How about a gardening thread?

[roegner]

Thanks! I already have lavender planted and will start my herb garden area soon which should help

[DantesDame]

	Quote:	Belgianmum
	Buddleja does attract bees but it is restricted in Switzerland and there are lots of other plants that are attractive to bees. Lavender is the one that immediately springs to mind. Flat flowers like daisies, asters, zinnias as well as plants from the mint family (cat mint, oregano, salvia etc) are also attractive to bees.

I'll have to see what "restricted" means.

I have heard that the butterfly bush is ok for pollinators, but there are MUCH better plants. Belgianmum's list is very good. One additional plant that comes to mind is the Hysop, which is a companion plant to grapes, and will be planted in my garden soon

This is a good website for a wide variety of bee-beneficial plants and flowers. Thanks for thinking of the bees

[roegner]

	Quote:	DantesDame
	This is a good website for a wide variety of bee-beneficial plants and flowers. Thanks for thinking of the bees

Nice, thank you!

[McTAVGE]

Does anyone know if there is in French-Speaking Switzerland or nearby France:


A- A garden centre specialising in herbs
B- A gathering anywhere of such specialists, like a big herbs and plants fair?


Thanks.

For info there are 2 special botanical gardens for herbs and medicinal herbs- one in Leysin and one in Champex-Lac.

I use Villaverde in Pontarlier, next to HyperU and Decathlon, and also Pontarlier market on Saturday mornings- and they have lots and lots of herbs- but do not 'specilalise' in them. I usually get a 20% voucher in April/May - happy to meet you there so you can buy them all under my voucher.

Got lots of different mints and lemon balm I can divide and spare (as well as perenials of about 20+ different kinds I can let you have for free- but don't wait too long, as they are growing fast and if divided later will have to be chopped down and will only flower late or next year).

I have perennially, 15 different herbs on the balcony, all of which get visited by bees as soon as they flower. As do the tomato and cucumber plants and the strawberries and a few plants more.
I'd say anything that flowers is attractive to bees and a few butterflies too I also grow carrots and fennel and every year I have a handful of dovetail caterpillars (endangered of extinction) munching on the green stalks.

Budleia as BM rightly says, is on the national list of so called 'NEOPHYTES', together with cherry laurel and Canadian goldenrod to name but a few, they are lovely flowering plants, but are discouraged to plant here.

I have Golden Rod here- already here when we moved. I always make sure I cut the flower heads as soon as past their best and compost in enclosed compost.

If any of you would like to go and visit the medicinal herb garden in Leysin- I'd be up for a day out. We will stop at the one in Champex-Lac next time we go to Italy, as it is just before the St Bernard pass.

I actually love the Canadian golden rod, as yellow was always my favourite colour since being a toddler. I didn't know about it being an unwanted plant here for a long time, only when the guys from our village came to see me in my role as janitor here, and told me I had to get rid of it and disposing of it in bin bags, not green waste I learnt about that.

In addition to the medicinal gardens, i'd like to recocmend to the people in the German part of CH, to go to the Ballenberg Museum in Birienz. there you'll find an amazing and well documented medicinal herbal garden. It is one of my favourtie psots when being there!

and finally YAHHOOOO, my friend is coming to pick me up on Wednesday to get soil and replacement containers (for the broken ones) for my balcony garden and then I can start tending to it and sowing the first batch of goodies!!

Cheers me up no end now!!

[DantesDame]

	Quote:	EastEnders
	I also grow carrots and fennel and every year I have a handful of dovetail caterpillars (endangered of extinction) munching on the green stalks.

Interesting. I wonder what the odds are I could entice some around here?

	Quote:	EastEnders
	Budleia as BM rightly says, is on the national list of so called 'NEOPHYTES', together with cherry laurel and Canadian goldenrod to name but a few, they are lovely flowering plants, but are discouraged to plant here.

Ok. I inherited it with the garden so I'll keep it for now.

Buddleias can be pruned very hard- just cut the flowers off, or the branches that have flowered- and bag + mix with other green material like grass and leave closed for 2 years. Or burn- so seeds do not fly away.

