Connect with people who understand what you are going through, seek advice and surround yourself with support. We're free, anonymous, and professionally moderated 24/7.
Unknown userMember
A SOS to any green thumbs out there
I have always found gardening to be therapeutic and it has given me great joy. However, after a major crisis with Mr Darcy's health I have not had been able to get back into it. Have other gardeners suffered from a similar hiatus and how have you recovered and got going again?
Darcy
PS have a spot that needs filling any recommendations for a 1m high cool climate white flower plant?
In response to: Self care by growing a garden
eudemonismSenior Contributor
In response to: Self care by growing a garden
Unknown userMember
In response to: Self care by growing a garden
eudemonismSenior Contributor
In response to: Re: Self care by growing a garden
SmcSenior Contributor
I've still got a Silvan Beauty fig sitting in a pot. I won't plant it just yet. The soil is really dry, and I'd be better waiting until we get a bit of rain happening. I've also got a Brown Turkey, which in theory should be a lot bigger and healthier after 4-5 years in the ground. It's still too small to have sert fruit. I need to look it over and see if there's anything I can do to encourage it a bit.
In response to: Self care by growing a garden
eudemonismSenior Contributor
In response to: Re: Self care by growing a garden
SmcSenior Contributor
@eudemonism, thankfully Brown Turkey is one of the self fertile ones, and as far as I can tell, Silvan Beauty probably is too. Certainly none of the suppliers are recommending a pollinator.
Silvan Beauty comes highly recommended for it's flavour and as a heavy cropper. I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes. 
In response to: Re: Self care by growing a garden
SmcSenior Contributor
Mentioned in another thread that I've been outside getting my fingers dirty today for some mental space.
Has been reasonably productive. I've repotted a few plants I bought a couple of weekends ago. A very good nursery in our area was having a weekend clearance of some surplus end of season stock, so it was a chance to buy a few things in need of minor TLC that would otherwise be a bit out of budget. Most were a bit potbound, so I've tickled their roots to loosen them a bit and put them into bigger pots.
I've also planted out some sweet potato shoots. It's really way too late in the season for them. They need 4-5 months of warm weather to produce a crop, and our first frost will probably happen sometime in April, but I found a sweet potato in the pantry with lovely little shoots on it, just begging me for some soil. 
I'll try to overwinter them, in the hope that they might crop next year. If nothing else, the lightly cooked young shoots make a yummy green vegetable
In response to: Self care by growing a garden
eudemonismSenior Contributor
In response to: Re: Self care by growing a garden
SmcSenior Contributor
Thanks to @Appleblossom, we've been sharing around a few tulip pics on other threads, so I thought I'd bring ti over here. Seems a bit sad if the gardening thread misses out!
These are some Mascotte tulips that I bought myself as a Mothers Day pressie a couple of years ago. Bought myself because I'd keep telling the family that I'd like tulip bulbs but they were never sure where to buy them from. 
They had the good grace to come into flower right on our wedding anniversary, which made them a lovely second gift. They flowered again last winter, but not as well as the first year. I don't think the doubles are quite as hardy as the singles, which are pretty reliable about coming up and flowering every year in our garden. One of the sweeteners for getting frosts.
In response to: Self care by growing a garden
Faith-and-HopeSenior Contributor
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
You’ll soon be able to use one secure login to access all SANE services.
For added security, members are now required to log in with their email address and password - member names are no longer supported for logging in.
If you had a Forums account before 19 May 2026 and haven’t set up your new login yet, you'll be prompted to set up your new secure login when you sign-in.
Fields marked * are required
