the daydream fund challenge thread

Lotus-eater

I don't really see the point of flowers, but I am coming round a bit. I've planted up a space with flowers this year in the front garden, instead of just having veg in there.
So hopefully it should look nice, but I haven't a clue with them and I'm sure I've mucked something up somewhere.

But food is where I really am at, what I would like to do with your bit of garden is this. A oblong patio in the middle, with beds spreading out like rays from the sun, fan trained fruit at the borders to the rest of the garden. Autumn raspberries planted in the ends of the beds around the patio, so you can sit there and see but not see everything else in the beds, they don't need supporting, they look great and they produce great fruit. The beds next to the house, would be large cutting flowers (still learning about them) and everything else would be whatever was needed foodwise.
I would also have a tunnel somewhere, maybe leading out of the fan trained fruit wall, with a long bed at the foot of each side, I would grow climbing flowers and beans together up there, the beans would hang down on the inside to be picked and it would be like a secret tunnel leading into the secret garden.
It would be a bit like a walled garden, outside I would have lawns.

That's what I want now, ask me again in ten minutes

lostinrates

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I don't really see the point of flowers, but I am coming round a bit. I've planted up a space with flowers this year in the front garden, instead of just having veg in there.
So hopefully it should look nice, but I haven't a clue with them and I'm sure I've mucked something up somewhere.:D

Grow flowers you can eat! We regularly eat: roses petals, lavender, nasturtiums, violets...can't think what else. I buy orange flower water and jasmine essence...I want to find out which of those plants I can eat grown at home...I won't use citrus blossom though, in the hope I get fruits instead. Also I read you can eat lilac....I've never tried. I've made honeysuckle membrillo better than the proper quince one IMO.

dh often has a yellow face when he comes in from the field having been chomping on dandilions. Most people don't want them in the garden though.

alfie_1

hiya
i had a good time at the O2, saw RUSH. not my choice but good anyway !!;)
i have just discovered you have to PAY to park in a lorry at the service stations....:(
the hire co have sent me an invoice for £114.....:eek:...... apparently i incurred a £60 fine for not paying to park ??? [prob £30 but if not paid in time £60 !!] this is over 2 months ago and the hire co have just TAKEN the £114 from my account without me even getting a copy of issued ticket or anything :mad: no notice they were taking it either ???? i have rung the co but thay say it was an unpaid fine so i incurr THIER charges of £35 admin fee plus VAT ! [they have VAT'd the WHOLE amount too !] i have just wammed off an e-mail to the company disputing this as i see it that they should have sent my details [as driver of vehicle] back to the ticket people so i have an opportunity to A..pay or B..dispute it ??] also that i have to agree payment not them just take it without a bye or leave....:mad: [this for my trip to fetch gypsy wagon!]
i keep hearing "its in the small print" but it def says only "if they are notified of an UNPAID fine" if i dont know about it how can i be told ive NOT PAID IT !!:mad:

NOT A GOOD START TO MY BREAK ON IOW !!!!!

Lotus-eater

lostinrates wrote: »

Grow flowers you can eat! We regularly eat: roses petals, lavender, nasturtiums, violets...can't think what else. I buy orange flower water and jasmine essence...I want to find out which of those plants I can eat grown at home...I won't use citrus blossom though, in the hope I get fruits instead. Also I read you can eat lilac....I've never tried. I've made honeysuckle membrillo better than the proper quince one IMO.

dh often has a yellow face when he comes in from the field having been chomping on dandilions. Most people don't want them in the garden though.

Yeah, but it's not going to fill you up is it? I always grow nasturtiums as companion plants and I like eating them. I didn't think there was much you could do with lavender.
I have loads of dandelions, tried eating them and not worth it at all IMHO. I think we discussed it before.

Bad luck alfie, I didn't know trucks had to pay either.

lostinrates

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Yeah, but it's not going to fill you up is it?

Neither is lettuce on its own, or basil, but we still grow them and love 'em!

I always grow nasturtiums as companion plants and I like eating them. I didn't think there was much you could do with lavender.
I have loads of dandelions, tried eating them and not worth it at all IMHO. I think we discussed it before.

