Gran/Grandads Gardening Corner

I always check the 'sick bay' at garden centres, have bought some bargains but also some duds!

I'm another one who goes straight to the poorly plant section. Sometimes I wonder why the plants are there. A couple of weeks ago I bought two azaleas about to bloom, for half price.
I potted them up into tubs and they look great.

Happy Easter and Gardening everybody.....the sun is out.????

Anyone any idea whether it's too late to plant tulips? GS brought me half a dozen bulbs back from his weekend in Amsterdam (please feel free to burst into song!??). Will it damage them if I plant them now? I usually get them potted up in November.

I am surprised they haven't sprouted already. I don't know the answer, but would have thought it worth a try. Good luck!

Went with DD1 to garden centre this morning to buy replacement Erysimum plants for 2 of hers which have gone woody and died. I find they do that sometimes, she probably didn't cut off the dead flower stalks. Of course I ended up getting her a few extras - Delphinium and Aquilegia to self seed hopefully, and some more Heuchera. Also some attractive boulders which sparkled in the sun and some dangly lights. Cost more than I had planned but at least we got 2 free bags of compost with some vouchers that came in the post!
Being lazy this afternoon, it is too hot to be energetic.

They may flower very late this year, but if they are one of the good perennial types they will settle down and flower at the correct time in future years.

Yes, it's really hot in the garden today.?We have just come indoors.Erysiums really seem to need replacing every three or four years, but they aren't expensive and bloom really well.No idea about tulips, we plant in late Autumn and have some in bloom now, and some will bloom in May.It could be an experiment Greyduster
Have just painted a garden bench ( muscles are now aching , muscles that I didn't know that I had!)

I'd plant the tulips. I've often bought cheap bulbs at the end of the season and planted them up. You may only get leaves this year, but they should flower next year.

In fact my 10p Begonias are on their 15th year. I hope they come through again this year.

Hot? It's quite chilly here!

He bought them from the floating flower market and he was desperate to plant them today, so we went ahead and did it. I've stored bulbs before and not been very successful, so there's not a lot to lose I suppose.
My Erisymum has gone absolutely bonkers, shysal now that it isn't overshadowed by the demon laurel. The garden's looking pretty good at the moment - but then it always does until we go into the July-August lag phase! I never seem to be able to get the late summer right.

I spent yesterday moving more soil from the bags on our front garden into the now bordered beds. Work in progress which I am doing gently, a bit at a time.

I was tying in my Rambling Rector, (while I can still reach it) so it will spread horizontally and I can let it go where it will.
I have been moving my existing plants into new positions. On the way I dug up a Buddliea Dark Knight and binned it. (I have several cuttings.) It was in the wrong place.
This afternoon I bought a Timperly early rhubarb plant. No idea where I will put it yet and two "Erythronium
Pagodas" A sort of yellow lily like flower for shady places. Well they were on the search and rescue table at half price £3.50 each so why not.

Shysal* I envy your "splish splash" geranium.
I bought two Astilbe "Fanals" from the "death trolly" in Homebase last year now they are looking really good.

Just as a matter of interest how many of you have been on The Gardeners World Forum. You do have to register but it is a very good source for general advice. Having lots of people with different levels of experience is really useful. I am finding it really useful and quite fun.

Well j52 I was doing some potting up today and thought I 'd try your polystyrene bits as I find pots hard to heave around. I had a couple of sheets of polystyrene, broke them up and started to pop them into the first pot. Didn't think about static build-up. Just couldn't shake the bits off my hands and wrists. After several frustrating minutes I ended up washing them off in the bathroom basin - plug in to avoid clogging drains.
Pots were easy to shift and are looking good but I'm glad no-one saw my battle with the bits!!
Next time I'll try the packaging 'comma' bits.

Rosesared I misread your post and thought you had planted a garden bench!!

I fell out of love with my garden last year but a friend has been giving me some help with bed digging - what took him a couple of hours would have taken me a couple of days. I'm ready to fall in love again.

This year I'm determined to sort out two very different beds. Out the front gets full sun and the soil hardens like concrete. The other one is out the back and gets very little sun.

This thread has given me quite a few ideas. Love the look of the splish splash geranium.

mcm isn't gardening fun! I know what you mean, I tend to wear gloves so the bits stick to them.
Not only does polystyrene make the pots easier to shift, but it also uses up the trays the plants come in.
Enjoy the pots.

I love all the different names for the garden centre 'sick bay'. I think 'search and rescue' is my favourite mentioned so far. What do you all call it?

I dug up my Lilac tree and put it on Freely Wheely on Good Friday. I had no takers during the holiday so I thought I would have to bin it. Over the last two days I have had 6 requests. So it has now gone to a nice new home instead of the dump.

Could someone please put a name to this?
6" across and 3" high. ( This is looking down at it.) I bought it last week in B&Q's casualty dept and it had lost its label. Only planted on Saturday and doing beautifully.

Could it be a type of anemone? It's very pretty.
I call the 'sick bay' The sad plant stall'.

Thanks j52. I don't think it's an anemone as the leaves are very different. The flower looks a bit like wild geranium but again very diferent (and prettier) leaves.

It does look like an anemone. Both flower and leaves mcem but not sure.

I call the weak and fading plant section the orphan shelf.

lilahloo wouldn't it be great if we really could grow garden benches.

I think I may have found it in an old book of Mum's. What do you think of oxalis?

Isn't that a sort of daisy? Have never planted it ( or noticed one) but it's very pretty anyway.

Japanese geranium?