I thought it was an astilbe, but it’s much “coarser” and not at all feathery like an astilbe.
Very heavy honey fragrance.

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Has anyone noticed a trend (mainly on FB) of offering regular subscription boxes for all sorts of stuff. Sign up for a half price first box and you find yourself trapped into receiving all manner of overpriced items.
I first spotted them during last year's lockdown, when people couldn't shop easily so companies jumped in to supply the need; a need that they think is still relevant today.

There are several versions of growing veg boxes - some with a few packets of seed, some pots and a block of coir compost - and a similar one with plug plants, pots and compost. The seeds are very basic - radish, cress and lettuce level. Very expensive compared to buying the items yourself.

Today, I saw The Pond Box! Every 2 months they send you some fish food!

There's the Book Subscription - receive 4 random books (that didn't sell well initially) every couple of months.

Then there's the soap/toothpaste/deodorant/beauty stuff. I just want to try one - not sign my life away. How do they know how much deodorant I use when I've no idea how long a stick lasts.
Think I saw a Treats box - some chocolate, biscuits and probably a "Cheer up" card.

Anyway, I'm not envious that I didn't spot a hole in the market, because I've signed up to my own Subscription Box - and its FREE.
Every month, I'll choose a random book from the bookshelf and read it and every week I'll pick a random packet of seeds and sow them. I'm going to save a fortune. 

If you spot any other subscription boxes that I can save money on (by not buying) please let me know.

Personally I don’t grow in raised beds. However a couple of my friends do. The beds were filled with bought compost from the garden center. The first year all went well but the following year things didn’t grow well. I think that the compost lacks enough nutrients for healthy plants.  What is the best way to rectify this ? The work would be done over winter.

Thanks, look forward to suggestions.

Was sat on a train reading this article https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/article...mark-steel

People probably thought me mad when I read the paragraph on Northampton

Still a few days left to take part. It’s a great excuse to just sit in the garden for 15 minutes     . 

https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/

Hopefully I’ll have time to do another one tomorrow.

Recently I have received phone calls from people who I think are Chinese, as soon as I hear them speak I hang up and block the number, but would like to know if there is something else I can do and also wondering why I am suddenly getting these calls and if others are have experienced the same

my sunflowers are growing really tall but the leaves seem to be attack by something. I have checked the leaves and bed and can’t find any sign of slugs or caterpillars, there are no sign of eggs or anything on the leaves, even one of the flower heads seem to have been attacked as well.
The other leaves are ok and in pretty good condition

               

Any suggestions ?

At the moment I am sitting looking out at the garden, and I see clematis, roses, lilies dahlias, fuchsias, petunias, rudbeckias, nasturtiums, chrysanthemum, crocosmia, (5 diffrent patches of it, when I thought I had removed it all last year) sweetpeas, marigolds, hostas along with several other flowering and foliage plants and I am thinking that I get a lot of pleasure growing, working and looking at them, so I am now thinking of doing away with my raised vegetable beds and any veg that I want I can grow in containers, to change everything wouldn't be too difficult, as the 3x2 slabs that make up 2 of the beds can be used to protect the boundary fences and the timber which make up other 2 can be used as edging, but I will give it a bit of thought rather than starting right now, anyway I have peas, beans, potatoes, onions, cabbage and cauliflower along with several different salad veg growing at the moment, usually when I think of something I go for it, possibly the reason why I don't have that many mature plants and bushes in the garden, well apart from some of the clematis and a honeysuckle a rowan tree a dwarf pine along with a Ginkgo Baloba tree, if I go for this I suppose it will be my permanent garden, as OH keeps telling me to slow down, also I could get assistance from the grandchildren, which sort of sways my to doing it, as it would give them some experience plus ofcourse like Veggie I am not getting any younger

Any ideas for things I can do with biscuit crumbs? 
I’ve got a lot! I brought 2kg of broken/ mis shaped biscuits. For tea breaks on the build. Obviously there was a lot of very small bits & big crumbs in the bottom of the box. 
I know they’re perfect for cheese cake base. Anything else?

Hi all,

I've been lucky enough to acquire a garden that is not only long, it's fairly wide too - what a change from my postage stamp back garden at my Victorian terrace!

So, I have a back garden with three sheds, one greenhouse, one open summer house and more water butts than I've ever seen in one place! The length of the garden is probably a good 100 feet, but I'm just guessing. It's east facing if you stand with the house behind you, and the north side of the garden (on your left) gets sun from first thing until about 4pm at this time of year.

The far end on the right is a MASSIVE chicken coop with two chickens that we have inherited from the previous owner - very good layers. There's an extra little coop that has been used for bantams where I keep the chicken that I brought with me, for now.

The garden has a pond in the middle of a good size, with goldfish and water lillies in it, with acers and roses growing around it. There's a few bushes and roses and the dreaded buddleia around the edges, but that's it.

I'm hoping to cover a third of the lawn with veg and fruit beds. I have an idea of design, but I feel the need for advice from people that have done this before.

Where do you get garden design ideas and principles from? The web? Books? Titles would be great

Where do you get inspiration from, how to organise colour schemes, how much to dedicate to perennial fruit and veg compared to sow/harvest kinds of beds etc.

Please throw all your knowledge, skills and common sense at me