Trowel and Error

[Demelza]

I used to love pressing flowers! Those scissors sound good – I have a Japanese hori hori trowel knife which I'm looking forward to use, hoping that it'll be just the thing to get rid of the jasmine roots that have taken over my flower beds (we bought one for MIL's birthday, the company sent two by mistake and told use to keep both).

It's all too wet to do much at the moment. There are a lot of things that need to be cut back, and some trellis to go back up. I pruned half of the roses very hard last year and they responded really well so I'll do the rest this year (we inherited a lot of old-fashioned roses that have become very straggly over the years). I also have a very small veg patch that just had courgettes and tomatoes last year, so want to try something different this year.

[Mountain Goat]

I got a hori hori a couple of months ago and love it, especially when I'm out the front and don't want to have to lug 5 different tools round there with me. Also, it proved to be revolutionary in bulb planting.

I found some pressed flowers I did as a child in an old book when I moved everything out to paint a room. I'm not sure what, if any, benefit an actual press has over a heavy book but it was an inexpensive whim.

I've done all my pruning (which sounds more impressive than it is, as it's an immature garden with very little that needs anything other than a quick tidy of crossing/unhealthy branches) but do also have a trellis that needs to go up. I also plan to dig up an odd square of lawn that looks a bit stuck-on (and which I constantly walk across to the garage, the grass will be knackered before long), and gravel it with a big planter (with seats round the edge) in the middle and an arch leading to the proper lawn, but not till April-ish. The bit through the arch is bold and bright colours in summer, so I might do the bit before the arch in delicate, old fashioned style with some roses etc, but I'm trying to keep focus on the Jan/Feb jobs first. However my mind is not in agreement and I keep finding mysefl googling different roses and companion plants. :))

What veg are you thinking of?

[Demelza]

Ah, I never thought of using it for bulb planting (but that makes perfect sense!) I also have a bit of grass to dig up to extend our patio, and potentially put down some more slabs in the corner of the garden that gets the evening sun (our garden is a bit strange in that it wraps around the back and a side of the house). I'm not sure what veg yet – my friend has an allotment so always gives me courgette and tomato plants, but as all my tomatoes got blight last year, I'll try them in pots rather than the ground this year. I'd like something that produces a lot but doesn't need huge amounts of space!

[baargain]

Beans of some kind? I love a French bean. Runner beans will also produce a LOT. They obediently grow up teepees so take up minimal (ish) space. You can also buy tall growing peas too, so more yield for less footprint than regular peas.

[Demelza]

Peas are an excellent idea! I did grown some runner beans in a pot last year but it turns out nobody really likes them. Could try French beans instead.

[baargain]

Runners are prolific but not very exciting.

[Mountain Goat]

I just read that Christmas tree needles make a good (slightly acidic) mulch, and then you can use the bare stem for growing your beans up. I wish I had read this before I had taken ours to the tip, I need some more supports and it didn't occur to me.

We sorted out the garage at the weekend and I ordered some storage from Ikea so I am now tragically excited about being able to put DIY stuff over there by itself and have a dedicated potting/gardening station and shelving with all my things around me, pretending to be Monty Don in his shed.

My salvias have got over excited (I left the dead stems on as instructed) and are full of leaf again, on the old stems. I'm sure this cold snap will put a stop to that. And my alliums are popping up. I had a good weed at the weekend, it was bloody cold but I got a lot of herb robert out (except the patch where I planted geraniums and can't quite remember where...), then found that J had locked the door behind me and put his head phones on upstairs. TOO COLD to be locked outside.

[Mountain Goat]

This is almost as tragic as TC's dish drainer, but I am so happy with my new potting set up and I hope you are the people who might understand. :)) It's not pretty, but it's a dedicated area with everything I need at hand and clearly visible. The bench is an old chest of drawers that is now on its fourth life as a potting bench, and doing very well at it, and then I have shelves for pots/fertilisers/hand tools hanging up etc (with a chest freezer handily in the middle as I'm not moving a full chest freezer, thanks). There is vermiculite and sand and crocks and a sieve and all sorts under the bench, all ready to mix up and scoop with my new scoop. The mixing tray has a section with my labels and a marker pen even. I just need a) spring and b) Aldi to do their mini greenhouse again this year. This is better than the Christmas I got a post office set.

There are also (out of sight) shelves for DIY stuff/tools and for miscellaneous other stuff, all of which I built at the weekend in the freezing cold, so all the other garage miscellania is also organised, and separate.

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[absley]

It looks fabulous Goat - I'd like to understand potting zones better, not least the role of things like vermiculite and sand. I really need to do some reading.

I'd also like to know more about hard pruning roses - do you have any tips, Demelza? I have a couple growing against the house which are too tall, plus were covered in black spot despite all my efforts last year, so I thought a hard prune might be worthwhile. I'm happy to take them out if it doesn't go well :))

My garden is still not ready for winter, in that I have lots of things that need cutting back but haven't had the bin space. Tomorrow though, and then I have a flurry planned for when the weather warms up at the end of the week. I also have a few things I need to get in the ground, plus one bed seems to have died back to reveal a huge clump of grass that needs digging out - its almost a meter square!

I did have a satisfying session weeding my rhubarb and raspberry bed - the intention was to move some rhubarb from elsewhere but I wonder if I've missed the opportunity as they're happily sprouting away?

I also need to plan my veggies properly. Tall peas is very appealing Baa, I will look into that. Plus borlottis again, as well as pink fir apple potatoes, crown prince and I am definitely going to doing cavolo nero and see if netting gives me a yield. Tomatoes in the green house is the other thing I want to try, to see if I can avoid blight that way. First I need to clean the greenhouse, which I didn't get round to last year. :ella:

[Mountain Goat]

You're so busy for winter! I'm partly glad of the break but also itching to DO THINGS again. Other than planning and organising which is definitely happening.