Lavender goes great in apple jelly, or instead of rosemary with lamb. mmm. Its also good for baking with. It is nice in rice puddings too. (though I'm not over keen on rice pudding!) I keep meaning to make a lavender spanish cream. I might do that next week, see what I think of it. And tea, lavender tea is the business. I thought before you were talking about just leaves.

Bad luck alfie, I didn't know trucks had to pay either.

Neither did i. Its over ten years now since I drove a lorry and I'm very much wanting one again now. Its a bit rough as usually you HAVE to pull over for the legal rests now.

Lotus-eater

Lavender rice pudding, I like the sound of that. Lavender tea huh? Never tried that before and I've drunk alot of different sorts of tea. Do you make it?
I do have a Lavender bush I had two, but one died in the winter. I have it for the bees, next to my wildlife pond that has been there for 5 years to attract frogs. Never seen a frog in the garden
All Lavender = edible? Yes, just looked it up, but English Lavender is the one to use. You have to pick the unopened flower buds. That's a bit of a faf and the bees wouldn't get the flowers then

lostinrates

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Lavender rice pudding, I like the sound of that. Lavender tea huh? Never tried that before and I've drunk alot of different sorts of tea. Do you make it?
I do have a Lavender bush I had two, but one died in the winter. I have it for the bees, next to my wildlife pond that has been there for 5 years to attract frogs. Never seen a frog in the garden
All Lavender = edible? Yes, just looked it up, but English Lavender is the one to use. You have to pick the unopened flower buds. That's a bit of a faf and the bees wouldn't get the flowers then

Yes, I make the tea, its a beautiful colour! And I make the rice pudding. I harvest the lavender let it dry then pop it off the sprig. Its not so faffy. I never take the whol lot of a plant..I want it in the garden too. I only have english lavender here so far, but plan to edge my herb beds in different lavenders. I adore french lavender.

A simple start would be to make lavender sugar and make some lavender cupcakes with it. I'm not bi on cupcakes, especially now everyone is at it with cupcakes. But a plate of lavender, violet, rose, geranium and lemon cupcakes softly iced in gently colours and flavoured icing is superb with a glass of milk/cup of tea after some sandwiches for a summer tea/early supper.

Lots of people say the white lavender is better for cooking/tea. I haven't found that myself, and for tea the colour is part of the joy, so I use the blue.

Davesnave

You've made me even hungrier!

I'm off to eat someone else's pig in a minute:D, but I'd just like to say bad luck alfie and don't let it spoil your break on the IOW.

Hi to everyone else too.:hello: I had a funny picture to show you, but it won't upload....:(

Maybe tomorrow, especially if the weather's like today!

Lotus-eater

Well I may be getting an allotment, or maybe half a one, so I'll have the space then for a few bushes. Where my short rosemary hedge died this winter I was thinking about putting in a Lavender hedge, but got out voted by everyone else, who wanted (and got) flowers there instead. See I have some flowers, I just don't talk about them. To be fair, that's about it :rotfl:
I may be also helping on a school allotment which has just started ... not sure about that one, I have my ways of doing things and I like things to be right.... I also drive people up the wall. My DD made my day though when I asked if she had put her name down on the school allotment, "I am if you are doing it", she said, "that will be great because you're the best gardener in the world".
Kids huh, daft beggers <wipes tear from eye>

lostinrates

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Well I may be getting an allotment, or maybe half a one, so I'll have the space then for a few bushes. Where my short rosemary hedge died this winter I was thinking about putting in a Lavender hedge, but got out voted by everyone else, who wanted (and got) flowers there instead. See I have some flowers, I just don't talk about them. To be fair, that's about it :rotfl:
I may be also helping on a school allotment which has just started ... not sure about that one, I have my ways of doing things and I like things to be right.... I also drive people up the wall. My DD made my day though when I asked if she had put her name down on the school allotment, "I am if you are doing it", she said, "that will be great because you're the best gardener in the world".
Kids huh, daft beggers <wipes tear from eye>

in my book lavender and rosemary both count as ''flowers''. They are found in many a purel ornamental garden so....!

I love the sound of your family.