I'm not sure why you did Nik, except you had company - I too thought that! In my case of course, I had arrived home tonight for the last hour of light and promptly went out in the garden, with a rhubarb gin in hand to inspect all the growth etc that has occurred since last weekend when I saw it last.

Melissa I rather like the idea of a plant tunnel, I'd vote for it definitely - sadly I have not enough space for similar effects. My heart really yearns to garden on a more grand scale but alas my bank account does not befit my gardening ambitions.

I didn't read "drinking" instead of "dinking", though both could be beneficial...

I love the idea of a forsythia tunnel. There's something magical about plants overhead, not just surrounding one on either side.

I wish you a rainier year than currently seems likely,

Virginia

It seem ironic (or maybe not, just the new (ab)normal) that in the first year that we've had adequate rain in the last five years, you may be heading into a drought. I hope that's not true since you have a limited water supply from what I understand, and it would be horrible to have anything happen to your or Nik's garden. You've worked your heart out all these years to make something wonderful out of your large property, and it would be too cruel to have anything happen. Keeping my fingers crossed firmly for more rain for all of us.

Prayers for train for you! And I read drinking too lol.

I think the tunnel is a brilliant idea and woke be a thrill to have. I want to see pics when it happens! Your afternoon sounds lovely.

A definite vote for the plant tunnel. You have got me rather worried about the possible mature size of Etoile de Lyon, though. I have planted mine about 4' from William R. Smith, and I noticed yesterday that my 2yo plant has put on quite a bit of new growth. What was I thinking?

You can create a similar arching scheme with Philadelphus coronarius if you can grow this plant in your place (drought not withstanding..). That can create a very fragrant tunnel in late spring. The problem with all such plants with similar growing pattern (lillacs too I believe) is they create the need for more work as one has to remove older canes yearly to properly maintain them.

I recently moved my only forsythia to more open grounds as it was crowded in its previous spot. I cut it way down and tried to remove the root ball with some soil although it was almost barerooted by the time I managed to move and replant it. That was back in December and I'm happy to notice that is is now sprouting out.

fduk,

I've never heard of rhubarb gin. Sounds interesting. Do you buy it ready made or make the infusion yourself?

Rhubarb is something virtually unknown over here. First encounter I had with it was when I was in Cantab where we were often fed rhubarb custard as an after lunch dessert.. I loved it but I have never had it since..

I, too, am hoping and praying for rain. I don't think our area is as bad off as is Melissa's, however, for which I am grateful. But I really don't care for this weather we are experiencing:" It's warm, almost hot, and dry, in a period when the world should be
soaked and running with water, and tolerably chilly." SO true,though some days here it is downright HOT . I have begun watering my new implanted trees ,and soon will probably have to start the dreary routine of bringing water to my land to re-fill my water-storage tanks.I'm full of dread at the idea of summer,but trying to be hopeful anyway...

Melissa, the Hungarian scientists of the Plant Protection Institute of Budapest have just introduced a new pheromone trap for box moth (Cydalima perspectalis). Here's the address; I'm not sure if it will "link", but you can cut-and-paste. http://www.csalomontraps.com/4listbylatinname/cydalimaperspectalis.htm

We just got a good rain, finally, and I hope you get some as well!

I have read the title and each time thing "drinking in the garden". It sounds good.... the mulch must be getting to me!

I drink in the garden every morning. Nothing more fun than walking around at sunrise, cup of coffee in hand, enjoying the roses.

I'm a dunker rather than a dinker, as in ''I dunk my tea bags''.. which means I make a very quick cup of weak tea... men are expert at it, I have found..

I've not heard of Box moth, that sounds like a problem I wouldn't want... but I don't grow box, and as I put up on the shrubs forum the other day, I have now found something a bit more exciting than box, but can be grown in the same way, i.e. clipped and shaped, and suitable where box blight is evident... Rhododendron 'Bloombux'... I bought 3 to grow on, these are dwarf plants of the Inkarho type, which means they are grafted onto lime tolerant rootstocks, up to ph 7.5... here is a photo of my plants.. they produce small pink flowers in June... maybe earlier this year..

I don't grow Forsythia, but I keep thinking I might do the arch thing that Melissa mentions, with one of my favourite plants, and I'm sure you must have this in your garden Melissa.... Ribes x odoratum... I tie mine back to the fence otherwise it arches over the path, and I have in mind to bring the tallest shoots forward to the railings on the left, so forming an archway. Strongly scented of cloves, and with rich autumn colour, plus a clematis through it for summer highlights, I couldn't be without it... just started to bloom now, on the right here.. I ought to renewal prune it at some point which might ruin my plans, I'm not sure how I would work that one out as to form an arch I'd want semi permanent canes wouldn't I?... it's a good 8 feet tall..

No box here. My goto shrub for lowish or high hedging and screening is Rhamnus alaternus (italian buckthorn) which is in its native habitat here. In fact that is the main problem with it here as one tends to get seedlings by seed spread by birds in the most unwanted places. It is medium fast growing, can be clipped to any shape but does not require more than one or two clippings yearly to maintain its shape and height, can be kept relatively low or grown high or as a large taller than wide shrub or a small tree, is evergreen and everlush and is shade and very drought tolerant once established. Useful for mixed sun and shade hedges. It can be cut down to the ground and it will resprout. It also loves our calcareous soils. Eats lime for breakfast.. No pests either. No disease as long as it is not overwatered. It is one of the few shrubs that can be grown and thrive under our native pines (Pinus halepensis). I love it as it is so easy going and useful. I believe it can be grown in more temperate climates also as long as lowest temps do not get lower than about 15F and the site does not get waterlogged.

