Does anyone want to join in a gardening chat thread where we can discuss what we are planting, pruning, trimming etc?
I manage to just about deal with plants (never know which shrubs should go where and how big any type of flower is going to get though) and I muddle through getting some hanging baskets together each year and sometimes growing tomatoes from a ready bought plant.
So, although I’m kind of enthusiastic, it doesn’t come naturally to me!
This year, I was thinking of ordering some seeds and tubs (if they are still delivering) and I was just wondering if you can sew seeds in normal garden soil as I won’t be able to get any compost?
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I love gardening, for bigger projects I come up with the idea, then tell Lee what to do. We will be short of plants this year as the garden centres have closed. May order some online at least it will colour up the tubs
Pictures from last year
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Great idea! I love gardening. My garden always used to look beautiful but, since I started my business, it has become very neglected. Hopefully we might have time now to give it some TLC - especially as hubby can’t work at the moment (painting and decorating is not essential or social-distancing friendly!!)
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Sarah @thedotterypotter most hardy annuals can be sown direct into the garden flower bed from April. Just rake the soil over to loosen it up a bit and sprinkle the seeds on. Hardy perennials can be sown direct a bit later in May but won’t flower until the flowing year.
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I love my garden but it’s looking rather sad. I used to have an allotment with a friend and couldn’t cope with both, so my gardens a mess, I no longer have a allotment, I did enjoy it tho. Then I got rescue hens, haha, my garden is very fertile now, all hens are no longer with us, but what fun they were!
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Can I plant veg seeds in seed trays full of normal garden soil if I don’t have any compost?
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Some veg seeds are fine sown direct into the ground (salad, radishes, carrots, beetroot, peas, beans) things like tomatoes and courgettes are better started off on a window sill and yes you can use normal garden soil but break it up so its all fine and crumbly rather than in big lumps.
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This is a good chat idea and it will be great to pick up some advice.
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Agree with all the previous comments. Am slightly frustrated as I have had foot surgery so can’t garden. I am planning though, and sending off for courgette, tomato and bean seeds in preparation for sowing them soon
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This is a great idea, I love my garden and I’m flower mad. It’s particulary wonderful to have a garden at this difficult time.
I’ve been posting pics of my garden flowers on Instagram, the tulips are just about to bloom. Here’s a pic of cherry blossom, always lovely to see.
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Beautiful Tina @DaisyWings
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Fab idea Sarah! I am a very enthusiastic but very amateur gardener 
My Granddad was a gardener & I like to hope I inherited some talent from him, but I also think I might be a bit too impatient sometimes! I chopped a lot of stuff back this week & am now a bit worried it might be a bit early as they were saying on the weather that we’re due another cold snap. Oops!
I don’t grow veg as we don’t have the space or aspect really, so I try & grow for bees & butterflies. I only really put my borders in a couple of years ago, so have been slowly filling them up - this years plan is to try & divide things & grow from cuttings for some free plants.
Anyone got experience of growing plants from cuttings? If so - is there anything I could try at this time of year? I’ve managed to do a fuchsia & a verbena but that was in the autumn…
Gorgeous garden btw Caroline @Caroleecrafts, & stunning pic Tina @DaisyWings 
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If you are going to do soft wood cuttings then I’d leave it a couple of weeks - you don’t want to pick shoots that have been damaged by a frost. I’ve done soft cuttings of things like pinks, wallflowers (perennial ones not annuals), rosemary, lavender and penstemons.
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Since my OH retired, I’ve pretty much lost my garden 
…
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I like to sit in my garden with a cuppa probably more than actually working on my garden 
, having said that, I did do a good hours weeding in the sunshine today and loved every minute of it. We used to have a veggie patch until a couple of years ago - the area is now my new “baby” as it’s a section of garden that I’ve planted from scratch and am now beginning to see how everything can work well (or not) together. We have more grass than flower beds, purely due to lack of time to keep the beds looking nice. I have decided that this year I’ll be returning to growing a few veggies, using pots around and on an old Land Rover that sits in the garden. Will be an interesting project.
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Ahh fab thanks Sasha! I do have a penstemon, & I know there’s some lavender in our park so could pinch a bit of that too 
Christine @coatimundi yes my Dad has taken over the garden, Mum doesn’t get a look in any more, although she does get to enjoy the fruits of his labour - literally! He’s made up as he HAS to spend the next 12 weeks in his greenhouse / garden, & just discovered he can get his wine making kits delivered so can still make his wine from their grape vine - just needs to get a neighbour to pick up the sugar for him!
Your Land Rover project sounds fun Elaine @elliestreasures - would love to see some pics when it’s done. I love having a nosy at other people’s gardens!
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I have a lovely little patch of anemones looking particularly pretty in the sunshine at the moment.
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For those of you who like me are spending hours a day out in the garden can I remind you to please wear sunscreen! I know it might not seem that hot and the sun’s not as strong here like it is near the equator but skin cancer is triggered by cumulative damage so slap on the factor 30.
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Does that include a garden on the top of a Welsh mountain ? The sun is lovely to see but it’s decidedly chilly here 
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Yup - the air is thinner up there so you need your sunscreen more!
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