Awful weather - typical Brits talk

ArbitraryRandom

I love snakes heads, but I think they're quite fussy about where they live. I've been buying/planting bulbs for a few years in an area that does well with snowdrops and bluebells but they've never taken. 

Last 24 hours have seen a high of 16 and a low of 12! Forecast for in a couple of days is back to 2 or 3, so trying not to get too comfortable  

We're supposed to have scattered showers here today, and the clouds defo look like they're promising it, but nothing actually falling as yet... 

Dustyevsky

-taff said:

That's a bit of a haul Dusty, good luck with that lot!

It's mainly Cotoneaster franchetii (33) and Hornbeam (60) for hedging, plus 8 other plants. The Hornbeams are heeled-in and are fine until I need them, but the Cotoneasters are being potted, so they don't get disturbed much when we plant them in May. The good and bad thing is the Cotoneasters are larger than expected, so I'm struggling to find deep enough pots for them.   Indeed, they're so big I'm pulling off a few 'babies' as I go!

Shouldn't have trusted the inebriates. Rain arrived at 11.30 when I was planting the first of the Hornbeams. Managed 8 and then had to retire to the polytunnel. Still, that's 8 fewer to do later.

pink_poppy

Nice jacket, YBE, looks warm and cosy 🐑 

I’ve heard of using honey as a natural antiseptic, taff. I don’t think I’ve got any in at the moment, otherwise I’d give it a try.

We had cotoneaster spilling over from next door in my last garden, Dusty. I loved it, as did the bees 🐝 and even waxwings one year.

I was tempted to buy the trees just for the blossom, Farway 😊

AR, your garden sounds like it’s going to be lovely when everything starts growing. I’ve got bluebells here, but alas no snowdrops yet.

Thanks for the updated information on the moss killer, twopenny. So the stuff in B&M wasn’t it anyway - I’m glad I didn’t buy it because I really want the stuff your neighbour uses (& YBE’s neighbour) - I think I need the heavy duty stuff here.

Here’s my plants from yesterday. I was only going to buy the purple snake head, but then saw the white one and loved it so ended up with 3 plants for £12, which is probably a rip-off 😂



That’s my Home Bargains cyclamen pot I bought a couple of months ago on the left. Say no more...

Dustyevsky

pink_poppy said:

I’ve heard of using honey as a natural antiseptic, taff. I don’t think I’ve got any in at the moment, otherwise I’d give it a try.
We had cotoneaster spilling over from next door in my last garden, Dusty. I loved it, as did the bees 🐝 and even waxwings one year.
Here’s my plants from yesterday. I was only going to buy the purple snake head, but then saw the white one and loved it so ended up with 3 plants for £12, which is probably a rip-off 😂
That’s my Home Bargains cyclamen pot I bought a couple of months ago on the left. Say no more...

We used honey on the chickens' feet when they had bumble foot. The good thing about honey is it keeps, so we always have some in our SHTF stash.

These cotoneasters will make an informal hedge about 2m tall and provide flowers for bees and berries for the birds. I'd be ecstatic if we had waxwings visit, but it's not likely this side of polar oblivion, or whatever Farway called it.

The Fritillary pots look well-filled, as one would expect from that source. They only increase slowly, when they increase, hence the price.

In and out Hokey-cokey style yesterday, the final score was 15 Hornbeams planted and 10 cotoneasters potted. Today looks dry and quite sunny, so of course I'm distracted with car & garage matters.

Here's a better picture of what was in that box. It had a 'This Way Up' sticker, but there wasn't a right way up, and anyway, it was carried and handed to me horizontally.

Most of the Cotoneasters are over 1m long for a sense of scale. Also, somewhere in that lot is a Geranium 'Johnson's Blue.' We've several inherited geraniums, and I wanted to check if any of them ID as that variety.

YoungBlueEyes

I don't know what my ska tree is Farway, the label on it said "plan patio fruit". When I took my wash to the tumblers I went to the gc and lifted a (reduced) pot for it cos it's a lovely colour, and when I got home I realised the pot has an apple tree on it. So I don't know what the tee actually is, but it may well be an apple. Or a pear maybe, cos the buds aren't cherry/plum cluster stylee. Time will tell. Good news your DD has given you some space for the Purple Haze, I'm looking forward to pictures of that when it gets going   I'm with 2p on the hydrogen peroxide - my sis used to buy it in Boots for her hair. She'd lather it on then put a carrier bag over it. I used to do myself highlights with a cut of lemon and then we'd sit in the sun while our 'treatments' worked. Ah the good ol' days...  I'll have a look if Hessayon has any instructions. And the Oracle (if I catch her in). 

