Awful weather - typical Brits talk

YoungBlueEyes

I’ve a few bulbs decided it’s near enough Spring so let’s go!  I’m dithering over planting more daffs now… 

Can’t even remember what they are!  

im trying to get a bee bum pic. I’m not sure it’s a bee, it’s nearly all black with a wee smudgy pale spot on its head. Other than the colour it looks and sounds like a bee… 

ArbitraryRandom

YoungBlueEyes said:

I’ve a few bulbs decided it’s near enough Spring so let’s go!  I’m dithering over planting more daffs now… 

Can’t even remember what they are!  

im trying to get a bee bum pic. I’m not sure it’s a bee, it’s nearly all black with a wee smudgy pale spot on its head. Other than the colour it looks and sounds like a bee… 

Any of these help? 

https://www.gardenbetty.com/bees/

Farway

YoungBlueEyes said:

I’ve a few bulbs decided it’s near enough Spring so let’s go!  I’m dithering over planting more daffs now… 

Get more in, go on, do it! You can thank me next Spring

I'm all virtuous now because I have just planted mine.

And I have another "spare" pot that I can get another packet in, off to Morries sometime for another pack of miniature ones, I'd like Jetfire, but they seem a bit rare from S/markets

What I'd really like is miniature iris, but so would the squirrels, so I'll not bother with them

YoungBlueEyes

Thanks Arb but my one isn’t on there. Well not in the pics, I haven’t clicked every individual link. 

I have 2 pics! Neither particularly clear shots but it’s breezy here and he was busy busy  

I’m this one you can see he has an orangey stripey bum and his body is black, but I couldn’t get the top of his head 

Ok even more daffs going in What will I do about the ones coming up already? I’ll just leave them to their fate will I…? 

ArbitraryRandom

Red tailed? But with a subtle bum (older bees that have been out in the sun a lot can fade)



https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/red-tailed-bumblebees/red-tailed-bumblebee/

Or with the dark wings - it could be a cuckoo? 



https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/red-tailed-bumblebees/red-tailed-cuckoo-bumblebee/

goldfinches

ArbitraryRandom said:

Red tailed? But with a subtle bum (older bees that have been out in the sun a lot can fade)



https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/red-tailed-bumblebees/red-tailed-bumblebee/

Or with the dark wings - it could be a cuckoo? 



https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/red-tailed-bumblebees/red-tailed-cuckoo-bumblebee/

This phrase made me hoot with laughter, I'm imagining a bee preening itself over having a subtle bum! Wonderfully funny Arb, thanks for the laugh.

YoungBlueEyes

Subtle bum made me giggle too!  I think he's a cuckoo then cos the first one's head is a bit small. If he's back today I'll try and get a pic of the top of his head... But I reckon that's another mystery solved, thanks Arb  

I got more bulbs in yesterday and honest to god I reckon I've 200 daffs in now. Wondering if I need more tulips for balance... I think my borders have raised 4 inches with all the bulbs there's in there :lol 

I'm not sure I've seen either mini iris or jetfire Farway but I'll keep my eye out.

Just had another idea for an invention - you know how the drug companies coat tablets in something bitter so kids won't choff them down - well they need to do that with bulbs to make them squirrelproof. I'd pay a bit extra for that. Asking them nicely or pleading with them or using a lot of bad language doesn't work, that's for sure I should maybe just get himself's BiL round with his double barreled meet-your-maker machine.

Cold last night and cold this morning, beautiful starry skies though. It's warmed up a bit out there now so I can finally say it's 'music weather' - 3 degrees (ba dum tsch!) Rinse and repeat of yesterday is forecast, a cold sunny breezy dry day. I can stick that over the rain and damp.

Dustyevsky

Dustyevsky said:

Bluey, the purple flowers in the picture are Salvia 'Amistad.' They're not reliably hardy, but they survive in my friend's garden on the coast and in our polytunnel, if well fleeced. Easy from cuttings. Like the dahlias, they'll flower until the first frost hits us.

Sorry to quote myself, but this thread is moving so quickly...... I took another picture of Salvia 'Amistad' yesterday, so you can see it properly. It was late in the day, so another salvia in front of it isn't showing well. That's Salvia ugilinosa, which is a bog plant in its natural habitat. Here it just about survives the winters, but it flowers late; it's only just started!

It turned out a lovely day yesterday. Mrs Dusty and I were both hedge trimming 'normally.' Then she decided to take one of the yew hedges down a foot or so and give it a sloping top, so out came the chain saw. As dusk fell, she was still at it, raising the crown on a hawthorn. At this point, I left to cook dinner!

Today now looks like a repeat of yesterday. When I went to bed, it was supposed to be wall-to-wall cloud. Now, the inebriates say mostly sunny. I'll take that. 

Farway

Cold but sunny, Venus spotted early on when I woke up, was going to try a photo but reckon it would just come out as bright dot so never bothered.

Well done on identifying red bum bee Arbs, I've seen them around now I think of it

YoungBlueEyes said:

I got more bulbs in yesterday and honest to god I reckon I've 200 daffs in now. Wondering if I need more tulips for balance... I think my borders have raised 4 inches with all the bulbs there's in there :lol 

I'm not sure I've seen either mini iris or jetfire Farway but I'll keep my eye out.

Just had another idea for an invention - you know how the drug companies coat tablets in something bitter so kids won't choff them down - well they need to do that with bulbs to make them squirrelproof. I'd pay a bit extra for that. Asking them nicely or pleading with them or using a lot of bad language doesn't work, that's for sure I should maybe just get himself's BiL round with his double barreled meet-your-maker machine.

Your garden will be lovely in Spring, full of daffs & red bummed bees

There was a magic coating for bulbs and suchlike, red lead powder, trouble is it made everyone mad, but I think you can still buy it for Marine use https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning

I now have images of deranged squirrels rampaging over my garden

The clematis went in yesterday, just as rain started, I hope it survives because I had trouble with bending sufficiently to make a deep hole for it, more a scrape & drop than planting, but it will have to do

As mentioned, daffs are all in now, which leaves one proper job for today, potting on a couple of nice coleuses that were outside, but I've dug up to get the daffs in

I had intended to save seeds but now decided to overwinter as pot plants and take cuttings come spring

The buddleia near my garage that I hacked back is showing new growth, as hoped, so next year's butterflies are good

Only other gardening is catching up on GW

pink_poppy

It looks like Mrs Dusty has a new lease of life, Dusty, after her op - great to see.

Farway, is it worth checking your council website to see if the binmen will collect your bins and return them to your garden?? My neighbour isn't very mobile and when the binmen are doing their rounds they go into her garden to get her bin, empty it and then return it. I know someone else in a different authority who has the same service.

Thanks for the itchy critter recommendations - they're still around, but maybe less lively than before.

Chilly this morning, but I really need to get into the garden to do a pre-winter tidy up. Actually, I could do with Mrs Dusty to get things sorted...