I need to do some reading too, I am mainly blindly following instructions from Gardeners World. :)) I understand that for seeds you need a light, free flowing mix of organic matter (I am hoping I can get enough compost out my bin by spring) combined with something for drainage (sand, vermiculite, perlite) but I don't have a robust understanding.

I've never looked after roses but someone on Gardener's World (one of the winter specials) was pruning climbing roses quite hard (I think it depends on the type of rose whether they flower on new or old growth?).

My bin is currently full of Christmas tree because we missed the last collection. I don't have much that needs to go in there at the moment, there are shrubs that need to come out but that can wait till it's less cold (so I can move other plants into their spot). Bloody grass though! I found loads when I cut my dahlias back.

Some of my cavolo nero are being madly eaten despite the net cage (in fairness to it, I've not gone and checked it's secure very often) but it seems to be accidentally working as there are a couple of plants being murdered in sacrifice to the ones at the back that are almost untouched. So maybe grow more than you need?! I did this by accident. :)) My purple sprouting broccoli/cauliflower are not really being eaten anymore, but they're also not showing signs of growing any actual vegetable.

[baargain]

Purple sprouting broccoli takes forever, it'll be ready from March ish probably!

[Demelza]

I cut all the dead wood off the roses, then started cutting back hard to just above buds, trying to get a better shape (so removing branches that were crossing/too close). I was concerned I'd gone too far but they have come back in much better shape. These were shrub roses – I'm going to give the climbing roses a go this year. If you're not worried about losing them, go for it! (And don't be too cautious!)

I have snowdrops! Not in a bed that I remember planting them in but never mind!

Your potting zone looks great – our garage is badly in need of a sort out (on the long list of things to do) – it must be so nice to have a proper space to do things.

[absley]

You're so busy for winter! I'm partly glad of the break but also itching to DO THINGS again.

I'm not happy about how much there is to do :lol:

Interesting about the PSB - I have perennial broccoli that has done nothing and having read the info now see it is similar. So much to learn...

Thanks Demelza, I'll give it a go. :fc:

[Mountain Goat]

I am envious of your snowdrops! I planted loads of bulbs and only a couple are starting to show and are nowhere near actually flowering. I read far too late that snowdrops rarely succeed from bulbs and you need to plant them in the green.

It makes me tragically happy to have a little potting area. Who knew?

I am very excited as I went out a bit earlier to pick some cavolo nero and I found a tiny, tiny cauliflower. It's a purple one which will be annoying to cook with if it survives. Blue-ish cauliflower cheese. I planted an assortment of obscure cauliflowers and the purple sprouting broccoli in the same area, most got eaten, and out of what has survived I have no idea what's cauliflower and what's psb (and as there were lots of different types of cauliflower, there's not just two types of plant, there's about five different leaf types and god knows what's what). But, a baby cauliflower. I will check on it daily.

[absley]

It's a purple one which will be annoying to cook with if it survives. Blue-ish cauliflower cheese.

:lol:

[Mountain Goat]

I'm loving seeing things starting to spring back into life the past week or so. I love this time of year and keep wanting to go out and check on everything several times a day, as if there might be noticeable difference compared to an hour ago. :)) Nothing is out for me yet except my hellebores which are gorgeous, my snowdrops still haven't got themselves together to get buds although there are loads through. Weirdly, the pot of stocks which never flowered last year because they were eaten by caterpillars are now...in bud?! They were just sticks by the end of summer and I never got round to cleaning the pots out and now they're giving it all another go. It's been quite informative in terms of microclimates, the spot where that pot is is clearly a sheltered/sunny one.

The only notable thing not showing any signs of growth yet is the salvia amistad, which was covered in green back in Jan until it got snowed on, so I'm afraid its optimisim killed it off. I took cuttings in case of this but managed to kill them too when I tried to pot them into their own pots too soon. We'll see.

For veg, I tackled the section to the side of the raised bed; I've put down cardboard to kill off the grass/weeds, and I cut down the very tall fennel stalks from nearby and shoved them in as canes/support. I'm just going to put large pots or gro bags in this area this year but next year will edge it off properly and make an actual bed there.

I have tonnes of plans, short and long term, and am so itching to press BUY on so many things, but I don't have the space to keep them all indoors until it's safe for them to go outside. And Aldi haven't released their mini greenhouse yet this year....

[Disco]

I do that too. My neighbours must think I'm nuts doing my morning, noon and evening up and down the garden peering at things emerging. Those millions of bulbs are pushing through all over the place. Also I don't recall doing it but I must have dotted snow drops every where and also irises. I need more actual plants though. I want something with yellow or white leaves. Like I've got no bushes just bulbs. So it doesn't look like a proper garden.

[Mountain Goat]

Mine is the same at the moment, it's quite bare - more because my shrubs are all babies so just sit there being quiet and tiny, at least this year. Lots of seedheads but they don't have greenery to contrast against so they're not really showcased. Choisya is quite a bright yellow leaf (and smells nice)? Or a yellow-y/lime green-y euphorbia? (I am trying to plan my outside bit at the moment and thinking about all-season interest but I'm getting myself in a muddle by wanting EVERYTHING).

[Disco]

Ooh thank you. They both look lovely. Great splashes of colour. I will put them on a new list. This is the year of shrubs.

[Disco]

They're arriving tomorrow just as the temperature is set to drop.