Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

Me :I'm spending the glorious weather potting-on, 😔but I have risked a courgette out of doors on the muck and chipped wood heap. It will either do very well, or succumb to late low temperatures.

Well, that experiment didn't last long! I forgot to cover it with fleece last night. 😩 This morning, being in a corner with grass frost, it looks very limp! 😢

On the positive side, I spotted four chard which have survived winter. They might give us something before they bolt! The ones in the poly still look lovely, but now taste bitter as they head for the sky. At least the chickens don't seem to notice! 😏

It could be a good gardening weekend ahead. Mrs Dusty is almost recovered, and with lurgy behind us, we've much catching up to do. Seeing your lovely Sunset blossom, Less, reminds me I should walk to the orchard and see what's going on there. We have a few unusual varieties….totally neglected. 😔 This was the year we were going to prune hard! 😥

I recall 2p showing us a very delicate, pale yellow wallflower a while back. As you can see above, my friend has one too. Apparently, it came from me, so why haven't I got one? The colour range of ours is disappointing to say the least. 😐️ Ah, but there's cuttings! 😉

YoungBlueEyes

The cherry tree at the top of my road - it’s a proper puffy jobber

I saw these on my way to work the other morning, they’re pleasingly delicate -

And some sky/cloud pics -

This was looking east at sunset the other evening -

That'll do.

Dustyevsky

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81976428#Comment_81976428

Mrs Dusty and I were discussing that. The Pyrus 'Chanticleer' we chose as a small tree for our lawn is good, but it flowers very early, and the blossom was blown away this spring by the gales.😢 The malus flowers now, so might often miss the gales and bloom longer.

The Pyrus cost about £25, and that Malus was £72. I think it was worth it, though!

YoungBlueEyes

£72 seems like a bunch of money Dusty but if it doesn't die on you it'd be well worth it. It's a proper statement piece eh 😀

Just fed my wee birds, here's a couple more pics -

I've got a cherry! A whole baby cherry! It done it itself and everything!

Also, while we're face down erse up in the flower beds Farway we'll have to keep our eye out for the missing contingent. I suspect @ArbitraryRandom and @pink_poppy have given us up entirely but where's @-taff ..?

Farway

Happy Penguin AKA Nun day 😂

Cold start, nods politely in the direction of Dusty limp courgette. I was only watching a YT yesterday where presenter was warning about putting stuff out too early

Less, we have similar fruit tree layouts by the looks of it, mine are earlier flowering, but I have Sunset apple, next to Sunburst cherry, both were open at same time but cherry is now going over, no YBE style cherry babies yet [Anyone else old enough to now be triggered into Sherry baby? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTnJ5mng5xA ]

Some gorgeous pics this morning, the red crab is a stunner, pricey but I guess for years of pleasure it's worth it, maybe cheaper bare root one to grow on, or from Garden Express 😂👿? plus roses, puffy blossom, etc

Talking of strawberries, I have a couple of flowers open, but the plants are ones I neglect but keep on coming up,, OK for a taste but I find other fruit easier & more rewarding

My talking about seed prices, I've decided, a bit late, to sow a couple of Bloody Butcher toms, mainly to ensure I have viable seeds going forward. They are heritage so should come true, and it's my old 2024 smeared seeds, so should be OK this year, if later than normal.

Spring salad greens, I have spring reds 😁A beetroot on it's way to seeding, lots of young red leaves have appeared so I'll have a sample later, fingers crossed it's not bitter. and now I need to also sow my Pot marigolds, food & flowers

Baby French pears, Beurre Alexandre Lucas. These are the tasty ones that store & ripen without rotting

PS left hand pale leaves are Lakemont grape, just opening up from winter break

greenbee

Keeping my fingers very tightly crossed, but I think my strawberries might have survived. I'll have to go through the piles and see whether any others are going to be OK to replant tomorrow.

Dustyevsky

Following on from Bluey's cherry ( Oooh, that doesn't sound right! 😂) and Farway's pears…..I give you:

twopenny

Been a hot hectic day of everyone's troubles and mine included but think I did some good in the mess so while dealing with all that no gardening as such. Over 25c!

