Awful weather - typical Brits talk

YoungBlueEyes

Oh and monopetal has had a baby, just the one, naturally - 

Dustyevsky

Is the “wee holly tree thing” a Berberis by any chance, Bluey? Like holly, they're mostly tough.

I think Passion Flowers are pretty tough too. I have self-seeded wee ones out at the front here in all weathers, while at our last place, we had one along the front fence that grew in clay and lived long enough to get a trunk as thick as a wrist.

Not much gardening today, or yesterday, when I visited my walking friend. Her garden's filling-up nicely. If you feel a little disheartened, Bluey, that barely covers how I feel when I see plants I've supplied romping away in her patch, leaving mine standing! It's the maritime influence and some claggy, but very fertile estuarine soil. I should have taken a photo of that orange canna, but Agnes had everything swooshing-about horizontally at the time.

Off to the hospital today with Mrs Dusty, we managed to dodge the heavy rain predicted and also spotted the Dark Knight on the way home, just lurking in some woodland near the river. I grabbed a quick photo, but with the dull day and the trees it's not very clear.....

twopenny

Well what happened to the wind?

Been quiet all day, fine but gloomy today but heavy rain overnight and again soaking drizzle from about 4pm so gardening not on the cards.

The beans are down again. The wisteria is drooping all over my bench. The tomatoes now have blight. There are still blackfly eating my garlic chives - I have zapped them with my gun and not using them for some time plus the rain so should work out all right.

Did buy myself a new gadget today. I can't wait to play with it.

It's an extendable small hoe and rake.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165619061284?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338268676&toolid=10044&customid=EAIaIQobChMI0KmMoKDOgQMVgcbtCh3ReQc0EAQYBCABEgJ_SfD_BwE

So now many fewer scratches and aching back doing the roses, raspberries and goosegogs. Should be able to get in between shrubs without trampling everywhere.

Review at a later date.

Here's a puzzle from the summer that got neglected. I was destressing with a wander and saw this tree. What a little beauty!

Anyone know what it is?

YoungBlueEyes

Well I don't know what your tree is 2p but I want one! The petals look kind of dog-rose-y to me. Did it have a fragrance? You sound like you feel like I do Can you harvest all the beans or is it too early for that? And the blight-y toms, has it got into the fruit or just the stems? I lost most of mine but one plant did have resilient fruit even though the stem was an infected mess. I like the look of your new toy - the things you can get now eh  

That's some knight Dusty - was he somewhere public or have you been tramping through Big House's gardens again? Hopefully nothing serious at the hospital..? I don't know what the holly is, lovely neighbour spotted a bit that had self-seeded or sprouted up from the main one so she dug it up and brought it round. Berberis would do me rightly - them Berbers are tough, bless 'em. I'll get a pic of them when it's brighter out there.

I'll also take some pics of that corner where the roots have come back cos I'll be after some serious advice. Honestly I can't believe they've replaced themselves so quickly - I was only digging them all up in March. Is this really gonna be a twice yearly job? Cos I'm not up for that. I'll maybe have to sacrifice that corner as a dead zone. Reluctantly. 

OT Off to a damp muggy start after all the overnight rain, but they say it'll be mild, windy, and brighten up later on. That'll do me. Still nothing to report in the sunrise/sunset dept, smudgy peachy clouds are all it's managing. No sign of the moon recently either  

twopenny

Sunny - horray!! But chilly light breeze.
Spent the week dealing with the companies that are all changing the methods of payment, websites that don't work etc etc and more came yesterday  and racing round art studios which finish today.
Hoping there is a break in the weather this weekend to play with my new toy and clear a space in the garage. Some gardening would be a bonus.

No scent to the tree Bluey. I have a book of all the trees planted in the park. All unusual ones. From the days when people did inspirational things and weren't relying on gadgets and the net.
Tomatoes were crushed by the falling wet beans and exploded by too much rain.
Seems I'm charged by the warerboard for the rain falling on my roof. Need to investigate how to divert it without flooding something. 

I seem to remember, Geoff Hamilton? that if the garden is looking poor, cut the lawn and trim the edges and instantly looks better 

YoungBlueEyes

Same here, sunny but chilly breeze. I like how they used to do parks, when they did something decent because they could rather than doing something as cheap as poss because they have to. The ones near me (that are in a no-go area ) are/were glorious apparently. Anyway. 

Lots of photos now. Not to be outdone, one of the monopetals in the middle has had lots of babies - 

Here’s the 2 things lovely neighbour brought me round, the diddy-leafed holly and a something that she says will have either pink or white flowers on it - 

The dead zone (or should I say Empty Quarter if the holly is a Berber-is), and a close up of a root cos even though I dug down maybe 3ft there was no end to it  It’s rained overnight so you can’t tell now but the soil there is dry and powdery. I’m not sure if it’s tree roots or ivy roots or both. What should I do? 

The root - 

Dustyevsky

Your tree is a Cornus kousa 2p. Might be this one, though there are others with pinkish hue.

https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/cornus-kousa-miss-satomi-tree-p361

We've seen them at Rosemoor and also at Marwood this year, back in the zummer.

The knight is in a publicly accessible place, Bluey. Mrs Dusty doesn't do trespass; that's the other one!  He's actually warning people about a dangerous entry. Very topical! 

Farway

Sun's out, after rain during the night, so one job saved at least

Lovely tree 2P but don't know what it is, hope your new gadget does the job, and works as well as the electric blanket I just bought eBay and used for first time last night, a pleasure to get into nice warm pit, all set for dark nights now

No moon when I woke at bladder o'clock, very bright though, so guess it was behind clouds, supposed to be the Harvest Moon now

Nice to hear about your Passion Flower experiences Dusty, I think I've just the spot at the front, if the plan works it will scramble through & over the prostrate fir thing covering a manhole, this year nasturtium did that if anyone remembers the pic, which has given me the idea for something permanent all by accident, but I will claim thoughtful design skills later

With the sun, I may get on and hack trim the laurel near my garage this afternoon, one job less before dark days arrive

Hope Mrs D is OK Dusty, is your Dark Knight any relation to this fellow?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmInkxbvlCs

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Seems I'm charged by the warerboard for the rain falling on my roof. Need to investigate how to divert it without flooding something.

Are you up for digging an 8' x 4' x 3' deep pit and filling it with rubble?   Alternatively, you could make a wadi, but don't forget what happened recently at Derna.....
OT: It's lovely here this morning. Blue sky and modest wind.

Farway

Dustyevsky said:

twopenny said:

Seems I'm charged by the warerboard for the rain falling on my roof. Need to investigate how to divert it without flooding something.

Are you up for digging an 8' x 4' x 3' deep pit and filling it with rubble?   Alternatively, you could make a wadi, but don't forget what happened recently at Derna.....
OT: It's lovely here this morning. Blue sky and modest wind.

Before you get digging, better check what the rules in your area are regarding rainwater, or you may find you still get charged for drainage somehow, off a garage / shed for instance

I have a vague memory of someone having all kinds of trouble trying to avoid being charged for rain water, I bet there are minimum standards for soak away and the like in small print