Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Davesnave

Aquilegias are very promiscuous. Their genes mix freely and new varieties emerge every year where they seed around. Selecting open pollinated seed means you might get something similar or something totally different.

We had an aerial visitor last night. It would have been nothing remarkable in our old habitat, next to a prolific site where they congregate, but here sightings are very rare. I suppose that's why it was a Virgin!

MovingForwards

I've not had much luck doing cuttings, gets to a good root stage but does when I pot up. If I pot up, with / without rooting powder it dies.
Last year the aquilegia was in my plastic greenhouse, which adds another layer of mystery as to how one ended up growing in my garden.

Farway

Nice shot Dave, I was hoping some BH balloon festival ones from Isle of Wight may have drifted over for my enjoyment, but never did

Rain this morning, seems I'm on the fringe of it but welcome all the same, saves one job at least, and stops me cutting the very long grass as well

The two T & M offer trees have sprouted blossom now, not expecting fruit but at least it shows there is life in them having had such a poor start

Here's the blossom taken this afternoon once rain cleared, the pear has local wildlife visiting

twopenny

Farway, great result!

I've dug up the 'spare' bed for veg though it's wet and solid soil. Will need to sort the access to the corner with the compost heap and where I dump store my pots, canes and bags of grit/compost.

Mowed lawns front and back and it's looking like a real garden now

If only it would stay like that for a while.

Farway

Sunny start to the day, my gardening effort today will be return the garden waste wheelie bin back to it's "home" once the council have emptied it [delayed collection due to Bank Hols]

And then I have to pull my rhubarb crumble , it's shot up with last week's rain & this week's warmth, no complaints from me

And while I'm there I'll probably thin out my gooseberry & could possibly include the thinned ones in the rhubarb crumble because there will not be enough for a stand alone goosegog crumble

Here's some of the goosegogs after yesterday's rain

Davesnave

Not a lot of gardening yesterday, but I got the last courgette in and planted lots more rainbow chard, the latter mostly for the chickens.

The afternoon saw us back at the Alpaca Park, where the weather and the alpacas were very different. All the trekking animals had been shorn. Many of them were soaking up the sunshine. 'My' alpaca, Neville, was almost unrecognisable, as was DB's Barnaby, but they're the only grey ones.

A very pretty hen was beginning to clean up as the last of the visitors left the farm.....

Apparently, she's much better at picking up dropped food than sitting on eggs!

pink_poppy

I think we should rename this thread the aquilegia appreciation society 😊 some fab photos, thank you for sharing. I’ve snipped off a few of the wayward aquilegia stems from the garden and have them in a vase in the house, so pretty.

Your sunrise pic was gorgeous, Dave. We had a stunning sunset the other night, but I was beaten by the midges and had to make a hasty retreat so didn’t see all of it.

No further signs of Kermit or Sir Isaac in the pond, just lots of insects skating around which I’m a bit wary of tbh.

Davesnave

pink_poppy said:

No further signs of Kermit or Sir Isaac in the pond, just lots of insects skating around which I’m a bit wary of tbh.

Pond skaters, water boatmen and whirligig beetles are harmless to humans.

The last of the family horde has departed.....time to relax and then start prepping for squashes. We still have a couple left from last year's harvest.

Good news for those who may know Ted Head.  'He' is doing OK!

RAS

Any chance of persuading Ted to post on here? 

pink_poppy

I was thinking I knew that name, Dave. Gotcha. Glad to see they’re on the mend. Would love to see them posting on here.

I’m wary of any bugs after being bitten a couple of years ago and having a pretty disgusting reaction. I think the problem with the pond is it’s still water, which I think attracts mozzies and the like. I’m happy if they’re just the ones you mentioned though.