"N. van Burgsteden" wrote:

Because of the lack of good newsgroups in the Netherlands,

Is nl.tuinen not any good ? I'm English so it is too hard for me to read it.

I have decided to
see what this one could bring... the climate is comparable, maybe the soil
types differ, but I think that this newsgroup could help me in case of plant
trouble. British ppl do have a name for good gardens!

Welcome. Though I reckon Dutch nurserymen grow more and better plants... and
especially bulbs.

As I said, my back yard is in Holland, in the city called Ede. Sandy ground,
low ground water level and a very moderate climate, with quite a lot of rain.

Very similar climate and growing conditions to parts of East Anglia in the UK.

I'm on solid clay with a high water table. Not so moderate winter this year
though. Temperature outside has dipped to around -12C recently and not been
above 0 for a week. Some tender things look decidedly unwell in my unheated
greenhouse. Most years are milder. This has been a serious cold spell. More than
10cm of ice on the pond - starting to get very difficult to make a hole in it
daily.

So cold that wild parakeets were raiding my garden taking nuts for finches and
bluetits this morning.

Regards,
Martin Brown