Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

Loved the post box Blue Eyes. Those were the days when the PO could rely on people to sort their letters, though what 'local' meant could be open to interpretation. Here, you aren't a true local if you're from the town 2 miles away! I'm from the one 11 miles up the road, so almost an incomer!

Any bets on the 'fluff tree.' Processionary moth? I've seen it in Somerset hedges, but not trees.

YoungBlueEyes

Postbox is beautiful eh, made my heart smile   The fluff tree was quite attractive in the sunshine. I originally thought it was covered in cobwebs or summat but it seems to have produced all that itself. Odd looking thing it was. Size maybe 8 or 9 ft tall, if that helps.

pink_poppy

Love the photos, especially the 'manhole covers'. I think I was in Malton to watch the Tour De Yorkshire going through a few years ago. I didn't know Malton had a Shambles, or a ginormous recipe for Yorkshire Puddings

Another one who now wants a Laura Crab Apple, although the ones mentioned by RAS sound really nice as well.

Hope you get your polytunnel cover on today, Dusty. Love the moody looking photo, btw. No idea what the mystery seeds could be - keep us posted.

I'm still mulling over the ant problem... We seem to have sandy soil and it can be quite dry, which is odd considering we live in a very wet climate (Scotland). YBE, did you ever get a soil testing kit??

My cress isn't looking very appetising, so I'm not sure what's happened there. My peppers are still alive - I keep giving them a drop of water because they're on a South facing window sill. I'll post pics at some point.

It's a bit grey again today, but I'm off out anyway.

Farway

Sunny with a stiff breeze, but the planned spot of volunteer gardening is postponed, the only fit & bendy member of the group has to work today after a phone call. Sometime during the week, maybe

I had also thought the fluff tree were caterpillars shrouds [is that the right word?], hard to tell from a distance. Could it be a goat willow? Ones near me has loads of annoying "cotton wool" coming off them from the catkins or wherever it grows from

Our post boxes must be more modern, sorted into first & second class slots. But I bet these days it all goes into the same post bag, a bit like the glass collection, it all finished up in the same jumbo broken glass lorry regardless of how the punters had sorted the coloureds from the clear

Gardening today is mixed, water & feed the pots at the back, apple, plum, fig & grape so need to keep on top of them

The other is watch GW & Beechgrove on iplayer, plus Chelsea later now the DGD is up there it has more relevance this year

My cherry & plum do have fruit swelling, not a lot due to rotten weather at blossom time, but some at least. My grapes seem to be a fruit free zone, again , so far no signs of flowers but a tad early I keep telling myself

Lovely rose 2P, good value there, and even more satisfying as a rescue plant

Here's my first rose out, it's a rambler, unknown variety, a "just in case" cutting taken from DD's house before the donor was moved, must be an old variety because the original house owner planted it, probably a 6d special from Woollies in the 1950s. It is reliable and nearly thorn free

YoungBlueEyes

Poppy yep it has a Shambles, same style/age as York one but nothing like the size. If anyone’s after good shoes there’s a fella there with a wee shop that repairs and sells reconditioned Loakes. Himself was in heaven, got 2 pairs for £130! I didn’t get a soil testing kit. I decided to stick with Shawshank Rules now that my hydrangea is reviving itself. I’m only starting with the gardening thing, I don’t need an extra layer of complexity on top it ha haa! 

The postbox, and whole post office building come to that, weren’t in use sadly. As for “local letters” - where I grew up if the postman knew of your surname he’d find you. If he didn’t recognise it he’d ring my granny and she’d tell you that person’s whole life story, and then where they lived. And why  

Gorgeous roses there Farway. My ones aren’t doing much just now but they’ll get there. Or die trying. Shawshank

twopenny

Love the drain covers. What an inspired idea. Wish there were more planners like that.

My area seems to be going for uglification. Anything that is charming and lovely is dug up and replaced by something practical or trendy.

Having 7 drain covers in my garden one in the middle of the path I was tempted to paint as a compass - just not sure when I'll have the time.

Love that rose Farway. It looks a lot like Felicia which I have in every garden.

Poppy, look at the gardens around you to see what is growing. Hydrangas, Rhodendrons, is peaty - test your soil by making a small mud pie, take a small handful and squeeze. If it sticks solid that's clay, if it doesn't stick and falls apart that's sandy. If it just sticks but easily squidged that's just right

Dusty, the Erithroniums or however it's spelled are over. Great display this year and early on.

May pop over later on as it's dead to the world in my little cul de sac but too packed on a sunny day if you move to the pretty places.

Open gardens today but I've resisted. Seen them all and too much to do here. It dawned on me that mine was in need of attention while I was admiring others!

Blue, dandelion digger? Sounds wonderful! Do you know I even got a gardeners tool belt? Never use it but think I should rather than leaving stuff laying about. Perhaps when I get to the Badger run.

I've finally got blooms from my climbing Hydranga (£2)

The poor rose is curling up with the heat but the fragrance is wonderful. My half price Wisteria is blooming too. I was going to dig it up and make a tree but it went from eternal rain to dry too late. Maybe autumn? Maybe it will grow over the abour that this area was supposed to be.

Did a bit of repotting, weeding and planting out yesterday. Took all day but you'd never know it to look. Some potting up today. Maybe some pressure washing of slabs. Clean the path and water the plants at the same time

But I need a hose extension. Fatal to go into town - get distracted.

ArbitraryRandom

Today is a spider day it seems (don't worry, no pictures). I've seen at least 6 big ones when I was putting the washing out this morning. 

One bright almost neon green and round, with a body about the size of my little fingernail, the rest maybe are ones I've always known as wolf spiders but I don't know if that's right. Brown and about thumb nail size, quick as anything. 

Then the usual really tiny ones here and there, plus a single red (spider mite/clover mite?). 

twopenny

Did you know there are vegetarian spiders and pretty ones that send rainbows out of their backsides?
I used to be scared of spiders until I started looking them up and found really pretty ones in the garden.
Best to shake the washing when you bring it in  

Dustyevsky

pink_poppy said:

Hope you get your polytunnel cover on today, Dusty.

Yes, just about managed it, thanks. Sadly, our extra assistants went home to the Midlands at 15.00, so there were just the 4 of us by the time we braved the covering job at around 17.00. The worst part is complete, but we still have to trim and tension. Photos to follow; I'm cream-crackered tonight! 

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Dusty, the Erithroniums or however it's spelled are over. Great display this year and early on.

Oh dear!  A quick check shows we last visited a few years ago, right at the end of April.

There's always next year. That's the best thing about gardening!