Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

Have you got an old container made of the stuff buckets/watering cans/fireside baths are made of Poppy?

Someone on my garden tours used that and the slugs wouldn't get up those. Also put them on gravel.

Don't know the mystery plant but it looks a goodun.

Also be wary of these small apple trees. Tesco do them and chop the lead growth to make them branch out nicely -  but they have a growth of 4mtrs.

Dusty that was worth the effort of getting down low. Beautiful shot

Rubbish day today, yet again as I staggered on on my sticks they forgot to tell me something new I should have done so it's been put off again for the 3rd time. I'm so fed up with Specsavers.

They've also redone the reception and it looks like a nightclub! Why low lights for people with poor sight?  

And went to the local cider farm for honey but they've turned the shop into a bar.

At least it's warmed up now and stopped raining so I may get a chance to deal with the mass of weeds that have come up. I quite like weeding.

And who's to get the 17c this week?

So to be on a more cheerful topic it's not only lamas/alpacas.

This was on an evening drive. You really have to keep your eyes open around here

LessImpecunious

pink_poppy said:

The ‘Dogwood’ is coming up as a Viburnum. I’m happy with either tbh.

You could try the "Dogwood  test" - article from N America, but works on our native dogwood... https://www.hoytarboretum.org/ask-an-expert-distinctive-dogwoods-at-hoyt-arboretum/

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Have you got an old container made of the stuff buckets/watering cans/fireside baths are made of Poppy?

Dusty that was worth the effort of getting down low. Beautiful shot

I'm so fed up with Specsavers.

They've also redone the reception and it looks like a nightclub! Why low lights for people with poor sight?

And who's to get the 17c this week?

We have our fancy hosta in a galvanised bucket. Sometimes the molluscs go up a nearby wall/plant and 'leap' on from there!

Yes, our Specsavers went all cafe/nightclub a while ago. Last time I visited, a family was cheerfully consuming pasties and soft drinks in there. Serves them right!

We're forecast 17c on Thursday. It might be a good day for another long walk. There again, Friday, Saturday & Sunday also look good, and a week is a long time in politics weather prediction.

The cowslips are getting around now. Here's one I found just outside the herb garden:

YoungBlueEyes

Ah I think I can picture an IBC now, thanks gb. Imagine having salmon oil ones Did Anonymous Dog enjoy his walk? Mmmmm muntjac (probably). Good luck in your spare tyre hunt. I had that a while ago, looking for a wheelbarrow tyre. Himself ended up buying yet another wheelbarrow. There's a gap in the market there for sure.

Ooh I like the look of a Christmas Pippin Farway, shame I've nowhere to put one. Maybe I'll give the plum a year to get over itself and then hoik it out... Did your bird bath survive in one piece?

I can't help with your plant id pp but I like the look of that pot! Is it real or plastic? <side-eyes at Dusty for making me suspicious>  

Bob the Boulder You've answered a question I hadn't asked yet Dusty. There's a thick carpet of yellow somethings on a roundabout near me and I now think they're cowslips, possibly. Ta muchly  

Imagine setting up an opticians like a nightclub for gawd's sake. I bet a boy thought of it :rolleyes: Love your gorse-y traffic jam pic 2p, that's another I'd have as a desktop pic thing. Lovely soft light in it   It's not us getting 17' this week, I think we're topping out at about 15' on Wednesday, but the 'feels like' is 11' and they've given rain. It'll be you suvveners, you watch.

I got quite a lot of gardening done yesterday. Well I did a couple of things but it took me all afternoon. I've potted on my sweet peas and priqued out my toms, every single one of them. Some of them better Oslo-bound (save your cucs from going Farway) or I'll be overwhelmed I took out the weakest too but maybe I should have been harsher with that... I did weeding and bought compost and some near-dead plants in B+M that were 20p (!) 3 somethings that got blue in their name, and a tray of ranunculus that don't look too bad to me. Either I'm very optimistic with myself or I've wasted 80p. Time will tell.

Happy Easter egg eating day folks  

greenbee

Dog (known on MSE as 'Stinky' with good reason 🤣) enjoyed his walk, and his gardening day yesterday thank YBE. He's very useful as he likes eating dandelion flowers, although there are far too many for him to keep up with at the moment. He was very good on this morning's walk as there were three muntjac in the wood, and although he pointed them out to me, he didn't chase them. Mind you, one of the cats appeared over the fence (our boundary is next to the footpath) to shout at him when he was thinking about it... 

Today's gardening is to build two more arches (thankfully the kits are a LOT easier than I'd anticipated) and keep on with fencing the veg plot using fencing pins and deer mesh (it's 6ft deer mesh, but as it's only to keep Stinky out, I'm splitting it to make it 3ft and using a lot less!). I also have planters to fill so I can sow salad and then some decisions to make about what size pots to put my veg plants in. I sowed 3-5 in 9cm pots, and can't decide whether to give them individual 9cm pots, put them in their final pots, or go with something in between. 

wort

Just caught up, can’t remember who what and where, except naughty Dusty with his pelagonium 😂I did wonder how it was flowering now.
I went to Sainsbobs and picked up 2 for 5 quid verbena. Decent size. I don’t know what happened to the 1 I had , it only ever had 1 stick of flower and then took itself off to Oslo.