Yeah I'm impressed with my new-to-me coat 2p, just wants a cold blast of weather now to try it out. It comes down over me bum so it'll be really snuggly warm. It might be my best ever charity shop buy actually.

Gawd Germolene pp! And scab picking! Full on retro. All we need now is for you to say you got blood on your bobby socks and the picture's complete  
Oh and my cyclamen pot went the same way as yours - it produced flower heads that didn't open even though the leaves died and the whole thing went powdery and sad looking. So I sat it in the garden to consider it's options. I think it's heading for the fjords.... which is fine cos it's a lovely wee pot and I'll get violas in there  

I did gardening yesterday, (not on your scale Dusty, will you get all that lot in today?) the majority of the cheapo plants I bought are in. And guess what - when I was rinsing the pots and labels it turns out the daffs are indoor ones I never heard tell of indoor daffs?! But I'm not fetching them all out again so #Shawshank. They were morries 2for£2 jobbers, just so no-one else gets caught out.

Still mild and humid out there, sun's out and everything. Marginally cooler than yesterday. They say. So long as it stays dry so I can go get my jalopy and get my dozens of violas in, I'll be happy enough. 

YoungBlueEyes

Thanks to whoever put 50p in the meter  

Farway

YBE, that 50P soon ran out, dull here and looking like rain. Nice sky pic though.

YoungBlueEyes said:

I did gardening yesterday, (not on your scale Dusty, will you get all that lot in today?) the majority of the cheapo plants I bought are in. And guess what - when I was rinsing the pots and labels it turns out the daffs are indoor ones I never heard tell of indoor daffs?! But I'm not fetching them all out again so #Shawshank. They were morries 2for£2 jobbers, just so no-one else gets caught out.

Nor me, I wonder if they said that because they have been forced and were tender, just advising folks not to plant out?

Anyway, come next year you'll find out. A bit like hyacinths maybe, sold in pots for window sills but OK into garden for years to come.

Which neatly leads my into saying I have one, ex last year bargain hyacinths, now outside & is about to flower. I tried for a photo but failed , trying again later if it doesn't rain.

Hope you get the plants in Dusty, and car matters is not painful. There is a cotoneaster in the volunteer border, as normal, loved by bees, never seen a waxwing near them, probably been eaten by Polar bears.

I've got the pickup details for the council subsidised Apple & cherry trees, a week on Saturday. 

If the weather is OK I can kill two waxwings with one stone because it's in a church car park, so I'll take my camera just in case of snowdrops or “interesting” graves.

Maybe even spot some shrub that needs a trim?

YoungBlueEyes

I think you’re right Farway cos that’s what the Oracle said. Indoor this year but after they’ve flowered get the bulbs in the ground for next year. Ah well. 

Edit - she hasn’t heard of hydrogen peroxide for gardening but said she wishes you luck. Will I trawl through my Hessayons to see if he has something in it..? 

I need to helpful trim carparks this year, even though I got those nice snippers for my birthday I never got round to it last year. 

And the 50p lasted about as long as it took me to put up that pic 🙄 Cloudy but kinda bright enough ish I spose. 

YoungBlueEyes

Not to labour the point, but just in case my planted ones all die - here’s how similar they are. In fairness to morries it does say “indoor” on the label. Twice. But they were all sat on the outside racks together so… 

Farway

YoungBlueEyes said:

I think you’re right Farway cos that’s what the Oracle said. Indoor this year but after they’ve flowered get the bulbs in the ground for next year. Ah well. 

Edit - she hasn’t heard of hydrogen peroxide for gardening but said she wishes you luck. Will I trawl through my Hessayons to see if he has something in it..? 

Loads on YouTube, which is where I got the idea from, seems ideal for lots of things, including fungus gnats, obvs. needs diluting and different strength depending on purpose.

It did rain here, just drizzled for a bit, so no hyacinth picture today.

PS, HYD P comes in different types, there's food grade stuff for dying hair and human contact, and industrial stuff for bleaching / disinfecting, drenching soil etc

Probably chemically the same but no doubt extra care taken with the human contact stuff