Awful weather - typical Brits talk

DD265

Thanks for the supermarket recommendation - I spotted a Basil in Sainsbury's early so it's in the herb planter now. The coriander I got from Tesco a couple of weeks ago died off pretty quickly, but I think it was a cold snap, and last year I found coriander quite sensitive anyway. I have a lemon balm which was looking fab then we got frost and it died back, but is coming through again.

I put my tomato plants out in the green house - and grow bag - earlier as they weren't looking thrilled on our windowsill. We get the sun early there in a morning but the blinds will be closed so I think they're missing out on quite a bit and will hopefully be happier round the back. The unhappy pepper is looking a little brighter and I shall keep it under the daylight lamp for now.

I think the nectarine tree has died but I don't know why, when the peach which has been next to it all winter has been fine. I did the tree scratch test and it's brown, though I didn't go deep. I am thinking I might lift it out of the pot this week and see if the roots look healthy - I can't order a replacement yet anyway so I'm not in a rush to get rid of it - and if I can find any signs of life, I'll try to nurse it back to health.

I didn't do anything with the jade today, but I have a daylight lamp on the way for it. A coworker said the 'gardener' who looks after the plants made a comment about the lack of light in the office killing them all off. When it was living with us it was at a level with and opposite our bedroom window, but currently it's on the floor and won't be getting the light. Turns out you can mix sand or perlite with regular compost to make something suitable for succulents so I'm going to look at that, as well as getting some light on it.

goldfinches

Agree with suggestions above with the extra comment that I can see three strawberry leaves peeking out from among the other leaves in pic 3 (lords and ladies) so you might have alpine strawberries to scoff later in the year.

quirkydeptless

goldfinches said:

Agree with suggestions above with the extra comment that I can see three strawberry leaves peeking out from among the other leaves in pic 3 (lords and ladies) so you might have alpine strawberries to scoff later in the year.

I had to go back and to a "Where's Strawberry Wally" on that photo

Farway

Cold wind still blowing, plants put outside to harden up anyway, it's sort of sheltered area

Today once sun moves round I'm planting some of the iris I was given, ideal spot at the front, patch of grotty soil and parched in summer

My pear has a chance of pollination, spotted neighbours Concorde has a few bloom flowers open along with mine, only needs bees now

The apples are full of blossom this year, and the crab apple in a nearby garden is bursting, could be a good crumble year

I've had to put a climbing stick in my Spanish Flag climber from seed, It's got going now but too cold to go out just yet

Here's my unknown variety apple that I retrained as espalier a couple of years back, tree is over 30 year old now but crops with early apples well in most years

Bird bath was a £5 clearance years ago and all birds have loved it despite the sometimes manky water

pink_poppy

Thanks all for the plant/weed IDs. I think I’ll leave the Herb Robert where it is as it’s not doing any harm. The forget-me-not is in a random place, but again I’ll leave it where it is as it is pretty. I’d never heard of Lords and Ladies, so that’s a new one for me. It’s popped up underneath a shrub and looks extremely healthy and robust 😳 not sure what to do about that yet. The lily of the valley would be lovely (I think) but that big clump is in the wrong place so will need to be moved somewhere else if possible.
 The garden looks more like an archaeological dig at the moment and it’s just started to rain so probably no getting out there today. We do need the rain though.
I forgot to say that there are a few alpine/wild strawberry plants dotted around, so well spotted goldfinches 😊

Davesnave

pink_poppy said:

Hi everyone, I’m loving this thread, especially as the ‘Daydream’ one seems to have disappeared.
 I recognise a few names (Davesnave, when are you coming back??)
...... can anyone identify these plants/weeds, please??

Hi poppy, I'm back from the purgatory of the Adult Re-education Centre, where I was given 2 weeks for Wrongspeak.   I'm fully reformed now.

The Daydream thread still exists; it's slipped to page 5 or thereabouts. I stopped contributing there when some dear person reported something I'd said and got me a yellow warning. It seemed they thought it would be better without me, so that theory is still being tested!

I'll PM you soon as it'll be good to catch up. Right now, I must return to an afternoon's hard labour in the fields, but before I disappear I'll just add that the above isn't Herb Robert, it's a Dicentra, probably formosa.

phoebe1989seb

Davesnave said:

pink_poppy said:

Hi everyone, I’m loving this thread, especially as the ‘Daydream’ one seems to have disappeared.
 I recognise a few names (Davesnave, when are you coming back??)
...... can anyone identify these plants/weeds, please??

