My gardening diary, ( amongst other things)

Pre-war_babe_33

I go to art classes Ani, after a gap of some 50 years since I last painted anything, and just last Saturday I sold my first painting - could turn into a bit of an earner for you Ani - give it a go.

Rainbow_Bridge

I went to Art classes too last year Ani, and loved them. We wandered around Edinburgh with our sketch pads, and captured the scenes, in the most amazing variety of manners. I tend to vere to the Picasso style of painting :eek:.

If you fancy painting your plants, PM me your address, and i'l stick a bunch of art stuff in the post to you. I have got tons that I will never use, as it is nolonger the medium I like to work with.

ani_26

Luckystepho wrote: »

Those flowers are beautiful Ani, they remind me a lot of snapdragons. They look lovely next to the little purple flowers, I think landscape gardening is obviously a talent of yours!

Don't forget these are " virtual " flowers, and the plants i have are going to remain "green" for some time, ( i hope.) Best check for frost damage. I thought there was something ( else) wrong with me last night, until i looked out of the window. :eek: It's warmed up a tad, now.


Anyone know what the little purple flowers are?..................

ani_26

Piquant wrote: »

Looks like you could be a tutor. I may have mastered the quotes under your instruction...

Pleased to be of assistance. Everyone will be able to multi quote now?


Thanks for all the info.xx I am on speech limitation, right now.

ani_26

Piquant wrote: »

Here is a link to making compost. You don't need a bin, just a corner in the garden and some polythene. See what you think.

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicgardening/compost_pf.php

I actually used some of my homemade compost in pots with geraniums and petunias, not sure if I was supposed to, but they flowered a treat!

Ditto, thanks. x I will save the rest of the leaves. It's a shame i threw the majority in the recycling bin.


I'm not sure what to do with my geraniums, they have died?


Do i cut them back, or leave them?



Ps the petunias still have new growth, in all the sunshine. I suppose i should cut them back. I took them down, but still left them outside.

ani_26

Pre-war_babe_33 wrote: »

I go to art classes Ani, after a gap of some 50 years since I last painted anything, and just last Saturday I sold my first painting - could turn into a bit of an earner for you Ani - give it a go.

Rainbow_Bridge wrote: »

I went to Art classes too last year Ani, and loved them. We wandered around Edinburgh with our sketch pads, and captured the scenes, in the most amazing variety of manners. I tend to vere to the Picasso style of painting :eek:.

If you fancy painting your plants, PM me your address, and i'l stick a bunch of art stuff in the post to you. I have got tons that I will never use, as it is nolonger the medium I like to work with.

I don't wish to sound ungrateful but me and art? :eek:



I am the worlds worst artist. It's true, although you will probably argue that ANY art, even the worlds worst, is still art?


Me and art parted company at school, ( that's a long time ago.) I hate it. :rotfl:



Still, i'll have a think, and if you fancy meeting a demon, ( in fact, demons,) with some art stuff? i have a £2.50 ticket to your neck of the woods, in the not too distant future.


Oh and hi RB :rotfl::hello:



Thanks for coming. xx

Piquant_2

The purple plant is probably sweet alyssum. It is covered in tiny flowers that smell of honey, the bees love it. It grows in little hummocks that are about six inches tall. Sometimes it self seeds but is normally grown as an annual plant from seed. It is lovely!

ani_26 wrote: »

Ditto, thanks. x I will save the rest of the leaves. It's a shame i threw the majority in the recycling bin.

To be honest, there would be too many leaves if you tried to make leaf mold from them all. Just a bag or two will be enough. Otherwise you'd have a pile of black bin liners full of leaves taking over your garden!

I'm not sure what to do with my geraniums, they have died?

If they're still outside, they need to come in now and be kept in a cool frost free place. They should be cut back once they come in. They will die back for the winter anyway, I think, and then grow again next spring. This year is the first year I've tried to over-winter mine, so I'm not entirely sure they will make it If I were rich I'd have a heated greenhouse....

the petunias still have new growth, in all the sunshine. I suppose i should cut them back. I took them down, but still left them outside.

The petunias are annuals, they won't make it I'm afraid You'll have to grow some more next year. Being me, I wouldn't throw them away whilst they're still growing, but be prepared for them either to die or to grow very spindly next year.

*Robin*

ani_26 wrote: »

I'm not sure why people buy seed potatoes? I've used " left over" potaotes. I just wait for them to start " rooting" then plant them. But i guess these potatoes only cost me 10p, in the first place. :rotfl:


Mmm, broad beans..............

Hi Ani :hello:

My main reason for buying seed potatoes this year is time - it takes several weeks for ordinary spuds to grow shoots [chit? is that the right word, I don't know]. My winter crop should have gone in already and I'd like to harvest them before the Creator stops taking care of watering. I will do my own roosters - they crop pretty well and can be planted later - but there's no denying that the baking spuds grow better from proper seed potatoes (and I'm buying at Spanish prices, so not much more expensive than your marvellous 10p shop!).

I got into my garden in between rain storms yesterday and planted a dozen tiny onion sets - from the same shop as I've ordered the spuds - they only cost 30p and are much more reliable than growing from seed.
The broad bean seeds went into trays as their terrace is still waiting to be weeded and manured - hoping to have that done by the time they're ready to plant out, but the weather is not co-operating at the moment!

ps. The geraniums I've got at my UK place must have been going for nearly twenty years - they spend the winters on the kitchen windowsill very happily.

Rainbow_Bridge

ani_26 wrote: »

Still, i'll have a think, and if you fancy meeting a demon, ( in fact, demons,) with some art stuff? i have a £2.50 ticket to your neck of the woods, in the not too distant future.


Oh and hi RB :rotfl::hello:



Thanks for coming. xx

LOL, you are very brave, you could even meet DF2, or stay in her house overnight, then you'd know exactly what I mean by cold brrrrrrrrrr :rotfl:.

P.S. I see you more as my Jiminy Cricket (authentic conscience), than my demon .

Pre-war_babe_33

The name geranium is rather confusing. There are the perennial type that just keep going outside in all weathers for year after year, or there are the tender type, which I think you have Ani, which are strictly speaking pelargoniums (think that`s how it`s spelt but am feeling too lazy to go and look it up!) You have to bring them inside now and as Robin says they can then keep going for years.