It’s been Baltic here lately ,I even put the heating on for half an hour as I couldn’t warm up. Woke up up to sunshine this morning but it’s 8 degrees . It’s definitely not here getting 15 degrees it’s cloud and 8 all week, rain tomorrow too.

My choiysia is in bloom now smells lovely too.

YoungBlueEyes

Here’s me latest acquisitions. I gave them a good drink when I got them home yesterday - 




What was that about never seeing ranunculus in folks' gardens...? I like them. I hope they aren't north-bound. I don't know about the other 3 things but they look pretty enough on the labels  

Lol @ gb's cat keeping dog in line I'd go with a 9cm pot each I think. Would their final pots might a bit big for them just yet...?

Cold is miserable enough on it's own, but I reckon a nice sunny day tempers it a bit wort Choiysia - that's another one I can't grow  

Dustyevsky

wort said:

Just caught up, can’t remember who what and where, except naughty Dusty with his pelagonium 😂I did wonder how it was flowering now.

The real ones are flowering now, though! The ones in the conservatory never stopped, but there are many more blooms since the better weather.

I don't want a real pelargonium in the bathroom. It would shed petals into the bath, and I'm pink enough already!

He's back.....

DD thinks he might be the baby from last year. She says he's smaller than Mum & Dad. He's not unduly bothered by us, anyway!

twopenny

Lovely cowslips again Dusty. Beautiful greens in that. Makes you want a garden 🌼
And how lucky are you with such a glamorous visitor.......
I've been happily watching some house sparrows feeding while washing up and really pleased to see them as they're not my usual inhabitants.

Yes I have a couple of geraniums blooming a bit but the most have dark, almost black leaves. I've fed, plung watered them and put them in more light but no difference. I've been meaning to look it up. Any ideas 💡 

Well I know the next job to be done. Twice this year I've got the beds spick and span but now look!
My new strawberries are coming on apace even flowers which I know I should pick off first year but life's too short. Theyll take their chances.🍓



And another question... having removed half my raspberry canes do you think I can make anything of these runners shooting up?

Farway

The sun made a guest appearance earlier this morning, but has gone now, and no 17C here either.

Bird bath was on it's side, no idea if blown over or some animal knocked it over. No muntjacs but do have foxes & cats, and rats, but I hope no rat big enough to topple a bird bath.

Anyway, it's upright again with a heavy plant pot on the base this time.

Not been in my Specsavers lately, it was a normal shop last time I went. 

I quite like the idea of a sleazy nightclub. Do they have lads outside trying to entice folk in? 

Come on in for an eye boggling time.

First test free!

Happy hour, with half price specs?

S0ds law in action again. The warm weather has given me self sown yellow cherry tomatoes popping up in the large pots at the front, where Love in M should be frolicking.

Typical, no LIAM, hello tomatoes

I'm tempted to let them grow and see how they turn out, on the assumption that they are obviously happy growing there.

Love the cowslips Dusty, and the fact you can get down there to photograph them.

YoungBlueEyes said:

Ooh I like the look of a Christmas Pippin Farway, shame I've nowhere to put one. Maybe I'll give the plum a year to get over itself and then hoik it out... Did your bird bath survive in one piece?

Now you have given me evil thoughts, my plum looks plum free, again, I was toying putting a fig in it's place, but maybe Christmas pippin?

I'll look into that.

pink_poppy said:

I’ll look out for that apple tree, Farway. It would need to be a wee one though because my garden isn’t that big. Talking of which, Lidl have dwarf fruit trees coming next week for £9.99 - I’m hoping to get one or two, depending on what they are.

They lie anyway, there's a fully funded mislabelling department, as witnessed by my hard red pear that is not & never has been a Comice pear, ever.

Hostas, on this week's GW, Monty reckons well-fed & in the ground hosta are not slug food. He is trying an experiment, so time will tell.

Could be true, the hostas at Highgrove were fine & flourishing, but maybe HM has serfs out on early slug hunting? I know I would.

Just refreshed, seems a lot of action this morning.

Great catch there Blue, 20p a plant, can't go wrong at the price, good luck with the ranunculus, mine have always been Norwegian strain, hybridised with LIAM.

And 2P, flowering strawbs, hope you get to taste them. Are these the T & M offer ones?

Rasp canes, if yours are Autumn ones then yes, mine are only about a foot high but will easily fruit for Autumn

Good pic of your woodpecker, Dusty. I can't even get a bee bum this year.

Today it's fruitlets, goosegog & pear.

Bottom left on gooseberry pic is the Lakemont grape just opening up