Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

Cracking photo there Dusty, nicely framed by the trees in the background. Is that gonna be March in our calendar?  
Can I ask - what's the matter with moss?

The best way to see hellebores is often from underneath. I was in the stream when I took that, and the bank's higher than me.

Nothing wrong with moss. I've loads in my 'posh' lawn; the one without coarse grasses. All the other grass areas are full of rye grass and couch, so moss doesn't stand much chance there. If there were no moss, there'd probably be something worse. 

Good luck with the aubretia, wort. You'd have no luck in our village, though. When we came here, we planted some out at the front, and a gardening friend said, “Aubretia won't stay here, you know. No one in the village can keep it!”

The plants flourished through that summer, but she was right; a year or so later, they were fjord-bound.

The rain and hail didn't let-up today for long, hence a day in the polytunnel, planting seeds and potting-on. We are promised something slightly calmer tomorrow, but no warmer.

The hanging basket of Babylon is coming along, Bluey. If you lived closer, I could give you a trolley to go with it. No, I didn't nick it, but back in the dark ages when DD2 was a student, I was required to help 5 young ladies clear their rental at the end of the year. No one knew where the trolley had come from, so I put it in the van, intending to return it. Later, I realised the trolley wasn't a current model, or even very serviceable, so dropping it off in the car park at Mr T's began to look like a bad idea, given the number of cameras. I wasn't sure if it would be fly-tipping. So, it's sat in the barn ever since.

YoungBlueEyes

Ah that's not silly at all, I love that idea Arb  and Hanging Basket of Babylon Dusty The Hanging Basket of Barbylon it is  

Well the weather did improve yesterday. I say improve, I mean that desperate wind stopped shooting tiny wee ice daggers everywhere. Gawd they were sore. But I've the front done - pulled up all weeds and grasses and left a couple of things that I don't know what they are in case they're lovely looking - weeded the back, moved my fuchsia, planted those 2 hebes, sprayed the beginnings of the thistles, and snipped dead bits off various things. Looking better now. I should've mowed as well while I was out there but I was that cold. 

I wonder if there were northern lights visible last night then? Did you see anything pp? The moon was nearly full here and no clouds to hide it.
4' out there now, up to 11' and sunny this aft. They say. At least the wind's dropped a bit, it was almost too much to be out in yesterday. 

Oh and the Holey Roamin' Terror caught a mouse yesterday. He maimed it a bit, then played with it a bit, and when I went to get it off him to pull it's wee neck he ran off with it. Cruel beast.

Farway

Chance of a drier day today, so maybe get outside and do a bit

YoungBlueEyes said:

I wonder if there were northern lights visible last night then? Did you see anything pp? The moon was nearly full here and no clouds to hide it.

Vensky said good chance up Aberdeen area where DGD is, she told me it was wet, raining and zero sky. Nothing this far south, of course.

Yay for hanging basket of Barbylon, where there's a will etc. If you can sneak hide a plastic bottle in for watering. I've seen, but not tried, leave the top on but make some small holes in it, so it will drip into compost over time.

Or go Emergency Ward Ten and have a bottle up high with a tube going down, like a blood drip thing, be a talking point anyway, give your neighbours something to mutter about

I think my pot marigold seeds are suffering from whatever is going round stopping seeds geminating, out of the twenty cells I sowed I only have four seeds germinated, and these are common as muck marigolds, grow like weeds

I was going to sow  a second batch, but I think I'll leave it & use the seed cells for some Cosmos and later on just rake the marigold seed into the volunteer border & they can get on with it.

Today is mainly pruning day, but may plant my Morries Heritage raspberry a swell. Looking it up &'m going to put that in a large tub for this year, I don't want it romping wild just yet in my “orchard”. See how it does this year first.

Devil calling , free P & P DT Brown, and [look away now] >:)T & M patio fruit trees, twofer a tenner, Conference pear & Braeburn apple. Usual price is nearly 50 quid

, offer ends midnight, 24th March 2024 or while stocks last. Normal delivery charges apply. Use order code TM_TN4823W.

https://www.thompson-morgan.com/newsletter-special-offers-thursday5?source=newsletter-fruit-230324&acq_source=

Pic for today, vinca, this came with my house and I liberated it to the council verge where it has roamed wild for over thirty years, giving succour to many a slug by the looks of it

RAS

The Organic Gardening catalogue has a flash 89p offer until midnight, with £2.99 postage. Some interesting stuff. Can't work out how to post a link though.

