I just bought three small Coleus plants and will go back for Sweet Potato vines when they come in, then will put them all in the front plot in about three weeks.

I'm hoping to see my Hostas come up before we move, I hate the idea of someone else getting to enjoy my garden other than me!

Tulips are just opening - first one today. I dislike gardening, so everything here is a perennial - hollyhocks are starting to poke themselves out of the ground, as are peonies. Irises well up.

I'd like to grow a small patch (3 feet by 6 feet, say), of carrots, but the thought of digging up well established lawn for it is daunting. Such a small patch would be constantly in danger of being taken over again by the grass, unless I put far more work into it than I want to. Well, I still have about a month before I have to make up my mind, can't plant anything here until the end of May, especially this year as spring is late.

Agony, think about a raised bed. You can buy the panels prefabricated, and the grass can't take over easily.
I've edged my two raised wooden beds with copper strips, which seems to put off the slugs.

That might do it - all I really want are carrots.

Running a farm I grow all sorts of stuff - wheat, canola etc. It's my garden that suffers - can anyone tell me how to revive a sunburnt staghorn? It is still partly alive on one side.

One thing I miss here in the city is not having my garden. I was never too big on growing vegetables, but I loved doing flowers (more than they loved me, unfortunately). I had a great little shade garden, though, with coleus and hostas (plantain lilies) and lily of the valley and some annuals that I loved. So I miss hands in the dirt.

Agony, I grew up in Saskatchewan and I always got so impatient waiting for the Queen's Birthday weekend in May before I planted. I learned the hard way - I planted early and ended up with snow on my petunias.

There are lots of flowers and produce here, but it's not the same as planting and nurturing your own.

Y

Hi trangie,
I know that feeling!

Is your stag board or tree mounted?
If on a board and small enough to move, put it in a shallow hole in a protected spot - enough to 'tuck in in' with compost around it - not soil as it will affect your board and wiring, soak it well and leave it till you see some new shields forming; shouldn't take long with the cooler weather.

If on a tree - I've packed mine with cocoa peat or moss and soaked it slowly.
Twice I've relocated one to get the right aspect - south to south easterly seems perfect.
They Do usually come back.

It's been hard to even keep shade over some areas after the scorching days fried overhead protection from normally protected plants.

My magnolias are happily budding - they're bald but happy!
The lavenders weren't weeded around and have survived the 46C days we had very well - now they'll probably die of root rot or something similar!
The fruit trees are starting to rest after being fried and anything else that isn't losing leaves to sleep is relaxing in the coolness.
My herbs have Gone Nuts!

Quote:

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The lavenders weren't weeded around and have survived the 46C days we had very well - now they'll probably die of root rot or something similar!

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Oh I envy you to have got so far with your Lavender!
I get so far, they grow to quite nice bushy plants , then I lose heart as they never seem to flower. Then they die of heat or wet root.
The roses are lovely this year, my helper is a genius at grafting, so we have lots of new ones. Then the orchids have really bloomed well, even though I abuse them terribly.

I forgot to say oak trees.
My son wanted his own forest and planted a dozen acorns in my front flowerbed a few years ago.
They all survived, the forest is about a metre tall now.
I've talked him into sneaking up to the Ashdown Forest and planting them there in the autumn, otherwise I'm going to have problems in another thirty years or so.

We planted three new grapevines and four blueberry bushes. We got the garden expanded and the ditch dug out so now it's just down to getting plants and doing the planting.

I have a Master Gardener certificate, and in my "other life" (besides my full time job which has nothing to do with growing things) I do consulting and plot plans...soooo, of course, my personal yard looks like a neglected jungle of weeds for most of the growing season (which, here in Edmonton, lasts no more than 3 months when you add snow, drought, hail and untimely hard frosts into the equation!)

I feel like the person who is a carpenter for a living, but whose own cupboards are falling off the walls LOL.

I'd hire a garden/cabana boy in a heartbeat, but somehow I don't think hubby would approve <giggles>

I have recently moved into a new house and haven't started on a garden in my new place yet. My old place had a huge garden but my new yard is much smaller so I think I will end up just grow a few vegetables in pots and plant a few flowers out the front.

I won't worry about it to spring which is months away.

I'm in the process of tearing everything up so I can start it over. There are some box shrubs in front of the house I'm keeping, but I pulled up the stones (walkway) and I'm killing weeds first, then tilling it up and putting mulch in. I have found during my digging that a previous owner had a gravel walkway there and then let the grass grow over it. ARGH!

I'm not ready for a flower garden yet... I'll need someone to handle that for me. I have such a black thumb.

At the moment, only dust. Our garden is a dumping ground for our builders who are in the process of adding a new story to the top of our house so we won't have a useable garden this summer

We've had massive amounts of rain lately and two big hail storms. We're planning on replacing 5 cabbage, 4 peppers and at least 4 tomatoes. Our concern now is that things don't rot.

Well we've eaten some of the lettuce which we planted earlier in the year, have tasted the early raspberries and one or two strawberries, have harvested a couple of handfulls of red and black currants, lots of parsley, chives, rosemary, thyme and laurel.

Tonight we dined on freshly dug potatoes - a first time ever for me to eat homegrown. I couldn't possibly comment on their relative tastiness - an hour at the beach beforehand had built up a healthy appetite, and I can but be subjective about the quality of MY OWN HOME GROWN spuds They were DE-LI-CIOUS!!!

