Awful weather - typical Brits talk

-taff

Morning...Gardening potential friend didn't grow horns and neither did I so we will probably meet again. I basked in delight at her garden praise and  foisted some plants on her, oregano, bronze fennel, a geum, potentially some greek basil [I forgot what it was]  so there's more room to manouevre for me in the potting on area and someone else can have the joy of keeping them alive. I've also discovered the fennel lives in the front garden. A friend gave me some about 6 or 7 years ago and it's worked it's way round the garden into various places. I thought it was kaput this year but no, it has poked it's head out again, phew! It's digging up potatoes day, gingerly though, because I stepped on a bit of rose twig I think the pigeons dropped as too dangerous for a nest and a few thorns embedded themselves in my unshod foot. It's quite ouchy today..

Farway, that's a lovely and sobering view of something we might all have to be doing soon. I do love a mediterranean or hot landscape but I still miss a bit of green.

twopenny

Running round .like my tails on fire today.
28c in the shade and even the breeze! 
My neighbour who accompanies me outings insists on leaving house plants as a thank you. I've no more room!

The garden is dry. The plants suffering except the runners which need hacking back. I'm just chucking water at things as I can.
The lavender seems to be hanging in there. The hidcote shooting from the base where it has decided to perish for no reason. The cherry is suffering from the black bugs again and they seem to damage the actual wood so I may not have it long.

Took lots of stuff to the tip including my deceased greengage tree 
But now sending bathroom details to a man who's probably sat on the beach as its a hot weekend. A woman I hardly know wants to ring me with her health problems and I may have found another car as mines been declared potentially expensive in future.

I may just take myself off to Greencombe where there is no reception and my camera and sketch book tomorrow!

YoungBlueEyes

Aww I was wondering how you were getting on with all your people 2p, I'm glad I didn't ask now  Enjoy Greencombe

How's your thorny foot taff? I reckon you'll be feeling that for a while

No gardening to report here. Bit of weeding and watering. Lots of looking and waiting. My sunflower shrub wants to die so it's gone all sticky and shrivelled up without the flowers even properly opening. I can't think what I did wrong there....It's a shame cos I do love sunflowers.

Quite a nice (if too warm and humid already) breeze here atm. Dawn wasn't anything flash and the sunset was just a bit of a peachy smudge. Desperate thunderstorms and lightening and apocolypse in general this aft, say the drunkards (but not the sobers). Sobers reckon a 30% chance of rain at 1400-1500 with a bit of breeze. Drunkards have gone all out - risk to houses and roads and trees and life and limb. Get your car securely tethered and batten down small children. Waves of it coming from 1000 til 2100. The sobers better be right cos we're taking MiL out for an airing this aft, and she always asks to go the beach for ice-cream  

Dustyevsky

Very warm and windy for first thing, and humid with it. Drunkards say thunderstorms aplenty tomorrow, but just a bit of a 'Meh' day today.

Yesterday afternoon at Marwood was most enjoyable, though we were able to evaluate it better than last time, when it was wet, windy and October. We both felt it needed a good seeing-to; the planting not being as fresh or varied as we remember it from the 1990s or the noughties. The shrub and tree cover is much more mature, of course; the bulk of the structural planting dating from around 1980. Nevertheless, after 45 years, some areas would be improved by the removal of a few trees. The original visionary has long passed away, so we don't know if he  expected to retain everything. I suspect not.

There was no disappointment regarding Astilbes, which is what we most wanted to see. Marwood has the national collection and there must be over 100 varieties in their nursery and sales area. My friend settled for 4, and there was a little 'bargaining' over two rarer ones, which had been put aside for a plant fair.....but we left with them.

 I picked -up an Aster (yes, I know they're not called that now! ) also being sold somewhat reluctantly. One of the nursery women said, "Don't worry, I won't sell that one to him!" when I found it in the stuff her colleague was loading-up for the fair. Ha! That was like a red rag to a bull, and I spotted another two or three tucked away in the sales area, so had one of those instead! I'll come back on that one; all I know is it's Asian and has a Japanese-sounding name.

