the daydream fund challenge thread

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

Lir, I can think of better trees than sugar maples for pleaching, but there are various forms of the tree, including columnar.

I disn't know there was a columnar form! Right, that's my decision sorted....columnar sugar maples at the front, peached pears at the back! (just have to check root spreads!...what root stock do you reckon for say...10 feet? (I know I'll need a ladder for the fruit, but it also will give privacy from the tractor to the kitchen)

Yep, camera on the weekend list. I'll read your note to PN. I wish I'd got a picture of the front border while the tulips were out. It was a very lucky planting accident that looked amazing. even if nothing is that white!:o;)

edit: re sugar trees....here's the problem...I was actually thinking BURNT sugar maple not sugar maple....

unless we could get maple syrup in the uk? Otherwise, I'm still decided, burnt sugar trees in front, pears at the back!

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

I disn't know there was a columnar form! Right, that's my decision sorted....columnar sugar maples at the front, peached pears at the back! (just have to check root spreads!...what root stock do you reckon for say...10 feet? (I know I'll need a ladder for the fruit, but it also will give privacy from the tractor to the kitchen)

Yep, camera on the weekend list. I'll read your note to PN. I wish I'd got a picture of the front border while the tulips were out. It was a very lucky planting accident that looked amazing. even if nothing is that white!:o;)

edit: are, re sugar trees....here's the problem...I was actually thinking BURNT sugar maple not sugar maple....

unless we could get maple syrup in the uk? Otherwise, I'm still decided, burnt sugar trees in front, pears at the back!

But I'm decided

Err, I'm confused now. Do you mean :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/9209.shtml

There are various forms of that too.

Pears are done on Quince rootstocks, but I don't think there's much to choose between them size wise. You'd need to as rhiwfield or RAS really.

Cameras are a bit of a personal thing. For example, I won't have a touch screen one, and I prefer something chunky to get hold of.:) Anything by Panasonic, Canon and Sony around £150+ will work well enough, and as you are not a techno-geek, I'd not be bothering with things like GPS to record where a picture was taken etc.

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

Err, I'm confused now. Do you mean :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/9209.shtml

There are various forms of that too.

Pears are done on Quince rootstocks, but I don't think there's much to choose between them size wise. You'd need to as rhiwfield or RAS really.

Cameras are a bit of a personal thing. For example, I won't have a touch screen one, and I prefer something chunky to get hold of.:) Anything by Panasonic, Canon and Sony around £150+ will work well enough, and as you are not a techno-geek, I'd not be bothering with things like GPS to record where a picture was taken etc.

or written description: http://www.whispering-trees.co.uk/products.asp?id=144990510914553&sectionID=16&productID=181

the smell really is amazing. I miss it a lot! but....do you think a sugar maple would give syrup in UK?


RAS must know this....where are you RAS???

Oh davesnave, being a girl I want a camera I can put in my handbag, now I don't have a phone that takes pics anyway! I think I'll just get a cheapy...its to share pics with you lot mainly...and get those garden plans online!

edit: the confusion b=must be the maple name. I've always heard it as burnt sugar tree/burnt sugar maple...but it isn't a maple!

Davesnave

Lir you may need to remove your first link, as it's maybe not what you thought it was!:eek::eek:

DD2 is very taken with her Panasonic TZ8, which she swears gives her more consistent results at college than her mates achieve with their SLRs

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-Lumix-TZ8-Digital-Camera/dp/B0031MA10I/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1303372965&sr=1-1

But as I said, cameras are personal things and the best thing is to handle them and see what feels 'right' for you. As long exposure, macro and flash controls are all easy to access and the zoom range is sensible (no point in more than x8 for most of us) the ability to go in a handbag should be the easy bit.

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

Lir you may need to remove your first link, as it's maybe not what you thought it was!:eek::eek: .

LOL, thanks. I sent that to NDG earlier.

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

LOL, thanks. I sent that to NDG earlier.

Yes, nice to have her on board again, though I don't think she'll be on this board any time soon.

Edit. No idea about maple syrup, but it doesn't look like you'd get any from Cerdidiphyllum anyway.

Have just had news of successful hatching of A'lorp chicks from friend.(not bantams) We know someone who has two hens but no cockerel, so we're hoping to get a bit of an enthusiast group together.

ukmaggie45

Hi Folks, managed to walk up to the far and of the garden yesterday and along half of the back wall, first time this year. Found this blue flowered plant (and there's another one across the other side growing out of the path too) and wondered if anyone knows what it is? Hairy leaves and stems.

Here's a close up of the flowers.


Whats this plant close up by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

And here's one that gives a bit of an idea of how it grows.


Whats this plant 2 by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

And yes, I know there's a lot of nettles there! But have seen a tortoiseshell butterfly in the garden yesterday so will have to check them for eggs/caterpillars before removing some of them. Some will have to go as they're taking over the elephant garlic bed!

Anyway, I don't think the plant's alkanet, and it doesn't really look like comfrey to me? A quick google suggests Brunnera macrophylla, what do you think?

Davesnave

ukmaggie45 wrote: »

.
Anyway, I don't think the plant's alkanet, and it doesn't really look like comfrey to me? A quick google suggests Brunnera macrophylla, what do you think?

Sorry, I think it is alkanet!

Notice the notch at the base of brunnera leaves. Yours doesn't have it.

ukmaggie45

Davesnave wrote: »

Sorry, I think it is alkanet!

Hmm, didn't think we'd got any of that in the garden, though do have some here in the backyard in pots. Must have managed to transport some seed over somehow. Oh well, can gather the roots and do some home dyeing!

I didn't remember alkanet being quite as hairy as this plant, but it's a while since I've seen a fully grown plant - DD1's garden at her last place was over run with it. As weeds go it's a pretty one.

lostinrates

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentaglottis_sempervirens

I'd never heard ''alkanet'' so I googled. This looks like it I think. Its pretty. I like it. I don't mind ''weeds'' if they are pretty.