Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway

Nice photo Dave and so looking forward to your drizzle arriving here , despite the downpours it's getting dry again

I've removed the netting / mesh from the cherry so the birds can eat what the snails have ruined, a complete disaster this year with the rain swelling them suddenly & cracking allowing the snails to get going and spoiling them.

The birds & squirrels may as well eat them because they're not fit for human consumption now rot has also set in

My Charles plum is also going downhill with a lot of June Drop, I'll be lucky to see a dozen plums this year

2021 is a bad year here for stone fruit, thank heavens for my apples & rhubarb

On a brighter note I have runner flowers out, the snails seem to have eased off, probably full of cherries, so the runners are flowering so that's progress

And, ta ra, trumpets sound, I have Shirley tomatoes setting so will start feeding soon

My disaster cherries

Ganga

Farway said:

Nice photo Dave and so looking forward to your drizzle arriving here , despite the downpours it's getting dry again

I've removed the netting / mesh from the cherry so the birds can eat what the snails have ruined, a complete disaster this year with the rain swelling them suddenly & cracking allowing the snails to get going and spoiling them.

The birds & squirrels may as well eat them because they're not fit for human consumption now rot has also set in

My Charles plum is also going downhill with a lot of June Drop, I'll be lucky to see a dozen plums this year

2021 is a bad year here for stone fruit, thank heavens for my apples & rhubarb

On a brighter note I have runner flowers out, the snails seem to have eased off, probably full of cherries, so the runners are flowering so that's progress

And, ta ra, trumpets sound, I have Shirley tomatoes setting so will start feeding soon

My disaster cherries

Well at least your cherries have turned red ,we live in the NE of England and ours are still pale yellow all though the birds do not mind as they are still eating the very few that are left ,trees are about three /four  years old and have yet to taste a cherry   

twopenny

That's a shame Farway..

Wonder if I will have to put sandpaper around mine next year.

You could slice them and make a cherry jam to go in a sponge cake in the winter. Yummy!

Ganga couldn't you put net sleeves over some bunches?

Just noticed my Jasmine has come into bloom early. It's from a cutting from around the door of my Great Grandparents house so treasured. It was unstoppable flourished at my last place rooting everywhere and reaching for the skies. It's been very tentative here.

Raining this afternoon on and off but lovely summer rain, straight down without gales and it stopped. I was making a wish for such only a couple of days ago so hopefully it will give the desperately dry garden a bit of a boost for the summer,

MovingForwards

Sorry about the neighbour Dave, never understand why people don't just leave others alone instead of doing petty stuff.

I ended up removing a spinach plant yesterday to free up some space for the others, also lifted a couple of onions, another bag of spuds and other bits. Had several hours of rain, which will do the garden good.

I've won a gardening voucher and have to decide what to get with it, and another one I have. Turns out my OH doesn't want fruit trees in the garden, although he's trying to root some cuttings 🤨 I'm happy to have them grow in pots, but not have them in the garden after all the work put in to remove trees and stumps around our boundary.

Davesnave

MovingForwards said:

Sorry about the neighbour Dave, never understand why people don't just leave others alone instead of doing petty stuff.

It's a long story, but shortly after we arrived he began telling us what he wanted us to do with our hedges. We assured him his boundary with us would not be touched, nor would we lay the last 35m of the field hedge to give him cover, but that wasn't good enough and 'things' started happening. He's over 200m from our garden, but with the hedge laying we've done, we can see his back door from a certain angle.

We have never even mentioned the telegraph pole he somehow relocated onto our property after a lightning strike in 2007. He quickly built a stone shed to make sure it didn't return, but plonking it in the stream and having loose cables draped about was a bit of a give-away! I'd guess that's as far as the digger could reach. We weren't here then, but a neighbour brought us up to speed. Openreach repositioned it and paid us the wayleave, rather than fight with him!

Davesnave

MovingForwards said:

 Had several hours of rain, which will do the garden good.

It's been torrential here for some hours and it woke me in the night. So glad I cut all the lawns.

I have given up trying to get a good photo of the next plant I wanted to post, so the one below will have to do. Somehow, it's white flowers aren't coming out right. It's Valerian officinalis and it grows wild in some hedges near here, although the one we have emerges with a bronze leaf in spring. Great bee plant, not fussy and flowers for a decent length of time.

MovingForwards

What a (insert favoured word) he is Dave!

A seed head may have jumped into my bag while out today.

twopenny

So that's what Valarian should look like!

Mine, newly planted this year didn't make it well past the slugs in the continuous spring rain. One survived and has put out a couple of straggly flowers. I'm keen to try again next year after seeing Dave's.

Glad you've got the money for the telegraph pole. I was going to mention that. Bet he's not so happy about that.

I have a neighbour irritation - not only do they not want a flower or leaf growing into their side , they have grass only and use weed killer to ensure it. It's a boundary line that even a flower growing over is going to be torn off. This to someone who thinks abundance is a good thing.

MF I used to have those growing all over. They came from next doors childs garden but I couldn't bring myself to pull them as they are such cheerful flowers. I may just have some seed in the garage and your lovely pic has suggested I should go and look.

What about 'Step over' fruit trees?

I'm trying to work out how to make my garden more wrap around so the view from the patio doors that is my constant, is more interesting. One thing I've been toying with is step overs or growing gooseberries as cordons. Working on the problem of the roots in my small veg plot.

Davesnave

twopenny said:

So that's what Valarian should look like!

Yes, except when it's the other valerian.....Centranthus ruber.

It comes in red and white forms.

twopenny

Dave it's a minefield! Just tried to look up what I've got and google is meah unless you're looking to buy something.

OK so I looked up what I've got - it's Vervain (verbena) officinalis. Belongs to the Verbenaceae family which is where I was getting confused. Unprepossing but a strong useful plant for lightness behind plants in a border. Survives everything.

One of the 7 mystic herbs and this one if for protection against ill will. Protects against devils of disease and vampires.

Perhaps I should send you something to put between you and your neighbour

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