Awful weather - typical Brits talk

-taff

pink_poppy said:

Just had a wander in the garden (as you do) and I spotted this lovely white aquilegia (beautifully framed with more carp from the garden). I’m guessing it’s self seeded there, as it’s not somewhere you would plant anything...

No no no, not carp...wildlife hotel...

ArbitraryRandom

I adore aquilegia (or maiden's bonnet as I grew up knowing it as). It's on my list of things to go in the front once at seed sewing time  

Those and snakes heads just always make me smile. 

Dustyevsky

Aquilegias are good for those with the willpower to immediately pull up any that are muddy-looking, the instant they flower. There are some good mixes on the market. Plant World Seeds would probably be a good source, but there's plenty more. We have a white clematiflora double that seeds fairly true, plus numerous other triples and quadruples seeding around. The most difficult ones are those with variegated foliage.

Another 'scorchio' forecast for today. We are to have our hay cut; just one of the activities that don't go on here, according to the council lady! This is 6 weeks or so ahead of the normal time, but nothing's normal nowadays.

Yesterday, Mrs Dusty and I ventured into that strange and pretty land inhabited by 2p and Black Cat in search of creatures the government aren't too keen on, namely chickens. We'd had a couple of rare ones on order for around a year, and at last, they were ready. I'd hoped to take a few photos, but the owner, quite rightly, didn't allow wandering, as in times past. Their business is on a knife-edge now. Others have folded. Like many who live on the land, as opposed to being 'stakeholders' they feel under threat. We had a long chat about the measures brought in last winter, those possibly planned, and the rising costs, finding much common ground.

So no rare chicken photos today, :'( but perhaps a Japanese water iris which opened yesterday will do instead....

Farway

pink_poppy said:

Thanks for the mound suggestions - shovel, garden fork and rake are all on my list.

Dusty, I had to google riddling - it’s pretty much what I thought it was though. I’m not sure that’s what the mound is the result of - nearly every square inch of the garden has stones and/or rocks - it’s a nightmare and I regularly curse the previous owners...

Farway, do all tomato flowers look the same?? I have at least 5 on Tom 🍅 and they look the same as your pic.

Twopenny, I love that rose - I remember you mentioned it a while ago and I promptly forgot about it - definitely one to look out for at the garden centre now that I’ve made a note...

The weather here has been scorchio all week 🥵 and same again forecast for next week...

Mainly they do, but some of the large toms, beef steak style and have sort of double flower, I have one right now but in an awkward position for me to get a photo

Love the Granny Bonnet pic, as usual plant growing where it is happy, lucky to get white one pop up, usually just get purple in the end, still pretty though

Big watering effort yesterday, same forecast as PP, scorchio for the week ahead so bit the bullet & dragged hose down the garden to drench the root area of my Merton Thornless blackberry, now the bees have done their work & berries are starting to form I don't want a repeat of last year with just wizened dried pips and hoping lots of water will prevent this

My fruit is mixed results this year, due to cold wet spring at flower time I think. Cherries & plums, just about zero have set so just a taste from them if lucky

Apples, mixed, depends on variety, could be a good year for Champion & Golden delicious, Elstar is looking iffy

Pears, maybe half a dozen if lucky, next doors' Concorde is dripping with them, grrrrr, scrumping boots are on

Still no sign of grape flowers , I keep telling myself it's a late year but sounding more & more unconvincing now

Figs, seems OK, about a dozen counted, so maybe I'm in luck, especially if this weather continues

Here's my blackberry "crumble in waiting"

ArbitraryRandom

This is my surprise rose bush (one of the two that was lost amid a tangle of brambles). For something that's been neglected for years it's doing well for itself! 

I'll need to figure out how best to prune it later in the year, and there's still a bramble running through the middle of it that will need to be dug out (plus the bind weed that's still everywhere), but absolutely stinks to high heaven with a really heavy scent so I expect all the bees will be at it today  

LurkingAgain

Advice please, oh wise one with many lives.

 I've creo-coated the coop today (thanks for reminding me)

I would like to ask, is it normal to see the red mites, still walking about coated in the stuff?
Or do I need to do another coat?

Many thanks

Dustyevsky

LurkingAgain said:

 I've creo-coated the coop today (thanks for reminding me)

I would like to ask, is it normal to see the red mites, still walking about coated in the stuff?
Or do I need to do another coat?

I would say not for long, but given the stuff isn't as potent as the old creosote (which I'd not use internally with hens in-situ!) I'd give it time to work.

I've only had the little blighters once, and as I recall, a liberal dosing with Creocote did the trick. Remember, there may be many in the roofing felt, if you have it. Impossible to get at, but least they can't abseil!

A more commercially-minded friend puts Stockholm tar on the ends of the perches and that works for him in brick sheds

EDIT: I might add that Mrs Dusty usually adds an extra layer of protection every few months when she does a deep clean using Poultry Shield, Everything comes out of the shed and that's blasted around the walls, floor, and ceiling using a pressure sprayer.

YoungBlueEyes

-taff said:

Are the lighter ones a bush variety? They look a bit yellow, maybe an epsom salt feed?

I don't know if they're a bush variety taff, I think they're yellow cos want watered... I've been a bit neglectful tbh. I've got tom grow bags for their final move, I'll get that done tomorrow and water them all then. Hopefully they'll be alright...

Farway your Limoncito reminded me I've some Limoncello in the cupboard - V good poured over ice-cream  

All the weather apps said it was to be scorchio yesterday, and they were all wrong. Cool, cloudy, breezy. The drunkards' Being Wrong Disease is evidently catching Me and lovely neighbour and handsome were out going round the Open Gardens Day. Jeez there's some properly beautiful gardens round here! Lots were either selling or giving away plants so I've more to go in now. I forgotten what they all are (naturally). They did make me look at my garden like "yeah I did this all wrong, I wanna rip it up and start again"

Himself has the week off work to get the decking up and get that area sorted. It wasn't full of varmints bodies or nests, prolly cos they couldn't move for the rubble/bricks/breeze blocks/cans/sweet+crisp wrappers/weed/mouldiness in general. It's a wonder nobody went through it, honestly. And it's a crying shame it wasn't maintained because the wood itself is/was beautiful 3 inch thick planks. Dreadful waste   

OT - same as yesterday I reckon.

Farway

Another boringly sunny day, still a stiff breeze which at least keeps it cooler

Managed a minor bit of weeding yesterday, just troughs at the front, not sure what to plant in them but at least there is space now. I'll sprinkle BF & B later before I plant up

I'm leaving the daffs another couple of days, dying back nicely now, but I want the BF & B plus the watering to really get in the bulbs before I cut off the old leaves

My pyracantha is fully out now, with a gentle whiff of cat wee but the bees etc love it, as will the birds and berries later this year

YoungBlueEyes

Just a quick few pics (not nearly as beautiful as the preceding ones!) The decking, and my haul from yesterday. Then I need to get grafting cos there’s timber coming today and rubble/hardcore (?) coming tomorrow.