Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway

Lovely picture Woolsery, and looks like a lovely plant to leave to get on with it and still brighten the garden, one I’ll bear in mind next time I’m browsing around a GC

Following the tip about pear mite from RAS I checked mine out, not sure but the mark was semi-circle and not just a bruise or similar so I removed the fruitlet & duly binned, in hindsight maybe I could’ve cut it open before binning it. I checked all other pears over & they seem clear

What was not clear was my gooseberry, more sawfly caterpillars on there and duly dispatched, plus the daily lily beetle patrol is still finding them

My fresh sowing of Little Gem lettuce has germinated, and some beans sown in pots are just poking up, with the weather I’ve not got around to planting on the tomatoes outside, need to get on PDQ. I did sow the beetroot in my nasturtium pots at the front, should be an interesting display at least

goldfinches

Lovely photos everyone and I'm very envious of @in_my_wellies about visiting Geoff Hamilton's garden. I still miss him and have never been able to like any of the subsequent presenters on Gardener's World. 
I took this photo at the beginning of the month as it shows what is known around here as "squirrel landscaping". The nearest possible source of the tulip bulb is a good half a mile away along the river path.

Farway

Early start this morning, just woken early by foxes fighting somewhere and never really got back to sleep so decide to turn it to my advantage by watering & feeding back garden pots once the sun gets round a bit more.  Need to keep it up now with apple, grape & plum in pots

I must get on and plant the toms out as well; they are getting a bit stretched now

The Merton Thornless blackberry flowers are opening, just as well because it’s looking like a good crop of apples are forming, as are some outdoor figs, I was starting to give up hope about figs for this year having had zero last year.

Slightly envious of my granddaughter now, just 18 and studying horticulture at Sparsholt College, her and some class mates are going down to Eden Project for a day or so, it’s years since I was there and very unlikely I’ll ever go again but she’ll see it with fresh eyes and hopefully be inspired, I know when she went to Wisely the other week she was amazed by the place

 

Two of my new Cape Primroses have flowered but every photo I take is lack lustre somehow, I’ll see if I can do better with the blackberry

I get squirrel landscaping here, normally oaks in the border or pots from nearby trees but I have had peanuts at times from neighbours bird tables

Murphybear

Woolsery said:

Rain was biblical here as soon as I returned from the Far East yesterdy p.m.......that's far east of Tiverton, of course. Failed in my mission but returned loaded with other items that may be useful in the coming months and more liquid gold, without which the mowers would soon be toast. I think I may have said before, our nearest supply of E5 petrol is 15miles away.

Blimey lily, you're way ahead of us, judging by the hostas and that rheum! One of our rheums has survived by the stream, but it's just a single leaf at present.

We lived in Tiverton for 9 years  .  Do you live in Woolfardisworthy?

Woolsery

Murphybear said:

Woolsery said:

Rain was biblical here as soon as I returned from the Far East yesterdy p.m.......that's far east of Tiverton, of course. Failed in my mission but returned loaded with other items that may be useful in the coming months and more liquid gold, without which the mowers would soon be toast. I think I may have said before, our nearest supply of E5 petrol is 15miles away.

Blimey lily, you're way ahead of us, judging by the hostas and that rheum! One of our rheums has survived by the stream, but it's just a single leaf at present.

We lived in Tiverton for 9 years  .  Do you live in Woolfardisworthy?

Err...which one? The Devon one, or the other Devon one?

Woken in the night/early morning by a clap of thunder and some pretty useful rain that has set the stream going again. Idiot cats always panic and rush outside in a storm, so they came in very bedraggled at around 5am, demanding food. I'm feeling quite bedraggled myself now.

Spent half of yesterday planting in gaps caused by winter losses and measured-up for planned major works in the front garden area, which will probably never happen because of economic woes, but I stay positive for DB. We have serious works in the back garden to deal with first, as our soon-to-be homeless child and husband intend to re-locate there soon and siting a mobile home will disrupt the usual growing of vegetables etc. Negotiations next week, followed by diggers, I expect.The neighbours may not like it much. They won't be able to see it, but obviously we'll be dragging the neighbourhood down. Did I say that last week a nearby resident suggested we change the colour of our front wall to white instead of cream? Apparently, it would look nicer, more modern and push up the value of our properties.

