Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

I agree that they can't leave Taunton alone.
Even the locals don't bother going there now. Car parks removed. Shops removed and the roundabout at b,n,q is so bad no one goes to any shops there.

Still cold and wet here and I'm trying on summer dresses for a wedding tomorrow! But it has gone up to 9c 

Cherry and apple blossom poking their heads out. Hope the promised sun comes out tomorrow.

YoungBlueEyes

Well the drunkards got it right, if a few hours out. We had lashing wind and rains, and some thunder and lightning! Me and the houseplants thoroughly enjoyed it

Very still and soggy here so far. The sun is trying and they say it'll get through this aft. Hopefully it'll come through for you 2p and you all have a lovely day  

Dustyevsky

Lovely morning here; so lovely, my son-in-law has gone on a 12km walk to start his day.

Me, I'm off to the village market in search of proper marmalade at sensible prices. The jars on the WI stall in town were £3.90! Little to report garden-wise, and not a lot of time today, as I'm going to Big town to have my eyes tested. No doubt, the next thing to be tested will be my wallet.   There's just a chance I might also make it to that B&M place you all speak of, but I see a 'list' on the table, which means that there probably won't be time.

Rather low sun when I shot these cowslips a few days ago, so not the best. Good excuse not to cut that bit for a while!

Farway

Sun is struggling here, can't make up it's mind, but my PC says "mostly sunny" which is really hedging the bets. Hope it keeps fine for you 2P

YBE, yep I was also tempted by the fruit tree offer but at last common sense prevailed

One of my horizontal hyacinth stem broke in the winds yesterday, it's hanging on, just . However now I know I may repeat next year but make sure they have support. I've never grown them outside before. Once these finish, I'll probably plant them on into the garden somewhere

The large crab apple tree over the back, not my garden, has blossom opening, I can rely on that to pollinate mine which are at "pink bud" stage now, which once upon a time was the cue for me to get spraying but these days I leave them [bugs] to it, works most years

The tomatoes I potted on the other week are now getting going and looking healthy in my cold conservatory, soon have to sort out what to do with them all

YoungBlueEyes

Ooh those cowslips are a happy colour Dusty  

Himself is on MiL duty (well she’s his mother) so I’ve the afternoon to meself. I’m gonna tackle my tom forest when I finish this sandwich cos they need more now. They’re producing wee jaggedy leaves so that’s a good sign I think? I’m gently scouting round looking for homes for them, there’s a charity shop in town that sells plants so that might be where some of them end up. I’ll know better next year! 

Bit worried I don’t have enough trees now… how close does the next one have to be for pollinating Farway? I think next door but one but one has an apple tree but I couldn’t tell you where the next pear tree is….. 🤨

Farway

YoungBlueEyes said:

Bit worried I don’t have enough trees now… how close does the next one have to be for pollinating Farway? I think next door but one but one has an apple tree but I couldn’t tell you where the next pear tree is….. 🤨

According to RHS, 50 feet or so, but could be a couple of miles as the bee flies.

Of course could even be self fertile, but you just know they won't be , my new pear isn't which is why I parked it near the neighbour's Concorde

Do you know the varieties Blue? There's a list on the RHS link telling you about pollination groups, but I think we could worry too much but knowing variety is best then ready prepared, or avoided

RAS

Accidental research showed that highly coloured honey was created when bees harvested the sugar from candy shells left outside.

It affected honey made within a 4km, 2.5 mile radius. 

However, I struggled to get apple blossom pollinated despite being within 100 metres of an allotment site with multiple apple trees. They don't seem to like the two rows of house in between.

YoungBlueEyes

I don't know the varieties. They're the 2 for £12 jobs from Tesco. Well they're planted now so I'll wait and see. The apple has wee clusters of buds at the ends of a couple of branches, the pear - zilch.

That colourful honey story made ma smile RAS. So if there's too many dropped M+M's on the public path behind my garden I might never get a fruit off me trees!  

I got my toms done yesterday, jeez there's a lot of them. I almost ran out of soil and did run out of pots so they're not as spaced out as I'd have liked. Least it's done.

Farway

Dull, cold & grey, not ideal for any bees trying to pollinate my pears

Interesting about coloured honey and distances RAS, I think I read about onion flowers in same vein, one flowering leek / onion gives a lot of onion flavoured honey for miles around

YBE, those trees from Tesco, even if they were labelled chances are high they'd be wrong anyway, at the moment ignorance is bliss, and the anticipation of a mystery apple this year as well, sometimes it all works out, my wrong label apple has performed valiantly for decades and provided zillions of crumbles and I still don't know the variety except it's a good doer in my garden

Big surprise for me yesterday, found Lazarus blackberry has sent up a shoot from the morgue.

In January, I bought a Black Satin blackberry from the Home Bargains emporium, £1.99, it was half alive when I bought it but promptly became a dead twig once home and potted up, like it's 2022 predecessor, it looked deceased

However, trumpet fanfare, ta ra, here it is with a new shoot from its wrinkly roots. Brown dead sticks also visible

Moral, never give up, or in my case forget about it and hope for the best

Nest year I hope to be sampling the fruits

YoungBlueEyes

Parp prp prp prp parp prp prp paaarrrp! That shoot looks good and healthy to me Farway. Also Black Satin blackberry sounds delicious ☺️

I’m deffo in the ignorantly blissful (or is that blissfully ignorant?) camp when it comes to details of a plant, as long as it’s happy, and pretty or fragrant or both. Some apples and pears of any variety would be very welcome though 😊 Watch them be neither now I’ve said that. 

Here’s a pic of said ‘apple’ (with a peaking dandelion and a sunbathing ladybird. The drunkards reckon it’s grey dull and cloudy here. Bar’s reopened evidently!