Awful weather - typical Brits talk

liberty_lily

I'm out and about this morning so normal service resumed with regards to signal/connectivity albeit briefly 😉

Was tempted by a white jasmine for £7.99 in Aldi, but as we're not ready for it yet (need to build the extension first!) I resisted the temptation. 

We've been clearing an area behind the hot beds to do more planting and DH is building a dry stone wall with some of the excess stone we have dotted about the garden. We've decided to add a stumpery because there's loads of old trunks, stumps and ferns we can utilise too 😃

Lovely pic - and spider! - Woolsery!

Little quince...

Allium Mount Everests and bee...

Iris sibirica Not Quite White...

Farway

Lovely photos Woolsery & L-L, and nice alternative tulip

I was out watering the pots at the front this morning, dry as dust, now of course the sky is black with clouds rolling in, and bet it tips down

Only gardening yesterday was visit to G Centre for lunch with son & family, and for once I didn’t buy anything, expect some cheese from Farm Shop, I glanced at potted coleus, only because I’m growing some from seed and like to compare, £5.99 a pot, nice looking plants and I suppose if only one was required it’s sort of worth it, especially as it could provide a million cuttings over time

There’s a long border at the café next to GC, but was not yet in full flow, I did like the alliums though, another plant I fail to get growing despite trying over the years

Woolsery

Ah, now you are upsetting me, lily! The year we came here we enjoyed a good harrvest of Cydonia type quinces which wrere completely new to us and tasted wonderful (after cooking, of course.) That was our first and last experience. In the following years the leaves developed rusty spots which spread, effectively killing them off and the tree suffered. Then I discovered the source of the infection; a similar tree in the horse lady's garden across the way, which was succumbing to the same blight, only worse.

Eventually, after trying all the cultivation stuff on quince leaf blight in the RHS pages, I culled our tree and tried to persuade the horse lady to do the same, but to no avail. It's still there with the newer horse lady now in charge, and although I've explained it will never fruit she persists in keeping it and the disease going. I know other trees like Medlar and Hawthorn are also hosts it's doubtful removing the sickly tree across the lane would do any good anyway.

So, no Cydonia for us!

Not a great day's weather here day here yesterday with thunder and torrential rain at one point. So blooming cold this morning too! Tomatoes still firmly inside at night.

Woolsery

Last week I recorded the first apprearance of a summer visitor to the garden, but it took a few more days before I could capture one in a picture:As you can see, this Painted Lady isn't in great condition, but no wonder when it's come all the way from North Africa, travelling at about 500'. I suppose many must never make it here, but enough do and they usually turn up around now.

That's another good reason for growing Hesperis matronalis.....and those alliums!

Farway

No gardening yesterday because it was take car to garage and get it fixed day, ABS warning light BTW, collect it later today once part is fitted, so probably nil gardening today

Actually it’s very wet and soggy after all the rain, which hopefully has penetrated the ground at last. Rained overnight and here is one of the self-sown foxgloves in the early morning light

Woolsery

Lovely foxglove photo Farway. Some coming out in the garden here, but not in the hedges just yet.

A car with a BS warning light?  Now that would be something! Far too much of it about...

Having a second grass cutting day today. Building the deep bed and a few other things caused me to take my eye off the grass and it took full advantage. I suppose this means an early hay crop, but we still look like butterup central currently. I'll try to do some more photos....

liberty_lily

Nice foxglove pic, Farway 😀

The ones in our garden are opening now, although we don't seem to have many seeded from the Pam's Choice, Mertonensis or Sutton's Apricot....in fact none at all from Pam 😓

I'm still struggling with connectivity so not sure if I can get pics to load. Might have to wait till I'm out later.

It's been mostly sunny here, but with DH working the two Bank Holiday days and me feeling a bit dizzy the past few days, not much is getting done in the way of gardening. I did transplant a white aquilegia that appeared in the jungley area to the white-ish bed and took receipt of a boho parasol yesterday...oh and so much for resisting temptation - went back to Aldi where just two white jasmines remained...and bought them both 🙄

liberty_lily

Also, your painted lady, Woolsery...gorgeous 😊

Tried adding pics but failed miserably....

liberty_lily

Am out now, so trying again, lol!

Here's one of our foxgloves with (I think 🙄) Rhapsody in Blue rose and a glimpse of Hesperis Matronalis...

Right on cue my Royal Jubilee rose opened today...

Farway

Back to the garden, been chasing car repairs and “stuff” so garden has been low priority

Back to warmer weather means everything is now coming on nicely including my cherries which are just going form dark green to the next ripe stage so I’ve put chicken mesh over them in the hope I get to eat some this year

The Merton Thornless black berry blossom is nearly over and looks like a good set, plus two thick fresh shoots have sprung up for me to train in for next year. The Thorn Free blackberry blossom is still in bud stage despite being in a more sheltered position, not complaining it’ll be good to be spared a glut

My climbing beans are now starting to twirl up the canes and still snail free, fingers crossed

Jobs for today are water / feed the plum & apple in pots and weed a couple of troughs to get ready for the coleus I intend to plant in them at the front of house

Today’s pic is rose Deep Secret which never fails, looks nice & the scent is real rose one, not some subtle fragrance. No prizes for spotting photo bombing beetle!