I love rhubarb and happily it loves life in England, and so I have four different varieties, Timperley Early, Champagne, Strawberry, and Livingstone. The rhubarb gin I was drinking is the Edinburgh Gin's Rhubarb and Ginger Gin, and it is glorious. I have tried my own, using a pressurised infuser and it was nice, but not the same. I think I need to experiment with different base gins. Never tried making my own gin from scratch though.

I have a single box pyramid which was a gift from my brother and lives in a pot, with seasonal fairy lights at christmas. Otherwise, I only have privet hedging at the front, which I do not love but the neighbours want to keep, so I begrudgingly clip it 6 times a year to maintain control.

Ribes odoratum is one of those plants I admire when it's in season and then forget about when it come to plant selection. Shame really, as it's a handsome and trouble free plant generally. Mind, I really have no space left for an eight foot shrub!

I keep reading it as "Drinking" and it makes sense.

About droughts. Can you find a source of absorbant polymers? It would keep water closer to the roots as long as it lasts. I used them in pots for mini roses so that I wouldn't have to water every other day in summer heat. Until the tree fell and smashed all the minis and their pots which I took as a sign to stop tinkering with mother nature.

What our google turns up

These are available at our big box stores in small overpriced envelopes. Going direct to the producer is much cheaper over here.

This is a fun conversation. My two bits on various things people have said:

Titian, if your EdL grows anything like mine, four feet is way too close. Mine is probably eight feet wide. I understand WRS is also a hefty plant.

I drink in the garden too, naturally. Lately I've been eating breakfast in bed and of course drinking my coffee there. "Dinking" is a somewhat unusual word; I don't know if the British use it. More common would be "fooling around in the garden".

Ingrid, it certainly felt like your drought moved right over here, which I hope to goodness isn't true: I know how you all suffered in California. I'm glad it's raining there at last. As for us, what will come, will come. If I lose a lot of plants it won't be fun, but then, you just start planting again, taking advantage of what you've learned from the disaster. I think you know all this.

Nik, we can and do grow mock orange; it's a staple flowering shrub here. I recently figured out that the mysterious tree-shrub growing by the edge of the drainage ditch, that I had planted years ago and whose name I had forgotten, is Rhamnus alaternus. I do admire this plant, not commonly grown here, and was intending to procure myself plants this fall. The danger here would be drainage: thanks for bringing it up. And I'm glad to hear it can take pruning, as I never have enough hedging plants.

Bart, I've heard there are pheromone traps for box moth, but also that they're expensive, so I think I'll suffer through the spraying for a while at least. For now we're done, though I'll probably have to do another treatment later this spring, but that will be the last for the year. We've never had to spray in summer or fall. How are you doing these days?

Box is native here and I love it, I think it's beautiful. It was well adapted until box moth arrived. I've been told there's testing going on to see whether its natural enemies from home could be introduced here with damage only to the moth and not to the rest of the environment.

fduk and Marlorena, for some reason I have a prejudice against Ribes and have never seriously considered it for the garden, but what you say gives me an idea I need to take a second look. Thanks for the suggestion.

Ann, this may be foolish, but I think I'll go with Mom Nature. Our clay is already highly water retentive for what that's worth. Suggestions are always welcome, even if I'm one of those people whose head you need to crack open with a hammer and chisel to get a new idea in.

I must admit, I'm not massively fond of the common flowering current, Ribes sangineum, which smells horrible, but it does have the common currant currency of flowering well, and in unpropitious situations. To whit, two specimens survived for 30 odd years in my parents garden with total neglect - one had its feet in a cracked drain, so swampy, and one was stuffed into a concreted hole by the fence, and was as dry as dust when I crowbarred it out, yet both flowered imperturbably every year like clockwork. One of them got squashed by a falling gage tree as well, cracked it right down the crown, and yet bounced back as if nothing had happened.

So I don't like it, but I can admire the resilience! Odoratum is far nicer I think.

Ann, I'm trying water crystals this year, will report how the becrystalled plants do in comparison to their unamended neighbours.

Re 'dinking' - I always thought that was an australianism, but I'm familiar with it. Today, I have been pottering about in the garden, having installed a new arch for Reve D'or last weekend, and having no enthusiasm at the moment for the next big install, an arch for Lamarque. I have also spent some hours fossicking about in the shed for the wire vine eyes I know I bought in the autumn for the wires to go on the side of the house. Unsuccessful, but I did turn up a cache of labels, and several spools of soft wire.

fduk, I can understand anyone not liking the straight Ribes sanguineum, its pink is rather insipid, but I must highlight a variety called 'Koja', it's a quite superb spring flowering plant, it blooms much longer than other varieties that I know of, many weeks of bloom, and with a rich dark colour. I no longer have it only because I've gone over to roses but I'd love to have it back again, similarly Ribes x gordonianum, or whatever it's called now... another stunning plant for the Spring border... but does get quite large which is why I have no room for that either, along with 'Mutabilis'...

Where did I go wrong? I need half an acre...

Melissa, re EdL and WRS, I know, I know...............

I potter a lot in the garden, though fooling around sounds much more fun, but one needs a companion for that...........

Some people futz around in the garden (alone). I wonder if "fool around" isn't more southern, while "futz around" sounds urban and northern to my ears.

Dinking is when you give someone a lift on the back of your bicycle :)

Otherwise I potter, sometimes even tinker; or if I run out of energy halfway, mess about in. My flatmate calls it "garden gnoming"