Just to share a little of what I've been doing!

you have been busy! everything looks really good; that acer against the blue fence looks very good too.

wow just wow very nice plants. Very healthy green colours through out. Thankyou take care .

i love those poppies ~ cant believe yours just popped up ~ its early isnt it?

Hello Sticki! I have more pics of those poppies, but can you believe them, the patio is really scorching when the sun's out and i think it just suits them down to the ground, (sorry!) they're only in the grouting between the bricks, they're living on nothing but sand! They're really hard to photograph, being so red, they just burn out and you can't see the details, and they are lovely in real life, so cute!

Thank you so much 230338! You do know a lot of it is due to advice from you, the greenhouse wouldn't be half as packed without your helpful hints! Still having to use the reversing 'beeps' to get out of the greenhouse though!;0)
Tweet tweet Tiny! Get off the backspace key this instant!!

You are having a busy time Libet, your greenhouse looks like mine did before I got my second one and I know all about filling every space and not being able to turn around without knocking things over, lol.
All of your plants are looking very healthy and you are going to have a stunning garden when all those different plants are in flower, keep up the good work and mainly don`t fall in the greenhouse........

Ha Ha! I know just what you mean! It's the times when you have a tray of plugs in each hand and your desperately scanning around looking for wee space even just to balance them on...and then you wish you'd just left them where they were...I took them all out for a breath of fresh air today in a futile attempt to start hardening them up, and you would hardly believe it...I no sooner had them out when it started hailing hailstones the size of flipping' pea gravel! I must have looked demented trying to gather them all up in order of fragility, in the end I got a big sheet of fleece and chucked it over everything!
Exact same thing happened last year and all the lilies looked like someone had fired at them with buckshot!

Great blog, Love to see the seedlings being so strong, I also worry when I plant them in that cruel, cruel world, all alone without me watching over them. Goodluck.
Your Acer (Red Dragon???) is a beaut.

re: reject plants, I will always buy or take them at supermarkets, mostly they are freebies at our cheap nursery, last week I took 3 geraniums..wilted and very very dry, I took them home and soaked them in a bucket of water overnight and bingo...they are looking fine now...just the thing for one of my hanging baskets.

Lovely selection of plants,libet...they will keep you occupied for a while..but isn't it lovely,when you get to plant them out,and even better when you find a space? I
think we all know the feeling ! I have had to plant all mine out now,as going away on Wednesday,for a week.. they look strong enough,and we had the best rainfall during the night,so they look perky this morning :o) but oh dear,it has given it to come cold here,from the weekend,and maybe a ground frost too..might be coming home to a dead garden..:o((..I will be gutted,as a lot of them were overwintered and came through ok..wish I could txt them,to see if they are ok...Lol.

Great stuff Libet - I am not any good at growing from seeds and things - you have a very good knack of it all - tha acer's great - love the Papaver Ladybird looks like a clock in the middle too :D nice to see you busy and doing well for your garden and nice you're growing things for others too :):):)

Hi Libet - how do you get your seedling to stay tall and not flop over please ?

My goodness you do have a lot of stuff there :) It's going to keep you very busy lol. Very enjoyable. And you've got lots of colour and interest to look forward to now later on aswell.
I hope you are all right after falling over.

Libet great blog..and the image of you going sprawling across a scented patio as nothing to do with it hehe..

I love the Papaver Ladybird..what a find that must of been, i wish i had more of the things that self seed..or maybe i do but dont yet understand..

the amount of work you must put in is immense, total respect there girl..your greenhouse must be a lovely place to work in..

will everything be planted in the ground or pots and tubs or will some stay in the heat and cover? Do you plant your food crops within flower and plant beds?

a great start to a busy thursday for me libet thank you so much for sharing a piece of your gardening world..quality

Agreed.................

Your young seedlings look very healthy and happy - took particular note of the Cosmos as mine [Just a cheapish pack of mixed] are looking very leggy and lank. Already falling over and I'm resigned to dibbing a deeper hole and planting up to their necks!! This happened last year too, and I wonder if the greenhouse isn't shaded by trees too much?
Anyhoo............... Much Kudos to your obviously "Green fingers" and thanks for the blog.

Of course I'm far to much of a gentleman to mention your probably less than elegant stumble............Teehee!

KBO.

