My attempt at a spring bulb planter!

Looks good Ian :)
I see in picture 6 that the cigarettes have gone down but not the treacle - sorry coffee !!!

Nice neighbour, giving you some Crocosmia :)))
(shame about the name, poor man!)

Well Louise your half right, that is my second cup just brought out by my lovely assistant (part time) Carol Lol

Ahaaa !!!
Whereabouts will you site the planter ?

Glad to see some of us are actually doing some gardening Ian. I'm feeling maybe a bit inspired to toddle off to the place of temptation and get the necessary to do the same now I know how to do it.....but who knows what else I'll come back with? :o)) Great blog

I've got to get my hyacinths and crocus in soon. Just not sure where to put them. They will have to go into the ground rather than a pot here. Otherwise they will just die.....the crocuses will croak.....hee hee....sorry! had to be said.
Well done on your planting Ian. It will be fantastic come spring.

Oooohh don't forget a pic when it all comes into flower Ian...it's going to look great...."A host of golden daffodils" and some white ones too :))

Is your new avatar a good likeness Di?

Oh yes....cackle, cackle, cackle :))))

LOL!

You've got ye same terracotta moulded container thingy that I have, Digger! Has yours got holes in it's bottom? If not, punch some...I forgot and stuff got waterlogged.....

Should look great next spring, and the great thing about containers is you can put them wherever you want them, move them around, etc. Will look forward to seeing piccies of them when they're in flower.

Nice to have 'you' back, btw!
;-)

Well done Ian,your really into the flowery things now,you`ve got the bug matey and there`ll be no stopping you.Will look forward to seeing all your pics next spring.........

Well done, Ian, you should have a good display next spring. Looks as if you like your coffee the same as me - delicious!

very good ian and lucky you getting a present off gordon brown heheh, look forward to spring to see your planter in bloom :o))

I like this I've needed a project manager for all mine I'm up to pot 34 and still going strong, even gave some of my bulbs and plants away.
Going to try planting Paperwhite daffs for Christmas presents.

Top notch Digs!

Sure they'll be looking mighty fine and colourful when in bloom. Still gotta plant ours although I did plant some small Autumn bulbs a few weeks back and they've already started showing through.

Only 4-5" tall when grown but a bit of colour for Autumn I hope.

Look forward to seeing yours next year mate!!

Looking forward to seeing it in bloom, well done you.

Good Job they should look very nice in the spring,It would look more natural if you put some in the middle on every other row or like flying ducks ETC 6 in one row,5 in the middle row and 6 in the next row:o))

Thank you everyone, :~))
OK from the top ..................
Louise I've put it on the front, on the edge of the lawn.
Lily, you will have to show some restraint, I got mine from the market, yesterday.
Gilli the anteating elephant, thank you! Lol.
Hello witchy one (Crazydi) I will do.
Bscott, It didn't have when I got it, but it has now! ! ! I got three for £8. Nice. :~))
Hi LL, I think your right and the part time assistant has as well. (I call Carol the part time assistant because she starts helping and then disappears half way through! ! !)
Thanks Gee, black, so strong you can stand the spoon up in it and one sweetener, please :~))
Hi San, The poor man doesn't half get some stick around here.......
Good luck Garden girl, you can never have to many flowery things.
Cheers OB, I've never done one before so I thought I might as well give it a go.

Thank you DD.
Swanky, I see what you mean, I have put some pansies in now so I might get a quick photo before it gets to dark.
Hang on ................

If yours goes well mate I might try one like it next next year! I will wait and see yours first though, good blog, I like it!!!

............. Phew, I'm back, hold on .......... while I get me breath back ................ Hi Indy mate, Hows schoo ..... Uni going? Lol.
I've added two photo's to show the finished article.

Good job well done Ian, it will be gorgeous next spring..
just a word of warning about the Crocosmia, They will take over your garden and i mean take over.. a neighbour once gave me some (i wish she had warned me about them) and i planted little bunches right round the garden!!! We completley cleared our garden this year and even the digger didn't move all of them, I still have them coming up through the border and grass.. A little Tip.. Plant them in buckets and bury the buckets Pleeeeese.. hahaha

Excellent suggestion, YoungDD! They're fine if you have the space, but they're little s@ds if you don't! But oh, they are lovely, and the spires of green leaves dancing and twisting in the sunlight are just magic, and the flowers are late season, in the main, so they're doubly welcome.

