Awful weather - typical Brits talk

phoebe1989seb

Super flowers, Farway! And I'm another one looking forward to pics of 2p's fairies 😃

The weather's certainly been more suited to gardening here this week plus I've had more time, although like 2p I'm flagging a bit on the enthusiasm front 🙄

Three and a half years ago we started with no flowerbeds or pathways through the main half acre plus of actual garden (not including the wooded areas) and the only stuff growing - or so it seemed on first inspection - were lots of huge trees (ancient apple, two Scots pines, loads of beech), overgrown laurels, brambles and virginia creeper/ivy on the old garden walls. But it was the depths of winter when we came to view the repossessed cottage 😉

Later we discovered - as well as wall-to-wall weeds - a large pink rhododendron, mature acer and a few other odd plants (predominantly ferns). But that was it. Every plant except those has been planted by us and some parts are now bursting with actual attractive planting. Loads of areas, however, aren't. Not only that, but the weeds are creeping back into the newly created beds 🙁

We've created a - much smaller - garden from scratch before and love gardening/gardens/plants/design, but this is a marathon slog! Although at least it means that unlike in previous properties we've owned, we get to choose exactly what plants we want as opposed to inheriting those that previous owners have planted!

There's so much we want to do, but it does often feel like we're merely firefighting here. I jokingly said to DH this week that this place needs a full time gardener...."yes," he replied, "that's you!"

Anyway, so far this week I've removed about ten large rhino buckets of stones from one area, tons of weeds from a few others, deadheaded the roses (a thrice weekly job), harvested some runner beans and moved a few of the rockery boulders (the rockery was here when we bought the property but it was just large boulders and gravel....oh, and ground elder....grrrr!). Anyway, having planted it up in 2018, it's now going.....to make way for the new building we're putting up 😎 DH has done some strimming/mowing and had a huge bonfire in the evenings. 

Hopefully the good bank holiday weather will allow further progress!

Farway

Mixed weather, dull, windy but some sun. Only task that must be done is putting the garden wheelie bin out for tomorrow's collection, the rest is optional

I'm probably picking some blackberries and may use some of the immature windfall apples to stew with them, just to bulk it up really for a couple of blobs on breakfast

I'll also need to water, although it's not hot it's dry, and the wind doesn't help

RAS

I managed to get to a work day despite problems with my knee but was restricted to duties that could be undertaken standing. 

Came home with a small stash of pears and apples plus different beans. There are a load of blackberries to pick locally. must check my early pears as they make a good combination.

Farway

Sunshine early, so made  a start by watering & feeding the pots at the front even though some are running down now, the lily ones for instance, but still need a feed for next year's excellent blooms

I'll do the same for the back pots later on today

There were loads of blackberries & apples once I set to work yesterday, duly stewed and sampled on my Weetabix this morning. Pass 10/10

The caterpillars that were hatching on my nasturtiums seem to have vanished, maybe the birds had them?

And at last tried a plum that was ripe, not many left on the tree but at least it's a taster if not a pie, I'm over my DD tomorrow and they have a huge Victoria, sold to them as a patio plum so maybe some may come my way? Good job they have large garden

I noticed one of my coleus is starting to flower, normally I'd remove the flower to keep the foliage going but I think I'm going to try & save seed from it, no idea if it'll come true for foliage colour but worth a go I suppose. I'll try for a picture later

Farway

Cooler but sunny, not much gardening today because I'm off out later. Managed to get the pots at the back fed & watered early on though

Here's the picture of my coleus flower, has lovely leaves as well hence the trying for seeds, I know I could get cuttings but can't be faffing all winter

RAS

Not so pretty pictures. This is one of the public fruit trees planted by a group who aren't interested in looking after them.

Between the parkie's mowers, neglect and the vandals, there's been quite a lot of attrition.

Spotted the state of it and cleared all the leaves with pear rust off before they carbuncles burst and shed their spores.

Farway

Shame about the lack of care for the fruit trees, unfortunately that kind of Virtue Signalling is fairly common, lots of fanfare with little or no thought of ongoing upkeep or commitment, that bit is "A job for someone else, now where's that photographer? "

Talking of lack of care, I was over DD's on Saturday and that being my first sit since Christmas 2019 I was appalled to see his James grieve apple tree. He bought it summer 2020, potted from reputable nursery, over thirty quid and it is showing stress with midget apples on it, I doubt it has been watered since he planted it. What a waste of his money, especially after I had been telling him what a lovely juicy apple JG is.

I don't hold out much hope for the Santana apple I gave him, still in it's pot BTW so not yet dead

I also have pear rust on mine, like you I cleared what I could last year and further investigation showed it is getting endemic, bit like recent fuchsia mites, and no chance my neglectful but nice neighbour will keep his one clear, the better news I took from it is unless it gets really bad rust's mainly cosmetic so far

Dull & a bit chilly, however my gardening continues by ordering next for next year, offers at the moment for free  P & P so I've taken advantage of that, only ordered one tomato for 2022 because I've lots of unopened packets including Ferline & Mountain magic, plus my own saved ones. The one I ordered was Orange Queen, just for a change because it's not one I've tried and should come true from own saved seed, if it's any good that is

twopenny

Wow my computer - yes I've got it functioning now - opened at Farways Coleus which is stunning colours!

I'd not heard of pear rust. This summer seems to have been good for pests and diseases.

The last few days were lovely and I've got lots tidied in the front and side as it seems autumn set in in August down here so things that have suffered from installing paths, being moved, drought, flood (what a summer) have been properly pruned back, throughly fed and watered and they look decent now.

It's very cold today, 10C with an easterly wind so being out would be no fun though I've got a lot of tidying out back.

Found one of the tomato plants with blight :-( Pulled up directly, hoping the main set only a foot away don't get it. No veg grown nearby so don't know where it came from.

This is the state of the tomatoes and raspberries that got out of control in the rain - then the ground too bone dry to get stakes in. The fence behind colapsed also and I've yet to sneak some hooks in the fence posts. But there's loads of tomaoes on and ripening without any leaf trimming etc. They're even bigger and floppier now.

The Kale I got tired of picking off caterpillars and left them to it but they are recovering quickly and nicely. Good in a way because it's delayed them and more a veg for autumn winter.

Sooooo lifes been so serious for so long I do seem to have got a thing for a bit of fun in the garden and so the fairies.

 

Hard to get them in focus but that's fairies for you.

At night the colour kept disappearing and reappearing but I got one!

goldfinches

Lovely fairies 2p and enviable toms too.

@Farway - I am vigorously nodding while reading your first para on virtue signalling and I do so agree that ongoing maintenance invariably seems to be the neglected item when it comes to allocating funding too. I notice this approach all across the board from large projects such as HS2 down to very small rewilding initiatives and think it a shame that so many good starts are spoilt by lack of follow up.

Farway

Another dull & cool morning, which is another non gardening day although I have watered some pots out the front, no rain due until weekend so we're told

My gardening is confined to You Tube at present, checking on taking coleus cuttings because some of mine I think are quite nice and I'd like to keep them going if possible, seems easy enough, they root in about a week allegedly.

I may take some later but it's food delivery day so maybe pass until tomorrow

I spotted a bird in my trailing nasturtiums so my thoughts on them scoffing the caterpillars could be fact based and not conjecture. nature at work it seems

I have to tie in some of the Merton Thornless blackberry stems but it's not a job for today, another one for Round Tuit container