Allotments 4 All
Produce => Non Edible Plants => Topic started by: Plocket on July 02, 2004, 17:42:24
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I know it is bad, and totally unnecessary, but I have ordered MORE plants from T&M. I was only looking for some seeds and some beautiful plants were just BEGGING to be put in my garden.
Some black (well chocolate brown) aquilegia viridiflora, and aquilegia clematiflora "Apple Green".
And an "Adoinis Sandanzaki" which is a Japanese weed but looks gorgeous. Winter flowering as well which will be nice.
I can't help it..... The mantra didn't work. My poor credit card.....
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Plocket, you didn't!!! I was very good and restrained myself today, even managed to go to the farm shop and not buckle-in to one of those lovely plants they are selling. Slap on the wrists for you I think! Funny how some weeds can be so pretty, and winter flowering, well then, you had to buy it didn't you, that's a perfect excuse.
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I know you were good - I read about the open-air museum.
I couldn't help it though! I know I'm bad - but my garden will look good? And as for the "weed" - I've got to see what it is like haven't I?
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Okay, can I rush back to the farm shop then and buy something? please please please!!! I won't feel so bad now knowing that I'm not the only one to have been bad today! ;D
Oh no, they're closed, maybe tomorrow then.
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Now don't feel badly, P. You order those plants.
I have managed to convince both myself and Mr AC that gardening is a cheap hobby, regardless of how much one buys.....well, considerably cheaper than some of the hobbies that absorb my pals, for example buying new computers so that you are always at the cutting edge of technological development, radio controlled anything (trains, boats, planes, etc), renovating vintage cars, etc.
If we grow it it either looks amazing or tastes wonderful ... and sometimes both! Why defend it - it's our duty, right?
8)
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I like your thinking AC! Not only does it look great and/or taste amazing, but we help wildlife on the whole as well! Oh I am starting to feel good about this (second) buying spree now.....
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PLOCKET! Bad Girl! >:(
Only joking! :)
My downfall is seeds! I can't resist trying to grow something new! Every time I see a little plant grow from a tiny seed it makes me go all soppy! Even if every one of the seeds from a particular packet have grown I still feel guilty at thinning out the weaker specimens!
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Ah, Spurdie, the mark of a true propagatoraholic!
I can't throw away cuttings from anything - after all, it might root if I pop it into a spot of compost.....
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I'm a bit like that AC - I like bunging any bits (often accidentially broken by my daughter) in the soil just to see if they will work! Usually have tonnes of rosemary (upright and prostrate) and lavender (too many to mention) cuttings to give away to friends and family. They are my most successful anyway.
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Question is plocket, have you got room to plant all these plants? I NEVER seem to have enough planting space for all my plants, and i am definetly NOT a plant shopaholic. I just grow lot s of my own ;D
I keep on having to dig up turf to make new planting areas - the 'lawn' is getting smaller and smaller!
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Hi Richard! I manage to find room - much to my husband's amazement! I grow some of my own plants but most of them I tend to give away because they are from cuttings of plants I already have!
Unfortunately my garden is very small so I can't dig up turf otherwise there wouldn't be anything left - and my daughter needs a bit of space to run around on.
I think the joy of gardening is seeing things grow, whether you buy them, seed them or take cuttings. It is being able to nurture and see them thrive that I find so thrilling. And seeing my "garden from scratch" start to mature.
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Good for you Plocket! Thats the best type of gardening in my veiw.
its even better still when it takes on a life of its own. I mean when WANTED plants start seeding themselves about and give you plants for free! ;D ;D ;D
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Oh Richard you are so right! My garden is crammed with plants so for seeds to find space to germinate is amazing (it helps with the weeding as well!)
I found a baby hebe under one of mine last year, which was a first. I was so excited! It is now in my Mother in Law's garden.
Hope you've still got a bit of lawn left!
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Yep just about - but not much ;D
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I never had a lawn to start off with. Whenever I need more space, I end up shifting the slate chippings (which are now getting very thick in some areas!) and digging up the ground under it. We've also got rid of the huge decking. We've probably dug about a third of the garden up, but the rest is covered with pots. My nursery area (on top of the piled up wood decking) has been annexed as there wasn't enough room. Pretty much the only area that hasn't go plants in or pots on now is the path, which is gradually getting thinner and thinner.
