Trowel and Error

[FiveO'Clock]

Your garden is really lovely, Absley!

[Disco]

It is. I've gone back to have another soothing look. It's so nice.

[absley]

Thank you both, we're very lucky to have it!

[Mountain Goat]

It's also lucky to have you looking after it! How many lovely gardens get buggered by someone ripping them up and paving them over, rather than being nurtured and cared for.

I am glad (?) to be in the same category as the elderly. Whatever they are, they do seem a bit... biblical. I don't think I've ever seen actual vine weevils en masse, just usually one at a time. I hope they're something that's eating your pests rather than eating your plants/soul.

[Mountain Goat]

Reporting back on my deeply unscientific trial of Sylvagrow compost: the seeds which I was struggling to germinate in ordinary seed compost have germinated in about 4 days in the new compost. In ordinary compost, I am only just starting to see germination after 3 weeks, if at all. This is not a clinical trial, they do not have the same conditions in all senses (similar, same locations and same cells, but eg the weather/temperature is different). I am tentatively happy with it, even if though they don't sell it at the garden centre where I get a 20% discount because my neighbour works there. Worth a go if you're having problems. It's a bit more expensive than eg Westland and less likely to be on a BOGOF but it's not madly expensive (£6.99 for 15l).

[Disco]

They look like they have antennae, in which case they're aphids not ticks. What a random piece of knowledge to have in my head!

Derek "Delboy" Attenborough, I salute thee and apologise for my dismissive response to your wildlife expertise.

I think they are giant conifer aphids.

[Disco]

Should I keep orange mint potted?

Can I put orange mint and normal mint together in a pot?

[Mountain Goat]

Oh it does look like them! Do you have conifers?

I don't know anything about orange mint specifically but I'd not plant any mint into the ground, only into a pot. If the pot is big enough I don't see why not, do they look different enough for you to know which one you're picking?

[Disco]

Yes! Crawling all up and down the trunk. Covered in them. It's a huge conifer at the end of the garden.

Thanks, it does sound invasive when I google, so I won't as I would never put normal mint in the ground either. Yes, quite different. The leaves are rounder and purpley-orangey-browny.

[Derek Nimmo]

They look like they have antennae, in which case they're aphids not ticks. What a random piece of knowledge to have in my head!

Derek "Delboy" Attenborough, I salute thee and apologise for my dismissive response to your wildlife expertise.

I think they are giant conifer aphids.

I once confused a field of horses for a herd of cows, so I don't blame you for doubting me

Ew though, I'm very sorry for your aphid troubles.

[Disco]

Easily done, Del.

I feel better knowing what they are. Weevils are a worse option as their young eat the roots of plants. These aphids will just eat the new shoots. I hate that tree anyway so if it dies I'll be happy.

[Disco]

They’ve had babies!

[absley]

So cute!

Del!

[absley]

How are your bugs, Disco?

I made some progress at the weekend, mostly learning that buying vegetable seedings is something I'm very happy to do

I've added mange tout, fennel, two fancy pumpkins, two fancy tomatoes, beetroot, fennel and red sorrel to my veg patch, so I feel less of a failure for only sowing tomatoes and peas (oh, and awol borlottis )

The soil is so so dry though, already, with lots of well established plants looking wilty.

[Mountain Goat]

Ooh, that is a good selection of veg! Herb fennel or Florence fennel? Vegetable seedlings are a very useful choice and probably end up costing less than all the compost/seed trays/small pots you end up using when sowing from seed. And you can just buy as many as you need and you don't end up with excess seedlings you can't bear to throw out.

Ridiculously dry here too, I just planted a load of drought tolerant front of border plants from Beth Chatto as my front/side garden is very exposed and also on a slope, so the front edges which are at the top of the slope are SO dry.

My first roses of the year are out, Desdemona is smelling beautiful, is yours out too? Mine was not this quick last year when it was new. I also have one almost open on my (new) Emma Bridgewater. And my first ever peony just starting to open (after being in fat bud for what seems like at least a year). We have a houseful this weekend and I am willing things to open in time (especially as the early spring stuff like bulbs and blossom are over so the back garden is in a bit of an awkward inbetween stage).

[absley]

I'm hoping florence fennel, as we have many herb fennel already, but realise i didn't properly check on that... Let's see!

Fingers crossed for things looking lovely at the weekend, Goat. I have a few roses coming out but not much sign of anything from the new one. It needs some tlc actually as there is some striped grass next to it which I thought we'd cleared far enough away, but has popped up all over the place nonetheless. I'll have to get stuck in at the weekend.

[Mountain Goat]

I hope it's Florence! Once you have a herb fennel there definitely isn't a need to buy more.

At the weekend I'd say that the front/side of the house was great, the back garden to me is a bit inbetween and straggly as things start to get going (and I have SO MANY potato tubs!), but we had a good display of Desdemona and Emma Bridgewater roses, and of Purple Sensation alliums for some colour. And my vibernum opulus got the most attention but it's too tall for the weight of its flowers and is a bit awkwardly trussed up with canes and string for my liking. I need to give it a good prune once it's finished flowering and hope it can support itself better next year. I need to do some reading actually. Are your roses out now? My other two, the Gabriel Oak and the Koko Loko are still just in bud and the peony is ALMOST open.

Is anyone going to Chelsea? I am currently obsessed with the Jo Thompson/Glasshouse garden and am now reworking my back garden in my head around her colour scheme, let's see if this lasts until autumn when I'd start moving things around. That gives me a cooling down period. I already have a handful of the exact same plants, all I really need to do is remove the yellow rudbeckia and put it in the front/side where the colour scheme is bold and bright. It's been great for making a baby garden look established but I'm (considering) moving to my more sultry and nuanced stage now.

ETA also can I say how much I hate the King's Rose. I rarely hate plants but willing to make an exception.

[Luna]

It’s really gaudy isn’t it? Striped? I can’t believe they took 12 years to create it.

[Derek Nimmo]

It's basically a dog rose

Predictably, my garden has kicked OFF after a tiny bit of rain but have the peonies bloomed yet? Have they fuck. They've been in bud for about three weeks now, the massive teases

Roses, daisies of multiple varieties, Chilean potato tree, coronilla and various seasidey plants all in full glory though

[Mountain Goat]

A dog rose from the shelves out the front of B&Q.

All hail the recalcitrant peonies, they'd definitely sit languidly at the back of the classroom, just looking in their mirrors to check they're still beautiful every five minutes.

I had to google Chilean potato tree, that is very striking. I have a coronilla too, it's been amazing all winter/spring and smells glorious, but it's fading now. Out the front I finally have foxgloves and acanthus opening, both for the first time since I moved here.