How about a gardening thread?

[sups]

country-mouse, i would wait till at least beginning may, though i get very tempted to plant them out.

wow , what sort of spuds have you got growing? I wanted to try with the blue and pink varieties but only blue variety available here , not red one.

[telandy]

I saw the red potato desiree in our Landi, not sold as seed potato but as normal eating potatoes. I took some small ones for seed. http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=potato+desiree&hl=en&prmd=imvnse&tbm=isch &tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=CpSRT6idOs2a-gaQnNWsBA&sqi=2&ved=0CE8QsAQ&biw=1568&bih=711&sei= EJSRT5vHI87u-gbb15n9Aw

They were also selling charlotte potatoes with the vegtables, again I took five as seed, great for salad potatoes. From a recent trip to the UK I bought some Maris Piper and Pentland Crown potatoes. I have planted them all in potato bags.

[stephen_NE]

I have two balconies, a fairly large one facing west and a much smaller one facing east.

Any suggestions for plants that will prosper in pots (can be big ones) facing due east, so only getting the morning sun? Ferns, maybe - or will they not like being potted?

[sups]

telandy..
thanks for the tip, but i was actually talking about a variety called pink apple fir, or huckleberrypink. or tannen-rose kartoffeln, these are pinkish red from inside too

[telandy]

	Quote:	sups
	telandy.. thanks for the tip, but i was actually talking about a variety called pink apple fir, or huckleberrypink. or tannen-rose kartoffeln, these are pinkish red from inside too

Tannen rose is the German for Pink Apple fir - I am not sure if this company in Germany will ship to Switzerland but here is a link for you to look at. http://www.kartoffel-mueller.de/_gx/...9e65b180097dde

[Mrs. Doolittle]

	Quote:	stephen_NE
	I have two balconies, a fairly large one facing west and a much smaller one facing east. Any suggestions for plants that will prosper in pots (can be big ones) facing due east, so only getting the morning sun? Ferns, maybe - or will they not like being potted?

Plants in pots can be at risk in the winter, even if the plants can stay outdoors in winter and if you wrap them well. I learned the hard way with my bamboo plants. Last winter they were fine, this winter was much colder and I think they have all died. The gardener says it might be too early to tell but I am not very optimistic.

[Capacitrix]

Speaking of winter, I think we lost our Red Hot Poker (Kniphofias). It was planted 4 or 5 years ago and so far nothing's come up. I need to remember to take a look at the ones at work and see how those are faring. They were planted 2.5 years ago.

The other thing is moss in the grass. I think I should have done something in March, but I might still try to do something next week. I managed to mow the lawn for the first time since before Easter and the moss is worse than ever - the rain of the last few weeks hasn't helped at all.

[Country_Mouse]

	Quote:	sups
	country-mouse, i would wait till at least beginning may, though i get very tempted to plant them out. wow , what sort of spuds have you got growing? I wanted to try with the blue and pink varieties but only blue variety available here , not red one.

Got 3 sets of spuds, Charlotte for salad spuds, just gone in. First and Second earliest went in in March, think they're Jersey Royals and another (forgot). Had to earth them up already and need doing again today :-)

Forecast overnight looks fine now, think I'm going to risk it. The peas and beans are going in, plus 4 vine tomatoes ( they've been hardening for 2 weeks now).

[stephen_NE]

	Quote:	Mrs. Doolittle
	Plants in pots can be at risk in the winter, even if the plants can stay outdoors in winter and if you wrap them well. I learned the hard way with my bamboo plants. Last winter they were fine, this winter was much colder and I think they have all died. The gardener says it might be too early to tell but I am not very optimistic.

Yes... all of my balcony plants died this winter, having survived ten Neuchâtel winters unscathed. But the balcony was south-facing there, and this February was unusually cold for an unusually long time!

[ceppych]

	Quote:	stephen_NE
	Yes... all of my balcony plants died this winter, having survived ten Neuchâtel winters unscathed. But the balcony was south-facing there, and this February was unusually cold for an unusually long time!

Ditto here. Everything has gone. Camellias, laurels, viburnum tinus, photinia. Everything I had had for many years in Chardonne.
Likewise on a south-facing balcony.
Looking across at an old-established garden opposite, I can see even an enormous magnolia grandiflora completely brown.
It's all a bit depressing.

[JanerMacP]

	Quote:	ceppych
	Ditto here. Everything has gone. Camellias, laurels, viburnum tinus, photinia. Everything I had had for many years in Chardonne. Likewise on a south-facing balcony. Looking across at an old-established garden opposite, I can see even an enormous magnolia grandiflora completely brown. It's all a bit depressing.

We also lost a lot in the garden - half of the grape vine seems to be gone, 4 oleander plants gone, half of my raspberries are dead, my rose bushes took a beating as did my fig tree. The only thing unscathed was the stupid blackberry plants.

