Awful weather - typical Brits talk

YoungBlueEyes

You're a s0d Dusty, if I wasn't so feared of being banned I'd reply to your erm musings... I reckon the bees have figured out the difference between red and blue, and teaching that to the others, cos it actually makes a difference for them. Ahem. 

Nice rejects there, don't the daffs and irises look well together? 

The sun's out here (only for a wee while though, possibly) so here's my pear tree. It's not unhappy enough to die but it might find itself hoiked out and donated and replaced if it's for taking too long to be pretty/fruitful. Zooming in will show the buds. Apple tree in a bit when the sun moves round more. 

YoungBlueEyes

Apple tree, it’s top, and the ska. 

I put some violas in round the bottom of it but they don’t seem to like JI no3. Seems the slugs don’t either so they can stop there. 

Farway

Warm & sunny, something must be up, is it an early election scam?

YoungBlueEyes said:

If something is litre sized I imagine it in pop bottles too cos they're 2l. A bucket, a pop bottle, a bag of sugar, my hand span, my fist, my thumb - that's my (pleasingly accurate) measuring system. Do try this at home  

My ska tree is still alive Arb, that bud is still the only one but it's got a wee bit bigger. I'll get a pic of it today. I think it's just waiting for some heat to get going, it's big enough and old enough (?) to know what it's doing so I'm hopeful that it'll burst into life soon :fingercrossed: I'll take a pic of my apple tree too cos that's further along and I think my espaliering is working.

Monty last night on GW was chitting his this week if that's any help.

Lovely and fresh out there this morning, no frost but a nip in the air. Nothing startling in the sunrise/sunset/moon dept though, and the cherry tree at the end of the road is doing nowt. I suspect it's sulking and holding it's breath from the smell being given off by yet another £$*%*$£ pole! Grrr  

I use bags of sugar for my metric weights measures, pop bottles for liquids sounds a good idea, duly stolen.

The pic shows your apple espaliering, looking good Blue. This year I'm going onto Advanced stage One, and trying to make circles, like wot I saw a pic of somewhere.

Having just opted out of TV licence I never saw GW, it is the one thing I did watch even though most of it was pants these days.

The cherry opposite is just starting to lose its petals, pink snow time next week I guess, the difference a few miles can make

Hope the rhubarb late pressie is welcomed Arbs, and at least get a taster from it this year.

Those "used" pot plants seem good Dusty, and being free will of course give years of joy.

My Jetfire daffs have opened, and I'll try for a suitable pic later today

The magnolia down the road has now opened, with some petals are just starting to brown, very short-lived eye candy

YoungBlueEyes

Jeez I want a magnolia. Saw some in Lidl this morning but I think I’ve enough on. Or not enough space. Or something. They’re selling pre-eaten daffs as well, in case anyone’s feeling left out  

Thanks Farway. Have I remembered this right - will I nip off the buds this year for a better gig next year? Or leave them be cos it’s old enough to know what’s doing now..? 

Seems us norveners aren’t worth wasting too much of the good election stuff cos it’s cloudy now :rolleyes: 

Farway

YoungBlueEyes said:

Thanks Farway. Have I remembered this right - will I nip off the buds this year for a better gig next year? Or leave them be cos it’s old enough to know what’s doing now..? 

Seems us norveners aren’t worth wasting too much of the good election stuff cos it’s cloudy now :rolleyes: 

Removing first year fruit was always the way, however I have since heard the “modern way” is let them fruit, it will weaken the tree but seems that is a Good Thing because it keeps the tree smaller, hungry & fruiting.

Maybe fine for Commerical growers who will rip them out in a few years, or next subsidy scam green initiative

I've always just left one or two fruits just to test & taste, may as well find out it's wrongly labelled this year as two years time

PS clouded over now.

pink_poppy

That is a stunning magnolia, Farway 😍

Well done with the espalier, YBE.

We had a frosty start this morning and then beautiful sunshine until the heavy rain started at 4pm 🙄

Talking of frosty though, my DD took this pic a couple of weeks ago from the inside of her car...



It’s amazing isn’t it - so atmospheric...

wort

I am like you lot, bag of sugar is my rough translator of 2 pounds into a kilo, a 12 inch ruler translates to 30 cm, a foot, 4oz a quarter of toffee,and 250 and 500 g a block of butter. Though that is changing as we get shrinkflation. rough but good enough for me.

