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Couldnt Help It !
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Message 1.Ìý
Posted by MrGrinch-Champion of the Middle Saxons (U1934518) on Sunday, 5th March 2006
Hi All,
I feel spring is in the air. The reason why ? I couldnt resist buying plants in the garden centre today ! Ive recently bought a house with a 'blank canvas' garden (all grass with a very poor patio and large shed at the bottom). Ive spent the last 3 month renovating the inside and a new exstension is due to start in a week, but my mind cannot help but wandering off to the garden. Ive said to myself, "Dont bother starting it until the extension is built", but ive got itchy fingers. I was in the garden centre today when i came across some gorgeous roses which i just had to buy. Ended up getting three. Now they look a bit silly sitting on my patio in their pots, BUT they will look and smell fantastic once my garden is designed. Anyway enough of my waffle, my question:
What would be good companion plants to go with my Hybred T Roses ? Should the Roses go at the back or front of the border ?
Thanks for your patience !
Best Regards
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Message 2
Posted by Margi (U2334861) on Sunday, 5th March 2006
I always put lavender with roses - it keeps the aphids away...
Margi x -
Message 3
Posted by U2331885 (U2331885) on Sunday, 5th March 2006
...or members of the onion family to keep black spot at bay, such as allium bulbs, or err.. spring onions.
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Message 4
Posted by Margi (U2334861) on Sunday, 5th March 2006
or both!
M x -
Message 5
Posted by lambcat (U3354546) on Monday, 6th March 2006
I agree with roses and lavender, the combination is lovely.
You seem to be ploughing on with your new house, wish I was the same - been in our house over a year now and the tasks just seem endless.
I have spring fever I think as regards the garden as I am just snapping up plants wherever I go and then don't have the time to sort them out!
Gardening time is my reward when I have been spending time stripping wallpaper, layers and layers of old paint from doors, sweeping up from sanding all the wood in the house and then waxing same. It spurs me on though to think that I "owe" myself some time in the garden! -
Message 6
Posted by MrGrinch-Champion of the Middle Saxons (U1934518) on Monday, 6th March 2006
I know exactly what you mean Lambcat !
I been working on my house since October. Nothing much more i can do now until the exstension is complete, but im just itching to get out there are start digging. Trouble is i have to think about it logically so i must get my hard landscaping done first.
What about Hardy Geraniums with the Roses ?
I agree with roses and lavender, the combination is lovely.
You seem to be ploughing on with your new house, wish I was the same - been in our house over a year now and the tasks just seem endless.
I have spring fever I think as regards the garden as I am just snapping up plants wherever I go and then don't have the time to sort them out!
Gardening time is my reward when I have been spending time stripping wallpaper, layers and layers of old paint from doors, sweeping up from sanding all the wood in the house and then waxing same. It spurs me on though to think that I "owe" myself some time in the garden!
Ìý -
Message 7
Posted by Juliet (U2196646) on Monday, 6th March 2006
Ooh, Lambcat, sorry to digress from gardening but please can you tell me about sanding & waxing the wood in your house? We took our lounge carpet up over Christmas & we're still trying to work out whether the parquet floor underneath needs sanding - how do you tell?! It's got a few small areas of damage & quite a lot of paint splashes but general condition is quite good, & I know when neighbours took up their carpet they just hired a polishing machine & gave the floor a good polish & theirs looks fine - don't want to spend ages sanding ours if it's not necessary as the idea is to sell the house asap! And if we do need to sand it, what sort of sander do we use? Never done anything like this before, & the wood blocks are very thin - would hate to sand too deep & ruin the floor altogether! Any advice much appreciated!
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Message 8
Posted by susie-snowdrop (U2989562) on Monday, 6th March 2006
I always put lavender with roses - it keeps the aphids away...
Margi xÌý
Oooh, roses and lavender, what a gorgeous combination! Do you think it would look totally out of place in my Moroccanish garden?!
Susie xx -
Message 9
Posted by Margi (U2334861) on Monday, 6th March 2006
Both authentic for Mediterranian/North African planting Susie - go ahead and enjoy!
