The Good Life (gardening chat)

[baargain]

Yay! Well done, toast!

[Shoe]

There must be risk of frost in your parts ( ) for agggesss yet isn't there? I think it's May (may!)here.

I think we're probably around then too, although the way the weather can be up here who really knows. I think the bulbs might ok if there's a frost I just don't want to risk it when they aren't a cheap or easy thing to replace.

[Toast]

Shoe - have you done that before with bulbs? I'm guessing you'd need to get some plastic pots and then....what?! Would you put one bulb per pot and wait until it looked sort of hardy before transferring it to the outside?

[Toast]

I have possibly gone a little overboard because I've not had much luck with bulbs before so got some extras in case things don't work out. I've spent a lot less than I would have done at the nursery anyway.

[Cosmopolitan]

Oh your garden is going to be a blaze of white and pink. How lovely

[smalex]

Toast! what a display. That coral coloured Peony is my fave of all the lovely things.

[Toast]

Isn’t the peony a beaut? I hope I don’t kill it.

It’s possibly way more than I need but I do have quite a lot to fill and I’ll share with my neighbours if I do have spares.

[smalex]

Peonies are quite easy really (n my garden). They resist the slugs and snails for a start, which is my biggest issue.

[Shoe]

I've killed two peonies so far, they don't seem to like me.

Toast, I will be winging it but was planning one bulb per small plastic pot (I have loads) and then once they look like real plants I'll move them into bigger pots outside. I have no idea if that will work.

[Mayday]

I find peonies really hard to grow too, Shoe. Is it peonies that don't like being too deep? I think that where I've gone wrong previously.

I have some here that we inherited that grow well so I tend to leave them alone now. I've never had any success growing them.

[smalex]

Oh really! I think not too deep, yes, although I don't think they're like irises which really like their tubers exposed and baked a bit in the sun.

My mum gave me some tree peonies recently which I've never tried before.

[wendy james]

We've arranged for somebody to come and take away the decking, which is going to cost us money that we wouldn't have spent otherwise but will give us some space for the girls and hopefully some vegetable planting. We won't be doing the re-landscaping this year, I imagine, so it will be a case of muddling through.

[Toast]

Not too deep. Got it. I think that might be okay since my beds aren't very deep but it could be a problem for other things though. I'll have to do some reading up on all of this. I've never really been any good at planning things and have tended to just shove things into gaps so I'd like to try and organise things a bit better this time, especially when it comes to height and coverage. Proper gardening, really!

I ordered some more plastic pots, Shoe and think I'm going to do the same as you. I don't have a lot of space inside to bring things on some I'm going to have to get creative!

Yesterday I sorted through all the stuff I'd "stored" over the winter and got rid of anything dead and consolidated what was left into pots. Everything is very leggy (I think because I didn't cut things back at the end of the summer) so I need to work out what I can salvage there and if things will work in the beds. My main job this afternoon is to put up some wires so I can train my clematis before they get too tangled. I might be a little late here but we'll see.

[Mayday]

Oh really! I think not too deep, yes, although I don't think they're like irises which really like their tubers exposed and baked a bit in the sun.

My mum gave me some tree peonies recently which I've never tried before.

Watch where you put the tree peonies! I have four dotted about, every winter I cut them down to the ground and they are all about 6ft already!

[smalex]

Oh really! If they do that they've gone in the wrong place then...eep. Oh well, they only went in last weekend so I might hastily reorganise them...

[Toast]

Wow, I've never seen tree peonies before. They're beautiful!

[Cerise]

Oh really! I think not too deep, yes, although I don't think they're like irises which really like their tubers exposed and baked a bit in the sun.

My mum gave me some tree peonies recently which I've never tried before.

Watch where you put the tree peonies! I have four dotted about, every winter I cut them down to the ground and they are all about 6ft already!

Do you? I just leave mine. Is that wrong?

[Mayday]

No not at all! Entirely personal preference! I am not keen on them anyway, plus ours are in silly places, so if I don't keep them to a manageable size they block paths and overshadow other (nicer) plants.

[smalex]

All the photos I saw showed them as about 2ft tall, and with abundant lovely flowers. Will I be disappointed?

[Mayday]

This is one of mine last year.

Smal maybe keep an eye on it and move it if it starts to look like it is getting a bit feisty.