Looking forward to green and butter beans and courgettes later in the year, and hopefully a tomato harvest (the last two years have been a washout for the tomatoes).

I have peaches starting in the peach tree, and one of my baby plum trees is going to yield a little this year. Gardening is definitely not for the impatient (although I am an impatient person, normally).

We only have a small yard, so only harvest a small crop. However, I am constantly surprised at just how much variety we can get out of our little parcel of earth. We may only eat a half a dozen meals from our garden, but those few make all the work worthwhile. There's nothing more satisfying than reaping the rewards of all that earlier preparation and attention.

It hailed again last night. Several things are completely destroyed. The peas will be picked tonight to avoid any further damage but nothing else is close to ready. When I heard it hailing last night, I couldn't even cry anymore. Very depressing.

I imagine it's currently summer somewhere so does anyone have a garden going? we're up to our ankles in snow so I'm planning on living vicariously through those who are currently growing things.

I'm picking raspberries at the moment. I have one bush, but have dug up some of the runners and transplanted them to another part of the garden, so should have a good sized patch in a while.

I threw an overripe tomato in the garden a couple of weeks ago and scuffed some earth over it that has turned into many seedlings which I really should thin out this week. My potatoes are going great guns (first time I've planted potatoes). I'd dug a trench for them, which is now hilled up. They should be ready in a couple of months. The cherry tomatoes are finished, but I see where some seedlings are coming up again.

The nice thing about living in a rainforest country, is for seven months of the year we get four hours of rain a day, so no need to water. We are approaching the dry season soon (called summer, even though we're in the northern hemisphere) so will need to use the hose on a daily basis soon.

edited to add: Just picked the first of the oranges yesterday, yum, fresh squeezed juice!

We had a very hot, dry summer, so the garden is only recovering at present. The amaryllis plants are always so rewarding, and are blooming now. We have lots of gerbera as always. I give these last two plenty of room and care as they are so brave.

Got mainly bottlebrush, banksias, grevilleas and melaleucas to bring birds into the garden.
My veges survive on my washing water - tomatoes, capsicum & pumpkins, plus what are called jam melons. The strawberries are nearly ripe, the parrots are massacring the apricots, and the mulberries should be right for Xmas.

Man you all make me jelous! I would be cooking jam until it came out of my ears if I had your fruit.

I only have a balcony! So my small garden consists of herbs like basil, oregano, pairsley...and some flowers that my new found stray kitten has his eye on!

Mid November on the Canadian prairies? Rock hard frozen ground with a little skiff of snow on it, and dead branches poking through. We've been having a gorgeous late fall, but it's still winter here now, or at least what most of you would consider winter (we're revelling in our good luck - I still haven't brought out the snow shovels, and haven't had to plug my car in once.)

I think that the 70's in November made up for the 40s in June, but we still haven't had enough snow or rain yet. We added four peach trees and a plum tree to the orchard. People kept asking for my Christmas wish list, since I couldn't come up with anything I put my fruit plants and seeds on it. Happy gardening for those in warmer parts of the world!

Living just 1/2 mile from coast, what little top soil there is, gets mixed with sand and blown away......bit like being UK answer to "Arkansas Dustbowl". So what is growing? Answer, very little. Havn't tried Cactus though, might do well!
Originating from the fertile East Anglian farmlands, I do find gardening here a very frustrating occupation!

I just planted 40 big pom-pom orange Marigolds in a thirty foot front border. I want bright red Salvia to go behind them but they are dang hard to come by (Darn kids wanting to smoke or tea the leaves). I may have to grow my own but they'll be way behind in growth. Hmmm, I could do a succession planting of the Marigolds around February to peak with the home grown Salvia (red wanted but purple would do on a thirty foot line with the orange.) but I need something with color that'll get to 1-2 ft high now (Verbena? haven't seen any in the garden centers). The fuscia/red Bog'villa in the middle rear is coming into cloud like blossoming which should last until next March. I just cut down a six foot high Monstrous cut leaf Philodendron plant (four babies growing). The woody stem/stock weighs about 150 pounds and is almost ten inches in diameter. The leaf pattern in the wood is like bird's eye maple, Now I need to find homes for the babies. Anyone care to adopt a huge house plant? The leaves get to two feet long!

Veggie garden has taken off like you would not believe! Rocket, bok choy, cucumbers [apple and burpless], and shallots are just about ready for the first picking. Eggplant, corn, chilli, capsicum, radishes are all doing well. Pumpkin, watermelon, and canteloupes are all about to take off around the backyard. Dwarf beans, snow peas, strawberries and celery all doing well but still a way to go before picking. Tomatoes [4 different types] all flowering but not fruiting yet. All this on severe water restrictions, so a lot of hand watering from the whopping great rainwater tank I have. Oh yep, rhubarb was grand this year and the cherry tree looks to produce quite well if I can keep the local birds [and kids] away from it. The veggie patch is interspersed with marigolds and tansy to keep the pests away and quite near to a hedge of italian lavender and row of fragrant roses which are in full bloom. Quite spectacular! Methinks I like the garden a little too much!

You're all making me jealous as well! Hehe. Humbugs, how nice that you can grow all those beautiful vegetables and flowers I would love to have a little garden, but I live in a building and although there's a balcony in the apartment that's not small at all, it's not big enough to have a garden. My mom does have some beautiful plants though.

Gardens are so pretty to look at!