Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway

Sunny day but cooler. Did get a bit of Floris left over wet yesterday, enough for me to be thankful for as I still can't lug watering cans around.

My back is easing, I'm still yelping when certain, unspecified, movements make it stab me, and I need the lifting chair to enable me getting upright from sitting, but it is improving, thankfully.

Today's cliffhanger is MOT day, car was collected at eight. Local garage who collects, luckily for me as it happens this time.

Now waiting for phone call of doom, or not.

pink_poppy said:

I love that Canna leaf, Farway, very tropical looking.

What do you do with the drying out pea pods, Farway?? Do they need to go somewhere dry until it's time to sow them?? I still haven't watched the Mull BG episode - must do that soon.

I leave the pods on the plant to dry in fresh air, then pick. 

They are about ready now, by the looks of them. I save them, still in the pods, in paper envelopes in my seed tin thing.

I read somewhere that saving in the pods is best, no idea if true

Just asked Chat, it's true, save in the pods. I'll not list all the reasons here but makes a lot of sense.

"They help the seeds dry gradually and evenly, reducing the risk of mold or shriveling."

twopenny said:

Farway do you ever listen to Gardeners Question time? That's always good in an emergency. There are many years worth. I always enjoy Christine and Bob Flowerdew.......do you think that's his real name.

For years it was my regular Friday afternoon listening.

Claim to fame, I went to one, years back, they have their Potting Shed and a garden area at Sparsholt, which, by coincidence, is where Horticultural GD later studied

Bob was there, with his pigtail. I never asked a question.

I don't listen regularly any more, no real reason, and if I ever CBA to find out about & use Podcasts I would use that method

Talking of apt horticulture names, Keith WEED is President of RHS. 

No gardening today, still back. I could do with picking some blackberries, but that is beyond my ability for the moment.

twopenny

Some pods it's practical to save but my LITM and Poppy I've been deseeding because you'd need a suitcase for garden plants.


Tedious but I'll use some in the garden, badger run, sprinkle some in the municipal gardens which are run by volunteers and some at the cemetery.
I've taken primroses there too with the thought that if I move I've always got a supply for free.

Hope the car is ok. Mine goes in Thursday to repair damage where someone reversed into me again. They weren't nutcases this time but I couldn't prove it wasn't knock for knock. £700 plus that will cost. They had no damage 😬
I'm trying to look at it as c'est la vie but can't stop gritting my teeth!

You can listen to BBC radio podcasts for free, no licence. One that cheers me up is It's a Fair Cop. Funny ex policeman stories 🙂

Dusty, you haven't posted that before. I have a single one and if I get on the puter I'll post it.

LessImpecunious

Hope all ailments and weather-related (too hot, too cold, too windy, etc) woes ease for everybody soon... Brief downpours and blustery am for us, only damage to some of my still-standing purple sprouting branches, which I'm hoping to overwinter (2nd winter) as voles seem to have eaten most of this year's plantings...

Re. the street art in Evesham, it's on a disused and dismantled railway bridge (new bridge adjacent). It appeared to be a memorial to someone, with RIP and a picture of the person off to the right of my photo; showed my pic to a member of Evesham Civic Society who had a stall at the event we were at, but they knew nothing of it (the art, not the bridge), and said they must take a walk up there (the bridge is a feature of the Round Evesham Walk, which we last walked in May, when the art was not there...). Strangely, they are currently consulting on community ideas for street art on another bridge in the centre of town, doubt they could find a better artist! I was particularly taken by the tree with vine, merging into the (real) ivy above...

LessImpecunious

Meant to say

I asked Chat for suggestion on your buddleia, 

"Buddleja biggusdickus purpurea erecta"

A vigorous cultivar notable for its enormous stature, royal-purple plumes, and an unfortunate Latin etymology. Especially attractive to butterflies and awkward dinner guests.

You're making these up now Farway !  

molerat

Yep, all safe and no real damage.  Grandson-in-law not happy, council got to tree before him.  SSEN are now quoting 22.00 Thursday to restore all power in the North.

-taff

Evski's Purple Thrusting? Bit too pornographix probably...I can see why the tractor may be triggering...And the repurposing digger trakcs inspired..most people wouldn't but some kinds of people are obviously loathe ot throw anything away....more power to them. What is the blue stuff in the middle garden? Beautiful colour. Your bridge is also triggering. Friends developing garden looks lovely too. I also avoided buying roseanne today because I saved some seeds instead to grow some next year. Those dogs are awesome, I want a garden where I need statues and sweeping stairs. 

PP, I don't think they are the same, Sweet williams are more biennial although someone told me the other day they could be treated like a short lived perennial...Your tomato photo is very erigeron to me....just another thing I don't have yet....and you're right, that is an amazing spiders web. I got some metal edging from robert dyas for some of my areas, fits the bill, not sure about yours though. Your babby looks a bit shocked, it's really cute. 

ybe, that's called weaponsied incompetence or something now... they do soemthing so badly you think it's easier for you to do it yourself...Unless you point out the expensive error of their ways. And I htink you should employ the birds from now on...who posted a pic of a teddy bear sunflower? I liked it so much I just bought some seeds today [ half price in dobbies if anyone is interested] And are the apples eaters or cookers? Himself is more or less healed, no more hysterical laughter pain...[sad smiley....evil smiley] and your garden doesn't look grey apart from as a floor descriptor. It looks lush and lovely. too.Beautiful roses...[cough cough, PP it IS a line formt hat or were you being facetious and I missed it? easily done for me, sometimes you do have to hit me over the head with stuff] Dogs surfing, also cuteness overload. 

