Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Davesnave

Your clematis has made me think again, wort. I have grave doubts about the fussier ones surviving our drying-out here,but there must be some we could have, even if just the big ones, like montanas.

Phoebe hasn't shown you folks her courtyard garden yet!

Nothing much to report plant-wise  I did a Big Shop yesterday in the rain and then we went out in the evening in more rain to eat fish & chips in the car, entertained by rabbits and pigeons in a nature area. I love rabbits and pigeons in the right place!

Farway

Rain stopped and this morning is dull but warm

Rhubarb leaves, I put them in the compost, although the ones in the picture I just bunged in the brown [green waste] wheelie bin in the picture, 'cos it was the easiest option at the time

My tomato plants are not well , damping off I think, never had that in over forty years of growing them, first time for everything I suppose

I do have emergency, hastily cobbled together plan B, some self seeded are popping up in last years pots now it's warmer.

Being heritage Bloody Butcher I may be able to nurture some of them as replacements

The Shirley are OK still, as are the Balcony Yellow, so I'll still get a crop this year

Being warmer I hope to plant out a couple more of the sunflowers later on today, and check for slug damage on the runners that went out

twopenny

I bought some cheap clematis, 2pounds each from Morrisons. It's the first time I've been successful with them and they receive no attention. Take longer to spread being one stalk and small but with   a difference of 25pounds per plant I'm willing to wait. I just put more in to padd them out. Might be worth a go if you're not that bothered about type Dave. They do small and large flowers. Poundland too.
I may guy for a garden centre one later if these continue to flourish.
Very warm here but the ground is wet and it's overcast so will probably wait till tomorrow to put plants out and make space on the shelves for seeds. Playing catchup with it being so dry and so wet. 
I've bought a small ceonothus to see if i can make a single stemmed small tree. There are a few round here looking lovely.
Feeling tentatively hopeful as it looks like I might have got a heliotrope through the winter outside. It's produced several small bunches of leaves. Longer flowering season if so. They are so late coming to the shops. 

wort

Two penny, I’m exactly the same only buy cheap then once in the ground it’s fend for themselves, can never understand all the cut earlier flowering back at certain times and late at another, as I can never work out what is classed as early! Some of mine particularly the huge all white flower one flowers twice a year😳😍 worth a punt Dave, you have plenty of options where to put them, thinking about it 🧐that fab pergola you made is ideal.
Shame about the tomatoes Farway, “Shirley “ the Shirley will do well 😉

quirkydeptless

wort said:

Two penny, I’m exactly the same only buy cheap then once in the ground it’s fend for themselves

I have the same approach for my garden of chaos, I fill it randomly with bulbs and seeds and let them fight it out. Survival of the fittest!

twopenny

Our little local Morrisons has built a sort of greenhouse plant base and a staff member who loves plants.

Now they have some fancy stuff cheaper than the garden centre and there were some lovely large clematis for £7. Sooo tempted by the colours to get a couple but I should be back to ecconomising. Should never have gone in to look. I went for petrol.

Don;t know if this is a one off experiment but it's thriving. Maybe one near you.

Farway

it was so mild yesterday but this morning it's still mild but dull & looking like rain.

At least I managed to reduce the young plants I was tending, everything is either planted out now or given away [as intended], which allowed me to pot on my flame nettle [coleus] seedlings, intended for summer bedding at my volunteer place

The apple trees I had the trouble with from T & M, some leaf buds are opening so I assume they will live at least

If the rain holds off I may put some canes up & start the T & M pear espalier training & trying in

Davesnave

I hear what you folks are saying about the cheaper clematis and I'm thinking about it. The archway area of the garden is probably one of the driest spots due to soil conditions and soak-aways, but it is watered by DB better than more distant places, so.....

Spent the hole of yesterday pm in the stream area planting things. Down there, plants have to look fairly natural, so it was geraniums, Moon daisies, inula, tiarella, and Joe Pye Weed etc. Trouble is, it's such a large area 20 or 30 plants go nowhere, but they'll grow and spread. The ferns haven't woken up there yet and it's always hard to envisage the effect they'll have in a month or two.

This morning looks OK and quite sunny, but there's a stiff breeze again. I must away to the polytunnel....

Apodemus

Farway said:

The apple trees I had the trouble with from T & M, some leaf buds are opening so I assume they will live at least

I'm sure they will.

 ...although, my pile of birch prunings have come into leaf and I cut them down last November!

phoebe1989seb

Davesnave said:

Phoebe hasn't shown you folks her courtyard garden yet!

I'll have to dig out some pics from last year as it's looking less than perfect at the moment, lol! 

Weather was wall-to-wall rain and gales on Saturday, although we did manage get the mini orchard strimmed/tidied ahead of that (still not planted those blooming trees though 🙄). Yesterday wasn't massively better - a few sunny spells and noticeably warmer - too damp to finish the white bed so that's on hold till next weekend now. It's put everything back as we'd planned to start on the green roof then, but as we've loads of indoor jobs to get on with that might get postponed till later in the year.

Today it's another mixed bag - very blowy and showery with the odd burst of sunshine. Took a wander around the garden earlier and spotted a few more roses with buds, the large pink rhododendron and orange azalea are just starting to open, a few alliums (purple sensation) are on the cusp of opening and finally there are signs of blossom on the old apple tree 😃