The Potting shed

I think he is talking about Norwich

 

Quite a few things will thrive in clay - for example this Goldenrod, the colour of which should bring a smile to Watford fans everwhere.



Alternatively, you could try some ornamental grasses - such as Fountaingrass or Switchgrass, both of which love clay.

 

Can anyone recommend good roses for a garden that gets very cold winters, wet weather for weeks on end in the spring and very hot weather in the summer. Plus with a good scent and a reasonable length flowering season....

I consulted the Head Gardener who suggested contacting Peter Beales or David Austin Roses. Tell them you location, altitude, soil etc and they will happily recommend some roses for you.

As for ours we have The Constant Gardener and Crown Princess Margerita trained up a south facing brick wall. Buds are forming now and they went on til Nov last year. We have Teasing Georgia on a North facing wall, it did fine last year, its first year. Another could be Etoile d'Hollande which is on a N facing fence, doesn't do quite as well. Lastly Guinee, loverly rose but sparse flowering unless you pamper it will lots of manure/feed etc. If you don't want climbers make sure you get shub versions.

A nice bomb proof single rose is Rosa Rugosa which comes in pink or white. Has lovely foliage - often used as hedges.

All roses mentioned are perfumed, HG would not allow them otherwise.

For those of you looking for something to do on a Saturday afternoon during the close season, the National Rose Garden is near St Albans and well worth a visit.

 

Here are some alternatives Theo

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/10112493/Shed-of-the-year.html

 

I am growing a cross runner/french bean as an experiment this year. You cannot buy runner bean seed here as the conditions are too hot and dry, but with lots of mulch and watering I am giving these a go. As I am keeping a close watch on them I have noticed that all of the plants that have started to climb are going round the support poles in an anti clockwise turn. There must be a sound reason why, but at the moment it escapes me. Any suggestions?

 

You have an Australian variety?

 

Very helpful... many thanks... where do you work?


I will def follow up.....

 

A number of possibilities:

1)You are talking to them... come on Frenchie own up we know you do..... we wont laugh.... and they are moving away from you in the quickest direction

2) You have actually driven them literally round the bend

3) You are North of the equator..... take them to a point below the equator and they will change direction ... or take them to a point on the equator and they will straighten up

.... any other ideas folks ??

 

Good runners always go against the clock

 

I think you must have planted the seeds upside down! The poor little buggers didn't know which way to turn!

 

This should be in the private thread. We do not need oral sex huldufólk in the gardening messages.

 

That will be repped when I'm released tomorrow!

Brilliant!

 

Apparently, most beans do spiral anti-clockwise - apart from the runner bean which spirals clockwise. Yours are probably choosing to go against nature and spiral the opposite way because of the contrary French genes that you have introduced.

Just guessing.

 

I didn't realise when I asked the question what a can of worms I had opened. There are goodness knows how many responses scattered around the internet. Seemingly people have been trying to explain the rotation thing for a hundred years, but still there is no agreed answer. Most likely solution is that they programmed to do what they do and it doesn't matter if you plant them in the northern or southern hemisphere.

 

I think the most common answer is that they grow towards the light, the sun moves clockwise in the north and anti clockwise in the south! I have, however seen that disputed by Stephen Fry on QI, and he's much cleverer than I!

 

Don't think we have two suns Dave. The one that we do have moves around in the same direction, from east to west.

 

But in the Southern hemisphere it is the opposite!

 

Bloody heck Dave - you'll be telling us next that the Earth is flat or square!

It doesn't matter where you are in the world, whether the sun moves clockwise or anti-clockwise depends entirely upon which way you happen to be facing. If you're facing south, it moves clockwise - if you're facing north, it moves anti-clockwise.

 

But if that is the case WHO programmed them?

 

Congratulations you win our first award for best potting shed photo



Enjoy some carrots