Local Lidl still doesn't have seeds but got into a bigger branch when I volunteered a couple of weeks ago. Only 20 each veggies and flowers, plus a half dozen legumes in the cheaper packs. Half a display of more expensive options.

Dustyevsky

Farway, your Vinca looks like 'Jenny Pym.' Nice and sophisticated, not that slugs care.

Resisting all offers here and focusing today on damage limitation. The man who removeth the contents of our septic tank arriveth tomorrow, along with rain from the SE, so we must prepare the way for him and his massive hose thingy.

It is apt to thrash about, so I cut a route through the perennials and shrubs where it will be constrained and cause the least disruption.

NB. Consider carefully before planting a garden on top of a septic tank. OTOH, what else can you do; make a feature of it? 

YoungBlueEyes

I’ll do the watering bottle thing, holes in the top make sense too. Thanks Farway. Pretty vinca too, lovely delicate colours  

I best not buy any more trees while I figure out what my ones are. Seems a shame to miss out mind… no matter how interesting ras. Well I might look *ahem*
Will you find something there 2p? 

What was that about damage limitation? One of us left the freezer door open a tiny bit last night so when the other one of us came down first thing the kitchen was puddling a bit. So I’ve distributed as much as I can, my oven’s rammed, and nobody’ll starve this week for sure. Himself suddenly realised the fence all needs painting and he’s been on it these last 5 hours. Wise. 

Septic tank - leave the lid off so it freezes then dish it out as choc icecream to the ‘orrible neighbour kids..? While you’ve got the lid off, see if you can’t find a bit of roadkill to sling in there. 2 birds 1 stone etc

Farway

YoungBlueEyes said:

I’ll do the watering bottle thing, holes in the top make sense too. Thanks Farway. Pretty vinca too, lovely delicate colours  

I best not buy any more trees while I figure out what my ones are. Seems a shame to miss out mind… no matter how interesting ras. Well I might look *ahem*
Will you find something there 2p? 

What was that about damage limitation? One of us left the freezer door open a tiny bit last night so when the other one of us came down first thing the kitchen was puddling a bit. So I’ve distributed as much as I can, my oven’s rammed, and nobody’ll starve this week for sure. Himself suddenly realised the fence all needs painting and he’s been on it these last 5 hours. Wise. 

I had a look at the RAS link, damn, spotted some Gages, and a damson. 

I've always wanted a gage, may be a tall tale, but a bloke named Gage on one of my ships reckoned one of his ancestors introduced Gages to UK.

Found the link. https://www.orangepippin.com/varieties/plums/old-greengage

Of course, a Mirabelle would be ideal for those who had space.

Septic tank, tap it for Green bio energy

RAS

Before you get too excited Farway

Check out Frank Matthews fruit trees and bushes, now 20% off bare roots, wide selection.

And if you want something like Old Gage, find someone with rootstock coming away from a UK grown plum planted 10-30.years ago. Almost certainly St Julien A which produces fine tasting green gages and cost "nada". One of my fellow plot holders leaves bucket loads for us to snaffle in passing every autumn.

Older and now very tall plum trees will be on Brompton, which produces a nice sweet red plum. Unfortunately my failed gage was on a dwarf European rootstock that produces very small black fruit twice the size of a sloe and a bit sweeter.

pink_poppy

I didn't bother looking for the aurora last night, YBE, there's no point with my rubbish phone. Plus I was enjoying a bottle glass of Rioja (thanks to Dusty for putting that idea into my head )  Anyway, there's another alert tonight for all parts of the UK, supposedly visible to the nekkid eye, not just through a camera/phone. The sky is actually beautiful at the moment with a lovely pinky orange sunset, or maybe it's the aurora making an early appearance...  

twopenny

It's been beautifully sunny and I was all ready to rush up to the moors just in case - but it's clouded over last thing
But thanks for the heads up Poppy. Nice thought.

May have been lovely looking sunshine but the brisk east wind kept me in. Got the skirtings sanded down which was tougher than expected and 2loads of washing which was satisfying. And hoped to mow the lawn and plant some seeds but ran out of energy........

No sign of buds on the apricot or apples, the slugs have eaten 3  tulips, some weird plant growing among the garlic chives. 
But a little fancy maple I got from Morrisons is beautiful. Pale green leaves with a crimson edge.

Looking forward to Blueys creative baskets. People take their gardens too seriously. They need a bit more fun.

Farway, love your volunteer patch. Really cheerful.

Ras,  thanks for the heads up. That looks really interesting.