2p, bithday cake? Just out of interest, did they have egg mayo sandwiches there? It's my favourite sandwich but you only see it as parties and funerals..hope your back and hip are playing again. Shame we can't just do an IT thing and have you tried restarting your body to sort out the aches and pains...

Less, that's quite  funny mural on that wall..

Farway, hope your lamp and back are now together again..seperately though. We don't have a licence. I refuse to, there's so much on the net who needs to pay? Lovely canna, saw one today, greatly admired by friend...BTW, I went and registered some houses in case that happens ! 

Thanks for all the recommendations for things to listen to too...Been pottering, made one bed in the garden but I'm not happy with it but also making a small, width wise, dead hedge at the allotment, to destructure the keyhole bed [ rats nesting is not going to happen next year] and for protection from the wind. Also picked up a six pound thornless blackberry from the Big D today, And I did manage to have some seed heads fall into my pocket from a Catanache whatever that is, caerulea blue [is that a modern take on cerulean?] 

My seed saving so far this year....

Until now I didn't know that Stachys had a smell.....

Glad everyone came through almost unscathed, it was just a bit windy here....

-taff

Errr....and Farway,  since I put my fig tree in the ground it's gone nuts...there are more on the tree and it's only about three ish foot

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

Talking of apt horticulture names, Keith WEED is President of RHS. 

Keith Weed's blurb says he's keen on gardening for health, so perhaps he missed his true vocation in Urology.

Bob Flowerdew's name is 100% genuine. I can listen to his rose-tinted ramblings any time, but 10 seconds of Christine Walkden is enough to have me biting the sofa! 

And we shouldn't forget Sarah Blizzard, who presented weather forecasts in the East Midlands for 27 years.  

I've also remembered a kind Mr Speed, who ran the town's sewage works and turned a blind eye to us lads fishing there. 

LessImpecunious said:

Meant to say

I asked Chat for suggestion on your buddleia, 

"Buddleja biggusdickus purpurea erecta"

A vigorous cultivar notable for its enormous stature, royal-purple plumes, and an unfortunate Latin etymology. Especially attractive to butterflies and awkward dinner guests.

You're making these up now Farway !  

They were all made up, weren't they? 

I think your figs might be somewhat triggering, too, taff. My single specimen is hanging on, but showing no inclination o become edible.  The same could be said of many tomatoes, so it's clearly been a trickier year. After all, the 'Cherry Falls' ripened in June.

The blue stuff in the middle level of the second garden is a hydrangea, or probably a couple of them. Here's a picture from last year with their very blueness in evidence.

2p and taff may be seed-saving, but Mrs Dusty has almost banned me from doing similarly. I'm therefore filling a paper bag to throw the contents around in useful spots later. 

I think you'll get at least 2 or 3 years out of your sweet williams, pp, especially if you don't let them set much seed.

OT: the very sunny day we were promised didn't materialise, but it was a warm, windy day, good for drying washing and filling dumpy bags with laurel for the next tip run. 

Down at the stream, I see Mr Canute has been active again, having hammered metal rods in to support his fence against the fluvial forces of nature. The stream bed's stone dry, so I removed all the collected detritus to the bank where it can compost down. Next, I may dig a new channel to the far side, just to see what reaction that gets, but with lots to do, I might not bother. The other headknob has been on his throne for two nights in a row, but he's missing this evening. Mrs D broke protocol and waved to him yesterday.  He didn't wave back. 

twopenny

I did wonder Molerat, if it was daft answering you when you were off grid 🙂

Less is that broccoli your talking about? Did you know there is a perennial broccoli? I used to grow it and you get summer the first year then sprig thereafter. Great stuff 😄 plant once 

Taff, flipping heck! Storing or planting, not sure where you're going to put them all 😲

Dusty I like Mrs D's style 😄

Got the huge dying lavender cut down and the rest deadheaded. It didn't relax me 😟 
The hip and bits got worse. 
Hope to wake up tomorrow and think it was worth it!!
Think I need to watch dogs surfing for a while 🐕🌊.......... I've only recently got lots of emojis. Can you tell.

LessImpecunious

Dustyevsky said:

LessImpecunious said:

Meant to say

I asked Chat for suggestion on your buddleia, 

"Buddleja biggusdickus purpurea erecta"

A vigorous cultivar notable for its enormous stature, royal-purple plumes, and an unfortunate Latin etymology. Especially attractive to butterflies and awkward dinner guests.

You're making these up now Farway !  

They were all made up, weren't they? 

Surely not!  But I admit to being easily fooled... 

My purple sprouting broccoli (and kalettes) not strictly perennial, and I have heard of, and even have, a first-year perennial kale, given by a fellow gardener this spring, yet to see how perennial it will be; but have found that many brassicas (kales particularly) will survive longer than you might expect, so I tend not to pull them up/cut them down until they are entering halls of Valhalla, just in case...