Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Davesnave

Farway said:

Davesnave said:

greenbee said:

@Davesnave - I think the last couple of years have made a lot of people reprioritise. You can probably see it in Devon with the number of people moving out of the cities in search of a better lifestyle (and some of them already moving back realising that it's not quite what they thought it would be!).
With PV, depending on the size/orientation of the roof you might even be in profit! And I'd certainly be looking at battery storage now that the prices are dropping - more important than FIT payments.

Half of me still wants to plant those 200m trees as well. We'll be thinning in winter, and some of those we  only put in 7 years ago.

With all this Eco stuff and a small holding any chance of a tree planting grant or some kind of carbon capture?

Sell them to some rich person who uses private jets to go to environmental conferences for instance

We've maintained the grassland here because the value of the property is related to the opportunity it presents for the equestrian fraternity. However, reading the runes of the New Normal, I think the keeping of 'useless' livestock will soon be discouraged and more land will be given over to crops, or retained for wildlife value. Of course, there will always be a privileged class, but they won't be living in properties like ours!

For those reasons, it's highly likely that some sort of changes may happen on our tiny 5.5 acres in the not so distant future.

I saw the opportunity for a small solar farm here 10 years ago, but then we had no 3 phase electrics. The two fields are pretty hard to see  from any direction, except at a distance, and they gently slope south. The landscape impact would be minimal and we could still graze sheep.

Davesnave

Some of you might remember us putting the trellis panels around our 'herb garden' in early spring., so here's an update photo.

You can see the Cup & Saucer vines did really well...a bit too well in fact! Morrisons free dwarf sunflowers were also very obliging.

Farway

Lovely picture Dave, cup & saucer envy now, mine failed to even germinate, and the Spanish Flags were gobbled up by snails along with the runners they were meant to intertwine with. Looking out this morning there must have been at least fifteen snails in broad daylight on my runners, I was going to take a picture but CBA

Hot & sunny forecast ahead for a few days, nothing much required except watering now, there will be apples & blackberries ripening of course, and a few raspberries as I scuttle by

I had a wild thought about clearing my greenhouse out, it's only a perspex one, sorely neglected and full of garden stuff, like old pots & trays, I'll ponder more on that idea but the bending and lifting may stop me. I'll see how it looks once I have a drink of realism, not wanting to grow much in there, more for weather / bird protection, something like a hardy, low maintenance edible cactus really

Very well done to the plant lady, nice getting recognition even though it's not sought, and the carpet roses are new on me so had to search them out, they do sound good and maybe on my wish list, for the volunteer border I think easy care but long flowering, with scent, sounds ideal

My one and only sunflower continues to keep going, It's the tallest & biggest I've ever grown but I was not in competition with myself, I like the shorter ones as well, like Dave's Morrison's one. I did sow seeds of similar shorter one but only one has survived at my volunteer garden, and it's not yet in flower

Here's another of the yellow raspberries trying to look majestic, if the sun keeps going all will be well

phoebe1989seb

That looks fabulous, Dave.... you should both give yourselves a huge pat on the back for creating something so pretty 😄

DH and I both hail from Hampshire, Farway - he's from Southampton, whilst I was born/brought up in sight of the sea in Southsea, which is where he and I lived till 2007. For most of the time since we met (late 80s when I was studying in Southampton), he worked in Petersfield with clients in and around Hants, Surrey, Sussex....so we're both very familiar with that whole area.

So, we had a couple of (mostly) gardening-free days over the weekend, Saturday being spent travelling from Wales for our meet up with DS, where we enjoyed a pleasantly warm, but not too hot, walk - and picnic - in the New Forest, before heading home again. 

Yesterday - being pretty tired from our hectic day out - all we managed outside was some cutting back and a thorough hosing of all beds/pots.

Today - another sunny one - is rinse and repeat (more hosing, deadheading roses 🙄) with a bit of rockery plant removal thrown in for good measure.

