Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Davesnave

Apodemus said:

Davesnave said:

Just wanted to give a "thumbs up" for the ancient laid hedge in the background.  Its something we almost never see in Scotland as we never really had the hedge-laying tradition.  It means that our older hawthorn hedges lose their stock-proof abilities and over time tend to descend into isolated, linear clumps.  

Ah, that's all elm. If we let them grow, they'd succumb to the beetle at around 20'. Previous owners did some and our daughter continued when we first came here. She had no experience and neither did I. My hedge laying has been mostly on the hazels and oaks in other hedgerows here. I do the odd bit of hawthorn, but draw the line at blackthorn, although I've left a few of those as trees.
Filling-in the gaps in the elm is very difficult and takes years, as the bank goes so dry in summer and it's full of vole holes. Also, being on a slope, some laid bits went the wrong way - downhill instead of uphill - and that's fatal in the long term. Fortunately that isn't a stock hedge; it's our back garden on the other side.

Farway

Lovely pic of the sundew DD, very envious, I've wanted to grow them since I was in short trousers, many school holidays spent scouring marshy ground, along the canal etc for them, never found any of course, now I just look at the ones grown by folk who can grow them, mainly RHS Wisley green house pitcher plants

Just dull weather here, one task I must do is lop tall bits off an apple and pear, waiting for full dormancy, sunshine & some get up & go in me

I'm trying to restrict the height to about shoulder level, and sort of espalier them, gradually getting there over a couple of years

Nothing of note on my walk today, there's a wood but looks a bit dodgy for walking in with my propensity to topple over once unbalanced

Black_Cat2

Not much to report here today.  Spent some time sweeping up leaves.  OH actually gave me a hand... he must want something me thinks lol.  Nice and dry, which is a bonus 🐈

in_my_wellies

Davesnave 

You are welcome to as much woodchip here as you like, but I'm in Mid Devon and I'm not sure where you are.....  

I've bought hens in Devon for £8, here they are £25 and up and hard to find even before Covid-19. I've never made a profit but I did just about break even for a couple of years but not this year - downhill since July when all 5 stopped laying and became happy, healthy old ladies. 

Thanks for the offer of woodchip. My house is in Mid Devon but just now my home is in the East Midlands where I rent the house I bought nearly 40 years ago and sold 15 years ago. I've still lots to do here but can't wait to get back to Devon. 
DD - That looks amazingly healthy. We had 4 similar bug eating plants years ago, all different, one each,lasted about 2 years. The instructions said 'Must give much water'. To this day my children refer to these plants as 'much water' plants whenever we see them. It goes without saying we didn't give them much water and they died 

DD265

Black_Cat2 said:

That's amazing DD!  Ty for sharing 🤗.  Looks like you've done a good job.  Me being totally green on this must ask... do you have to find food to feed the traps if there isn't enough 'natural' food coming in? 

It turns out you don't really. They can usually get sufficient nutrients from the soil, and it was noticeable when I repotted it recently that it had a bit of a growth spurt afterwards. Each trap has a limited number of closures before it dies, and triggering traps too often can lead to killing the entire plant, so the recommendation is to (if you do) feed one trap at a time and not very often. Every 6-8 weeks I might give it a dried meal worm, but there are other things you can get. You also have to be careful watering as, when healthy, the action of watering from above can set the traps off, so I sit the pot in a bit of water instead.

Luckily as a bog plant the fly trap likes moist soil, as I have a tendancy to either over-water house plants (the peace lillies and whatever else I brought back from the office during first lockdown didn't fare too well, though in my defense, they were already struggling) or under water, in the case of several cacti. Probably as I think they barely need any attention. It doesn't stop me wanting a bonsai though...

Thanks for the compliments on the fly trap, I'm rather fond of 'Fred'! 

Black_Cat2

Thanks DD, very imformative on 'Fred' 😊.  It must be a fascinating plant to watch, albeit a bit gory lol.  I too have a tendancy to over water house plants, just ask my long suffering spider plants! 

ancientofdays

Davesnave said:

in_my_wellies said:

I use woodchips for the hen run.

Yes, they're fine for that and OK when composted, but composting them takes a long time.

Yes, I use them in compost but only very old wood which does seemto go down fast, much faster than shrub prunings.

Farway

Dull & dingy day out so far, promise of sun "maybe".

My houseplants have herd immunity now, they plod along dry as dust at times, including the long suffering African Violet in the bathroom

That particular plant has had very hard life

I found it dry as dust as an abandoned orphan near the bins of a pub a couple of years ago

Brought it home, gave it a drink & re-potted it.

Since then it has been scorched by the sun, dried out, had white fly but has given birth to some healthy offspring via leaf cuttings

Those youngsters are following the parental path and are also somewhat neglected on the kitchen window sill, I blame Covid for this part due to lack of potting compost

ancientofdays

Very clever Faraday,  I  have seen off many African Violets now.

Davesnave

Did rather too much physical yesterday, moving building materials etc so had a quieter day today.

Planted some more Rosa rugosa opposite the thatched cottage and prayed that they might be red this time, as all the existing ones are white. I then got into the bottom hedge and did 25m of pruning with the loppers, tidying-up where the tractor cutter had made a mess of the stems. At one point I was attacked by a wasp, which was understandable as they often nest in that area. It landed on my head, so I bashed it off, but it came back several times. Then I got the idea it had gone down the back of my jumper, so that came off, but there was no sign of it Finally, I heard buzzing coming from the far side of the hedge, so either it had gone home or there was more than one. It's late for wasps.

Finished the day by sharpening-up the chain saw. I bought a new chain, but I'm not sure if the auto oiler was blocked or it was a duff chain, because it started smoking and didn't cut well. Too dark to try again, but the oiler's cleaned out and working, so if it's duff after sharpening, it's going back.