Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

I recall that as one of the wittiest jokes of the 1970s, Farway. It was especially memorable, because the chap who shared it had a Honda 50, like mine. We thought ourselves trendsetters at uni, though the guy with the Triumph Spitfire was far cooler. 😕 Hmm, he was 50% Italian and wore shades too! 🤣

Yesterday was also cool. When I set off, the pessimistic car gave a frost warning when we went down into the valley. 😲 It wasn't really 4c, but for a time, it was no more than 6c. Walking friend and I had agreed to postpone, so it was shopping, and it tipped down in Barney Rubble. Then, after lunchtime, it miraculously improved, until I reached home, when it thrashed down once again. That was OK, as it saved watering.

Today looks much better, so we may venture forth in search of shrubs. Meanwhile, our friend with the expansive view has just had her patio laid, so now wants to know what will make a hedge about 0.8 m high and stand up to gales, full sun, and drought at 600'. It would be nice if it had flowers too! Err…..😳 Hypericum???

Some of you may remember us discussing Lithodora diffusa. I think Bluey may have had one. Well, I remembered to snap a picture of ours, growing through a low cotoneaster hedge near the road. Wasted there really, as it's invisible from indoors.

Oh, and figs….we have lots this year. No idea why, and of course, it's very early days. They'll probably drop off.

Farway

Had the lot yesterday, hail & thunderstorms, the rain was heavy overnight as well, so all watering done for me, a brief respite, and no frost so the runners are still with me

Slightly warmer but still cool, supposed to be warming up for next week, hope so, then the courgettes can go out, I have more male flowers opened up.

Out & about early, collect my prescription main purpose, keeping those pills, and my arteries, flowing. Smugly happy to see the volunteer borders & bits I used to help tend are looking very untidy & overgrown after the "improvement" using a paid contractor. The mature silver birch, forced upon us by the council when the TPO oak was felled last year, has finally clocked into Valhalla and is a very dead, deceased, no more, having a very long rest tree. As a gardener I hate to see it, as a human, it serves them right, reaping what was sown 😊

Failed to clear the old, dead, cuttings out yesterday, too cold even in the conservatory. Maybe today?

Dusty, had a Honda 50, like mine. We thought ourselves trendsetters at uni, though the guy with the Triumph Spitfire was far cooler. Very unfair competition, you'd need a Bonneville or maybe an MG if not rusted away, I always wanted an open Midget, the T type with flat radiator.

No proper gardening planned, but will get out to check on the runners, and I've found an open packet of purple podded runners, so may poke a couple of seeds in at base of the cane wigwam, never know, may even grow. Gone from someone who was not going to bother with runners again I have now become obsessive now I can't get them going.

Raindrops on roses

twopenny

Well I've been busy doing stuff but not gardening. That's for tomorrow.

I did have a garden related giggle though.

I took the washing out of the airing cupboard to put it away and found two bowls of dried herbs under. I had to pick the bits off my fleecy stuff, the quilt and the floor.

But the herbs are definitely dry now 🙄😄

Dustyevsky

Farway: I always wanted an open Midget, the T type with flat radiator.

I thought I wanted one, until I drove a friend's. The local lanes probably weren't the right place, but I found being so low down very scary, and the whole experience was way too bouncy.😳 Besides…no back seat! 😉

It's a shame about your volunteer border, but, "As ye sow, so shall ye also reap" is usually proven true in the long run, though certain well-known figures seem to think it doesn't apply if they claim their dodgy behaviour was an innocent 'oversight.' At least in the old days they'd admit to, "a moment of madness," or similar.😏

Yesterday was a reasonable day, weatherwise, so walking friend and I visited 3 plant emporia to stock her new front border. Two were GCs, but the last, a 'proper' nursery, blew her away with the choice of herbaceous. For example, about 15 varieties of astilbe. We weren't rained-on, and the sun shone most of the time, but that keen north wind was still there. Anyway, £100 spent….mostly well! 😇 Had to do a bit of 'steering' with temptations like Chocolate Cosmos! (A classier disappearing act than David Copperfield! 😂)

Speaking of appearing/disappearing, here's a plant that pops up and then vanishes in the hostile environment of what we optimistically call 'the drive.' This area is submerged periodically in winter, baked in summer and driven over by Evri (hence the broken post) but Cerinthe major purpuracens doesn't care, It's a weird thing.🤡

Rain today, and the in-laws cometh…..🤐

twopenny

I've seen that flower somewhere in the wild. A curious thing that leads a secret life 🤔

Made me think of open gardens around here of which there are few now. Getting expensive especially the teas and plant stalls. With the eternally changing weather they are going to be lucky if they can open well.

Roaring wind yesterday, still but rain today all day so very little to be done plantwise.

The little birds are draining the feeder probably getting ready for another round of breeding.