Margi x -
Message 10
Posted by lambcat (U3354546) on Wednesday, 8th March 2006
Juliet, We are sanding everything possible in our house - floors, skirting boards, plate racks, doors, window sills, stairs. Sanding the floors has been a pain. We hired a large drum sander which people said would be marvellous and it was rubbish, a waste of money. We bought a small sander and are doing the floors with that. The skirts and the doors and frames I am stripping with a hot air gun to get about four layers of paint off. We have an agreement now that my husband does the sanding and I do the waxing and finishing, even the small sander runs away with me.
Knock down the nails in the floor to avoid ripping the sanding discs, sand a couple of times over (very messy business, tape up all rooms you do not want the sand to get into)! Sweep up, white spirit the boards, then apply finish of your choice. i have discovered Osmo waxes and oils, they are marvellous, you brush them on and then wipe off with a rag, repeating this the next day. Lots of different colours - quite expensive at about £45 a tin but looks lovely, we have done three bedrooms so far and are really pleased, much better than carpets and what would they cost! Having said all this I don't know if parquet has to be treated any differently when sanding as the grain runs in different directions - people at Osmo will probaly tell you. They are on the Internet. Best of luck, tell me how you do. Lambcat. -
Message 11
Posted by Juliet (U2196646) on Wednesday, 8th March 2006
Thanks, Lambcat, very helpful. Is your small sander an orbital one? - I really don't know the first thing about them. We have someone coming to look at our floor on Friday so hopefully they will tell us whether or not it needs sanding (& whether it being parquet is a problem), but I suspect if it does they will want to use a big machine & charge us a fortune - also everything is complicated by my being sensitive to chemicals - I have to find chemical-free waxes etc & don't know whether they would be willing to use them. Have just googled Osmo & found their products at Greenshop so they may be OK for me - if not, Greenshop had some other waxes which were definitely chemical-free so googling Osmo has certainly pointed me in the right direction
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Message 12
Posted by lambcat (U3354546) on Monday, 20th March 2006
How are you getting on with the sanding - or not?
Ours isn't an orbital sander, it's the other type. Apparently the orbital ones can leave crescent shaped marks if you aren't careful.
I am now oiling the landing, so the upstairs is nearly finished. Massive holes where the spindles should be on the landing and on the stairs.
It's all beginning to look really good. I also forgot to tell you last time, wear gloves. I buy the thin surgical type (I can pretend I'm in ER when I put them on! - remember when it used to be good?)
Have also been out in the garden for the first full day yesterday. Absolutely lovely. Just clearing up, feeding the compost heap, cutting back ivy and snowball trees. Trying in my mind to design a pond, not sure what I want yet, has to be small (about 2ft x 4ft), can't decide how to do it yet.
Love Lambcat -
Message 13
Posted by 8supermum (U2768246) on Monday, 20th March 2006
Lambcat,
ER is still good...its about time Abbie had a boyfriend...Luca has such puppy dog eyes, I'd take him home...he likes children after all !!! -
Message 14
Posted by Fat_Andy (U2418582) on Monday, 20th March 2006
Lambcat,
ER is still good...its about time Abbie had a boyfriend...Luca has such puppy dog eyes, I'd take him home...he likes children after all !!!Ìý
Did you see it this week ? Can't believe Abbie and Luca are going to have a baby ! My wife has a bit of a thing for Luca and I have a bit of a thing for Abbie so when they're snogging, we both sit there with green eyed jealousy !
Cheers
FA -
Message 15
Posted by Juliet (U2196646) on Monday, 20th March 2006
Hi Lambcat, thanks for telling me about the sander. We had 2 men come to look at the floor the other day & it would almost be worth employing them to do it just so I can watch them
... never seen such dishy builders! However, they would charge us about £700 plus VAT (it's a big floor) so we're debating at the moment whether we'd rather pay that amount just to save ourselves the hassle of doing it ourselves or do it ourselves just to save ourselves the money. We were quite impressed by their being completely unphased by my saying I couldn't have any chemical products in the house (most builders find this baffling) and willingness to work with chemical-free products we would supply, so that was a point in their favour. We're not in that big a hurry though (need to do a few other things first, including moving all the furniture out of the room. Again.) so think we'll get another quote to make sure theirs is comparable, and also take our time finding some wax which isn't going to make me really ill, otherwise I'll be in ER (no, sorry, don't remember - never watched hospital programmes - too squeamish 
!).
