Why were they laughing at me??

Looked like a lovely day out Spritzhenry

Sounds like you had a great day out spritz. Thought the fifth picture must be your heuchera border (now there's an idea). Seeing your giant carex has got me wondering - can I manage to get stipa gigantea into the plan for my new garden area?

Sounds like you had a wonderful time and meeting up with Grindle must have made it extra special as well.

A special well done to the chauffeur/porter for taking such good care of you all ;~))

I'm glad you enjoyed , and bought those plants :o) You had a good day !

~weren't those Gentians gorgeous~ bought some which look like doubles~we must have been in there sometime between 2 and 2.30?
Love that ginger!

I think we were still outside chatting to Grindle then. Yes, the Gentians were fantastic!

Andrew - there is a smaller version of Stipa gigantea, it's called Stipa gigantea 'Pixie' grows to about 4 feet, available from Apple Court Nurseries, Hordle, near Lymington, Hants.

im so jealous barbara, it looks fab there, dont seem to get much here only southport and not sure when that is, so many beautifull plants and flowers, i would want them all, love your new plant its a biggy lol, glad you had a super day

Enjoyed the trip around Spritz.....some lovely plants there...I really like the Gentians and that Carex....Wow!

I can feel through your blog that you had a fantastic day Barbara. Love the Carex.

Gee Spritz I am glad you strapped the Carex in can you imagine doing an emergency stop and the Carex trying to join you in the front. :o))

LOL Bob !!!!

It was a really good day and we bought some real beauties :)
I'll post some pictures of what i bought soon.

That's lovely to hear you both enjoyed yourselves, like Sam I'm also very jealous I would love to have gone but it was far to far to go. You have some beauties there Barbara, enjoy.

Lovely to see different GOYers take on the same show.

I'm envious, some of the plant displays were gorgeous - makes them look irresistible, just as well I wasn't there really. I think the heucheras were particularly well displayed. Your new Carex looks great in that position, too.

Thanks, Bamboo...this afternoon, I've dug out some Japanese Anemones - with difficulty! - and some of the Lysimachia ciliata too - so that the Carex will not get swamped next year.

those damned anemones - they can be such a pain to get out, I know I've done it. I'm now extremely careful where I plant them, if at all.

I inherited them, Bamboo....they flop over, even tho' I put supports in. I decided that all the ones in front of my obelisk HAD to go! If they have the temerity to poke their heads up, I shall get my red watering can out - the one with 'W.K.' painted on the side!!!!!

No prizes for what the initals stand for....;-)

aha! so that's the carex :)))) it was a great day wasn't it, and so nice to finally meet you and Louise. I eventually found my man, after running up and down like a demented ferret looking for him, forgot to make a note of his number LOL. I managed to get to my sister's without any more incidents. Sunday I got stuck in the traffic jam on the motorway and it took me nearly 4 hours to get home :((((

That's awful, the M5's a b***** isn't it ?

:( yup

Excuse me, but I noticed you were talking about japanese anemone's? I have just put a question up of a flower that won't die and have been told it's one of these. Should I be trying to get rid of this then?

No Ian, you shouldn't.
If they're happy where they are they'll multiply easily though so if you didn't really like them there it's probably best to remove it.

I've just planted 2, a pink one and your white one, they're at the back of a herbaceous border and near a hedge and i'm happy for them to stay, and if they want to spread they can !

Thank you Louise.

Mine are the VERY tall (pink single) ones, and they flop over, in spite of supports. Then anything underneath gets smothered, Ian! They spread in my garden, and are a thorough nuisance. Having said that, I've recently planted a more well-behaved one in the back garden, and I have a shorter double pink one elsewhere which is beautiful.

Grindle - I sent you a PM - did you get it?? Glad you found your man and got home safely - eventually! :-)

They are very tough aren't they! They have survived all sorts of trials, (weed killer, slabs being plonked down on top of them and handfulls pulled out at random!) and they still keep coming back. I thought they were some kind of weed! ! !

To Spritz they are Ian !!!

In my wide border, I am beginning to think of them as weeds, Ian! I dug out four clumps of them this week, and if they send up shoots from the bits of root left in, I shall put weedkiller on them. Cruel person, I know - but I can't even send pieces out to members who want them, as the roots just break off. :-((

What an unusual plant it is then, I'm not sure whether it will be able to stay then as I have plans for that area. A footpath no less! ! !

WHAT?? No flowers? Seriously, can't you put in stepping stones so the plant can stay? I know I'm rude about my thuggish ones, but many of them are NOT thugs and are beautiful....

Hmmmmm, you see how it starts? OK it can stay (I hope) ;~))

Lovely pics Spritz....thanks for showing us...I've never been to a garden show.

Ian - or a gravel path so the anemone can grow in it?

Thanks, Fluff! Sadly, the Bath & West show will probably not be on, next year - there were so few exhibitors and they put up the pitch charges so much that Nurseries simply didn't go! So - people won't go, will they?

Big shows will survive, though, I hope!

Hi everyone,

Just to say what lovely plants you all have, all those great plants at Malvern really does make you want to go and start digging.

My problem is that when I moved into this bungalow, the previous owners were not plant people!!! They imported two great big piles of 'good soil' more like a great load of heavy clay. Goes like concrete in the heat - house is south facing, I've tried my lovely hosta's in there and they were aweful a few leaves that looked like they were dying.
Dalias not a chance came out the pot and stayed the same size. Its so disappointing, as I love doing my garden even with R.Arthritis. Moved from Caistor near Grimsby and the soil was very sandy but easy to grow things in.
Any suggestions for plants in this clay lump, or how I can break it down a bit.

Don't forget those frost affected plants, in the midlands area they have been giving quite low temps. Gunneras need protecting!

Hi Ruby, You know that sandy soil you had at Caister, (a very lovely place by the way) could you go back and get a lorry load of it? that would braek up your clay. That and the addition of loads of well rotted compost of course!

Hallo Ruby - I agree with Ian - not the lorry bit, though! LOL.

I think you need to improve the soil. It will take a while and a lot of work - but worth doing. Lots of horticultural grit and sand, organic material, well-rotted manure & compost, and if you can dig it over before the first frosts, leave it rough and the frosts will help to break it down for you. When ever you plant anything, make the hole bigger and back-fill with lots of compost, too. Mulch in the spring!

It sounds as though you may need some help to do the digging, though.

I hope you can get this done - it will help your soil such a lot! In years to come. mulch, mulch and mulch. The worms will drag it under....

Ugh! Imported topsoil! My mosted hated of hates!!! But this is not the place for a rant ;-)

How did a miss the Malvern show? You know I didn't even realise it was on? And I only live down the road! Ah well, at least I was able to enjoy your pics Barbara - thanks! And I undoubtedly saved a lot of money by not going, judging by all those lovely Heucheras!!!

I just wouldn't - or recommend it, Sid! Poor Ruby....she's got a real job there.

What a shame you missed the Show - we could have met up! It was Heuchera-heaven....:-))))) Such beauties - everywhere!

Hmmmmm.....I recon someone must have been tearing the adverts out of the paper so I wouldn't know about it.....someone who had also seen my bank statements!!!

LMSO Sid, I know someone like that. She's sitting here doing the crossword as I type! ! !

Hmmm...that should be banned! ;-(( (not the crossword -lol)

Lol :~))