Awful weather - typical Brits talk

pink_poppy

Saw this very tall Heron enjoying the sunshine while out on our walk…

Dustyevsky

pink_poppy said:

You two are incorrigible, Farway and Dusty... singing worms indeed... you're both mad    
The Trillium wotsits on Beechgrove were a big clump of them, Dusty. I'll have to watch that episode again as I only caught a bit of it. I googled after Patsapur identified them and they came up as £2.75 + £2.90 delivery for 5 seeds. I'd prefer to buy a couple of actual plants tbh, but they're probably mega expensive.

Ah, but we've benefited by researching singing worms. I've learned more about the effects of non-native worms in post-glacial ecosystems. I can even imagine a research project to reduce their numbers via the managed introduction of the worm-eating New Zealand Flatworm. Now, if someone can put up, say, £2m.......

Almost £6 for 5 trillium seeds would be OK if there was some certainty they'd grow. They're double dormant, so 2-3 years before finding out, plus a couple more before they make a nice wee clump. That's assuming their fairly precise growing conditions can be met. But, hey, don't let me put you off!

That's a grand heron photo. I've only glimpsed a couple since leaves began t clothing the riverbanks, and the fields have been too dry for their egret cousins.Glad Bertigo isn't cramping your walking style too much.

Knowing I'd been digging with my walking friend on Friday, Mrs Dusty thought it reasonable I should dig here yesterday, so we began a job we've put off for a couple of years; ripping out the Eurybia schreberi (Aster schreberi) and Gardener's Garters grass in the main border. They've completely taken over a large chunk of it. This is a job we'll continue today. The dry weather's helped, as soil's falling off both plants easily, but it's obvious we need to add plenty of organic matter before re-planting with less rampant subjects. I like the Aster, and so do the insects, but it'll be better placed in the wild area.

Back to proper wild plants this morning, and here's Greater Stitchwort growing along the edge of the field. These are everywhere in the lanes around here currently.

Now, I bet if I refresh, Bluey will have got here first!

YoungBlueEyes

Ooh your poppies are gorgeous Dusty, they look so silky and delicate. Lovely. They're another thing I can't grow here, must be my soil I'm guessing. Wine storage is going on the list, thank you. She may be a legal beagle but she ain't too bright sometimes. They've just had a bit of a kitchen refresh done and they put it on the mortgage! The £10k put the monthly payments up too much so they extended it to 37 years to keep the monthly payments the same I'm no financial whizz but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me... The awful thing was everyone was agreeing that's a wise thing to do, and I'm sat there thinking 'why would you not just put that on a credit card fgs?! I'm getting a lot of practise in keeping my mouth shut.

That'll have been the collie in him 2p, they perfectly can but just don't bluddy wanna sometimes and there's no beating it. Same as jack russells ha haa! 
Thanks for the list of plants, I'll keep my eye out now for them. I see some lovely dark red/burgundy things on my way to work, the leaves are slightly darker than the branches and the whole thing does look well. Dunno what it is mind, I'll have to get a pic.

Ah so The Hobbit thing is re the snail pp, ok. I thought it was to do with his mossy feet (a la Leonard on Big Bang Theory). No I've never read LOTR or seen the films. What will you do with your cotoneaster? Could you make it stand up a bit by lashing it to the fence/wall/tree behind it 'til it learns it's lesson...? Your heron looks very regal stood there, ruler of all he surveys... 

Wort the only reason we've kept the Cat Wee Tree is cos my blackies are in there. They're in there all year round I think, it's good cover and the yanqui ivy nonsense makes it a good warm dry house I expect. I'd chop the whole shebang down if it wasn't for them.

Trillium Chloropetalum - thanks pas How you doing? We've not seen you for a bit. Is it you that got the allotment in the gorgeous old walled garden...? 

Growing posh mushrooms, thanks Farway. She is a bit of a gardener so she might do that. I'll avoid photinia red robin then - the place stinks as it is, I don't need another one on top of it.   Those singing worms nearly cost me a gobful of coffee *splutter* aren't they brilliant - the flowers and stones and things look almost real   I'm almost pleased to read about the invasive worms, evens up the score a bit re them shrimp wosnames that are decimating our rivers *sigh* 

OT Lovely weather here, cool and breezy and sunny. More weeding on the cards today, bindweed and mare's tails are coming up all over. Still no rain in the next 10 days... 

YoungBlueEyes

Ooh I like your flowers Dusty, lanes full of them would do me rightly They look like a daisy/fuschia hybrid with those dangling ..stamen/anthers...?  

Right I've got a problem. Remember that fruit tree I got cheap a couple of years ago that was called something utterly useless like "patio planter"..? Well it's dying on me from the top. Will I carefully snip the yacky leaves off and bin them or just cut the whole top off or what? 

While I was patrolling #Shawshank Patch I noticed my cherry leaves are curled up full of black fly eggs, and I’ve greenfly galore on my lovely rose. Good job I'm not in work tomorrow for I've gardening to do!

