Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Davesnave

Paspatur said:

Thank you Davesnave I now have a name for the bane of my life. Spent hours yesterday taking it out and more today if sun comes out, currently 2 degrees and I can't weed with cold hands.

 Hairy bittercress always very fast out of the blocks, having lurked in winter, but it gives itself away when it flowers. I motivate myself to get on top of it by remembering the average seed count from one mature plant is 600.

mad_spaniel

Had an unusual garden visitor yesterday- a peacock.

twopenny

Well it was cold and dull then the sun broke through and the wind changed direction so pleasurable.

Come lunch time it was warm and sunny enough for me to go and do the last hard standing in the back. Unfortunately emptying the compost bin to move it I had a huge Bumble Bee who's home I had disturbed. I tried to avoid it's area but too late. Made moving the bin complicated as it kept going round and round looking for it's home making a heck of a noise so ended up with it half done, refilling the heap. Still took half an hour as it surveyed the changes, multipl entry points etc till it settled. I'll wait till the flowers are out as I felt guilty it using so much energy with so little food.

Bought an Iris from our charity stall, expensive if bought at Kelways. Another problem, a bunch of Grannies bonnet has grown through my Iris rhizomes which I can't get out without digging out the Irises also. The new one may need a temporary home somewhere sunny until the autumn.

greenbee

mad_spaniel said:

Had an unusual garden visitor yesterday- a peacock.

I hope it went home! They're a PITA round here - I haven't had them visit, but there are always posts on the village FB group asking who they belong to (tends to depend where they've turned up as there is more than one option). 

Like @t@twopenny I've been dealing with compost today. I finally opened the hotbin and was pleasantly surprised. Apart from things I hadn't chopped up small (as per the instructions), eggshells (which I will crumble in future), avocado stones, bone and coffee pods it was looking pretty good. The coffee pods crumble when pressure is applied, and apparently the new ones are faster at composting. I put a barrow-load into the raised bed, then topped up with 300l of compost. Now I need to get the planting/sowing done. Although things might object to going outside next week!

Davesnave

Peacocks used to upset gardeners in my Dad's village, thanks to the eccentric Lord who lived in the big manor house and spent most of his time in the pub. They just wandered around at random doing what they liked, rather like their master, who was most often seen in a grubby track suit. Translated, the family motto reads, "Excellence is the target of envy" but although excellent in some respects, the peacocks we often the target for clods of earth!

Did a silly thing today, but I'm still here, so it wasn't quite as silly as it might have been. Took the ride-on down to cut the stream side grass, but it wasn't as dry as I thought there and we slid dangerously near the edge and got stuck. It's a 4' drop into the stream bed there. I had to return and ask for assistance from DB who pulled on a rope while I pushed and we gradually backed the thing out. I won't do that again; brush-cutter from now on.

Oh, and it was lovely sunshine today, but blooming cold, Hit the dizzy heights of 9c by mid afternoon. Monday looks "Brrrr!"

Paspatur

Davesnave said:

Hairy bittercress always very fast out of the blocks, having lurked in winter, but it gives itself away when it flowers. I motivate myself to get on top of it by remembering the average seed count from one mature plant is 600.

That is great motivation! Not finished today as I had unexpected garden muscle available so did another garden job but will finish the weeding tomorrow before return of minus 8 and snow

goldfinches

Positively arctic here with a lazy wind from the North East so all today's walkers were back into woolly hats and gloves, I'm really glad I took the chance to wash my thermal ones when I had the chance as I shall clearly be needing them everyday for the next couple of months.
Here's a glorious magnolia in the local Botanic Garden that is one of my favourite trees and I'm so glad to be able to see it bloom this year.
PS I don't quite know how I achieved the split text above so apologies if it is making you squint a bit, sweet dreams, goldfinches.

Farway

Looks very cold out with a wind blowing but I'll take the weather lady's word for it today and not sample it for any gardening activities

The only thing that seems to have changed in 24 hours is my Judas tree has pink buds showing, and more plum blossom has foolishly opened

mad_spaniel

Regarding the peacock. I did a 'best guess' and went round to a sort of small holding about a quarter of a mile away to enquire if it was theirs. No one answered the door but I met someone I knew on the walk back home. She said the occupants were probably in the nissan hut that houses the ducks, geese , chickens, that they've recently started to keep and said she'd go round as she knew them. I've not seen her since to find out if the peacock made it home. I didn't get a knock on the door, but I suppose in these covid days, that's not surprising. I'll probably go for a wander in the sunshine to see if I can see it. If it's not there then it's probably been got by a fox.

twopenny

It's confusing here. Sunny but cold wind. Not cold enough to stay indoors and not warm enough to be outside.
My dwarf cherry shows 6 potential flowers but have to survive pollination, wind,cod and being in too small a pot. Dare not move it but it's a keeper by the skin of its teeth.
The bumble bee is still swanning around looking for a new home. Obviously didn't like being disturbed.
Maybe a walk to photograph some of the lovely flower beds i saw on my way back from town.
I looked at the garden centre and the prices are crazy so picked up some broad beans in pots, 10 for a pound and little pellagoniums for 2pounds each from the diy shop. Healthy plants cheaper than seed. I'll pot them on.
Gave 2 small lilac trees I grew from cuttings an a golden euronymous that has no place to the charity plant stall.