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Posted by Lord Steve (U2064703) on Sunday, 15th January 2006
Hi everyone! I have been a bit quiet recently, with Christmas and family visits etc. Definitely a quiet time of year and I haven't spent much time in the garden and have not done any HRT for what feels like MONTHS! I am having withdrawal symptoms!! At least the bulbs are starting to poke through and the days are getting longer.
Anyway, I thought I would radio in and say hello and see how everyone is doing!!!
Hi Lord Steve! I've noticed you haven't been around and am glad to hear you are ok.
I haven't done a great deal in the garden, but am itching for spring now. Bulbs are starting to push through, and I'm keeping up with the compost. I did get out and do a bit of minor pruning but only because I was desperate. I've also had a bit of a tidy in the garden, in my "potting shed" corner. I guess I should get out and do a bit of soil work but it's damp today and I'm not in the mood, and I need to do some minor repairs to my cold frame, just in case we get another cold spell.
See you soon!
Morning LS. Good to hear from you. Sadly I have indulged in HRT, (well it's not really sad but you think I could give myself a break after the financial vigours of christmas). I have also managed to get a bit of gardening in - not a huge amount, I thought if I can just get little bits done fairly regularly as last year I never managed to catch up on things. Yesterday got new forsythia planted & one of the several clematis that have been waiting patiently for me to do something with them!
Keep in touch!
I am just waiting for the first crisp, clear day to go to Kew!!! The recent weather has been so dull and dismal, but I hope that a change is on the way this week!!
Hello Lord Steve! I can understand your withdrawal symptons - I was feeling a bit the same way, and then we got such a brilliant weekend. I kept thinking I'd been somehow fast-forwarded to the middle of March. Not surprisingly I spent quite a lot of time in the garden - very gratifying to see so many spring bulbs pushing up everywhere. I even had lunch outside on Saturday. Roll on spring!
Back in the house, I noticed that my grevilleas have started to germinate - yay! It seems such a waste to be back at work today...
Hi LS!
Still way behind in the garden - spent most of the weekend pruning and shredding (still got half the pile to do) and did not make it down to the lotty. Still need to clean out the pots and trays from last year, even though I have started sowing this years seeds!!!!!
And my spuds arrived this weekend - hooray
Hi your Lordship!!!!!! Good to hear form you again! I've been to the graden centre quite a bit recently, I have been going through a Cornus phase! All the best, Dan
A cornus phase hey Dan? Come on then - what have you bought?
then we got such a brilliant weekend. I kept thinking I'd been somehow fast-forwarded to the middle of March. Â
No icon for jealousy, so please imagine this one is green:
Grey & damp here.
Hi have you recovered from your quick trip to N/Z such happy memories of Christchurch in your photos, no pic of Captain Scott the discover? as in the square at Christchurch.
Did you ride the tram? or punt a lady up the river?
So many things to do there its just impossible to see and do them all so, you gotta go back, which i am sure you will.
Thanks for the memories
DAT123
Well Plocket...Cornuses!!!! I only bought two but I have now added to my collection and have 6! I have also been buying bulbs in pots e.t.c Dan
I'm warming to cornuses (is that right?) I've got two, but am hoping a friend will do a cutting of her midwinter fire for me this year, and I'm also after a black one. I've got Elegantissima (new this year) and a lime green stemmed one - I don't know what it is though because it was from my friend. Which ones have you got?
Hooray for HRT - new heated propagator arrived today and I'm awaiting the arrival of my two new compost bins any day now...
I've never wanted cornuses until I saw one last year in an open garden owned by a friend of a friend, and I fell in love... It's a tiny groundcover cornus with the most lovely leaves, called cornus canadensis, and I've now got a chunk of it in my garden to see if it likes it!
Margi x
Just looked it up Margi - pretty!!!
I thank you!
M x
I love them too and have Sibirica alba, elagantissima, the green one, a midwinter fire look alike and also canadensis which has struggled to seetle in because, unlike the others, it doesn't really like my alkaline soil but is very pretty when in flower. If anyone comes across a purple one, do tell.
I have two Cornus siberica 'Alba', two Cornus siberica 'Midwinter Fire', a lime green one and also a maroon coloured one all next to each other and they look wonderful! An eruption of colour in the garden. Dan
Hi Dan! Yummy! I'm after "Kesselringii" and have contacted a local garden centre to see if they have it. Is that the maroon one you mentioned?
Hi Plocket, Im not sure exactly what variety it is but it looks very very similar. I bought mine form Gardeners World magazine two years and I don't know what variety it is. I will do a bit more research for you though. Dan
Hi Plocket, Im not sure exactly what variety it is but it looks very very similar. I bought mine from Gardeners World magazine two years and I don't know what variety it is. I will do a bit more research for you though. Dan
Oh Dan you are a star! Thank you!
I have been looking back and found in my January 2004 issue of Gardeners World that its IS cornus 'Kesselringii'. A strikingly beautiful plant. Hope this helps, Dan
He he he! I'm waiting to hear from my garden centre! If they've got it - I'm there!!!
Hi have you recovered from your quick trip to N/Z such happy memories of Christchurch in your photos, no pic of Captain Scott the discover? as in the square at Christchurch.
Did you ride the tram? or punt a lady up the river?
So many things to do there its just impossible to see and do them all so, you gotta go back, which i am sure you will.
Thanks for the memories
¶Ù´¡°Õ123Ìý
I am having withdrawal symptoms!! Where is the sun?
I did take a pic of Capt Scott but did not think it was worthy of inclusion in my selection! I took over 600 pics while I was away, so had to try and be ruthless!! I did not punt or ride the trams though. Last time I was in a punt was about 20 years ago at college!
I had a real treat yesterday: a friend of mine in NZ has sent me a surprise pack of seeds - the NZ Christmas tree (aka Pohutukawa/Metrosideros excelsa). I will have to try and germinate some and see if I can grow a little tree (don't know what to do when it is a BIG tree)!! They are lovely trees.
Has anyone grown any of these in the UK or have any tips? I think they are not very hardy so I might have my work cut out!!
Thanks!
, in reply to message 25.
Posted by Dame Wombat (U2332024) on Thursday, 19th January 2006
Hello Lord Steve! I have got some pohutukawas germinating on my kitchen table at the moment. To be honest only one has germinated so far (which was on Christmas Day - I was very chuffed) but it was a runt and it keeled over. Never mind - more to come.
My plan, once I have a viable seedling, is to bonsai it. That way it will get the nice contorted windswept look, plus I can bring it inside in the winter. I've never bonsai'd anything before, but I got the AT Gardening Year book yesterday and it's got a project page all about it. I'm so excited - everything is falling into place!!
I might be getting a bit ahead of myself here, but does anyone know where you get those flat bonsai pots from?
What a brilliant plan!!! I had better get germinating (well I will do the sowing and they can do the rest!).
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