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Aqui...photos?
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EJ - I have plenty. Still wanting to get on dad's scanner. I was going to do it a while back, but then sprained my ankle, so they came to us instead. (note to self - I really must visit my parents more. Bad Aqui!)
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Re digging up lawn: I used to have a lawn with borders round the edges, but now the "lawn" consists of a winding path between wide, flowing borders, through an arch and into a circle of grass just large enough for lying on (must be about 6 ft diameter). I would have said "sunbathing on" had we seen any sun this year. I am tempted to dig up the rest of this grass and just put down bark chippings but haven't been brave enough yet. Mowing grass is my pet hate.
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Spurdie, I don't think I'd mind the grass cutting if I had decent grass but it's full of plantains and clover and it's lumpy and it goes thin and brown in a dry spell (apart from the plantains and clover) and although it's a nice foil for the plants I can't say that I'm fond and I can't be bothered with all the effort it would take to fix it - scarifying is even worse than mowing!! The plan is eventually to replace it all with paving and gravel but that will take money! In the meantime, like yourself, it gets ever smaller as flower borders cut into it! The worst bit is a bare patch in the middle of it all where the rotary drier used to be surrounded by an expanse of concrete - no idea what to do with that meantime until the money comes up for the paving!!
Cheers, Iain
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Hi Plocket :D
Our grass is in poor condition too. When we moved here there was no garden at all! It was just waist high with docks and nettles. The nettles I have managed to tame, but the docks are defeating me!
Our grass is full of them, even though I dig them out and apply salt every year! We also have plantains, clovers and daisies. The plantains I wage war on, but the clovers and daisies are made into chains by my daughter and her pals in the summertime!
Our neighbour tells me that white clover is actually very good for grass as it releases nitrogen into the soil.
That said, I still HATE mowing the grass!
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I quite like mowing my grass and having spent the last 5 years getting it very nearly "snooker table flat" and 99% weed free-it is growing extremely well and looks healthy. :D
Considering when i moved in,it resembled a worn out playing field and after rain was like a paddy field because of the clay! Much spiking,top dressing and back ache has shown good results which im pleased with.My dad always liked to have a good lawn and always said a healthy,neatly cut lawn will excuse any other hiccups in the garden.
The only job i resent doing is trimming the d**n conifers in front garden-i hate them,but neighbour likes em' :(
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Plocket my garden is postage stamp size and not even first class, ::) I need a machete to reach the garage, :o my wife takes me to the garden centres in a straight jacket. :-X
I collected seeds off our cordyline last year and they are doing quite well, I have no room for them. This same tree is yielding yet more seeds I bite my fist and think shall I shan’t I and shout to the wife GET THE JACKET OUT. :P
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Roy I sympathize.....I collected lots of seed last year , sowed more in spring and am waiting with the brown envelopes now! Anybody interested in 400 verbena boneriensis, 300 night phlox?
My greenhouse is full (it is July isn't it?) I have pots everywhere but can't stop!
And yet another small tree fell in my trolley at B+Q the other day.
Somebody stop me!!! :o ;D
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Hi all
No, lilylover, you are not the only one with a full greenhouse! Mine is still frull of nicotianas (various types), foxgloves, columbines, strawberries, lychnis, hollyhocks, and various others I can' t remember the names of and have stupidly forgotten to label!
Each year I carefully label all the trays so as to remember what it is I've planted, and then when I pot them on into little individual pots, I forget to label them! It's very frustrating! I wish seed packets had pictures of what the little plants look like so I knew what they were!
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I have my ticket for the RHS Tatton (Cheshire) flower show, so I'm trying to be good until then! Having said that, my little flappy plastic greenhouse is full of stuff I sowed three weeks ago - the glass greenhouse is full of toms, peppers and suchlike. I get a tremendous buzz from growing things from seed and getting cuttings to do their thing.
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??? To Iain D
Sorry I called you Plocket! I only noticed that today!
My auntie used to stay in Buckie! She always had awfa bonnie carnations. I expect they liked the sandy, well-drained soil. She also always had great strawberries. Many's the time we kids were told to "get oot o' there this meenit!" while crawling under the strawberry net!