[st2lemans]

	Quote:	EastEnders
	I actually love the Canadian golden rod, as yellow was always my favourite colour since being a toddler. I didn't know about it being an unwanted plant here for a long time

Where isn't it an unwanted plant?

Tom

[greenmount]

	Quote:
	Too early for wild garlic- I have a favourite spot in the woods along a wild river- magical.

Granted, you have posted this about a week ago, but they're everywhere now. I spotted a place yesterday and brought home a whole bunch of them....

[st2lemans]

1.5kg yesterday.

Tom

	Quote:	st2lemans
	1.5kg yesterday. Tom

You are evil Tom, ohhhh soooo evil, to post that. Wish I could go out and get some more, I just made the bare basics to keep with what my friend went to collect for me.

You must live in Wild Garlic heaven ( at least to me)

[greenmount]

	Quote:	EastEnders
	You are evil Tom, ohhhh soooo evil, to post that. Wish I could go out and get some more, I just made the bare basics to keep with what my friend went to collect for me. You must live in Wild Garlic heaven ( at least to me)

Apparently so do I...and I didn't even know it. Yesterday I have noticed that someone abandoned their rucksack and bicycle at the edge of a path and thought something could have happened (unfortunately that was the first thought that crossed my mind I realise ) to that person....it turned out she was just happily harvesting wild garlic a few meters down, which I also did.

Will go and have a look next week- but we are quite a bit higher in t'mountains than most of you.

Off to spring clean the patio this morning- big job ahead.

	Quote:	greenmount
	Apparently so do I...and I didn't even know it. Yesterday I have noticed that someone abandoned their rucksack and bicycle at the edge of a path and thought something could have happened (unfortunately that was the first thought that crossed my mind I realise ) to that person....it turned out she was just happily harvesting wild garlic a few meters down, which I also did.

Aaaarrgghhh! Aye you are just as evil as Tom! I used to harvest bucketloads and make a lot of things to preserve the yummy flavour out if it. This year, the small matter of a handful broken bones prevent me from it and I don't dare to send more friends to go get more for me. But I have made butter, Knöpfli and Pesto which should last us through the year. Looking forward to elderflower season now, by then I should be able to go get it myself

If you want pink elderflower- you are welcome.

So 2 days ago I dug over one of the veggie plots full of weeds as I wasn't able to do anything after my knee replacement...
Took strawberry plants from the other plots and planted them- with homemade collars held down with stones and bark...

Today after cleaning the patio- went over to dig with other 3 plots - and the dogs and Minou tripod were all there to 'help' ... half the strawberry plants were just lying there, with the collars flown into the fence. Easy to see why as Minou plonked himself in the middle- dug a big hole and did a massive whatsit - looking very proud of himself! Ah well, he is soooo cute and has become such a good companion, with his amputated leg all forgotten- I'll just have to forgive him and laugh.
And stuff the strawberries- sticking to rasperries- to much easier and easier to pick away from foxes ... and Minou tripod, of course.

	Quote:
	If you want pink elderflower- you are welcome. So 2 days ago I dug over one of the veggie plots full of weeds as I wasn't able to do anything after my knee replacement... Took strawberry plants from the other plots and planted them- with homemade collars held down with stones and bark... Today after cleaning the patio- went over to dig with other 3 plots - and the dogs and Minou tripod were all there to 'help' ... half the strawberry plants were just lying there, with the collars flown into the fence. Easy to see why as Minou plonked himself in the middle- dug a big hole and did a massive whatsit - looking very proud of himself! Ah well, he is soooo cute and has become such a good companion, with his amputated leg all forgotten- I'll just have to forgive him and laugh. And stuff the strawberries- sticking to rasperries- to much easier and easier to pick away from foxes ... and Minou tripod, of course.

It is nice to read about Minou's progress! I am looking forward to go the Landi store tomorrow, for soil and some other things and then my balcony veggie allotment gets spruced up too as well as a few things planted in the 'early beds'.

[st2lemans]

	Quote:	EastEnders
	You are evil Tom, ohhhh soooo evil, to post that.

It gets worse: they were given to us by a friend of my wife's daughter, so we didn't even have to pick them ourselves this time!

Tom