I think that guy has a pretty rude awakening coming to him if that's all he has to worry about!

Today's plant is almost as common as muck, but with a twist.

Finally, I'm sure I had a bit of squirrel planting in the top field because I saw what looked like a tulip too. I had company at the time so didn't mark the spot and now I cannot locate it, especially now the grass is shooting up....it's a bit like looking for a tulip in a hayfield!

Farway

Lovely photo Woolsery may be common as muck but still lifts the day to see them

Cheeky neighbour, not sure what my response would’ve been, I’d like to think it would be “You’re welcome to paint it any time you want”!

I managed to plant the tomatoes out at last, only three so no reasons for my delaying TBH, just one more to pot up in the conservatory & that’s the toms sorted for this year, ready & waiting the whitefly & blight now

No thunder that I’ve heard but there has been rain overnight, more dribble, wet the leaves type than proper stuff, it’s not even left any puddles. I knew I couldn’t rely on it hence my pot watering yesterday, the weather radar shows all my thunder and rain is lashing down in the Channel south of the Isle of Wight, no use to me, grrrr

Apart from the tom potting up I’m not expecting to do much in the garden today it being damp & cloudy

Here’s my Merton Thornless blackberry just starting to flower, I’ve trained it arch like and along the garden wall, but just enough inside my garden to prevent neighbours “tidying” it up by lopping bits off, they don’t do it maliciously but they honestly have not got a clue about gardening and kill more plants than they grow which keeps the garden centres busy at least

Ooops, some error somehow, post only appeared here this Monday morning. I tipped down overnight so all's well & watered

liberty_lily

Great pics as always,  everyone 😄 I love that aquilegia, Woolsery and yes, I think our large, old hosta might be Big Daddy 😊

Not a lot of gardening going on here as I was feeling under the weather over much of the weekend, although we did succeed in moving a 1m wide - and incredibly heavy - planter up several garden steps to a new location after one of our prized ilex crenata cloud trees died 😓 I thought it had succumbed after the extended dry spell earlier in the spring (or that our less than friendly neighbour had poisoned it!), but an investigation of the soil revealed it was more likely the opposite...as it was waterlogged.

Talking of which, after a dry weekend with loads of sunshine particularly on Saturday,  it's tipping down here today. I snuck out to take a few pics - I fear that many of the 50+ shrub roses with fat buds will get too wet to look their best, so wanted some pics 🙄

Here's the first to open, Roald Dahl...

Whilst the most established rheum is now looking quite spectacular...

wort

Little friend visiting today

twopenny

Thanks for the smiles.

I find it tough accessing this thread on my old kindle as it's data heavy with all the photos.

We've had some rain which is much needed.

Been watching the birds bathing in my bird bath. From nowt to full in 3yrs no wonder I'm all gardened out. Certain it will come back though.

The only news is that my autumn fruiting raspberries have got over 6ft high and covered in blossom and bees. So the tip I got on the forum to prune every 2yrs is working with a real wow!

They were all summer last year and more lush this so long may it last.

Just eating the last of the fruits frozen from last year and they are still in shape.

No idea what I'm doing to deserve this but YayHay!

Farway

We had more rain yesterday so all’s well, event the bird bath has been topped up

And at last I got round to potting on the last tom in the conservatory, I’ll need to start tying them in soon because they are a bit leggy and floppy right now due to all sorts of reasons, better compost for a start, after last year I was expecting them to die and now I have more than enough

The daff foliage is alsostarting to die down in the pots at the front, and once the weather is drier I’ll be able to trim them down & plant up the summer stuff, like Bishop’s Children dahlias I’ve grown from seed & are bursting to get growing, not too desperate right now because a dahlia overwintered outside is only just showing growth so I know timing is right

The few last minute beans sown in pots have germinated, except the dwarf French ones, old seed so not surprised, I’ll sow from a fresher packet and see how they go

Good news on the autumn raspberries 2P, something to look forward to. My rhubarb is a disappointment this year, growing but not thriving despite loads of muck added in 2020 with a decent crop last year. I wonder if the position is a bit suspect and got too waterlogged this winter. The whole bed could do with a sort out but my back & puff are just not up to it so no point wishing