Awful weather - typical Brits talk

pink_poppy

I was pleased to see the bullfinch in the pond, Dusty. They're always in the nearby crab apple tree at this time of year, so maybe get yourselves one of them if you haven't got one already??

wort, my indoor pineapple plant isn't looking very healthy - the tips of the leaves are going brown - I think it's too cold in our house (apart from when the fire is on and then it's bloomin' roasting   ).
Nice pic - I love those 'fried egg' looking flowers - do you know what they are??

We've got dry and sunny weather forecast for the rest of the week - I could get used to this (wish it was a wee bit warmer though)

Dustyevsky

Those double daffs look just like the wee ones my DD brought home from her work, wort. Like the cyclamen earlier, they're sold in an Emma Bridgewater bucket. Poor Ms Bridgewater must be tired out, making so many buckets! 

I see there's an unfurling aquilegia or two in there, which reminds me, this thread had an aquilegia from seed thing going at one point. Mine, in the polytunnel died, but I hung onto a few outdoors. They may bloom this spring.

I learned from that mistake, so this winter, my semiaquilegias stayed outdoors in a cold frame and seem to have survived OK. Sometimes, we can't improve on what nature provides and intends.

We have a few crab-apples pp. The bullfinches still don't love us. Birds may stay in particular, quite small areas. For example, we've yellowhammers at the other end of the field, but not up here by the house. They're by someone else's houses, though, so it's not a 'staying away from humans' thing.

I see we are all due a warming-up around mid-week. It's supposed to touch 18c here. I know it will bucket-down around the end of the month, when we have a family event happening! Meanwhile, with about 1.5 acres of grass to mow, much of it elsewhere, I'm happy the dry interlude has slowed that down, but for how long? It looks as if the neighbours I'm cutting for have lost their house sale, so I may be saddle-sore before another goes through!   We've also given the folk who returned 'oop norf' a 6 week deadline to remove their big van load of stuff from our barn and yard, as it was just to be there till "early December."  They didn't say which year!

I don't think I posted the wonderfully pruned old apple orchard at Clovelly Court, but if I did, I apologise. It would still bear repeating:

-taff

wm, hope romeo i feling a bit better now, poor thing, what a shock for you all...Luna, there appears to be a trig point not far from me and I don't think it's in the middle of inaccessible nowhere so I may go investigate this week [ it's not far from the ma and pa garden centre s two birds etc [ not bullfinches though obviously ] Farway, I think my pea seeds are going to the fjords too, three lots are all plump but not showing signs of roots. On the other hand, the tomatoes I sowed last Tuesday I think? have all come up in the heated propogator...The Amish Paste were up the day before yesterday so fab seed there [it's last years bought seed, I forget from where] Dust well done on getting extra seed packs too. Love the dog and the trees. wort, love the springy flowers...2p, love yor intended avatar, and the slates edging.

fab pics of the blood moon eclipse thingy. I did use to read Alys Fowlers articles in the Guardian, but I think I've moved on to Huw Richards polyculture permaculture thingy now for some entertainment,. There's only so much this is what you plant instructionals I can take, so I do like to look at pretty things too...

In other news the garden here has had a tidy and now needs an overhaul, hopefully someone coming next week to quote for some steps n stuff and I picked up some perennial leeks from a friend which will be planted out today.The bigger ones anyway.

Farway

Very cold again, no sun yet, but on a promise. Much too cold, with a chilly breeze,  for gardening at the moment.

Returning yesterday from DGS birthday gathering, next door was busy out the front, digging up their bit of a sedge that has taken hold and getting beyond bounds.

I apologised about the fact my “half” of it is a shambles due to me not being able to bend etc, they kindly volunteered to dig it out, so yay them.

The space will be a wheelie bin space for them, my bit? Dunno, sow more doomed Norwegian Love in AM?

Love those double daffs, Wort, now on my buy if I see them list.

Dustyevsky said:

I see there's an unfurling aquilegia or two in there, which reminds me, this thread had an aquilegia from seed thing going at one point. Mine, in the polytunnel died, but I hung onto a few outdoors. They may bloom this spring.

I learned from that mistake, so this winter, my semiaquilegias stayed outdoors in a cold frame and seem to have survived OK. Sometimes, we can't improve on what nature provides and intends.

I was part of that aquilegia seed failure group.   

Most of mine never made it to Autumn, or even summer, but I do have three survivors, which, like yours, overwintered, in pots, sheltered but open & outside

I have been wanting to plant them out the front this past week, but still too cold for me, a job that needs dong sharpish.

Dusty, Those trees at Clovelly will look wonderful in a month or so once the blossom opens

It's the sort of look I'm trying for with my old apple, but requires a few more decades of work on it.

Heard on the radio this morning, on a promise of slug free summer due to cold frosty winter & global boiling dry weather

The slugs either froze, drowned, or fried

Spotted yesterday as I headed out, two newly planted trees on the verge opposite me!

