the daydream fund challenge thread

lostinrates

The earliest tomatoes we had this year were v. early. (kept on a windowsil and looked quite sickly, so I guess they fruited early in desperation)were a cherry variety but I can't remember which. Not very nice. Forgot to water them actually, will go and have a look at them later. Marmonde is now flowering though. Yippee.

choille

Buddleias are fantastic plants for insects, though to keep them looking good takes more effort than many give them. I had one or two rare ones, but they didn't make it through last winter. I picked up a new one this spring which has very strongly variegated foliage and is said to be naturally compact. So far, it has grown slowly for a buddleia.

The hens were really kicking off last night at around 9.30, with most of them up on the windbreak or milling about below it, instead of going to bed. I thought they were just partying, so I resolved to get them up & out very early. Then DW noticed that we'd closed the pop-hole earlier when we'd wanted to catch one that was inside.....Oops! So, no punishment for the hens, but I'm still up & about at 5am.....[/QUOTE]
Buddleias are handy as they are easy to get cuttings off I find. I have a few - one that has orange balls. I had one before at an old place, but this one has more than one ball per stem & is rather lovely. I just hack them down when they've flowered & haven't lost one over the Winter - so must be hardy troopers.
My garden - everything is really out of control & I've stopped firefighting the weeds. I'm sorry that my lupins have snapped off before they've properly flowered - probably the wind.
I also seem to have rhoddies springing up - the poticommon one that's a pest weed. I pull them out before they become a real problem - place is covered with them up here, roadsides etc - very poisonous to sheep.

lostinrates

choille wrote: »

Buddleias are handy as they are easy to get cuttings off I find. I have a few - one that has orange balls. I had one before at an old place, but this one has more than one ball per stem & is rather lovely. .

Do you know what this is called, this one? I'd like to see it, see if it would fit somewhere here.

The wonderful thing about buddleia is the almost fantasy element of walking past one, through all the butterflies alighting on one.

choille

This is the one I had http://www.gardenseeker.com/plants_a_z/buddleja_globosa_buddleia-.htm

which is alright & did cover nicely an ugly brick outhouse, but the globes only lasted a couple of weeks max & all go brown together.
The one I've got (can't find a photo) is much more lovely - nicer, softer colour & almost fluffy with the clusters of globe shaped flowers.
When it flowers I'll try & remember to take a photo as I don't seem to be able to find one on the net. It was a cutting I took from one at our local PO but haven't seem any others.

choille

Got it: http://www.floraselect.co.uk/shop/buddleja-__-buddleia--%7C22400/buddleja-__-buddleia-x-weyeriana-sungold---butterfly-bush-%7C3665/#3665

It smells wonderful & the flowers last longer than the one above. It's dead easy to get going from a cutting taken after it's flowered & it grows well.

RAS

I have globulosa; the bumble bees love it and it is so much earlier than the other buddleias. It is a bit late this year because I pruned it very late. The other one looks like a plant that a friend has and I have been offered a cutting this autumn.

choille

Take them up on their offer as it's a lovely shrub & wonderful fragrance - bees & butterflies love it.

Well we've no water again. Spent ages this morning getting at the washing machine in the shed. making a temp run for the ten chicks still in there & no fffflipping water.
OH is away doing percolation tests - the irony - & I'm not a happy bunny at the mo.

lostinrates

Thank you choille! I'll add it to my ''must have'' list for the garden.

lostinrates

so, the drought is formally announced, we get rain and its so cold I've had to light the dodgy woodburner for the first time in months.

rhiwfield

lostinrates wrote: »

so, the drought is formally announced, we get rain and its so cold I've had to light the dodgy woodburner for the first time in months.

Had the CH on for a while today as we were getting chill indoors during a long, fraught, financial planning meeting.

Hens are steadily laying 3 a day, we havent done any jam and the goosegogs are getting riper. Time to get preserving and baking

Going to try something new at a village do tomorrow, will let you know how badly it goes!