Hi Adoons, thank you! I agree, you never know what's going to happen to them when you leave them to fend for themselves, if I can bear to leave them! If it keeps chuckin' hailstones down the way it has been...they're not going out at all!

Hello Rogi! Isn't it just the best thing when you can pick up something that nobody else can see the potential in and nurse it back to health! :0)

The plants in your greenhouse are a credit to you, Looks like a garden centre ! Tom.

Lol Bloomer! That made me smile, och pet, you're going to break your heart about your 'babies' until you get back home! Wish I lived nearer, I would look after them for you! Could a nice neighbour pop in if it's cold? Even a newspaper flung over the most tender little ones would make a difference! But, then, as Adoons says, they're going to have to make it on their own eventually! Maybe you'll come home to a lovely surprise, so we'll both send them positive vibes, and they'll thrive! Would love to see you texting them!

Ta much Paul! I couldn't do all I wanted to do in the garden, until I had the shoulder op, so I puttled about in the greenhouse instead, but I'm still getting physio, (will it ever end...!) so I'm resigned to doing lighter stuff until it strengthens up, I need to eat more spinach!! Thank you very much for all your lovely comments, you're very encouraging!

Hi Mariek! Well, I was mostly taught by my Mum, but I have my own theories as well, so mostly they need really good light, so I have them right up against the glass of the greenhouse, I turn them all the time so they don't get a chance to lean in any one direction, could be 4 times on a really sunny day, & when they get to plug size, I know the manufacturers say the food lasts for 6 weeks, but after about 3, I feed them with a very dilute feed of M gro, to keep their good green colour, and make them stronger. Move them around the greenhouse as well, does them good to shake them up a bit, and get used to different light levels, and finally, my Mums tip... when they are growing well, from a small size, even 1st true leaf size, very gently run your hand over their tops, just use the flat of your hand, you're just simulating a gentle breeze blowing over them. They seem to be fooled into thinking they're going to be blown over and they thicken their stems to withstand the pressure! Works for me anyway! Lovely member 230338 (thanks again!) also advised me to add silver sand to my potting mix, but I couldn't find any, so I used sharp sand instead, and I find it's great for helping the drainage and along with a good handful of vermiculite, it's producing good healthy root systems! Hope this helps!

Thank you for your kind comments, Hywel! Yes, plenty of work in the offing, I'm my own worse enemy! And thanks, I'm fine after the fall, I'm just a clumsy galumph!

Hi Skipscanda! As Dick Emery would have said 'you are awful...!' But thank you for your lovely comments, the poppy 'escaped' from a little pot of mixed californian and the ladybird poppies and love-in-a-mist, I had planted last spring, they just self seed all around the place, so no work there then! The garden doesn't take too much work, little and often is the best way I've found, so it doesn't get on top of you, and Keith really helps by doing the big stuff so that let's me get on to do the rest!
I think I'll split the plants between some pots for the back door, but they are mostly for the garden...if I can find room! I'll be keeping the veg in the greenhouse, our weather here is too unpredictable to plant them outside, but as they are in pots, I might bring them out for a wee holiday for an hour now and again!
Glad I started your day off well, that's lovely!

Hello Wyeth! I'm sure you've seen my reply to Mariek above, but I do agree with you, I think you might be a bit short of light. You'd be amazed how much direct sunlight a seedling can take in a greenhouse, of course not letting the poor thing burn either! When it's very hot I prop up their clear propagator lid between them and the glass just to diffuse it a little, and just keep up regular watering, it's a lot of trial and error too, sometimes it's a just a trial and I do make lots of errors! Lol!!;0)
Oi! And by the way...it was very elegant, I fell like the Dying Swan...NOT! More like the Dying JCB!! :0}

Well Tom, I'm flabbergasted! That's a comment and a half!! Thank you so much! (blush!) :0)

I wish my seedlings looked as strong as yours Libet. I am going to gently stroke them now!! If I was to copy the weather at the moment I would throw a bucket of water at them.

There's not much I can say that hasn't been said by all the other wonderful comments. Everything looks great, Libet. So many trays in your greenhouse! Your garden already looks full and bursting with awesomeness. Where are you going to find room for everything?!?! :)

Oh Linda! Yes, to the stroking, Noooooo! to the lashing of a bucket of water up them! Lol! Made me laugh though!!

