Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Davesnave

Yes the insects like it, and the wall version. I have a photo of a Hummingbird moth on one of those, but I've no idea where to find it.

DD265

Lots of rain here this afternoon and a few thunderstorms. The slimline waterbutt around the back is overflowing again and there are rose petals everywhere - I didn't get out deadheading in the latter part of the week.

I may have made a mistake with my (corden, I think) tomatoes; aside from staking them and watering as needed, I left them to it. They are huge. I've got one little fruit and plenty of flowers - and I see I should've been feeding them and removing the tips and any side shoots, too. Oops. Planning to spend some time tomorrow seeing what I can do with them.

On Thursday I commented to friends about how we've never had a squirrel in the garden. Yesterday, we came home from a shopping trip and there was one stuffing it's face with sunflower hearts. The cats didn't know what to make of it. I shant deter it, and it can share the sunflower hearts with the pigeons. Everything else seems to prefer the suet pellets.

wort

Morning all, yesterday my 2 sil came and spent a few sweaty hours transferring the trachycarpus fortunei into its new pot!  The pot was rotten and the were able to pull the wood off and saw through the metal bands,And yes it was growing through the bottom😖 I am hoping it survives , the roots had to be hacked at to get it in the new pot, I was only able to supervise as I had foot surgery the other day. The good thing was it’s absolutely poured with rain a few times since so hoping it’s well watered in. 

It’s still raining this morning, and I will be laid up for the foreseeable few weeks, so hoping to enjoy some more of your lovely pics 😀

Davesnave

DD265, your cordon tomatoes will probably be fine, just less tall and rather disorganised. Mine go up to the poly roof at over 10' when it becomes hard to pick and manage them. I always mean to stop them, but never remember.

Funny you saying that about your palm, wort. I did much the same with a neglected laurel, but I used a mattock to shatter the pot and prise it out of the ground last Saturday. It's looking none the worse now it's planted, especially since all that rain, but I might cut it back a bit. Hope your foot recovers quickly. I can't see anyone being interested in my hammer toe for a few years, unfortunately, but so long as I can find wide shoes with no appreciable heels, I'm fine.

Chicken photo this morning, as my opium poppy picture just doesn't cut it compared with your earlier ones!

Crested Cream Legbars and a bottom of the pecking order  Rhode Island Red keeping out of reach!

Farway

twopenny said:

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.

Lovely poppy photo MF

2P, I first saw step overs "in the flesh" at Wisley and thought that was an excellent method of growing, not that I do so, just a good idea.

I'm training mine more " vault over" height where I can reach them without bending as bending is no longer an option for me

Cordon gooseberries, yep, I have one, quite by accident, the initial idea was train as standard lollipop style but the plant had other ideas, now it just goes up & droops at the top , which looks just fine & is easy to maintain & pick fruit without getting stabbed

If I had space I would grow cordon gooseberries using different varieties, I was only thinking that last night having watched Gardeners' World this week, he had some cordon gooseberries just doing same method as I did.

I fancy growing the large red ones for eating straight off the bush, I may just have to find space for one now the idea is in my head

Better news this morning, Shirley toms are now coming on a treat despite the very shaky start, not so long back i did wonder if I was going to get anything off them so this picture is a plus

Black_Cat2

Davesnave said:

DD265, your cordon tomatoes will probably be fine, just less tall and rather disorganised. Mine go up to the poly roof at over 10' when it becomes hard to pick and manage them. I always mean to stop them, but never remember.

Funny you saying that about your palm, wort. I did much the same with a neglected laurel, but I used a mattock to shatter the pot and prise it out of the ground last Saturday. It's looking none the worse now it's planted, especially since all that rain, but I might cut it back a bit. Hope your foot recovers quickly. I can't see anyone being interested in my hammer toe for a few years, unfortunately, but so long as I can find wide shoes with no appreciable heels, I'm fine.

Chicken photo this morning, as my opium poppy picture just doesn't cut it compared with your earlier ones!

Crested Cream Legbars and a bottom of the pecking order  Rhode Island Red keeping out of reach!

Think I had that hairstyle that legbar is wearing in the 80s D lol 😹

twopenny

Love the chicken photo! They look so happy.

Now lollipop fruit bushes I hadn't thought of. Another set of decisions!!!!

I was wanting to grow a tunnel of fruit trees. Saw it done at Arlington Court. Then when I got here there were a line of drains in the way........just gave me an idea, move seating area (again) and instead of Wisteria grow fruit trees.

Then where to put the Wisteria? Love it but it seems to be very short lived blooming sort so a bit disappointing.

Dense cloud here but mild. Raining tonight. I did go out and eat a couple of raspberries, relocate a couple of snails and check that the grass was too wet to mow. Car going to garage for day tomorrow so maybe a day of deadheading and clearing brambles. If that was done then I would have every excuse to go out for the day on Wednesday.

I've left my tomatoes to go wild more than once when working and they do absoloutely fine. More tomatoes just not huge ones.

goldfinches

Chilly, damp, showery and rather grey overhead hereabouts but the lime trees have all burst into flower and smelt lovely and sappy on my walk today. 
This is a photo I took today of a gateway into a garden that borders my usual route, I could smell the lilies from six feet away their scent is so strong.



I looked back at the photos I took last year and this one was taken on 18th June!



I think the plants prefer this year but the differences are interesting.

goldfinches

I forgot to show you the "triffid" just around the corner from the lilies.



These usually grow straight up but evidently this one is trying to escape from the college. I've heard some interestingly ribald comments on it from various groups of walkers over the last few weeks. If you're trying to estimate the height, the top of the wall where the railings begin is four feet or so off the ground on their side and about seven feet on my side and yes the two blue flowered ones are taller.

Davesnave

It's interesting the Echiums are surviving winters in Oxford. Gives me hope they might do OK for us here, if we can find a suitably sheltered place.

Rained hard much of the afternoon and still raining till about midnight. I'm in no hurry for it to stop as we've marked out various new beds, paths etc and I now have a few weeks digging ahead!