Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Davesnave

I meant emerged as in 'germinated' and I misused the word 'planted' by not making it clear I was referring to seeds. Sorry! Corrected now. 

Farway

Sunshine again, plus my cosmos have germinated in the unheated conservatory, which make me wonder about the Detroit beetroot sown at same time, the other variety has been up a bit now, I hope I'm just impatient and it's not a bad batch, but I have alternatives just in case I need to re sow

twopenny said:

Went for a walk peering at others gardens for shrub ideas. I need some structure that's evergreen, flowering, small to medium and not too big. Fragarent as well if possible. Not that I'm fussy or anything

I'd love a fig. If you have 3 plants time to make some Pan de Higo. Delicious and lasts for ages.

2P, have you tried using the RHS find a plant?   https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-form

I had to look up the fig recipe, however from last year's unexpected after effects with my baked figs in future I'll avoid too many in one sitting

Tomato seeds sorted but need to make final choices later and may sow today time permitting

I think Shirley may be this year's "Banker"

Apodemus

Davesnave said:

I meant emerged as in 'germinated' and I misused the word 'planted' by not making it clear I was referring to seeds. Sorry! Corrected now. 

Ah!  Thanks, I'll need to go and apologise to my Crataegi then!

twopenny

The promised sunny spells was heavy cloud and rain. Tried to take a day off from the house with a picnic but the biting wind, road diversions that weren't real put paid to that - so I went on the hill and collected more sheeps wool. I had the idea to make my own pellets to deter the slugs that are eating all my bulb shoots and flowers but google has failed me.

Have to water my small lilac in a big pot. Somehow that and the little roses in pots around it are dry as a bone. Need to move my 'weed/lawn treatment' from the watering can first. It's a juggling act.

Still to wet to deal with anything in the garden.

Farway I've bookmarked that but I need my daily exercise and besides, I'm nosey. Then I have an excuse to walk around the garden centre and charity plant places

Farway

Dull here today, while out essential shopping I checked on the volunteer border, looking a bit in need of a weeding but have to wait for better weather

One forsythia is in flower, that is one of the "new" shrubs planted last year, that plus a lot of daffs coming up in the grass surrounding  [thanks to the G Guides] shows Spring is really here

I sowed my toms yesterday, only one new one to me "Ship Saint", it was on offer at a quid hence the purchase to try it out

This morning my pink radishes have germinated but still no sign of missing AWOL Detroit beetroot

Something else that will now be missing are my new apple trees from Chris Bowers

Had this e mail arrive,

Unfortunately we have been notified that we must cancel and refund all outstanding orders because we have held the money for too long without supplying  the goods.

This is a recent development beyond our control

Bit of a bummer, especially as one was going to SIL, oh well, now I can have a pear "pollination partner" for my red one without trying to make a space where there is none

twopenny

Mixed blessings Farway. Shame though.

Cleaned and painted the bird table. It's beginning to get more rot than wood and I think it's time for a new one. But I wondered why they'd stopped visiting. It was thick with fat and dirt from their feet. Shame on me. I blame the weather.

Sprayed a few weeds and trimmed the lawn edges.

Not exciting stuff but my neighbours have some lovely daffodil displays that have cheered me and I thought I should have a block of them too so we brighten the whole corner and I've spotted just the place. The random patch where the electricity cable from street light to my house runs, thick with concrete so I couldn't plant much and covered with gravel. Just the place for bulbs.

It feels good to look forward at this time of stagnation.

Oh and my potted lilac is producing flowers for the first time since I moved and started treating it well. Neglect is obviously it's favoured state

Davesnave

Lost my post! Grr!  Basically, yesterday's essential mission was a damp squib, due to the essential bit taking up all but  45 minutes, which wasn't long enough at the nursery. All the things I wanted were sold out or not stocked, but Dearly B managed to find a few plants on her list. The place was rammed due to the fine weather there and the low prices, so I resolved to return on another day with a longer list of options. I did pick up a pink perennial pea in Morrisons on the return journey which looked good value at £2. Small consolation.

Today began drizzly and brightened-up after lunch, so with clear skies tonight there may be a slight frost. I hope so, as I found red spider mites on an Agastache I overwintered in the poly, so I've stuck it outdoors where the sun don't shine until late!

Still collecting dumpy bags of the pruned and cut back trees too small for logs. Another 3 bags placed in the bonfire queue.

twopenny

Dave, is the perennial pea the same as the perenial sweet pea?

I've got lots of those seeds, they grow wild in a road near here and are a good filler in the July gap. The only problem is that in the move I got the annual and perinnial sweet peas mixed up.  Otherwise I'd offer to send you some.

Apodemus

Yesterday was too nice a day here to spend working in the garden, so I was off for a long walk instead! 

However, I had made some progress on Monday and even had the mower out for the first time this year!  A small part of my lawn is under some big pine trees and it grows well at this time of year, then gets too dry from late spring onwards, so it was needing tidied up.  With the grass box on the mower it also serves to mulch and remove all the small twigs and debris that have blown down over the winter, so although it was only a very high cut, it makes quite a difference to the look of the place.  Added bonus is a fairly dry mix of grassy, twiggy material for the new compost.

Davesnave

Apodemus said:

Yesterday was too nice a day here to spend working in the garden, so I was off for a long walk instead! 

I'd love a long walk, but the garden has to take precedence and DB would think it very bad form if I went off walking when there's so much to do.   My walking friend has also stipulated "no wellies," which might not be feasible yet and they only have trainers otherwise.

As it's  due to be a clear day I won't bonfire; that can wait till it'd cloudy and there's a good wind. Instead, there's about a tonne of stones we've exhumed which now need moving so we can plonk in a couple of yews.

Yes, 2p it's a Lathyrus latifolius and I could get seeds from a friend.....but I always forget. There's also an unusual one on the main road by Crediton Hospital, but it's on a nasty stretch with no pavement, so I've been slow to act there as well!

The Agastache with spider mite was frosted, as predicted...