On 9/2/08 15:32, in article
, "Judith
in France" wrote:

I have been in the garden a while today, the sun is beautiful and it
is warm. The bulbs are finally coming through but the tuplips are
more advanced that the daffs!

That's very unusual! Have you had a spring there before? I know you've
lived in that house as a holiday home for some time but I'm just remembering
that last year we had a lively discussion on urg about leaves coming through
in someone's garden. They turned out to be Alliums.

I can see small growth on the periniels and something just poking
through, it looks like the tip of a daffodil but I think it is a
Lily. I brought a dwarf Rhodendron from the UK in a large pot and I
wonder if I should put that into the ground now or leave it in the pot
for another few weeks?

I think wait until the ground has warmed up just a bit. You'll know best
when that's likely in your area but it won't do much if the ground is cold,
anyway.

The common mimosa trees are all pruned now to try and make them into a
boule as they were huge, unfortunately it's too cold to grown the one
we had in England in the Conservatory, the one with the pretty fluffy
yellow flowers. It will be interesting to see what I have to nurture
here as I brought all my Dahlias which were in huge pots, in the UK I
never gave them any cover and they were fine, I wonder if they will
survive here.

Almost certainly not! I should think frost must penetrate your ground to a
fair depth. I think yours will have to be dug up and brought indoors to a
frost free cellar or shed.

As I continue my ramble here, I bought 36 packets of seeds yesterday
at Lidl, I think it was Martin who educated me on the value of Lidl
and I went when I saw their advert in Issoire. I will try black
carrot this year as I have never had it before. I couldn't get
parsnip seed so I will be in the UK in 2 weeks time and I will get it
there.

For some reason, parsnips seem to be almost unknown in France. I think the
French is 'panais'? I've read this over and over again in many different
articles. I'm indifferent to them, myself but Ray absolutely adores them.
One of my daughters hates them so much that she leaves the room when I'm
peeling them. Cunning ploy, eh?! ;-)


Edward is the veg gardener and I am the flower one. He bought
some melon seed but I'm not sure they will grow here but he will give
it a try. Now I have to go and finish packing although I would much
rather be in the garden, it feels so good to be out there again, it
makes me feel glad to be alive.

Judith

I've never grown melons but if your neighbours do....... Perhaps your
summers are hot enough to allow melons to be grown from plants reared
indoors or in a heated greenhouse? It would be interesting to know, Judith
because so many of these things can be pertinent to gardening in parts of
UK, too.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'