Some may remember, about this time last year The Council asked if anybody knew of verges, public spaces etc that would benefit from tree planting, all sort of Eco greening stuff.

No wolves, beavers, or bustards.

I volunteered the verge opposite me, it was surveyed & agreed two trees. I requested, and they agreed, a crab apple & Rowan if available.

Now I have them, but until leaves / flowers I do no know what is actually there, but at least it's progress

The trees are about ten feet high right now, all staked & protected with wire anti deer / rabbit / yob mesh.

-taff said:

I did use to read Alys Fowlers articles in the Guardian, but I think I've moved on to Huw Richards polyculture permaculture thingy now for some entertainment,. There's only so much this is what you plant instructionals I can take, so I do like to look at pretty things too...

I look at Huw's channel, not that much applies to me, but I find him entertaining & no nonsense. Plus, a young lady on her allotment, she tries hard and has all the problems most have, including greenhouse collapsing in the wind.

-taff

who's the young lady? I watch one called Emma Bailey, just because she's so enthusiastic about anything and she does help me see things differently which is always a plus I think, widening your perception of things.

Farway

-taff said:

who's the young lady? I watch one called Emma Bailey, just because she's so enthusiastic about anything and she does help me see things differently which is always a plus I think, widening your perception of things.

Probably the same person, I did try looking for her but failed.

Yes the enthusiasm, and easily distracted if a bird flies in

She has put in a lot of hard work and deserves to succeed

emma's allotment diary

LessImpecunious

Both Huw and Emma sound like they might be worth a go... increasingly frustrated with the likes of Gardeners World, where, in the new episode this weekend we were shown a brief shot of Monty's apple orchard pruned to half-size trees over the winter, but with no follow-up. Could have made a very instructive part of the prog; instead we were treated to the usual how to prune a clematis, plant up a container, and remember to water any new planting, etc... 

The garden with the upcycled bits of farming equipment was fab, though

-taff

Farway, that's the one, I spent a few weeks ging back through everything a couple of months ago, increasingly enjoying it. She doesn't do how to's, it's exactly what it says on the tin, a diary of an allotment and how it progresses.

Huw on the other hand, does do how to's, but more a general kind of how to with regards to polyculture and permaculture.

Congrats on the trees too! And the neighbours doing stuff.

So I've been the allotment. The fox has dug up nearly all the keyhole bed , probably because of the rabbit bedding in one layer,, I found a dead rat and thrw it over the fence into the dead ground,  I've sown beetroot, spring onion, planted out some comfrey [ bocking 14 dusty ], planted half the potatoes in the hay, well, on the ground under the hay [ 3 types, one first early, two maincrop - my fault, I wanted a second early but ordered the wrong ones] ], I'll plant the other half in a few weeks as another experiment and because I don't think I can eat all those potatoes at once and I'm hoping to store some,  and scattered some foxglove seed. Rolled up some tangled netting, cut another branch off the apple tree because it was hanging over the shed roof and i don't want apples falling all over it again this year that then rot that I have to clear. Did some weeding of the garlic and onions, discovered I need a bucket to make weed feed. Not bad for a couple of hours. I may go again on Thursday when it's scorchio apparently.

Farway

-taff said:

Farway, that's the one, I spent a few weeks ging back through everything a couple of months ago, increasingly enjoying it. She doesn't do how to's, it's exactly what it says on the tin, a diary of an allotment and how it progresses.

Huw on the other hand, does do how to's, but more a general kind of how to with regards to polyculture and permaculture.

My you've been busy, all I've done is get my begonia corms nearly potted on

Another one I watch is ivans-gardening-allotment-uk

He started as general guide, house, garden, green house, sort of older Suburban Huw

Then, last year, his rent increased beyond his means, Council would not re house him & wife, so they upped & bought a caravan on a site somewhere on East coast I think, he obviously does not disclose exact location

They then had to radically rethink & restart their lives.

He now concentrates on container gardening, no choice because there is not a garden

My new seeds are on the way, nothing that requires rapid sowing though

twopenny

Phew people have been busy!

Me too. Sunshine and warmth I've got a lot of the garden cleared of leaves and weeds - though the blackbirds are kicking the leaves back out again

Painted the compost house, well the roof. All the paint I had left. A bench and board. So that's where I've been.

And it looks like a real garden, full of spring colour.

The front on the other hand is in the teeth of the N or E wind so that will have to wait.

Just as I packed up I noticed the bird table needs a coat of colour/preservative. Ah well. They are predicting sun and double figures for the rest of teh week ...........

Freezing and grey today, really bitter so it was indoor stuff and the dentist.

I have a photo of a dog like Dustys. And I saw a firm that will do sculptural moulds of your pet in the GW mag in the dentist waiting room.

Also - someone mowed the image of a Zebra into their lawn!