So poor I can't even pay attention

Piquant_2

Baldybear wrote: »

Morning, glad the coffee shop job is ok, assume the lunch break scenario situation is fixed. And fab re the gardening

May be coming to you soon as really want a cat, never had one before so will be plaguing you for advice

Cats choose their owners, never let yourself think you are choosing a cat....

debtfreewannabe321 wrote: »

Morning PIQ I hope the rain holds off, looks threatening here!

I received some evening primrose seeds this morning (freebie board) I thought I would ask you (as mse's resident gardener) if you think they would be better in pots or in the ground. Also does anyone know if dogs are safe with them. Duke seems to like to have a nibble of everything that grows outside! The seeds seem so tiny should I throw them all in together (i've given it away now haven't I - I buy plants usually already half grown ) xx

Here's a link to some information http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/582.shtml

What it doesn't mention is that in years to come you will have it everywhere, in pots, cracks in the paving, beds..... It will self seed everywhere.

Evening primrose contains gamma linolenic acid, GLA for short. Many of the things our dogs eat actually stop the production of GLA. It may be used to help pets in a variety of ailments, including dog skin disorders, respiratory problems, arthritis and inflammatory conditions. Evening primrose oil lowers blood cholesterol and improves eczema [copied from a site]

Piquant_2

Skint_but_Optimistic wrote: »

I had another pot and plant idea. how about the zodiac pot with the birth flower? Obviously with June it would need to be a minature rose not a standard but it might be a nice little selling point and provide some orders into winter.


How about also butterfly pots with minature buddelia in, and some dill or fennel which looks pretty in the summer and ladybirds can shelter in the stems in winter (cue ladybird pot) ... have had my thinking cap on as I love gardens and flowers too!

January Birth Flower - the Carnation or Snowdrop
February Birth Flower - the Violet or Primrose
March Birth Flower - the Jonquil (aka Daffodil or Narcissus)
April Birth Flower - the Sweet pea or Daisy
May Birth Flower - the Lily of the Valley
June Birth Flower - the Rose
July Birth Flower - the Larkspur or Water Lily
August Birth Flower - the Gladiolus or Poppy
September Birth Flower - the Aster or Morning Glory
October Birth Flower - the Calendula (Marigold)
November Birth Flower - the Chrysanthemum
December Birth Flower - the Narcissus

Brilliant, brilliant idea - thank you. I will start looking into it :T

Verbatim wrote: »

What an excellent idea Skint. I can see that being a really good seller. Once Piq had the designs off, (assuming she draws them on the pots I mean) she could do them on larger pots which would accommodate the roses and buddleias!

The problem with larger pots is the financial outlay [still very poor] and postage. The 21cm pots cost £8.00 to send via RM. I have looked into interparcel etc, but they won't give you a collection time, meaning I'd have to stay in all day. At the moment I'm working six days a week :eek:

the_cake wrote: »

Hi Piq
Just thought I would chip in with this:
http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-living/articles/59995.aspx
it's about which plants benefit from the addition of used coffee grounds to their soil. I sprinkled a bit on the geranium on our kitchen windowsill, and it has gone ballistic: much bigger leaves and loads of flower buds in a matter of about 10 days. I will be adding a bit to some other plants and seeing what happens! It does make the soil more acidic ... thought it might be helpful as you can, presumably, get plenty of coffee grounds from work?
It's so great to hear about all your new gardening clients and pot ideas. Three cheers for you! Oh, and Jeeves waves a paw to Colin ....

Funnily enough I have been using my coffee grouts in the compost for years. As I drink at least three pots a day I have lovely compost:j I'm not sure about bringing home coffee grouts on the bus, heavy and leaky? Although I could then use them on client's plants....hmmm? I will do a trial run on a short shift day!

*Robin*

Hi Piq, :hello:

Just popping in for a catch-up; glad to hear you are picking up more gardening clients.

Made a mental note about the benefits of coffee grounds on plants - could be a very useful tip for my unruly garden.

Love the idea of birthday pots too.

Piquant_2

chevalier wrote: »

Hi Piq

I love your pots. They are full of personality. I was wondering though, would they look better if they were varnished.....I had a shiny finish on them?

Lovely to hear of your Captain story, so very touching how he gave you a horsey hug (breathing on you)

So lovely to hear from you again chev. I read your diary in bed last night, will pop back to comment and wave later!

The pots are varnished, minimum of three coats. I use satin finish, sometimes a glossy one, depends on how I see the pot :rotfl: Each pot has two primer coats, two main colour, sometimes a wash coat then varnish/sealer. The paint will not come off....

fannyadams wrote: »

Coffee grounds also make the worms in my wormery like eachother a lot enough to make more worms IYKWIM

:rotfl::rotfl:Thank goodness coffee doesn't have the same effect on us!

Piquant_2

I've run out of time for an update Today I'm doing my blind lady's garden and the garden of a couple who have been married for 61 years :eek:

I'll be back later this afternoon/evening - promise!±

alioops78

Piquant wrote: »

You're always interesting. Pipe up when you have time, not just when the husbandpet's cooking goes awry.

Aww shucks thank you lovely.

I would love a Virgo pot with either Aster or Morning Glory especially purple flowers. I'm ashamed to admit that I had to google the images of both flowers as I've never seen them before lol.

If you wish to experiment send me a pm and I'll send you the money for it.

Alioops x

Skint_but_Optimistic

Im going to try and make my own bee houses with some bamboo. They may not work out well but the bees might like them anyway! They might be more Bee shacks- however I shall write Bee Cosy on it and hope for the best!

JustAboutThere

Skint_but_Optimistic wrote: »

I shall write Bee Cosy on it and hope for the best!

Alternatively, "Bee Rested".

rileydog

Piquant wrote: »

The problem with larger pots is the financial outlay [still very poor] and postage. The 21cm pots cost £8.00 to send via RM. I have looked into interparcel etc, but they won't give you a collection time, meaning I'd have to stay in all day.

Have you heard of Collect+ and/or My Hermes? You basically drop your parcels off at corner shops/garages (not random ones, ones that are part of the scheme ) so no need to wait in. A parcel up to 1kg costs £3 to send with MyHermes, up to 2kg is £3.90. With Collect+ 0-2kg costs £3.99 to send , worth seeing if you have one nearby

https://www.myhermes.co.uk/wps/portal/PN_CTR/Home/parcelshopfinder/

http://www.collectplus.co.uk/send

the_cake

Skint_but_Optimistic wrote: »

Im going to try and make my own bee houses with some bamboo. They may not work out well but the bees might like them anyway! They might be more Bee shacks- however I shall write Bee Cosy on it and hope for the best!

"Don't Worry - Bee Happy!"