Hi poppy, I'm back from the purgatory of the Adult Re-education Centre, where I was given 2 weeks for Wrongspeak.   I'm fully reformed now.

The Daydream thread still exists; it's slipped to page 5 or thereabouts. I stopped contributing there when some dear person reported something I'd said and got me a yellow warning. It seemed they thought it would be better without me, so that theory is still being tested!

I'll PM you soon as it'll be good to catch up. Right now, I must return to an afternoon's hard labour in the fields, but before I disappear I'll just add that the above isn't Herb Robert, it's a Dicentra, probably formosa.

Yay, welcome back Dave!!! 😄

Considering it's meant to be cooler today, I've not really noticed a difference from Friday/the weekend - wall-to-wall sunshine and blue skies here!

We spent the weekend doing more work on the white bed - a further ten oak sleepers were delivered, a few extra perennials somehow slipped into the mix and weather permitting we're on target to have it completed by the end of the bank holiday.

The plant line up comprises -

Pulmonaria (Sissinghurst White & Opal)
Brunnera Mac. Betty Bowring
Anemone Sylvestris
Bergenia Jelle
Dicentra Spectabilis Alba
Solomon's Seal
Hosta
Digitalis Pam's Choice
Libertia Grandiflora
Philadelphus Belle Etoile
Papaver Orientale Royal Wedding
Crambe Cordifolia
Spirea Snow Mound
Iris Sibirica (Swans in Flight & Not Quite White)
Leucanthemum S. Crazy Daisy
Gladiolus Callianthus
Japanese Anemone Honorine Jobert.....phew, think that's the lot!

Later I intend adding Allium Mount Everest or White Giant, but left it too late for this year. If there's any gaps, I've some unidentified white cranesbill geraniums I could move from elsewhere as these will be in the way when we alter the front of the existing extension in the summer 🙄

Black_Cat2

Just popping my head in, hiya everyone 🐈

Still mourning the loss of my buddleia, not sure why I was so attached to it!  Beautiful day here in Somerset.  Did a bit of pruning and weeding this afternoon and scrubbed the green gunge out of the bird bath.  Must've been appreciated as a female blackbird popped out of her nest to take a wash.  Meanwhile the male blackbird was up in the tree singing his little lungs out, all is good with the world 🥰

greenbee

Davesnave said:

pink_poppy said:

Hi everyone, I’m loving this thread, especially as the ‘Daydream’ one seems to have disappeared.
 I recognise a few names (Davesnave, when are you coming back??)
...... can anyone identify these plants/weeds, please??

Hi poppy, I'm back from the purgatory of the Adult Re-education Centre, where I was given 2 weeks for Wrongspeak.   I'm fully reformed now.

The Daydream thread still exists; it's slipped to page 5 or thereabouts. I stopped contributing there when some dear person reported something I'd said and got me a yellow warning. It seemed they thought it would be better without me, so that theory is still being tested!

I'll PM you soon as it'll be good to catch up. Right now, I must return to an afternoon's hard labour in the fields, but before I disappear I'll just add that the above isn't Herb Robert, it's a Dicentra, probably formosa.

Oops... I apologise for leading everyone astray. Now you've pointed it out, it's obvious (I blame the small screen...).

Welcome back

twopenny

Things seem normal now you're back Davesnave, happy times

Spent this afternoon visiting a beautiful little garden preserved by a Garden charity. It's definitely a plants persons garden. Still very personal to the creator, more wild then manicured and you wander under trees and Azalias, Camelias with the sound of woodpeckers. It is totally charming but needs to be visited April/May when the amazing blooms are out. Home to 4 national collections.

https://greencombe.org/

If you're over 100 you can get in free, double the entrance fee and you have 4mts to visit.

I so want those great platforms of colour from the Azalias (and I've never been keen) and twisted old stems of other plants but my gardens too tiny - I think.

Still, wonderful to get a first garden visit for a 1year and 8mts..........

BlackCat, have a look along the West Somerset Railway lines for buddleia while it's quiet, or Culvercliff walk behind the harbour in Minehead. Amazing array of buddleias, all different colours. I spent ages choosing mine from there and trying to locate it so I could get a cutting after blooming.