Awful weather - typical Brits talk

RAS

There was recent mention of Acers? They seem to be a thing ATM.

I was volunteering in another town which led me past Asda. 

£4 Small Acers, purpureum, a gold/bronze one, (Orange Dream?) and palmatum "Butterfly."

A bit more choice in rather larger ones at £10 but to be honest the better £4 ones were only a tad smaller than the larger ones, which were also available in small numbers at Lidl last week.

Asda also had some soft fruit, vines £4 or £6 including Lakemont and Phoenix. Same price for a single raspberry cane! And various other climbing plants.

Aldi have wisteria at £17ish, some about to flower. Just I don't have a huge cherry tree into which to grow it, like the one I passed on the way home.

twopenny

That's a very good price for Wisteria Ras! But variety? My half price bargain because they didn't know what sort is ok but there are more attractive for my tiny garden. This one needs an abour! Currently I've been sitting under it and a musk rose reading a book with a little light refreshment or two

Farway you make me chuckle and you seem in a good mood. Another week of this sun, while appreciated is not going to help my poor garden. Hot, small and enclosed it's going to suffer - again.

Just sitting here watching a blackbird exploring for ants, grubs whatever just a few feet away. It's been singing too.

Sprayed the cherry with water as the black bugs are winning. Got most off but they'll be back tomorrow. Havent dared look at the greenfly on the plum

So tomorrow it's pricking out, sowing seed and tending as in a tourist area Bank Holiday and half term means hunkering down and staying home.

I think I've got some pics to post too but been too busy today.

YoungBlueEyes

Aww a singing blackie 2p. One of the best sounds in the world I hope your green/black bugs don't run mad. I've greenfly on my tiny wee rosebuds. I'm just squidging them off with my fingers but they do return. Ladybirds required, please apply within!

Screaming heathen scum neighbours have a beautiful wisteria tumbling over my fence a bit. I'm hoping to get a cutting when/if they move. (They broke up again last night - said the most vicious things to each other before she went roaring off in his car at 4am, so whether they move now or not is up for debate ) Anyway. It's a lovely pale purpley colour but no fragrance. Did anybody go for an acer? I did see them in my Lidl and some in Tesco (I think?) but I didn't succumb. 

Have you got your back back Farway? Those are beautiful poppies, very lively eh.

I'd forgotten it was another bank hol, or I'd have taken mum and dad flowers yesterday. Not sure I wanna be out in that traffic and heat.... Warm here yesterday and same again for today. If the sun wasn't so strong you could be longer out in it, but gardening/weeding/mooching is very pleasant at 6am Then a mid-aft snore-doeuvre. I better get a job before I turn into an auld woman entirely ha haa!

Farway

Another sunny day ahead, and I have my back back so very likely to water the front pots, normally a weekend job, so I don't forget, but off to a family gathering tomorrow so watering ahead of schedule

Oh the joy 2P, likewise it's tourist spot here for BH, but the family gathering requires me to be on the M27 with about twenty million caravans heading Westward and overhead average speed cameras

Aphids & blackflies, can I be a tad smug here? Last week I noticed the red campion at the base of the plum was infested with black flies, noted to get the spray out. However, this week all clear, presumably thanks to blue tits spotted feeding a fledging last week. Spray not required, long may it continue

Good luck with scum neighbours & wisteria cutting 2P, hope it succeeds

More smugness, my new neighbours have really sorted out the garden, laid turf [and watered it], semicircle border with small non-flowering plants stuck in a la Chelsea Bun with white gravel paths. Not my taste but sort of 1950s magazine cover style, a neat & tidy wildlife desert and not one flower to spoil it

I also have to water my Cape Primrose cuttings today, growth now well under way & some flowers any day now. Plus, I have four orphan tomatoes looking for homes, they are small sweet ones from the West Country, that seed was super virile and all seem to have germinated, hence the extras.

pink_poppy

Acers outside Home Bargains at the weekend too - they actually looked in good condition - two different sizes and a good price.

Those rainbow spiders are amazing 🌈  I wouldn’t want to come across one in the bath or anywhere else though.

Mmm, Chelsea buns (of the bakery variety)... 😋

YBE, can you not snaffle a wisteria cutting now?? 🤔

My Solomon’s Seal flowers are long gone, Dusty. That was a lovely pic of them.

I have a weird, jellyfish looking alien thing growing in one of my pepper pots - anyone know what it is??



My lawn is a mass of daisies and buttercups at the moment - just a little snapshot...



OT - it’s a lovely warm day here with warmer weather to come next week. Will it be half term in England?? If so, we’ll also have twenty million caravans heading up North, Farway... 🙄

eastcorkram

Complete novice question! We've had no rain for about 10 days. Doesn't seem to be much chance of any in the next 10 days either. 

Should I water potatoes? I've some that went in April 2nd, and others a month later. 

ArbitraryRandom

Someone who has actually grown potatoes will tell you better, but this suggests yes? 

Potatoes grow best when they have a steady supply of 2-3 inches of water per week without fully drying out.

Potato plants should be watered deeply, especially if it gets very hot and dry. The soil should be moist 8 to 10 inches underground.

Make sure not to overwater the potatoes for 2 weeks after planting. Watering every 4 to 5 days is usually enough during the first weeks after planting.

https://www.growerexperts.com/how-often-to-water-potatoes/#:~:text=Potatoes%20grow%20best%20when%20they,8%20to%2010%20inches%20underground.

YoungBlueEyes

Aye get your tatties watered eastcorkram. Think which country spends all day growing and eating tatties, and think how much rain they get… 

I envy you your daisies and buttercups pp, I’d be that happy if they were in my grass Is your jellyfish not a wee mushroom maybe…? 

I’ll see about a wisteria cutting when he next goes out. Be good if he carefully dug it up and gave me the whole thing as an apology for being such an ersehole all this time! 

Good luck with the traffic tomorrow Farway. I’m not in a touristy area but the traffic was mental when I went food shopping earlier   

Oh and Aldi have wisterias for £17, if anyone is after one  

YoungBlueEyes

If you’ve buckets I’d fill those with water and leave them in the sun before watering your tatties with it @eastcorkram. I’ve not grown them myself but I’d think they’d like that better. It’s what I do for watering my garden in general. 

Farway

That's the front pots fed & watered

Nice pic of the flower grass PP, I had a fair collection BUT my kindly neighbour mowed it this morning . I heard the mower and looked out. A bit of a quandary really, I am unable to mow it any more, and he did it for me. I can hardly say 'ang on a bit my man I'll tell you when I want it mown. So, looking on the bright side, one less problem even if the dandelions & buttercups are no more

I second your "jelly fish" is a toadstool, harmless enough, and I bet if you had a macro setting on camera it would make a good close up photo with those markings

Yep, half-term here, and great news, the cricket T20 starts at the Hampshire Bowl today, what fun, that shares the same motorway junction I want.  In the past, the queues have been a nightmare, hours instead of minutes