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Had to go down the local nursery for a bag or two of compost and just had to give myself an Easter treat (already ate my egg!), so came home with an Acer Sango Kaku which I've put in a nice big terracota pot that was hankering to be filled, and half a dozen Osteospermum 'Cherry' a colour I'd not seen before and is a lovely blood red.

GG

 

A touch of retail therapy with my birthday money.
Some evergreens to add back bone to the garden (i think it looks really bare in winter)
Yucca varigated gloriosa
Phormium tri colour
Eurphorbia purpurea
2 x acorus ogon
2 x uncinia rubra
2 packets of gladioli

 

FC, would you mind if I bring you down to earth a little and if I'm out of order please say so! You are already troubled by the fact you don't think you'll have enough growing space. You also say that you're growing for half the world (okay a little exaggeration) but the question is are you enjoying it, because that's what gardening is supposed to be about. Yes, you are growing for these grateful people, and they are grateful because you are doing all the work and the price is coming out of your pocket. It wasn't so long ago that you were a novice and you've turned into a fine gardener since, why not introduce these relatives/friends to the art of growing their own plants and possibly GC as well! If you lighten your own load it will stop what is currently a hobby that you enjoy turning into a yearly slog for others!

Many years ago I chose to turn a hobby into a job, I came to hate it so much that I abandoned both and haven't touched that hobby since.

 

Okay your points are noted and taken on board.

Regarding space, when some of the seedlings have matured enough into plants you could get some of those out onto your patio early next month to give you more space in the greenhouse for the younger ones. There shouldn't be any frost around by then but it's always handy to keep a plastic sheet handy in case. I'm like you, I never throw trays away, they are used until they fall apart! I also keep a check at my local amenity site (tip) this time of year, it's amazing the amount of trays and pots that turn up there over the next month or so.

 

Cripes! I wanna see a pic of all that fitted into a greenhouse!

 

You've got more patience than me FC, baskets and pots are a pet hate of mine. I worked for a local nursery for a while and when it came to basket time I conveniently found myself a job somewhere else on the site that needed doing. I'd rather pot up a hundred trees than a dozen baskets!

We've always said on GC, it doesn't matter how big your greenhouse is, it's never big enough!

 

Went to the Gardeners Club in Crews Hill on the weekend.

Couldn't say No to these for £1.25 each



Will prob need a bit of extra attention in the first year, but still great value

 

Thought it was time I treated myself to a decent pair.

 

Been out buying plants for the new house already, found them both in the reduced area of my local garden centre, both £5.00
Garra Elliptica 'James Roof'
Salix caprea 'Kilmarnock Willow'

 

I live facing quite a trendy charity shop (sells sofas, has a coffee shop, etc) and went in before, bought two hardback gardening books for £2 to go on the bookshelf.

The Complete Gardener by John Brookes & The Encyclopaedia of Gardening 1993 edition - both in perfect condition.

I saw a small pocket handbook, with illustrations of weeds, flowers, etc.. probably from 30 years ago, still had a lot of scribbles from the previous owner in pencil. Might see if it's there next time and buy it for 50p!

 

Mrs Trunky received a garden gift voucher from a friend for her birthday recently, we've used it to buy this lovely pot. Just got to decide what to put in it now.

 

I bought the book, cost me 50p!

It's actually from 1952..