Is it cold anywhere else? Nearly put the heating on this morning 😲

Farway

Sunny start, rain, presumably Dusty's left overs, supposed to be on the way for later, by which time I hope to have finished any outside stuff. Milder but not warm enough to loiter in

Cerinthe major purpuracens, I've seen it around somewhere, I quite like it but not enough to seek it out for my patch

Today, before the rain, I hope to sow a few climbing Purple podded beans, in same pot as my three surviving runners. The packet does not say what type, I assume not runners, so some sort of French purple climber I guess

I also want to sort out a pot for my Cafe au Lait dahlia, needs old compost rejuvenating, I've sent for some Q4 from Up River, and then lugging pot to the front. DD & pooch Merlin may turn up tomorrow, getting Merlin used to other humans, so DD may get roped in for some heavy pot shifting in exchange for me fussing over Merlin😁

On dahlias, there are some reduced down to £3 from £7.99, with free P & P on Browns & Fothergills. I have been tempted and Dahlia Nuit D'ete is on the way 🤫

Dusty Had to do a bit of 'steering' with temptations like Chocolate Cosmos! (A classier disappearing act than David Copperfield! 😂One of the over hyped plants, someone somewhere is rich from it I guess

Here's some of the early open foxgloves, self seeded, colours vary from bog standard deep purple to the lilac / creams. Tried for bee bum shot but they are quicker than me

greenbee

Freezing cold here 2P, and I have no heating until the heat pump goes in (first week June) as the boiler came out May 1st. Luckily it's sunny today, so solar is powering electric radiators!

Lots of gardening to do, but am feeling decidedly second-hand, so not much will be done.

Dustyevsky

We put the heating on this morning, 2p. 😲 Scandalous, I know. 😌 Now we can get it for around 90p/litre, I might also go for another 700l of oil, rather than gamble on a quick resolution to the shortages. That would be much of Mrs Dusty's first month of pension gone, but what you never have, you don't miss! 🙁

Those are super mottled foxgloves, Farway, and the fact you have them blooming shows how far ahead of us you are. Ours might get there in another week or so.🤨 The best stand of them is self-seeded too, but I don't know what colours they'll be. This year, I'm growing white and peach colours from bought seed, with the hope of good displays in '27. I've also had more luck with the species, mertonensis, which is claimed to be more perennial. But it's early days. Transplanting them isn't always successful. 😕

It's raining as I type, and more to come, but I've had a lazy afternoon in the fish & chip restaurant, so it can do what it likes! 😛 Warm again by Tuesday, and I fancy its slightly less cold under this blanket of cloud now.

twopenny

Yup, I gave in and put the heating on for an hour at lunchtime. Very strange because it was ok outside. Just in the house so cold.

I thought we were supposed to have a heatwave? Forecast is for rain for the foreseeable which garden wise is annoying.

I have a foxglove in those cream and pink colours too Farway. It's self seeded and thought it may be a cross between the pink I had and neighbours fancy cream ones. But it's flowering for the third year 🤔

Right across the path of course.

As I walked round my estate yet more mystery bugs or diseases on stuff. I'll get round to photographs when there's a paws in the rain.😼

Farway

The rain is taking a well earned break this morning, back later today with a Me & Dusty special across South coastal regions, while anyone in the far North, like Surrey 😁 continues with blue sky.

Heat wave allegedly clocks in on Thursday for the Bank Holiday. Hope so, my courgettes are itching to get out

DD is visiting today, so I'm just popping in for a quickie. She is bringing DGS along, the computer brainbox taking a break from Brissle Uni. Or maybe he's finished his course? Never know these days, soon find out later.

Glad to see DGS, not just for family reason. he is a strapping over six foot lad, ideally suited to lug a large, full, plant pot from the back to the front, his young back can take it, my old one won't.. The pot is for the large Cafe Au Lait dahlia, it will need a substantial pot to stop it toppling over once it has enormous flower heads on it 😂

2P I have a foxglove in those cream and pink colours too Farway. It's self seeded and thought it may be a cross between the pink I had and neighbours fancy cream ones. But it's flowering for the third year. Sounds nice, must be true about self seeders being well suited to their surroundings. Do you sprinkle the seeds about or let them sort it out for themselves? Now mine have established a colony at the front as well as back I will get sprinkling the surrounding area once the seeds ripen.

At last I've emptied the dead Streptacarpus [sp?] cuttings out and tidied away their pots. The survivor I have planted into same large pot as Paul Robeson tom, so now have Paul & Charlotte in the same bed 😁

These pansies are from Morries, last Autumn, they have overwintered in the pot, outside, and are looking good now weather has warmed & I gave them a feed. I'll let them self seed and keep fingers crossed

PS, the grass like leaves are Alliums, hoping for umpteenth time lucky