More watering.

Since Farway mentioned lilac I have one in a pot and noticed one in a pot where I get my eggs.

I also got info while talking to the garden lady (about hemlock dropwort) that the globe buddleia doesn't seed so no danger to life and roof tiles. But it still covered in butterflies. I must lear more about that.

YoungBlueEyes

Morning all, on International Flamingo day 🦩(When I was little I thought flamingos weren't real - why would you spend all day stood on one leg if you can swim and fly? Wouldn't your foot get sore and your leg ache..? 🤔)

Thanks for Sherry Baby Farway, I'll be singing that all day now! When I was feeding the birds I checked on Cherry Baby and it's gorn - if a squirrel snaffled it I hope it gets the runs. Shipbag. Are you in for grapes this year do you think?

I'm feeling very left out with all this salad talk, I'll check my packets today and see if they've given me any 🤞 I've got some peas to plant today (if it's not too late..?) Himself went out yesterday and came back with some so I'll get them into pots today and see what transpires. He also came back with a dead lavender - it's fully grey and brittle and has already flowered and gone. B+M are selling them for £1 so he lifted one 🤨I've given it a drink and sat it in the sun but I'm not holding out much hope. We'll see.

Woohoo for surviving strawbs gb 😀You can't beat a sun warmed strawb straight off the plant. Does AnonyDog share them….?

Gawd you've a tom already Dusty! I need to get mine planted on today. I can't remember if you've said now but is MrsD back on an even keel?

Are you the local Agony Aunt 2p? It's alright being helpful but keep some goodness for yourself. 25'c is a bit much for April like 😓

OT it got up to 17'c here yesterday but there was a bit of strength in that sun. I came in and watched BG and it was alright - they'd given the lang shtreek o' pish the week off so it was George (hooray!) and Ruth (boooo) and it's Calum next week 🙂

I'll get me tatties in today - I must remember to ask Cissie what breed they are. Cloudy now and will be all day, 6' currently and a high of 16' to come, they say.

Dustyevsky

2p: Over 25c!

It was in the polytunnel, and the first proper sun cream day outside. We need to get some shade netting up!😕

All the salvias over wintered indoors have red spider😠, so it's lucky I still have some good stuff from the early noughties. 😉 Like NASA, we seem to have “destroyed the technology” enabling the average bod to deal with those. 😪 Considering the budget of NASA, isn't it a bit odd they lost the knowhow? It's equivalent to France saying, "Oh, we burned the Bayeux Tapestry when we renovated the Cathedral." We'd believe that, wouldn't we? 🤐

Where was I? Oh yes, flamingoes….the kids painted one about a metre tall behind the cloakroom door in our last house. People wouldn't see it until inside with the door closed. The people who bought the house got a shock, but they kept it! 😂

Yes, Mrs Dusty is much better, thanks, Bluey, but not up to full power. We're told this lurgy is ravaging Exeter, messing with the staffing of various enterprises. It's reported to take 2 weeks to recover, so I feel lucky I'd only one day on the sofa. Quite a few half days, though! 😔

Speaking of full power, I managed to get my 17-year-old brushcutter going again yesterday, after giving it new air and fuel filters.😊 Also, I bit the bullet and cut 65 short pieces of chain to make a new 'curtain' that hangs on a rod at the rear of the ride-on's deck. This stops the mower throwing stones and smashing something, or someone. The last rod broke somewhere in our neighbours rough garden. By the time I realised, I was at home and the 4 link lengths of chain were gone. I found maybe 20, and put them in a 'safe place.' They're still safely there, wherever it is! 😩

Yes a tomato….in April. That's a first! It's Cherry Falls. If we can get it ripe in May it'll be a record for us.🙂

Above: A tale of 2 geraniums, In the foreground G. phaeum in it's original form, often referred to as the 'Mourning Widow.' At the back is one of the modern variations of phaeum. It has a name, but I've forgotten it. 🤔