Many of our daffodils are now coming into flower and the snowdrops are dying back. Let’s hope the wind doesn’t flatten the daffodils today!

Originally Posted by: doctormog 

Many of our daffodils are now coming into flower and the snowdrops are dying back. Let’s hope the wind doesn’t flatten the daffodils today!

Originally Posted by: doctormog 

Same goes for my tulip plants. They are starting to open now

Originally Posted by: Sasa 

Mine look like they're about ready to bud so the sunshine and warmth this week should speed them along. Spent the last week planting 100 lavender plants so looking forward to some colour from them in the Summer.

Originally Posted by: speckledjim 

In a couple of days I should be able to pick some tulips growing over at the allotment. They have already opened, but it is still very early and they need a bit more growth.

One hundred lavender plants — blimey, are you going into lavender oil production? If you are into that sort of thing, you might also want to try some of these. Back home people make tea from the dried branches; it is supposed to be very good for you and has a nice flavour as well. Have a look. You can also get it from Victorian Nursery, although their website seemed to be down when I tried it. It attracts a lot of bees

https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/satureja-montana/classid.2000023612/ 

Originally Posted by: Sasa 

I've created some new beds so decided on lavender borders just for colour and scent. 

Originally Posted by: speckledjim 

It's the trimming of lavender that's the key to longevity, as you know. As long as you trim hard each year, not going into old wood, the plants will thrive. My neighbours have a path lined with some leggy (ugly) woody plants that it's now several years too late to trim correctly. 

My sweet cicely is appearing. Snowdrops were great this year but now of course over. Hyacinths are beautifully fragrant outside the office. Just at their peak and beginning to go over. Tulips in a couple of large chimney pots and some larger terracotta standards look promising.  Exotic Parrot and  Annie Schilder. I try different varieties each year and compost the old bulbs.

The fig in a straitjacket pot has new pea size buds but there are 9 larger fruits that survived the mildish winter. I'm hoping for a bumper crop after the 50 or so fruits last year. 

A good gardening day yesterday. And the crab apple now has leafy buds that appear before the white blossom.

The Victoriana Nursery seems to be up and running ok. 

Originally Posted by: NMA 

I grew a fig for the first time last year but it was not successful. Hoping for better this year. It was only the first year though so I do need to be patient!

Originally Posted by: speckledjim 

What was the problem? Did you buy the tree or from cutting?

Originally Posted by: Sasa 

it was a year old plant that I have in a pot. Takes 3 years or so before it really starts to bear fruit so i just need patience.

Originally Posted by: speckledjim 

Here's the (straightjacket/straitjacket, more topical perhaps) constricted pot I'm growing this fig in. About 47cm in diameter. Depth just over 32cm. In the ground, the fig would probably get out of control with few fruits.

And some of the overwintered figs. Any sharp frosts from now on might knock them off. This year's main figs will grow on wood that hasn't grown yet. These are Brown Turkey. Tomato feed is as good as anything. Not high nitrogen.

Originally Posted by: NMA 

In a couple of days I should be able to pick some tulips growing over at the allotment. They have already opened, but it is still very early and they need a bit more growth.

One hundred lavender plants — blimey, are you going into lavender oil production? If you are into that sort of thing, you might also want to try some of these. Back home people make tea from the dried branches; it is supposed to be very good for you and has a nice flavour as well. Have a look. You can also get it from Victorian Nursery, although their website seemed to be down when I tried it. It attracts a lot of bees

https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/satureja-montana/classid.2000023612/ 

Originally Posted by: Sasa 

I tried that tea a while ago, quite a nice and unique flavour !

Originally Posted by: Steve 

Steve,

Where was this if you dont mind me asking?

Originally Posted by: Sasa 

We were visiting some friends and they asked if I wanted to try it. It was quite nice but I prefer coffee 😃

Originally Posted by: Steve 

Good luck with those. One of the advantages of living here is that although not as mild as further west, I can grow all manner of relatively tender plants. I've just repotted, with help, a large Chusan Palm Trachycarpus fortunei. Although it was already in a large pot, it was getting too big for that and rising out of the top. So I bought a large 'Eris Ancient Stone Pot' 72cm. Two people to lift it. Looks classy in my 'sub tropical courtyard'. The gingers have been growing all winter but it's far too early to put them outside. But the work I've done encouraged the neighbours out today to tie up a rose on the other side of the wall. It's a borrowed rose in effect. I get the fragrance and some of the flowers. An Amelanchier on their side is budding on time. Always the earliest tree to come into leaf. And very much a shared plant.

The annual night-scented phlox (thank you) did really well last year and scented the garden in the evenings. I think staggering sowings is a good idea. It does look a bit scruffy though, flopping all over the place, so if I grow it again I'll keep the pots more hidden.

Originally Posted by: NMA 

Not sure people are aware, but peaches are easy to grow in the UK. Not on a commercial scale, perhaps, but for a small allotment plot holder, no problem at all.

I also love jam made from quinces. You grate the fruit and prepare it as normal. However, I’ve found it quite difficult to keep the fruit healthy when growing it myself. It’s often easier and cheaper to buy commercially grown quinces from a Middle Eastern shop, if you have one nearby.

Originally Posted by: Sasa 

Does anybody else use the free bags of spent coffee grains that you can pick up from a handy basket inside Star Bucks ? Apparently tomatoes shouldn't be used but I haven't risked testing that. I thought it might be a good "brown" ingredient for my compost bin but apparently counts as "green" due to its high nitrogen content. otherwise I have just used it as a general nitrogen fertiliser and scattered it around various fruit, vegetables and shrubs.

Originally Posted by: fairweather 

To take that a bit further, FW, we have just been given an additional Council waste bin for "food waste". I assume used coffee grounds should not go in it, nor into the Green bin for garden  waste - so where do the grounds go now if you don't manage a compost heap? As a mulch? 😕

Originally Posted by: Roger Parsons