Hi Ian I'm like you just got into flower gardening this year.
Was house sitting for a friend while a local Gardener was doing a job for him. I asked the man for a quote to tidy mine and bingo a new hobby. Great as I haven't worked for a year since arthritis got the better of my knee and I've just been told he's going to operate on my other knee so I'll have a matching pair.

Thanks Ydd, trouble is I've already planted them in four places! ! !
Thanks B. I do like them a lot.
Gardengirl, That sounds painful, both of my parents have arthritis and they are both doubled up with it and I've got it in my hands so I know what your going through.

Lucky you, Gardengirl...I have progressive osteoarthritis in both knees ( diagnosed a year ago ) and have been told I have a 10 year wait for replacements ( I'm too 'young' apparently...it's the only thing I AM too young for! ) How did you manage to give up work? I'd love to but dunno where to start!!!!
( sorry Digs, just need some advice, here! )
;-)

Maybe we need an arthritics section where we could all gather and discuss anti-inflammatories, joint replacement and how bl@@dy debilitating it is!
;-)

I've got a medical leaflet that says gardening and arthritis are ok together if you don't overdo it.
I'm not up replacements yet but a partial one has been mentioned on the right. The prob with the left one is cartilage and has come about since struggling with the right one, a piece of bone broke off in the right one.
I didn't actually give up work but after the max sick pay my supermarket put me on healthcare leave for 6 mths but I'm waiting to find out their next move coz thats up now and I only saw the surgeon today and as well as op he's sending me for a back scan.
I also had a shoulder op this year and I'm only 47. lol

lovely planter ian. you are getting the hang of this flower lark. not all crocosmia are thugs depends on the variety, so you might be lucky and have a good one.

Well you're a bit smart aren't you Digger? Planting in tiers like that! Now I know what to do. Cheers!

Great twist on another Blog by u-know-who!!! Had a good laugh, Digger! lol

Bet its the orange one seaburngirl..

Why are Crocosmia thugs? Do they beat up the plants near to them?!

Crocosmia are not so much a thug as an invading army....I inherited a garden full of them and spent a year digging them out. lol

I didn't realise...mine are in a pot! Must be like Holloway for them!

Or Dartmoor, if you're male, hehe. lol

Hi IAn, like your top dressing. Bet it looks lovely in spring. I've sent you a pm

Those should give a nice show in the spring Ian. Don't forget to show pics when they all come out :o)

Thank you all for your lovely messages and comments, I am really worried now about these crocosmia, my neighbour (from hell) has a clump of them and they seem to be very well behaved and the neighbour who gave them to me never mentioned how invasive they are either. I hope they are well behaved as I split them into four clumps and put them in like that. :~((

The crocosmia in your neighbour from hell's garden are probably too scared to misbehave Ian! They do spread in my garden but not like wildfire, the problem I've found with them in the past is that even if you think you've dug them all up, they still seem to keep coming back. Mine are fighting it out with the huge conifer hedge - a good match I think!

Morning Lily, just 11:57 by my clock, Lol
I have put them in and I can't be bothered to take them out again, so they can stay there for next year at least.
I'm just nipping in and out today as it was Carol's birthday yesterday and we had a bit of a 'do' here last night, so things need sorting out and none of us can be bothered. Lol :~)

Happy Birthday to Carol, Ian. lol

Have done WH
many thanks are sent back :~))

Happy Birthday yesterday, Carol!
Digs, the crocosmia will be fine....let them bulk up for a year or two and THEN start worrying about them!

Gardengirl...ouch!...you've had a bad year what with the knees, the shoulder and now the back! Mine's cartilege as well, hardly any left in the right knee. Thanks for posting the details of your works response....I await mine with a certain degree of cynicism! Hope you'll feel better soon....

H'ppy day f yisterday Carol and have a great year as well.love n XXXX's Indy!!

Happy belated birthday Carol, hope there's not too many hangovers in the Digs-abode today. I wouldn't bother to move the croscosmia either Ian. (I made this comment about 6 hours ago but it's not there so I must have forgotten to submit again!)