Hello Lainedru! What on earth time of the day is it with you pet!? So, thank you for taking the time to send me such flattering comments, it's very encouraging when my efforts are rewarded with such enthusiasm from such a varied array of lovely dedicated gardeners. It restores my faith in humanity! Oh yes, Lainedru, never fret, I'll find a spot for all the plants...even if I have to send some out for adoption! That's a lovely word, awesomeness! Not too sure the garden is quite up to that description, but, Wow!...thank you very much!:0)

Everything looks great.Don't you love this time of year, all that potential and everything to look forward too.
I sometimes pinch out cosmos if they get too leggy and then they get more bushy. They always seem to flower in the end.

You are determined gardener then Libet struggling with shoulder - I hope it gets better for you - glad my words are helping :):):)

Hi Libet, my Calendula seedlings have had an outing today, so hopefully they will look a bit stronger.

Thanks Marshmallow! I just love that sense of anticipation, and watching everything well, grow! The cosmos are stocky enough at the moment, but I would agree with you, if anything gets leggy...I'll have their heads off! I've already done that with the zinnias, my own fault, I started them far too early, no patience! And as you say they all seem to flower in the end!

Thanks again Paul! If I had a bad leg you would be my trusty crutch! ;0)

Oh good for you Linda! The weather must have been a bit warmer with you today, it was back on with the thermals today here, nice thermals mind, have to keep up appearances! Calendulas are more difficult to keep upright aren't they? They love a good loll around, and sometimes need a bit of support to keep them up! Keep up the good work!

:D

Lovely blog your plants look so healthy

Thank you Donnah! I'm very flattered you think so!!

Thanks for those helpful words Libet, I have added this to my favourites so that I can review it every time I need to as my memory is not what it used to be.

No wonder your seedlings are so good - they get such loving care from you. Happy Gardening.

Och, Mariek, that's a lovely thing to say, you're very kind, I'm so glad I was able to help, hope the wee tips help!

My goodness, Libet, that was lovely to see just how much you have, or are, propagating in your greenhouse! I love the Heuchera 'Silver Scrolls', not heard of it before. Remember to give the Coleus back, don't try keeping them for yourself! Hope the shoulder is back to full working order before too long, perhaps the amount of turning trays of seedlings each day is good physio? lol! Have a good weekend. : o )

Aww! Mammm! Can we not just keep one wittle coleus... plueese? I'll feed it an' take it out for walks an' eveyhing!
Lol! :0) :0}
Thanks for your sweet comments, I think you're right about the tray turning...I could major in it for the Olympics! Silver Scrolls is a lovely metallic heuchera,
It is really nice in a shady spot, it sort of shimmers when the sun hits it! Hope you have some sun this weekend... only thing is you probably need a well earned rest from the garden, so just kick your heels back and relax!

I'll look out for that Heuchera, Libet. Thanks for showing a photo of it. We have big white clouds, blue sky and a chilly breeze. Possible light shower at 4 o'clock! Garden is so dry and don't even ask about the allotment ... lol!

Your greenhouse looks jam-packet Libet! Mine is looking a bit empty just now, but hopefully, once the plants grow up a bit it will be full again. I don't like an empty greenhouse! That Poppy is lovely, I'm not surprised you can't pull out the seedlings! Nice Heuchera too!

Oh dear! Shirley T! It sounds like you need some of our rain! We were out shopping in the car today and the wipers could hardly cope with the downpour! The allotment must be a nightmare to dig at the moment, (although it looks as though its going very well!) with the ground being so dry, it looks like we need to swop weather for a couple of days so we can both get things done!

Well, Libet, it's now after 9pm and still no rain . . . topped up the birdbaths as I feel sorry for them with no rainfall. : o (

Rain dance didn't work then,Shirley ? Lol.It is a very watery looking moon here,if that helps..!

Hello Karensusan! Good to hear from you! Is your son feeling a bit better? I was just thinking about you both today! I wish the greenhouse was a bit emptier Karen, but it's still too cold to plant anything out...it was only about 8 degrees today, and the breeze would have cut you! Brrrr! Everything in the g'house is getting taller and wider and taking up even more room, I need to give them the Alice in Wonderland potion to make them smaller for a while, until it warms up! Lol! Even more poppies out Karen, they are so cute! Glad you like the heuchera, it's a nice one for shade, it tolerates it really well! Take care, and thank you for all your lovely comments!

