Awful weather - typical Brits talk

RAS

pink_poppy said:

I’ve just been outside to measure the rhubarb ‘plot’ and it’s 80cm square, with the biggest leaf (not including the stem) being 40cm.

OK, it's plainly a rather early variety as it has started to flower.

You need to remove those flower stems, to the ground, then feed. Good old FBB or a little growmore depending on your preference, and if possible mulch one it stops growing.

Farway

Rain just starting to "spit", Spring sunshine didn't last long did it ?

Sowed more runners yesterday, hope something comes of this sowing, if not then I have an old packet of climbing French I can open up

My plum blossom is over and now looking very raggedy, with no sign of small plums yet. Given the cold & wet weather lately, I'm guessing it's another poor year for plums due to lack of insects at the right time

Potted up more of the "cloth of gold", down to my last zillion now

While the sun was out yesterday I had a potter, and found a few insects around on the apple blossom, it's not all open yet but there does seem to be loads around this year

My Sunburst cherry blossom is opening up, again not all yet open, but here's some that was

Dustyevsky

No gardening yesterday and none planned today, except the potting-on I can do while within range of OH's messaging system.

Operation went well, but her release was delayed, so we were late home and slept brilliantly....until neighbour's fencing contractor began knocking posts in with his tractor, not long after dawn!

I think we may have fireblight in our previously healthy Viburnum tinus hedge. Smaller plants succumbed first, but now the stronger ones are being affected. Being all home grown, at least the 20 or so plants cost nothing. I'll put up a picture when I can.

pink_poppy

Thank you, RAS and Farway for the rhubarb advice. I’ve been out this morning and cut the flowers off - all 10 of them!! It needs a bit of a weed before I do anything else, but I’m still wondering about relocating it... 🤔 RAS, I’m guessing the FBB is fish, blood & bone??
It’s another beautiful sunny day here - shame the midges (and the tourists) have arrived en-masse!! 😂

pink_poppy

We were out for a walk last night and came across these in a small wooded area...

Very pretty - there were three separate patches and it looked like someone had laid a blanket on the ground (as a well known country singer once sang) 😉

YoungBlueEyes

Spring sunshine gone from here too. Band of rain crawling it’s way up, and is about to arrive/has arrived/will arrive imminently depending which app I look at. Grey clouds and wind at present but dry so…

RatWoman came this morning, still have one particularly hardy varmint left. She said there was a good chance the nibblings were all from fresh rats come on off the fields cos there’s nowt out there to eat. So when we take the decking up it’ll be knee deep in rotting/rotted corpses. So that’s something to look forward to eh. 

Gawd Farway, what are ya gonna do if all the beans come up?! Forest mk 2! Hopefully the blossoms were open long enough for the bees to find them 🤞🏻

Good news about Mrs Dusty Messaging system - you mean how far her voice carries when she shouts out the back door?  

My tom forest is back in the spare room. Even covering them with fleece it was too cold out there for them. Oh I do hope they all survive the move 🙄

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

Good news about Mrs Dusty Messaging system - you mean how far her voice carries when she shouts out the back door?

Err...Mrs Dusty never rarely shouts.   We do have some technology here y'know! For a start, there's a bell, but that is quite high-pitched for an oldster like me. There's also an old Acme Thunderer whistle, guaranteed to drive all the local dogs barmy. And if all else fails, here's texting, though the barn and all points beyond are too far down the hill. Shame!

Still sunny-ish here, though heavy rain forecast around 4pm. 

Dustyevsky

I escaped went for a walk before the rain arrived and noted most of the plum blossom has gone with the wind. Do I give a damn? Well, my dears, it depends on whether it's self-fertile, because the damson which used to be its near neighbour is no more.

Out in the orchard, I was amazed to see how much pear blossom there is. We don't usually see many pears, but both trees are covered in blooms.

Rain didn't last. Sun's out again.

twopenny

Not done anything......very cold and dank again. Also my lovely gardening neighbour who's garden I photoed for here (the front was pea shingle and plants) passed away unexpectedly today. I'm going to miss the sound of her ladder going up for pruning this spring. And chatting about our respective plots, what's going on and what's not.

I thought I would plant a tree in her honor as she was always concerned that our mini estate didn't have enough trees for the birds.

It's all plans at the mo, my wallflower mania I thought could extend up a gravel area where the electric concrete bit is

I was thinking at the back to make my yin yang lawn so I had more soil for plants.

Not feeling much like it as it's a sad time at the mo

YoungBlueEyes

Oh 2p I'm sorry for your loss Do they know what happened yet?