No pictures from Marwood yet, cos they must be tweaked first and I'm still on Rosemoor. With that in mind, here's a shot of the new bridge they're building there. Work seems to have come to a halt on it for some reason.

pink_poppy

I'm glad you could see the elephant, LI, my DH could too, although he might have just been humouring me... He could see Nick Robinson as well in YBE's ladybug
 
I thought your mystery plants looked dandelion like from the leaves, YBE, but didn't like to say. I've had similar in my garden and when I've dug them out there's no taproot like an ordinary dandelion.

I'm not a heather fan, but I loved the spiky plants in your Wisley pic, Farway. Your volunteer garden looks lovely too.

Is that a Gunnera in your bridge pic, Dusty?? Really nice pic, btw.

Twopenny, enjoy your day out sketching.

Hope your foot is recovering, Taff, the thorns are one of the reasons I'm not a fan of roses.

Weather is too warm for me and even the breeze is warm. BBC website said 22 degrees at 9am this morning.

Dustyevsky

pink_poppy said:

Is that a Gunnera in your bridge pic, Dusty?? Really nice pic, btw.

Thanks. Yes, as shot from the 'old' bridge over the bog and stream, which I presume is to be superseded.

I 'sort of' saw the elephant, but wouldn't have done without help!

I've now dug out the details of the Aster I bought yesterday. It seems it's exactly the sort of plant I like; easy and quick to bulk-up! 

https://dorsetperennials.co.uk/product/aster-trifoliatus-subsp-ageratoides-ezo-murasaki/#iLightbox[product-gallery]/2

Farway

Was promised sunshine, but woken at 0140 by crashing thunder which carried on for a bit, never rained though, which is odd. However, it has rained just now so no need for me to water the pots this morning, just dull & close now

Hope you manage Greencombe 2P, sounds like it would "do you good". That's one thing about looking at other gardens, getting ideas as well as just nice to see something that requires zero work by you

Never been to Greencombe, or Marwood but looking online they look ideal for mooching with a camera, a sketchbook is beyond my talents though 2P, but it's a skill I'd like to have, sometimes the camera just doesn't catch it right

PP, I liked the spiky plants at Wisley as well and tried to get them framing the heathers. I couldn't see any elephants though

Sounds like a good day out Dusty, and some hard won "trophies" Astilbes are yet another plant I like but just cannot get growing

YoungBlueEyes said:

No gardening to report here. Bit of weeding and watering. Lots of looking and waiting. My sunflower shrub wants to die so it's gone all sticky and shrivelled up without the flowers even properly opening. I can't think what I did wrong there....It's a shame cos I do love sunflowers.

Very odd, my yummy gooseberry has just done the same, luckily I picked most of the berries a few days ago, but the leaves are just curled up & dry, can't see any damage and can't be dry because it's tipped down and everything around is thriving. All very odd. In a way I'll not be sorry to lose it, but it would be a shame because it is productive, however the Boysenberry I have not yet got would fit in neatly in the spot

Yesterday I picked the LGem lettuce sown at the peak of Great Veg Shortage, not a huge crop but at least it's all my own & free-range

I have an LG forest growing at the front where I spilt the seed packet, and my radishes are still leaves so far without a trunk .

MY LG crop, was just on its way to bolting I think

YoungBlueEyes

Ooh that’s enough for a salad Farway 👏🏻 I wouldn’t be sorry for a lack of goosegogs but then I don’t em ha haa! I wouldn’t buy a Boysenberry yet tho or the gogs will revive themselves outta badness. 

Very pretty bridge pic Dusty, reminds of wosname and his impressionist water gardens  

PP Looking back I can see they were only going to be dandelions, but the leaves looked and felt different…. Anyway, lesson learned there so. 

YoungBlueEyes

Just clicked your link, thems a big daisy sorta gig, I like them! 

Mind I like heather and moss and plain/common (?) things in general so I’m not the barometer for taste. Why aren’t they called asters now? 

Farway

YoungBlueEyes said:

Just clicked your link, thems a big daisy sorta gig, I like them! 

Mind I like heather and moss and plain/common (?) things in general so I’m not the barometer for taste. Why aren’t they called asters now? 

It's those botanists, can't leave things alone, why call a plant something easy like Sedum when you can rename it hylotelephium?

It's a variation of Hutber's Law