Right then Shirley! we'll have to call on TT's little Crocus to do his 'Postcode Raindance'! Lol;0)

I loved your blog Libet.You seem to have grown the same flowers that i have and rudbeckias are one of my favourite flowers.

Thank you Rose! That's lovely that we have the same flowers! I'm a bit of a fan of anything from the daisy family...Sorry, my hubby is reading this over my shoulder, and has just reminded me of the time I forgot to deadhead a few Shasta daisies, and now they're as bad as a weed! He pulls them up for me in the main beds with great glee! I leave a few round the dry gravel area, because they get restricted in size with only growing in gravel on top of weed membrane, but there are still an awful lot!

Oh Libet, you have a full-time job on your hands keeping all your plants happy in the greenhouse. I hope it isn't long until you have the weather conditions to plant these out :)

We've had a lot of rain over the last couple of days which has been a help as all my plants are waiting in pots until the garden is sorted (beginning next week...hurray!!).

I bought some bedding plants at a local Garden Club sale and they were in the same kind of seed trays which you appear to use. Is there a trick to getting the plants out without damaging the root systems? I ended up having to cut each little pot open to eventually end up with a whole plant...very frustrating.

I love your acer....and the poppies are a wonderful "freebie" when they place themselves in your garden as volunteers. Very beautiful :)

Hi Libet, what beautiful plants you have there, when are you going to plant them out? They will look amazing when they flower, your garden will be like Chelsea!! I have just returned from my hols to find a very dry border, as it is new, so have had to water like mad, have lost a Camellia, new one too, but I moved it in March and it has been dry ever since, thought I had watered enough. I adore that poppy, you must save the seeds to sprinkle in the border next spring!

Hello Whiston, my friend! I was just been thinking about you yesterday, and I wondered when your garden would be getting started...and now I know! You must be beside yourself with excitement, I know I am!! Lol! I know, I know I need to get out more...
So, what's happening with the seed trays? You mean the modules? I usually just give them a wee squeeze together around the rootball or if they're still sticking, poke a pencil up the drainage hole in the bottom, and they should just pop up! And if you still can't get them out, don't worry about cutting them, although I know it's a curse! The poppies are so cute aren't they! Just sprinkle a packet of seed around, and you've got them for life!
Thank you for your lovely comments, Whiston, I'll keep in contact!

Och Grandmage! I'm sorry about your camellia, that's an expensive loss! I don't know when I'm going to get the wee plants out, it's so cold and windy at the minute, I think it would be too much of a shock just yet, but I'm rapidly running out of room in the greenhouse! You're so lovely to say that you think the plants are beautiful, they have done very well this year, now they just need a couple of days of warmth, and they'll be off and running!
Chelsea?! You say? Your halo's peeping through again!
(blush!) Thank you!

Libet, I am very pleased the garden is getting started next week...nice that you share my excitement :)

I expect the root systems in the seed trays were quite heavily developed and that made it difficult to get them out. They didn't have any holes underneath to poke with a pencil so perhaps they are slightly different design to yours. Thanks for the advice.

Oop! When they get root bound like that, they are the divil to get out! Try giving them a good soaking, that might help. The polystyrene trays are the worst, roots practically grow into the stuff!

oh, wow, that acer looks beautiful. but then so do all the other plants. sigh wistfully...

I'll try the soaking routine, Libet...thanks so much for your suggestion.

You been busy! Great show. Didn't know you could split a Heuchera!

Thank you Fran! Never you fret, your garden will be up and running in no time, and it will be lovely, just you wait!

Thanks for that Lulu! Hope you've all recovered from the great tree trauma! I split mine every time I have to replant them, you know, when they grow themselves out of the ground, I just pull them or cut them apart, just make sure each section has a bit of root and a bit of crown and then replant them in a bigger group! You can cover a heck of a lot of bare acreage with a few split heucheras!!

Your so welcome Jacquie! Hope it works!

Wow your garden is looking so good Libet. I only have quite a small garden but I pack it with flowers and veg in troughs and planters, window boxes etc. You look to have done a lot of work there since you have moved in :-)

Hello Richard! Thank you for the kind comments! We have worked hard on it, but it's easy to manage now the bulk of the heavy work is done, it's just on with the pretty stuff..well...when it stops raining, gets warmer again, stops blowing a gale...it's a never ending circle of peculiar weather here! Your garden sounds lovely Richard, I must run off and have a peep!