[Mrs. Doolittle]

	Quote:	JanerMacP
	We also lost a lot in the garden - half of the grape vine seems to be gone, 4 oleander plants gone, half of my raspberries are dead, my rose bushes took a beating as did my fig tree. The only thing unscathed was the stupid blackberry plants.

I was told to bring the oleander inside every year. It is in a pot. I put it back outside but it looks terrible.

Many of my neighbours have trees that look terrible. I think they are waiting to see if they come back. I can't recall ever seeing so many gardens with brown trees that normally survive the winter.

[pfaeffikon]

	Quote:	stephen_NE
	I have two balconies, a fairly large one facing west and a much smaller one facing east. Any suggestions for plants that will prosper in pots (can be big ones) facing due east, so only getting the morning sun? Ferns, maybe - or will they not like being potted?

If you make sure to cover your ferns on freezing nights, or at least spray them with water to make an icy insulation layer, then ferns can do well in your situation. Many ferns like more acid conditions and potted plants tend to accumulate lots of salts ( see the white rings on clay pots...) so every so often really soak the pots over and over again, to leach out the salts. Better solution than just acidifying with a product.
There are also Dwarfed Japanese maples that could do well, but you will not get the intense fall colors.
Azaleas could work as along as you water like I mentioned for the ferns, but add an acidifier as well.

[lmerkel]

Love this thread and going to keep on it. I was an avid gardener in NYC and lucky enough to have a backyard - so I grew almost every perennial and annual available in zone 5 (US) in a semi-shady/sunny space. Some success, some not. So if you go thru the Better Homes and Gardens book -- need advice, most likely I've tried it! It was my bible.

Now I live in Corseaux where we have a great backyard but windy, although south facing. Never grown veg before (in NYC can see why - critters), but here got lettuce (iceberg and red leaf) in early March which is just astounding now!!!! Have the herbs, rosemary, thyme and lavender. Also going like crazy.

I keep them watered as they want (I've killed many rosemary by overwatering), and out of the high winds. Also bought 3 boxwood trees that are happy.

When we don't get down to freezing here at night, going to get the basil, tomatoes, peppers.... Most likely next week.

[sups]

Ok so i went and bought a dwarf peach and a cherry tree from OBI. They do not mention the name of the variety coming back home read on the net that you need 2 or more cherry trees for cross pollination.
Is this really true' i have seen in gardens around a couple of single cherry trees loaded with fruits.

[ceppych]

	Quote:	sups
	Ok so i went and bought a dwarf peach and a cherry tree from OBI. They do not mention the name of the variety coming back home read on the net that you need 2 or more cherry trees for cross pollination. Is this really true' i have seen in gardens around a couple of single cherry trees loaded with fruits.

It's the old male/female thing
You'll probably be fine if there are other cherry trees in the neighbourhood.
Some trees are bi/sexual.
I have a holly that self-propogates and doesn't need a mate.
(what a life!)
I seem to recall that 'Stella' is a self-pollinating miniature cherry.

[Odile]

The last 'Saint de Glace' is not until 25th of May this year - traditionally the last official date for frosts in central Europe. Can't remember all the 'ice Saints' but St Pancras was one of them.

My dad would never plant anything tender until the last Saint de Glace - and he might have been right. I shall put the pots with more delicate plants out early May, but watch out for frost forecasts so I can cover them with fleece if necessary.

We had a Stella cherry tree in our UK garden- but not miniature. Within a couple of years it produced tons of red/yellow inside, delicious cherries. The birds always got to them about the day before- so in the end I got cheap netting curtains from a charity shop and made some 'sleeves' which I'd thread onto all the lower branches and tie at both ends with string a few weeks before. That way we would get a few kilos and the birds would have the rest. They paid back in dawn chorus - a fair swap. Indeed self-pollinating. Just too high here for cherries, apart from Morello which I will try, but only good for bottling.

[luminousmind08]

	Quote:	stephen_NE
	I have two balconies, a fairly large one facing west and a much smaller one facing east. Any suggestions for plants that will prosper in pots (can be big ones) facing due east, so only getting the morning sun? Ferns, maybe - or will they not like being potted?

I'm facing east as well, and have been able to grow cucumbers really well, carrots with some success.

This year, going with bush beans, 3 types of cucumber, 4 types of peppers, tomatoes, carrots and lettuce, which should all be good for containers.

If going with the cucumbers or tomatoes, be sure to use a pole to take full advantage of vertical space. Hanging baskets work great for cherry tomatoes, or so I have been told.

Be prepared to water every day.

[Odile]

Facing East you have to be careful with sudden temperature change- if there is a mild frost, followed by strong early sunshine - plants will 'burn'.

[stephen_NE]

Mmm... maybe I'll just use the east-facing balcony for the bike... it won't burn and doesn't need watering :-)