Awful weather - typical Brits talk

YoungBlueEyes

Hurrah for surviving seeds!. The wee tomatoes I've sown aren't doing anything yet but the Lidl ones I bought are looking a bit happier for being in the sun

That magnolia is beautiful. I'd love a big magnolia out the front but it's all paved and our cars are on it. There's a stony strip down the fence between me and lovey neighbour and there are little somethings coming up in it. Muscari definitely and something else that's all long thin leaves so far, like daff leaves. I'll have to get a pic. Saves me planting that bit anyway  

My soil is that wet and heavy I don't know that my plants would notice a drought, but I've been collecting pop bottles anyway.

YoungBlueEyes

Just had a look back through the tv guide thing. That prog was called The Art Of The Garden, it was on Sky Arts on Tuesday at 7pm. I don’t know if there’s a catch-up for it cos I don’t have Sky, I have Freeview. It was Tom Stuart-Smith at Hepworth Wakefield Gallery Garden (says the blurb). 

YoungBlueEyes

Quite a nice morning here. Light cloud and the sun is breaking through a little bit. So mild too! 

Rat man is coming back today for a checkup, and to scoop out the bodies from under the decking (hopefully). I'm quietly confident that his stuff has worked, I haven't seen any more running round. But then there's been no food on the ground...

Lovely neighbour and Handsome and me went to a garden centre yesterday for a look round and some lunch. It was quite nice but bladdy dear! She was looking for a clematis or something to go up over her front door, but the cheapest one we saw was £45 It was a couple of feet tall and didn't look particularly happy actually - not that I'm the expert - and when I looked it up on my phone it was only a bog standard one. 

The cafe was nice though.

Farway

Weather differences again, dull, misty, damp and rain on the way for me , just as I had planned to remove the weeds wild flowers growing around the base of my potted plum

However, I did manage to pot up my six bluddy expensive cannas yesterday, I'll try very hard not to drop these

And sowed three more varieties of tomatoes, these are now in airing cupboard with the others. That's nine varieties of toms , about three of each, must be mad!

Hope rats get the all clear YBE, may have been costly but if it works no doubt worth it for peace of mind

My clematis came from a supermarket, bog-standard of course, one died after a few minutes in ground , but the other has romped away. Morries was good source, but no idea these days

Here's my one last year, label lost, of course. It has scrambled up into a pyracantha and gone sideways into an espalier pear

YoungBlueEyes

Ooh that's a pretty purple. I'll mention Morries to her, they're probably only cheap so she can afford to have a couple of go's   You're gonna be knee-deep in toms Farway, I hope you've got plenty of jars for storage. The cannas will happier now they're potted eh.

Rat man came this morning, well this time it was Rat Woman. Bladdy lovely she was, spent a wee while telling me how things were going. The beautiful aquamarine colour blocks Rat man put underneath on wires the other week have been properly eaten. You can tell rats from mice by how they eat apparently. Rats take big gobfulls whereas mice nibble delicately. The poison is basically a solid variety of blood thinner. You can tell it's working if you hear them running around a lot cos they're trying all the harder to keep warm cos of their thin blood. If you can't hear anything (I can't) then they've had their death throes and died and I missed it, or occasionally they'll eat and go elsewhere to die. We'll find out when the decking comes up. *shudder* She put fresh blocks on the wires and slung them under, back in 2 weeks. She wasn't sure I should place so much confidence in the fact that there were no quick-melting patches in the frost on the decking, if they're on their way out they might not produce enough heat to melt even the thinnest frosty patch. Never mind, as long as they all die it's money well spent. 

twopenny

Morries has opened their plant centre today. Looked at the dwarf Buxus which I've used for hedge and now want a pyramid. They were the same as the price for one already done at Tescos so that's what I've got in the hope it will grow quicker.

Eating kale and purple broccoli from the garden. So lovely to have fresh veg at last.

I've got lots of Clematis from the £2 lot. They've grown really well but would take too long to go round a door I reckon. It's worth looking at some of the garden centres Sale stuff. Certainly end of season they are all half price and really nice ones. But the full size ones now should be around £20 or so for a real good one.

So, we did get brightness today and mostly dry but just enough showers to keep the lawn and pavng soggy so no chance to get on with the painting woodwork. The potted primulas are mostly rotting where they sit from the damp. Still lots of colour in the garden now so that's ok.

Nice and warm though. I'm loving that.

That's good news on the ratty front Blue. Definitly have an urgent appointment when the decking comes up.

Farway, never too many tomatoes. Always good for giving away and getting brownie points

Or if you've the freezer space tomato soup, salsa etc. Lovely for winter.

Had a hospital day yesterday and tiring so I watched Monty Dons Around the World in 80 Gardens. Love how different they are.

I did find that the Art of the Garden was on Sky and it's a paid streaming service but everything is repeated ad infinitum these days so I'm thinking it will come round again

diystarter7

Hi
Is it me but its the most disgusting weather we have had in London for donkeys years during the last 3 weeks and set to continue
London often gets the best weather but not sure whats going on - its depressing

YoungBlueEyes

I mentioned Morries to lovely neighbour, she got her last one from there  

I might have to stop reading this board, cos now I'm thinking 'ooh where could I get a veg patch in..?'  

I don't have Sky, just freeview and it was on that. Maybe it's on yootoob? It'll appear somewhere at some point. 

The sun's trying to come out here, the clouds are thing enough so it might manage it. Mild again too, 10' say the drunkards. Might be about right, that. I hope your hospital day was ok

twopenny

Hi DIYer. I totally agree. Another gloomy day here, wet but mild. I think yesterday being bright maks today more annoying.
Too much time to think and now I want a completely different garden....hopefully once the good weather starts I'll have other things to think about.

Wonder if I can get another load of washing out. It's getting to be a bit necessary. I'm still really pleased with the drying space I've created. Thats working really well. Now it's just the rest of the garden 

Farway

Welcome DIYer, it's wet here if it's any consolation, I'm south Hampshire so probably on its way to you.

I was thinking about planting the Regale lilies today, I think I've found a spot, but rain has stopped play for now, however every cloud etc, the silver lining is I put out the Hot Lips cutting that is infested with something I can't see or get rid of, and I'm hoping dampness will sort them out if it's some sort of minute sap sucking mite

Thinking hard about sowing some easy annuals in half trays, just to get going, I need some for the volunteer garden, nothing hard, Californian Poppies do well there, hot & neglected. This year I have some red ones just for a change

Not gardening, but I do miss getting the washing out into fresh air, but with my mobility problems lugging washing down the garden could become a trip to A & E