Awful weather - typical Brits talk

pink_poppy

Urgh, the compost gnats in my indoor tomato plant were the worst, YBE, I hope the rain helps get rid of them.

It was -1 in the car this morning, with a frosty windscreen. The sun is out now, but it's not warming up much.

My lovely neighbour has some snowdrops out at the moment. I've found a solitary one in our garden in previous years, but no sign this year. Btw, that snowdrop pic you put on, Dusty, was beautiful. Which reminds me, we had some type of tall snowdrop with green spots on, so I'll have to look out for those popping up.

There's a winter jasmine being advertised in our local Aldi (yellow flowers) - available from 1st February for £7.99. It says it's hardwearing through a cold winter and a great climbing plant, so I might have a look at them. My neighbour has decided to put his bins against our shared low fence and as the fence is angled, it looks like they're in our garden. I think trellis and a climbing plant (hopefully fast growing) will help hide them.

A 6-pack of Primulas are also on offer in Aldi (pic shows pink and yellow) on 4th February for £2.99 if that's any good.

greenbee

You get compost gnats if the compost is too dry as well as too wet... 

Farway

greenbee said:

You get compost gnats if the compost is too dry as well as too wet... 

Sounds like you get compost gnats if you just have compost

greenbee

Farway said:

greenbee said:

You get compost gnats if the compost is too dry as well as too wet... 

Sounds like you get compost gnats if you just have compost

I suspect you're right. I think 'just right compost' is a Goldilocks-type quest. 

ArbitraryRandom

If they're moisture dependent, would diatomaceous earth help? 

Dustyevsky

pink_poppy said:

My lovely neighbour has some snowdrops out at the moment. I've found a solitary one in our garden in previous years, but no sign this year. Btw, that snowdrop pic you put on, Dusty, was beautiful. Which reminds me, we had some type of tall snowdrop with green spots on, so I'll have to look out for those popping up.

I think you may be referring to Leucojum, the Snowflake Plant, pp. We have some which I don't pay great attention to, because they're so much more leaf than flower, compared with snowdrops. Ours look worse than this:

Of course, there may be some great redeeming feature I'm overlooking..... 

Well, it stayed virtually dry here today, but our foray into the woods was short-lived. It was boggy, and recent activities of horse riders hadn't improved matters. We retreated and diverted to the famous otter's trail instead, completing a new to us dull section on an extremely dull afternoon. Passing through some "extremely rich, Culm grassland habitat" we saw a total of 2 primroses and zero snowdrops. I pass ten times that number before reaching the washing line in the morning. Perhaps the rare Marsh Fritillary's larvae don't eat primroses!

YoungBlueEyes

Yep my compost gnats are reinjiggerated  I had to give my plants a drink for they were dropping leaves. Well the little-leafed one was, the big-leafed one was looking wilty and sorrowful. So more fly papers on the shopping list today. Maybe if I'd given them a little drink earlier they'd have been ok? I let them get too dry and now they're too wet. *sigh*

Aww more pretty snowdrops Dusty, I like their little frilly skirts Do you think yours may make an appearance yet pp or is it too late now?

It rained near enough all day yesterday, and warmed right up before bedtime. It was 11' when I went to bed but it's cooled off to 5' now. I'm still not getting used to that. 

I've got a bit of a quandry. Remember the house at the end of my road with the 2 interwiggled fuschias? Well the storm's broken off a big hunk from one of them and I wanna lift it and see if it'll take here if I planted it. I'd have to do some snipping and pulling to free it, but while the plant is in the house's garden it's growing through the fence onto the roadside... I can't decide if I'd be alright to pinch it....  I'll go out later and get a pic.

Oh and PB is back on track now I'm in series 4. There was a woman playing  record in one scene, and the song was beautiful so I'll have to see if I can find it. It was about a blackbird singing, a properly old crackly song. The hunt is on!

YoungBlueEyes

Gotcha. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=idnxXolHE9Q

twopenny

Got the same temperatures here. Chilly. Woke to sunshine but grey cloud by the time I got breakfast and couldn't see to butter the toast 

I've got my first daff, just one little tete a tete but that's fine 

Lovely song, the days when you could sing along and knew the words.

Here's one for you. Includes a dog and this always makes me feel happy.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Fyey4D5hg

Chores today but hope to get around to pruning the Elder in the badger run. To give more shade for all this heat were going to have.

Can't help with the trimming, it's a bit late for cuttings but you never know

wort

YBE feel your pain with the gnats , I still have in my orchids which don’t have proper soil just bark stuff !!! Don’t worry if you get the sand I used to fork the lawn and add sand to improve the drainage. Not sure it worked though. 

2p lovely snowdrop walk, shame they now charge.
It was dark all day yesterday,I was at work so didn’t matter that it rained quite heavy at times too.
Today at the moment is bright, still wet but the sun doing it’s best to push through. So may have a go in the back garden for an hour the green bin is only half full 😉 and it’s collection day tomorrow. 

I need to check which seeds I bought from wilko before they shut , see when they need to go in. 

Don’t like the sun showing up the dirty windows though 🫣