Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway

I have to post this pic, because I've managed to get my picture editing program to make a panorama just by clicking a mouse

This is a composite made from three pics, at Wisley last week. The area in front of the discovery building, not much exciting there TBH, but now I can do panoramas stand by your beds !

The mother & child photo bombed at last minute, left in for scale

YoungBlueEyes

That's it, you've put me to shame. I'll never post another photo  

twopenny

That's terrific Farway! Really shows what it's like.

On a more depressing thought here's mine

  Now

Despite adding compost to the poor soil over 2mts without any rain to speak of it's a disaster.

It will come back but not  for ages. Can't water the whole garden for months.

Worse than the heatwave and dry last year so may have to return to grass.

pink_poppy

Brilliant idea to sink the wheelbarrow into the ground to make a pond, YBE, I hope it works.

No gardening possible here, it’s been pouring with rain (sorry twopenny). Sunshine and showers actually, with rain between the showers 😉 just in time for the school holidays.

Tom now has at least 15 fruits on it at various stages. The only problem are the flies flitting about (it’s an inside Tom plant) I don’t think they’re the whiteflies that Farway mentioned - I think they’ve come from the compost?? The peppers/chillis are doing well but I really need to pot them on. This pic was taken a few days ago...

-taff

Spent a few hours in the garden today, putting fences back up [taken down when the tree was to facilitate removal of logs and brash I think they called it] mowed some bits, moved the logs to the corner so they now form a teepee against the fence and if a hedgehog fancies a home, he can scoot in the bottom of it. Put the new pump [ I caved] in the pond, general tidy, watered and enjoyed looking at it. I have realised that I'm not a manicured lawn gardener at all and I like a bit of crazy going on. And I'm still suffering from the age old problem of not adequately estimating final sizes of things.

YBL, I think your wheelbarrow will be more successful than my tank, you have a nice gentle slope for hogs and frogs, whereas mine would have to be Olympic athletes to get in and out.

2p, maybe it's time to go all mediterranean planting a la Chatto to keep dealing with the lack of rain. I have plenty of things like that growing in the front garden despite me chucking homemade compost on it, I do still keep trying to put in something that likes it wetter and thenbeing disappointed when I have to yank it out a few months later. I don't learn [ but the plants are so pretty!! ]

YoungBlueEyes

Gawd that's some difference 2p If they're only unhappy cos of the lack of rain, how about slinging your washing up water on them? I read that as long as it's not too soapy/greasy then plants will suck it up fine (I might have read that on the Old School thread actually...)

Wheelbarrow pond is more a necessity really. We borrowed lovely neighbour's knackeredy old one to shift the hardcore til himself bought one, but he burst the wheel that quick! So he lifted one from work which he loves, and now we've 3. So lovely neighbour is getting the new one when I find a wheel for it, her old one is my new pond, and himself is keeping the work one. If it fitted in his car work could have theirs back but it doesn't sadly 

I've not seen sign of a hedgehog in my garden tbh, but you do see them on the roads round here Having had rats and still having mice I'm feared of putting food out for them in case the rats come back :shudder: Maybe they'll find it regardless? Field of Dreams and all that. 

Can you get a pic of the flies pp? Someone here will id them, then you know what you're dealing with. 

My mystery £1-coin-for-scale plants are coming to flower, I'll get photo when they do. My strawbs and rasps are out and one before I've even caught sight of them! 2 things are eating them - one that nibbles the whole fruit up to the green top, and one that eats the wee bits off individually and leaves the core unmarked. Hmmm. 

OT Cool here,  about 9' they say and a good gusterly westerly breeze. I've my bedding out and another load in  

Dustyevsky

Poppy's flies will be fungus gnats which proliferate in wet compost. As a confirmed over-waterer, I know! The remedy is probably keeping the surface drier by watering from below, which is harder, of course. My mystery plants have been hit by over-potting and watering so they're still a long way from identifying themselves.

No gardening yesterday, as it was back to Glasto for a christening in the nearest village to there. They still have a "working men's club," according to the signage, but their web presence is much more inclusive!   Late, after an M5 diversion, I didn't have time to snap a picture of an interesting billboard in a field as we approached Worthy Farm. It featured dear old Dwight....sorry, Elton, and a certain prominent physician from the US. The overall impression given might be judged by the words "Good Riddance!" which I imagine would leave most viewers nonplussed.....but we got it!

Asleep on the M5 homeward, I didn't see Camel or Striding figure, but I know the latter has now lost both arms.

When I awoke, Mrs Dusty was in a very positive mood and declared this would be 'Gardening Week,' so I'm looking forward to that. The drunkards' weather promises sunshine and showers with moderate temperatures, which will be ideal. "Oh ye of little faith!"

Farway

Agree, Poppy fungus gnats, harmless & annoying. I have heard a sprinkle of grit on compost surface stops them, can't burrow in it, not sure if it's worth the bother, but I suppose if it were ornamental plants maybe

All my gardening pans went out the window yesterday, unless falling asleep watching Monty on catchup counts as gardening?

Only just managed to water, and then it was only because the figs were drooping. The drunkards keep promising rain, but none arrives, if none later I must get down the garden to give the Golden Delicious in a pot a good drink, looking like a decent crop on it this year

-taff said:

2p, maybe it's time to go all mediterranean planting a la Chatto to keep dealing with the lack of rain. I have plenty of things like that growing in the front garden despite me chucking homemade compost on it, I do still keep trying to put in something that likes it wetter and thenbeing disappointed when I have to yank it out a few months later. I don't learn [ but the plants are so pretty!! ]

Here's an idea I saw at Wisley, hard work at the start I guess, then just a bit of weeding now & again.

Crevice gardening, sort of step sideways and onwards from rockery or alpine.

I like the idea of using old roof tiles, my only concern on a personal level would be vine weevils here, but I suppose dosing with a suitable killer would be an option

Of course, time, cash & space permitting, you could have this style

Dustyevsky

Love the photos, Farway. Vine weevils don't like gritty soil, so I'd imagine they'd give those alpines a miss.

-taff

Farway, that's really interesting. I do have a load of clay tiles looking for a purpose in the back garden. I've used some of them for edging the front, some of them for hiding the pond [!] and the rest are just sitting there...I've seen something similar online, but using slabs of concrete instead and done well, it looks really good. They call it crevice gardening [oh dear, just realised I am repeating you...sorry!!] . I'd never thought to use smaller bits of material instead of concrete and truthfully, I prefer the terracotta colour even though I applaud the reuse and recycle ethos.