What are we doing in the garden 2025

I shall be looking for Ann Folkard @lizzie27 for the golden foliage and bright purpley pink flowers with a dark eye. She can run amok in the new rose bed. Failing that, phaeum will do. Don't want any blue flowers.

 

More weeding, tidied up a hydrangea, will need a proper prune next spring.
Then decamped to greenhouse, tidied up a few plants in there. Sinningia tubiflora has been in a 5 L pot has been looking a bit sorry for itself recently so I tipped it out and found it had more tubers in it than soil, so I now have 4 pots of tubers for next year, hopefully a couple of people will be kind enough to take a couple.

 

Don't hold your breath @NigelJ - nobody wants my spare sinningia. I split mine last year into about 6, and I think I now have loads of full pots. Do you think the tubers are edible?

 

We have been clearing summer bedding from pots and planting up bulbs. Nice working outside this morning, but decamped to the greenhouse after lunch as it cloudd over and a cold wind arose.
Whilst in there we started to pot up some of the bulbs from our bargain box of mixed bulbs- more to do.
@fairygirl , we have a friend who had a bag for 2 years, but was then reversed, not entirely back to normal but with dietry care, is doing well.

@Obelix-Vendée - Yes the reason I go through the rigmarall of rebuilding the frame every year is because the lemons are too big and heavy for me to move them to and from the greenhouse. Even with a strong sackbarrow, trying to get them up and down a 1m drop of 5 steps was becoming too much of a risk.

 

Thank you @Logan @CanadianLori @Busy-Lizzie and @Allotment Boy - very kind of you all.
Unfortunately, with endometriosis, removing the cysts doesn't cure the problem, because of the way they spread, and adhere to other parts of the body, so they can pop up in other places later on. I'd give her a hug from you all, but even doing that is painful for her, and painful for me in a different way. I'll give her all your love though. Thank you all again for your kindness. xxx
For those of you coping with bags, or with friends who are, I send my love. It's still one of those 'hidden' subjects that doesn't get talked about enough, and yet it's pretty common.

Back on gardening - I managed to get my bulbs done yesterday in the shelter of the shed and it's doorway. I'll try and do the wee green roof today after my walk if it stays dry - it's looking a bit more promising after the gales and rain last night. Everything seems to have managed to stay upright too. I'll have to lift a few little bits of sedum and saxifrage from various areas for it. I could do with some more grit for the tops of the pots, so I might go and get that later on.

 

I am really sorry to hear about your daughter @fairygirl I have heard that endometriosis is extremely painful. They should really put more resources into this, no one should have to live with debilitating pain.

Regarding the stoma bag, a friend has it. She is still the same vibrant sassy lady, who is also a bit of a germophobe, and likes to look stylish - none of those things have been affected by the bag. The only restriction I am aware of is that she needs to avoid some specific food textures - but it's given her her life back (after getting diagnosed with cancer at 49 or 50).

Not much gardening for me today - it's a work day anyway, but it's not looking great for the weekend either because my partner has Covid (it's rife again) and I currently have a sore throat, so I might be next. I am however weighing up options for moving plants in my mind (as always)

 

Round here, unless it has a common name and is available at the GC, very few people will take plants offered for free.
I'm thinking of offering a free plastic fiver with each potful to see if that helps.
As for edibility Google AI offers "
There is no indication that Sinningia tubiflora is edible, and one search result even contains a user comment wishing the plant was edible, implying it is not. "
More seriously I may try planting some out and seeing how they do. Well that's next summer's good weather done for.

 

I've stuck loads in my big pots near the house, which should provide some shelter.

 

@Obelix-Vendée I grow Ann Folkard and it does well with me; however when I first got it I tried it somewhere too dry and it was very unhappy until I moved it to a damper spot where it romps all over the place.

 

The recent wind and rain has shifted the bulk of the leaves off the oaks so I need to get out, rake them up and stack them up for leave mould. Better do it as one neighbour has been out two or three times a week for the past month with blower and giving me a stern look when he sees me. He bags them up dry and takes them down the tip.

 

I had one in light shade and dry soil, it grew reasonably well but was not vigorous. When I moved it into a position that gets morning sun with slightly damper soil, it took off! Here it is in its former location, languishing delicately on a fern .

 

Thank you @NigelJ and @Plantminded. The new rose bed rins north south at the back of the house so, in winter will be partially shaded but in summer it will get full blast. Once the stones have been quarried the soil is really nice and I've worked in loads of manure. Once fully planted it will get a mulch of chipped bark.

The bed is lower than the house and there's some grass and then a slope up to a level about 100cm higher so it will get rain and drainage and there's a handy water butt at the back of the annex so if I can find Ann Folkard she should be fine. So far I've found it online in 9cm pots at 5€90 each if I buy 3. Maybe I should consider a geranium sanguineum Ankum's Pride which copes better with dry conditions.

 

@Obelix-Vendée I replaced G Anne Folkard in the dry top of the wall spot with G Mavis Simpson which has done a lot better in most years then G Anne Folkard ever did, this year even it struggled.

 

I like the look of you Mavis Simpson @NigelJ and may well try and find some but, for this bed, I need a stronger pink.

 

Ann Folkard will do well for you there @Obelix-Vendée. It’s one of my favourites, the combination of the bright green leaves and deep magenta flowers is a winner! A bright pink one which also does well here is Max Frei, still flowering now but it’s clump forming so won’t give you the spread of Ann Folkard.