Happy yesterday's Birthday to Carol - and yes, beware of the Crocosmia, Ian! They spread by little bulbs, that you will have seen, and also by seeding themselves. Just keep an eye on them...you are getting so many lovely flowers in your garden, and will want more different ones, so you won't want the whole area taken over by one kind of plant, will you!

Carol says a BIG thank you to everyone for the lovely wishes. By the way she NEVER gets hangovers, it makes me sick! ! ! :~((, (It's either that or the alcohol that makes me sick) I have split the crocusmia into four bunches and three of them have weed membrane around them, so I feel a teeny bit happier with the news.

PS Spritz. Those penstemon's that you sent to me have come on fantastic and have flowered properly. I'll try and remember to take a photo tomorrow and post it for you. ;~))

Thanks for your pm Ian...Happy belated Birthday to the missus!

Thank you Fluff.

You are getting into the flowers it all looks great and lovely blog Ian, can't wait for the spring to see them in bloom hope it enspires you to keep the flower s up the only thing I would of done different is, it would of been 2 roll ups instead of cigarettes hehe.

2 roll ups??? What are those Morgana???

Happy belated birthday from Canuckland Carol. Hope it was a good one.

I'll be interested to see your penstemons too Ian. :o)

Roll ups = make your own ciggies, from rolling up the paper in your fingers!

Thank you Indy for explaining the machines use too much bacci, :o))))

Youre welcome,Morgana!

Well done Ian.........you will have lots of colour in the Spring.....you will nearly have as many pots as me soon...LOL

I like pots and containers as I can deal with them on the days when I can't get down to 'dig in the mud' as Holly so rightly calls my attempts at gardening. ;~))

The spring troughs are going to be great...You professionals make these things look so easy ;o)
P.s Crocosmia are fantastic, especially when they've colonised an area, like a sea of jungle grass all summer and a lovely burst of late summer colour!
PPS Happy birthday Carol x

Just catching up Digs as been busy all week.

Happy belated birthday wishes to the good lady sir......HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROL!

Can't wait to see the results next year mate.

Thanks JJ, Professional? ? ? I only started flower gardening this year and veg gardening last year.
I got a lot of comments about the Crocosmia taking over as we only have a small garden so I have dug them up again and sunk big pots into the ground and planted them in those.
Carol says thank you. :~))
Hi Dan, Carol says thank you to you as well, I hope they do something as I have only copied other GoY'ers blogs. ;~))

That's why I love 'em Ian,we have a small garden too, 15'x31' and they look fantastic in good clumps. Perfect for my jungle, but not for everyone! Great idea planting the pots..best of both worlds. :o)

Thanks Jen, our garden is about the same size but I have to leave space for a six yr. old to run riot and for our wheels to get around in. :~))

See what you mean there, it's a bit of a balancing act trying to cater for everyones needs isn't it.For me though, that's what makes gardening interesting and as diverse as the gardeners that create them. :o)

Your right there Jen, I'm going to investigate a more vertical planting scheme next year, if you know what I mean. Lol

So Ian you are now hooked on flowery things! Loved your blog and look forward to seeing the "baked" result lol. I have also been busy planting spring bulbs and lovely, lovely winter pansies. They look so fragile but shrug off the cold (hopefully). I too add my best wishes to Carol for her birthday.love Sue x

Hi Ian, I got some bulbs by mail last week, and the leaflet showed "lasagne" planting, ie. in tiers (not tears),which I thought a great idea. Now, I find your blog, and see that you've done just that - clever bloke, you! :-))

Hi Sue, I see you have gone through a metamorphasis as well! ! ! ! Thank you :~))
David, seriously I just followed what others have done on GoY, I'm not clever at all when it comes to the flowery things ! ! !

On the picture it says,"you critters lay off my veg", which was a tribute to all you veg growers!! I thought it quite apt when I saw it and after all my last picture was at christmas and I didn't want to be reminded of it yet. Lol love Sue x

Lol. Sue. :~))

nice one ian ive got a part time assistant called carol too i keep her busy lol

Welcome to GoY, Pedandkaz. I should let you know I'm Carol's 'part time assistant'. That is she does the diciding and I do the digging, Lol.