Farway

Just a quick visit, invited over DS' for youngest DGD's belated15th birthday, where do those years go?

I think it will include GC café and looking at GC tat, it's the type of GC where plants are secondary to the main purpose of making growing money

Dustyevsky said:

pink_poppy said:

You two are incorrigible, Farway and Dusty... singing worms indeed... you're both mad   

Ah, but we've benefited by researching singing worms. I've learned more about the effects of non-native worms in post-glacial ecosystems. I can even imagine a research project to reduce their numbers via the managed introduction of the worm-eating New Zealand Flatworm. Now, if someone can put up, say, £2m.......

Almost £6 for 5 trillium seeds would be OK if there was some certainty they'd grow. They're double dormant, so 2-3 years before finding out, plus a couple more before they make a nice wee clump. That's assuming their fairly precise growing conditions can be met. But, hey, don't let me put you off! :

Back to proper wild plants this morning, and here's Greater Stitchwort growing along the edge of the field. These are everywhere in the lanes around here currently. 

Yes, it is surprising where wandering OT can take you.

If the NZ flat worms get out of hand, I have a mate who can supply Cane toads to eat them. May need initial start up funding of a few million for feasibility studies and a mansion with large grounds research lab.

Those trilliums, if that long to grow, I bet plants are super expensive. Thinking on, I suppose depends on your age, but my Judas tree is lovely thirty years after planting a seed. Could be worth a punt long term, think of it like the folk who plant avenues of young cherries, for instance.

Just looked plants up, £16 each, that is serious money

Those G Stitch worts are beautiful, Dusty, not seen them around here. They would go well with the poppies.

Love the Heron PP, I've booked electric buggy for RHS Wisley and there are herons there, now I'll carry a longer lens just in case

YBE, your bit about mortgage extension etc, reminds me of the old adage, big difference between clever & wise.

If it were me, I'd just bung a few quid one everyone's Probate bill, in the small print, Kitchen Service Tariff of 1%

Your pear leaves, are the blackflies in there, like the cherry?

I'd be inclined to snip the top off and spray along with the cherry & rose

A cherry I put into Volunteer patch had curly blackfly leaves, had to remove the top because it was just dying back

Time to go, but here's my pear, fruited at last YBE

Here with Merton blackberry growing alongside

wort

The singing worms you 2 are so funny 😂 
I love the stitchwort, never seen that before, but that type of flower head is lovely en masse.

Yesterday brightened but remained a bit chilly. Today looks similar. Doing an hours walk up to the cemetery and back.
YBE not sure on your tree,I have white flies on my rose, it has its first bud on too.

greenbee

Lots of stichwort here on the banks at the edge of a local wood which the landowner has been managing to improve wildlife. Locals were outraged at being denied access to it for so much more of the year (despite knowing it is private land) but it has paid off with masses of bluebells and other wildflowers. Whereas the 'community' managed wood is full of cleavers and hypericum and very yellow daffs. And has a picnic table and benches bolted to concrete paving slabs... 

pink_poppy

I know which one I'd prefer, greenbee.

Chilly here too, wort. When the sun comes out it's lovely and warm, but as soon as it disappears, brrr...

Congratulations on the pears, Farway, they're looking promising.
We went out for a drive last night and I could have taken a dozen photos of different herons, they were everywhere   When do you go to Wisley??
We have a GC that concentrates more on the gift shop and cafe, than actual plants. Annoys me, so I go to a different, more plant focused GC instead. That'll show them haha.

Your fruit tree doesn't look very happy at all, YBE   
I tried bending the cotoneaster back towards the fence, but it wasn't having it. I'll try again today, but I think I'll end up digging it out and moving it. We had a cotoneaster in our last garden, but it was actually next door's plant that had found its way over the fence. I loved it, as did the bees.
We probably watch the LOTR and Hobbit films at least once a year - Frodo does annoy the heck out of me though   

The Stitchwort is lovely, Dusty. Looks good in a big clump.
Bertigo isn't as bad as last year (when I couldn't walk in a straight line) but I must do the exercises today and for the next few days as I've got another dentist appointment on Friday and then I'm off on a ferry on Saturday woohoo!!

A chilly 9 degrees at the moment, with a NNE wind.

pink_poppy

A pic from last night - it was a beautiful evening…

twopenny

Just quick as I'm 'pacing' myself as per instruction between mowing the lawns.

Bluey the apple tree is smothered in greenfly/white fly Dusty will have the right one but they smother quickly.
Only remedy is spray with something. Looking at the state of it I'd go for chemical bug spray available in all good supermarkets and zap the heck out of them. If you catch them earlier washing up liquid and water will do it.
New leaves will grow once you've got rid of this. 
I don't think you're in any danger of injuring bees or birds as they won't go near that. But if you feel the need you could cover it for a week.

My brassicas have the same thing and the bees stopped coming. Birds and bees prefer something that's nicer than the sticky grey mess that will get all over them.