Yesterday was lovely here too ... but of course we had arranged to spend whole day with my parents! Enjoyed looking at their garden, but it would have been nice to have the chance to get out into our own at last ... ! -
Message 16
Posted by Obelixx (U2157162) on Monday, 20th March 2006
Hi Juliet - We have wooden floors upstairs and they are just treated with linseed oil - all natural, no synthetic chemicals to get up your nose. I slap it on with a cloth or brush depending on the size and shape I'm doing - skirting boards need more precision for example - then leave to soak for a day. Wipe off any excess or terat again if it looks dry then leave a couple of days before putting back the furniture.
It can be vaccuum cleaned and/or wiped with a damp cloth to clean it. Dead easy. It can also be sealed with a water vased "diamond or vitrificateur" varnish that goes on in three layers but you need to wait a week or two before doing this after the oiling phase. -
Message 17
Posted by Juliet (U2196646) on Tuesday, 21st March 2006
Thanks Obelixx - I may get back to you for more info. as not quite clear what stage of floor you're talking about - suspect ours needs sanding & varnishing before it can be oiled/waxed/polished though.
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Message 18
Posted by Obelixx (U2157162) on Tuesday, 21st March 2006
Ours were brand new chestnut floorboards. I gave them a light sanding on my hands and knees then wiped them with a damp cloth and oiled with gay abandon - twice - then left it to soak and varnished some, but not all. The acrylic varnish is non allergenic and gives off no fumes.
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Message 19
Posted by lambcat (U3354546) on Wednesday, 22nd March 2006
Hello 8Supermum (& Fat Andy)
No, I have given ER another try and still don't think it's as good as it used to be, I watched an older programme last night and still prefer the old team (Mark Green, Doug Ross, Carol, Romero, Benton etc.
Although I think the main reason is because the lovely John Carter has left for a while.
Always thought he was the thinking woman's crumpet of ER, despite Luca and Doug Ross.
If anyone is interested in who I find fanciable - debatable! - I still miss Andy Hunter from Eastenders, why is it always the yummy ones who get killed off?
More TV- don't you think that Mike and Danny Baldwin are acting brilliantly in Coronation Street at the moment? I think that Johnny Briggs particularly is excellent - sometimes I think we forget that there are some really good actors in the soaps.
Before anyone asks - no, I don't spend all my time watching TV! In fact I usually prefer to curl up with a good book but that's another story... -
Message 20
Posted by Juliet (U2196646) on Wednesday, 22nd March 2006
Hi Obelixx, thanks for the info. Our floor is the original parquet floor which was put in when the house was built, in the 70s, so it's quite old & sad-looking. It's not too badly damaged but is very paint-splashed & the surface has lost its varnished look. I suspect it will take R & I weeks to sand it by hand (given that I can only do about an hour's physical work per day & any day I sand that means I can't do any cleaning - or more importantly, gardening - & R has 2 jobs as well as being a part-time "carer" for me & doesn't exactly have a lot of spare time) so I suspect it's actually worth our getting some professionals in to do it in 2 days. Standard non-allergenic products are not usually sufficiently chemical-free for me, unfortunately, but varnish isn't a problem - there is a company which makes completely chemical-free paints & varnishes which I can tolerate - they just don't make waxes & I had the idea we'd need both. However, have consulted with the builders & they say they just need varnish so it sounds like we should be OK (& their price is much cheaper if we supply the varnish, too!).
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Message 21
Posted by 8supermum (U2768246) on Wednesday, 22nd March 2006
Lambcat,
M'spouse has been reading my posts while I've been out swimming and I think I'm now banned from watching ER...
'Fraid I don't watch the soaps as I'm usually busy putting children to bed and being a taxi service or swimming driver Oh apart from Desperate Housewives if you can call that a soap.
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