I need to investigate my eremurus, none of which flowered this year - think the spot I chose isn't sunny enough - does anyone know if I'd be ok lifting them/moving elsewhere yet, please?

twopenny

I'm loving seeing what everyone's doing. It's all so different.

Busy trying to sort out car insurance/relay etc today

Started with a beautiful sea mist over the land this morning. As it was also warm I appreciated the beauty and went for a walk to the parks where I eventually located some Myrtle and took 4 cuttings. Took a long time getting home as everyone now, friend or stranger wants to talk post lockdown so I've stuck them in water and hope to pot them up tomorrow. It will be a small miracle if they root. May have to try again.

The sun came out in spades at lunch time so headed for the beach leaving my poor unwatered plants to struggle on.

So the next job will be watering. I'm having a tooth extracted tomorrow and my annoyance is that it is yet again when I want to be up and at the garden and will be enforced sitting on the sofa. May try some lavender and rose dead heading while I try not to bend forward and behave casually. Lifes a nuisance sometimes,

Farway

Another scorcher on the way today, only watering needed are the pots & bird bath top up at the back, I have the volunteer ones to do tomorrow morning but that's quite easy as I use a hose and just stand there nodding " 'morning" to passers by

I did trim back the front buddlias, all clear to see the dahlias and coleus now

I may trim the leaves off the tomatoes in conservatory now most are ripening and garden wheelie bin is on Friday

2P, always an annual PIA sorting out insurance etc I find but has to be done or face getting ripped off by not checking. I've just saved over a tenner by ordering direct from manufacturer & not the jungle company that is light on UK tax payment

I'll have to check the blackberries while I'm watering out the back, they tend to just drop off when ripe. My FB page had a times past photo, it was bowl of apples so it's official, ripening is behind this year

phoebe1989seb

Hope your tooth extraction goes ok, 2p!

Sunny and warm here again too, so I've been trying to make the most of it whilst attempting to stay in the shadier spots, lol! It's really not conducive to shifting heavy rocks especially as they're located in full sun, so instead I've begun clearing/marking out the - admittedly only slightly less sunny - proposed pond area. Last night we cut back loads of brambles and general weeds, scrappy ferns etc from this part of the garden beyond the mini orchard where the rear boundary of our land lies. Measuring it out today, the pond is going to be roughly 18' x 12' (5.5 x 3.5m approx), so a fairly good size 😃

I'm already way ahead of myself as I began making a wish list of marginal plants etc about two years ago! This morning I also succeeded in dragging a hefty and rather bulky bench into position adjacent to the *pond* so I could imagine the view 🙄, which - being slightly elevated - will be a panoramic one of a good chunk of the garden!

Off to bake a cake now 😋

Thundery showers are forecast for tomorrow afternoon/evening with cooler weather/rain set to return on Thursday and Friday, so this evening hopefully be more cutting back will get done as well as another bonfire.....

twopenny

Wow that sounds wonderful Phoebe! Snuggled by the pond with your beverage of choice.

Thanks for the wishes, turned out that what I thought was my appointment arranged when I was full of anesthetic last time was not that was on the card - so I've got to go through it all next week, plus the embarrassment of not getting it right the first time

Only managed to dead head the standard lavenders and sling some water over some pots. It's been so hot here the last 2 days that I've been sea swimming and walking with friends (that was a sweaty experience) over beautiful places.

So looking forward to the torrential rain they forcast for the west tomorrow. Now that's something I won't be saying over the winter months!

goldfinches

Sorry to hear of your trials, 2p and wishing you good luck for next week.

Like others we are sweltering here and this was what greeted me on my regular morning walk.



Here's where it came from.



Spectacular isn't it. 

Davesnave

It looks like a plane tree of some kind goldfinches. Big chance for compo missed there!

Far too hot here as well today, but I had no option and cleaned the conservatory roof and windows. At least it didn't matter that I was soaked through by the end. Tomorrows rain may help me wash the vehicles, one of which needs its MoT on Thursday.

As for gardening....well, I watered the pots on the former nursery and shot another butterfly on the verbena.