The blossoms here are all random there’s one down the next street that is in full glorious bloom, my upright one is doing nowt yet, the road at the top is half and half. I used to live in a tree lined avenue and went up just the other day and they are barely budding. 

Lots of rain yesterday after a frosty but bright start, feeling cold this morning though Ventusky showing 50 f later never been able to do a translation of that as I was brought up C.

Off to work now enjoy St Pats day 🍀

YoungBlueEyes

Ok apple tree can stop as it is then, which suits me fine. #Shawshank  I wish there was a subsidy scam initiative for normal people, isn't growing green stuff good for the planet? And I'm certainly keeping Aldi/Lidl/gc/b+q going with all the bits I'm buying (went to b+q and Lidl yesterday, got a few more bulbs ) This is A Good Thing and I'd cheerfully let them pay me. Sorted out all my houseplants yesterday, jeez I'm surprised some of them were still alive they were that potbound. It's a bu99er though - all the little pots of little plants fit lovely on my skinny windowsills but now they're all bigger they don't fit at all. *Sigh* it really is endless innit.

The car window is amazing pp, I agree. Reminds me of a frosted bathroom window it's so beautifully replicated  

It all seems a bit all or nothing here too wort. There are a few blossomy trees in people's gardens that must be nearly done while the cherry tree at the end of my road is barely budding. There's quite a few magnolias that are definitely heading towards full, they'll be beautiful soon. 

OT Raining. Been raining a lot of the night, and it'll rain 'til about 2 ish, possibly. Not cold, but the breeze is enough to take the heat off you, and a beautiful mild sunny evening to come. Possibly.

Happy St Paddy's Day everyone  

Farway

Raining here as well, a very wet & miserable morning ahead by the looks of it.

Zero chance of a photo op with my Jetfire daffs, unless I'm after the raindrops dripping off my red trumpet type

Lovely Ice fern pic PP, shows what is around once we stop & look

Pre eaten daffs seems the way ahead Blue, some shops also sell pre euthanised plants from the Norwegian subcontinent, looking at you £land & Morries.

Parp Parp! The pot marigolds in the unheated conservatory have germinated, as have the self saved Oh Happy Days tom seeds. The Happy days were good, but F1 so not really sure if these will be as true, but worth a go I thought.

Wil someone hold me back please? T & M have more offers, with free P & P. The Six Fuchsias collection, and, glares in Dusty direction for implanting the idea in my head , geranium Rozanne.

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

You're a s0d Dusty, if I wasn't so feared of being banned I'd reply to your erm musings...

Oh, you don't want to bother with conspiracy theorists like me. Remember, I believe in weird stuff, like informed consent and acquired immunity.

Agreed, that's a lovely ice picture, poppy. I can't recall when we last had a frost of any significance here, and there's none in the forecasts, but I won't rely on that entirely. It's certainly easier when spring is this mild. Of course, with mild comes a westerly air flow, rain etc. And, boy, have we had another dose of that!

Yesterday, with the rain sheeting down, it was with more optimism than hope that I set off to plant friend's Crab Apple in allegedly virgin soil. However, just for once, the drunks were right, and pluvial abundance paused for an hour or two mid-afternoon. 

Fortunately, the place where we were planting wasn't affected by standing water and the hole didn't fill when I dug it, but by heck, the builders' version of 'topsoil' was a very loose translation! Luckily, we had a few bags of dry compost to add to the stodge, making it workable, but I didn't see a single worm! At about 35- 40 cm down, I hit something which wouldn't give, and then friend remembered, the garden had been covered in geotextile and the soil laid on top!!

So.....we exposed an area of the fabric and cut a big chunk out of it. I didn't know what to expect beneath, but it was just more clay. Then, assured there were no services there, I belted the 1.8m support post with my rammer and down it went; no stones, nothing, until it was about 0.8m into the ground. Couldn't do that here!

After that, planting the tree was 'normal,' but I hope the words on the label are true:  “Tolerant of clay soil.” We re-covered the area with weed membrane and decided to improve the rest of the soil there 'another day!'

P.S. Look at the way that soil and the mild coastal climate grows stuff, though! The Stachys, far left, are raring to go, whereas mine are like yours Bluey, and still all brown & soggy. And that's just one Helianthemum, planted in '22.