re meant to leave it to grow then it’ll stop. But it’ll be too big hitting the neighbours house. At the moment it had a barrier and stones around it. But we’ll be left with the tree trunk there.
I’m thinking maybe a bird area on-top of the stones, a bird bath, bird boxes and maybe a few plants in plant pots. But does anyone else have any other ideas?

I'm all about stumperies tree stumps surrounded by lots and lots of ferns.... great for wildlife too

e.g.

 

[YetAnotherObsessionx]

My bulbs are sprouting

Mine too, and my bare root rose I planted in November has tiny little growths on it already too