*phew* that was some mammoth comment reading! All your seedlings look so lovely and healthy... have you managed to get them out yet? I have trouble with light in my greenhouse like Mariek and Wyeth and can only seem to grow stuff on the top two rows of my sets of shelves, which is a pain. Luckily I don't get hailstones like yours, so am very cruel and pull the bigger stuff out to face the elements. Mum's getting cranky now that I'm using up all of the bench space though! I love your way of finding that Viola, maybe it wanted some attention so dragged you down to say hello?
Hope you get some nice weather soon, and that your shoulder gets better!!

Just to let you know, Libet...soaking the bedding plants did help with most and I cracked a few of the pots when it didn't..lol I'll be getting some more bedding plants this week...on the lookout for bargains :)

Haha, you're far more patient than me! I just bash 'em on the back till they come out... cruel horrible being that I am.

I did try the bashing routing, Jenny (good for getting rid of frustrations!!...lol) but it didn't always work.

I don't think I'd re-use the flimsy containers anyhow so have chucked most of them away as they broke under my not-so-tender treatment! haha

Yes, we have problems with that too :( (well, I do... mum somehow manages to be more gentle!)... I do try the whole squeasing and sticking a dibber/stick/pencil in the whole first, but the sqeasing tends to lead to more module breakages than the bashing/tapping... and I always seem to be short of [clean] module trays, so want to protect what I can... at least I know the plants will recover ;)

Ohhh nooo! So much violence...such little plants! Lol! Bashing?! Tut, tut! Now, I know you're only young Jennyfer, but don't let that youthful exhuberance run away with you! That was funny!
Sounds like you need more light in your greenhouse too, pet, so unless you can thin whatever is shading it, as long as it's not a brick wall,(!) or cut it down, it's a problem. What about a cold frame? Might save on the arguments!

That's good that the soaking routine worked for you Jacquie! Well, mostly! I don't keep those flimsy trays either, they're not worth it. If I'm setting seed myself, I just treat myself to the thicker, sturdier trays and modules...and then we have beans on toast for tea, 'cause I've spent the housekeeping in the gc! Heehee! Hope you find some good bargains in the bedding plant departments!

Well, I only resort to bashing if they're reeeeaallly stuck :P Tbh I should probably try and wash all the green gunk off, but it has a shed on one of the narrow sides, and then big lumps of dad's metal on either side... Unfortunately I have no control over that so just have to grin and bear it. Oh, and theres a wood near it aswell... so maybe a cold frame would be a good idea :P

I didn't know study ones existed :( The green flimsy ones are fairly expensive for me as it is! :P

Flip! Pet, you have your problems! Although it probably would help a LOT...;0)...to give your windows a scrub!! Maybe you could convince your Dad that making you a wee cold frame, using the metal that's up one side of the greenhouse, would be a grand wee project for the summer, and that would kill two birds with one stone!! Go on...I know you can do it!!

plenty going on there , you busy girl ............ trying to get popies in the garden tooo . love casmos , grow it every year ;0)))

Thanks Cristina! That's a real compliment coming from you, you're always busy in your beautiful garden! I've only grown cosmos this year, but I'll definitely grow tons more next year! :0)

its dead easy lol ............. and thanks for the compliment , i really dont know wot i am doing haha ..
still a lot to learn !!! ............. this year i have had a go at ecinasher white swan ............ love lies bleeding , verbascum nicotiana loads of stuff , but my spellings rubbish haha ;0)))

You do so know what you're doing! I've seen your lovely pics! And don't worry about spelling! I know exactly what you're saying! You're so funny, pet!! :0)
I tried Echinacea White Swan one year, but they got a weird rot when I moved them on to bigger pots to grow a bit, before I planted them out! Lost them all! Booo!

lol ................. mine are not growing quick enough haha , o well maybe next year they b ok ............... that's if they come back !!! ............... not bin on a while as busy in garden and work ugg , chat soon ................... xx

I know! I've missed you!! Lovely to see you back, I miss your enthusiasm! They should come back ok, they're perennials, shouldn't they!? I hope so!