36 Comments
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Anne Wareham's avatar

Happy Christmas, Jo - and hope you may make it to Veddw next year. Would be great to see you!

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Kristin Biddle's avatar

Omg!!! And we’re giving out demigorgons to all the staff and volunteers😂😂😂Hopefully they havent read your post, but since we all loooove you, it is highly unlikely. Too funny, Jo🧡🧡🧡

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Stephanie Jacklin's avatar

Happy Christmas Jo and all Gardening Minds! I am excited to see my Wild Rovers ( 2, I now feel bad about hoarding them!) flower next year. I cleaned and sharpened all my tools a couple of days ago and managed to cut almost every finger quite dramatically in the process. And then unthinkingly opted to tackle some limescale with white vinegar... I am sitting quietly today.

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Jo Thompson's avatar

OUCH!!!! Hoping that your Christmas gets better from now.....

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Linda Slow Growing in Scotland's avatar

I have to confess that I gave a cursory glance at the Amaryllis and then zoomed in on your book pile! Love a good book snoop. The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick maker is on my very long book wish list. After 2 literature degrees I'm now loving plunging into British social history.

Still crossing fingers for a calendar, but if not, hopefully there'll be a next year.

I was also away at the crucial May/June time and really missed not having veg.

Glad to have your imprimatur to planting bulbs just now - I planted the first of my tulips yesterday with my daughter, home from New Zealand for Christmas and so a precious planting time remember in the spring when they flower.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas, Jo, along with all fellow Gardening Minds.

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Jo Thompson's avatar

Thank you Linda - and I've put a note on the Chat about the calendar....

I am so looking forward to diving into those books - that pile was a present after a perfect day's shopping in Hatchard's and Waterstones...

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Rouge Noir's avatar

Dear young Arthur Parkinson said in a Substack a couple of weeks ago that Amaryllis buds (before the flowers open) remind him of butt plugs. And now I can’t unsee that. 😬

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Jo Thompson's avatar

I'm trying to forget that...

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Morna Leather's avatar

Totally agree re Demigorgons and Amaryllis. Hopefully yours won’t grow any teeth!

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Jo Thompson's avatar

Yikes!

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Lynne Fontannaz's avatar

Happy Christmas Jo - really enjoying The Gardening Mind.

I requested the calendar by the email given but I haven’t heard anything. Any thoughts? ☹️🌿

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Jo Thompson's avatar

Hi Lynne - see the note on the Chat - there were so many emails and we're working our way through acknowledgements!

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Julia Reis's avatar

Well if I ever need to justify my total refusal to watch anything ‘alien’, you’ve just given me the perfect excuse: I will NOT ruin my love of plants for it!😉

What a year it has been, Jo, Chelsea will always be the magic and highlight of my 2025: What a garden, and ‘Wild Rover’, what a rose!

Wishing you and all this fabulous community of gardening minds, peace, rest and happiness this Christmas, and a year of joyous plants, and gardens to come. Jxx

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Jo Thompson's avatar

Haha - yes don't watch it! Thank you Julia - and here's to next year!

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Hilary Thomson's avatar

Morning Jo, Merry Christmas to you and all of our fabulous Gardening Mind community 🤶 I’m sorry I missed your live this morning, it sounded hilarious and Basil eating the cow pats 🤣🤩 R. Wild Rover bare root was planted in my cottage garden mixed border just this week and I can’t wait to see it in bloom 💚

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Jo Thompson's avatar

I can’t wait to see photos when it flowers! Oh yes… the walk was an ‘interesting’ one - I’ll send it tomorrow 🙄

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JP Clark's avatar

That was wonderful Jo. Merry Christmas to you. X

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Jo Thompson's avatar

And a restful and peaceful Christmas to you too, JP!

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Autumngal's avatar

Merry Christmas Jo and to all Gardening Minds, I’m a new member here and just loving this place!

Thank you! 😁

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Jo Thompson's avatar

Welcome! We’re so glad to have you here - look out for the Chat tomorrow …

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Lauren Munton's avatar

Wishing everyone a joyful Christmas and hope you don’t all get too many mugs with ‘Head Gardener’ printed on them 😀🌺😀

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Linda Slow Growing in Scotland's avatar

That's a "straight to charity shop" one!

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Jo Thompson's avatar

Hahaha! And wishing you the same! Merry Christmas

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Nicola's avatar

This was a lovely welcome at the start of a very, very busy day which was due to begin with the Christmas food shop. Though, naturally, I’m now already off my stride…

A quiet garden to observe sounds lovely. My garden does not feel at all quiet; lesson to self: don’t start landscaping jobs in the garden when your *actual* job is going to prevent you from finishing said jobs. My garden is quite literally a building site. One of those where the builders have downed tools and absconded. I really must have stern words with myself.

Rose ‘Wild Rover’ is exactly the rose I’ve been looking for. I didn’t know it until now, but it really is. An early Christmas present! Thank you.

Merry Christmas everybody.

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Veronica Hill's avatar

I bought Indigo rose as I couldn’t get any wild rover. Similar, but double, and not so subtle.

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Jo Thompson's avatar

Merry Christmas Nicola - and oh my goodness, being in the middle of a landscaping project must be so hard to juggle with everything else - wishing you luck!

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Jo Linney's avatar

Thank you Jo, a lovely post as ever, have a great Christmas, I may watch Stranger Things over tge coming weeks, everyone has told me to. 😘😘

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Jo Thompson's avatar

It’s definitely worth it!

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Christine McLaren's avatar

I mean, Wild Rover … that would help, wouldn’t it?

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Jo Thompson's avatar

I knew what you meant 🤣🤣🤣

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Christine McLaren's avatar

Your posts are a complete salve in a troubled world. And you have turned me into a Captain Ahab of Rosa ‘Wild Rose’. One day, somewhere, I will find it in stock. Merry Christmas!

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Jo Thompson's avatar

Haha I love that - the Captain Ahab! 🤣

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