Gardening tips and ideas

[Diane65]

Baty you are just amazing and I am loving the photos as it really does bring it all to life. I really wish that I had taken before photos as hopefully by the back end of summer with everybodies advice it should really start taking shape Now have a lilac tree, herbs, white roses and violets on my list and that's before my hanging baskets, tubs, clematis and a spot of painting, improving the soil and grass/moss (can't really call it a lawn but I don't really mind as I like rustic) - Baty's garden is on the same lines as the style I'm after but an English version of it. I do love all styles of garden and love seeing everybody's different styles. I love being on a mission and now have a project to tackle

[baty]

I like to take cuttings, or try growing seeds not from packets. I grew on some pinks and roses from bouquets with some doing better than others. I know the f1 hybrids wont grow true but you could get a surprise. I have been naughty and picked seed heads from places I have walked through. I have very elegant plant seed yet to plant. Just need a spell of warm weather and space on the window sill. b*ght a banana plant about 4 years ago, it loves wales, now has lots of babies and will need repotting when I get back. Always lots to do with plants.

My dd2 is really good with orchids, bringing them back from the seemingly dead. Will try to post pictures

[Preston1990]

Thanks for putting all the photos and propagation tips up, Baty. Just goes to show that gardening need not be too outrageously expensive. I can see that everyone will be frantically plant swapping at the next FMUK meeting.

The recent great spell of weather seems to have deserted us up in the North East for the moment, but can I offer a timely gardening tip myself. Weeding seems so much easier after a period of rain. Granted, it may also be more messy, but the little blighters seem to come out of the ground much more easily and completely when its wet.

Also if you've got the room for it, don't forget to convert your garden waste into compost. You'd be surprised at the quality of what emerges when its all rotted down, and best of all its free and a very eco friendly thing to do.

[prettyxcool]

ooh, I love this thread! I don't have a garden, as I live in a flat on the top floor, so have no idea about gardening, but I did have a little plant pot patch in the corner of my kitchen and in the bathroom and hallway, which was thriving really well, until about 5 years ago, and unfortunately, it has got quite neglected, as most of my spare time was spent in looking after mum. I started it from cuttings, and then I took cuttings to sell to raise funds for a charity when we were set a "Show We Care" fundraising challenge at work. Me and my colleague held a plant stall and even got someone from Kew Gardens to come down and give people tips. Obviously it was a success and we raised the most funds out of all the teams!

Then before the children were born, I had a bit of roof over the extension which I would crawl out on and had grow bags full of tomatoes, lettuces and spring onions, and had to fight with the birds! Loved being able to eat what I grew and so fresh! I had to board up the exit for safety once the children were born as there is a three flight drop onto concrete, as it is just a flat rooftop, no railings! Did think about investing in railings but we just did not have the money to do it, and with a young family too. On hindsight, I wish I did as it would have increased the value of the property.

So now, I really got to go back and revive my plants, but I really would love some window boxes for my window sills, and here is where I would love some advice. How do I go about it. Can I just pick it up at the 99p shop. What do I use, compost, moss? What are the best plants/flowers? May be I can ask my neighbour if she has any spare moss, she has a huge garden by London standards! Do I line the boxes with bin bags too? My window sills are east facing on a residential road, second floor up. How do I secure them so they are not blown away or falling down on passerbys? I would also like a window box on my kitchen window sill which is west facing. All the window sills are really narrow though, so not sure if it possible to get narrow window boxes?

I am fired up now to go and hunt for cheap plants and cuttings etc.

Thanks Diane65 for starting this thread.

[baty]

PXC Look at number 8 in the pics http://www.viralnova.com/dream-home-items/. I have been thinking about how I could grow things indoors and this, with tweaking could be a goer.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/upl ... use-10.jpg

Also been looking on Ikeahacks and youtube.... I have been looking at the hydroponics on youtube as a future project. Try looking for vertical growing. Love the help on Youtube.
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[Preston1990]

Baty, your mention of Ikeahacks reminds me of some stuff I saw years ago encourging people without gardens to grow potatoes in those blue carrier bags that Ikea do. Don't see why you couldn't use them for other veggies (like maybe courgettes, etc) and fruit (srawberries?) as well.

Now that is thinking outside of the box! .....well growbag at least.

[baty]

Love it Preston. I think that most problems are opportunities to think ..sideways / offpist (?) At least when I have climbed down from the wall I have been driven up!! That is why I am also a horder... it WILL be useful!!

I b*ght a thyme plant at a brocant on monday. Today I took it out of the pot, got rid of the old orange roots, tore it into about 4 separate plants. The 'new' plants have more whiteish roots are have now been replanted. Also, killed the snail eggs that the pot had. Watch out for those little yellow 'beads', No!!, they are not fertiliser!

In our agricultural department they buit a green house out of plastic bottles... one inside another. Now that looked interesting, just don't think OH would put up with the amount of bottles it took.

I think that the shelving unit, with plants, lit by day light bulbs would be a winner. Now where did I see a shelving unit I could transform?

By the end of the summer I will have a lot of holly hock seeds if any one is interested. I could also grow on rosemary, sage (purple&green) maybe lavender too.

The chives & garlic chives are about to seed so will collect these too.

In the next meet, I will be the one weighed down with plants!! That is if anyone wants them.

[Diane65]

Window sill boxes sounds so pretty. Just been for an evening out to B&Q and they have a few different types of troughs for window sills either the plaster type or the clack wrought iron ones which appear to attach to the window sill with a bracket drilled into the wall or I have seen what looks like a bracket that hooks under the window box and then onto the window ledge.
Not sure which plants would be most suitable but geraniums always look so pretty either trailing or upright - they have 6 for £5 at b&q and then possibly a herb garden on your kitchen windowsill as Preston1990 says you can pick then up for like 20p when they are selling them off at the supermarket and as ejwrank has mentioned a few have pretty flowers on them. akh43 has got herself a 99p lilac bush from poundstretcher. The bulbs at bandq are half price now so I have just purchased a bleeding heart for £1.50 (one of the many that OH had killed ) and 8 lily of the valleys for £1.50 so I'll be planting these over the weekend.

Prettyxcool please let the experts answer my gardening suggestions as I just think that they would look nice http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beautiful-han ... 27e2aa218e and https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/imag ... UwwRBDjk-n but haven't a clue if they will be suitable.

Preston1990 I will take your advice and get weeding this weekend and see if I can find space for a compost heap.

[Sunny Saver]

Pxc: I purchased two type of bulbs from 99p store, freesias and gladioli. Gladioli are ok, no sign of freesias, but with both bulbs I did in a dark cupboard first, some of the gladioli that I planted first have come out later. I repeat my little cousin's statement 'if a plant wants to grow, it will grow'.

[baty]

Pxc: I purchased two type of bulbs from 99p store, freesias and gladioli. Gladioli are ok, no sign of freesias, but with both bulbs I did in a dark cupboard first, some of the gladioli that I planted first have come out later. I repeat my little cousin's statement 'if a plant wants to grow, it will grow'.

My dad used to put seeds in a glass of water. those that floated he threw away. the ones that sank he kept.