Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

pink_poppy said:

It's looking like a nice Easter weekend - but guess who has a bad back   so no gardening for me this weekend...

Oh, shame! Sorry to hear that.

I'm just seeing what my dodgy knee will put up with on a daily basis. In the absence of 4 mile countryside tramps, it seems to be recovering, especially when backed-up with some ice packs after a heavier day. I'm also wearing hiking boots rather than wellies, when possible. I dare not return to the physio next month, still not in a fit state to start his exercise regime.

Waxwings! I never say never, because the Beast from the East brought us a Woodcock, but it's pretty unlikely!

YoungBlueEyes

I missed that, what’ve you done to your back pp? Nothing serious is it? 

Share my gardening if you like, here’s my apple, and the ‘cherry’ - 

Farway

Wow, sunny here, so I took the early opportunity & went up to the volunteer patch to get on pruning Hot Lips and the forsythia. 

Both duly done, I've stuck some forsythia in as cuttings, just on the off chance. And the new cherry is alive, leaves sprouting now, a bit like Blue's one.

Along with the forsythias cuttings, I've come home with a bad back, as usual , it's wear & tear & being a know all when lifting heavy stuff in my early years

I think this board will need renaming, "sick bay corner" or similar, only just starting Easter & three of us are creaking already . My prescription Co-codamol normally works for me.

YoungBlueEyes said:

Sounds like my apple is the same as yours Farway, they're in some kinda holding pattern but with some sunshine and warmth they'll go crazy  

Oh and anyone else with a slug problem - I was reading a thing yesterday (can't remember where, naturally) that slugs love bran so you should sprinkle it liberally round the plants you want leaving alone. They'll literally gorge themselves to death on the stuff. So there's that :fingerscrossed: 

On my garden squelch yesterday it is looking like a bumper apple year this year for me, loads of buds, but a lot can go wrong between now & crumble season.

Oh, hate to dash your Bran hopes, bran was used before they invented slug pellets, I can tell you now it doesn't work, but then the new pellets don't either

You may find porridge oats spun as another super slug killer, nope, it's just for breakfast

Soot works if you can find it, nothing magic about that, it's the sulphur etc in soot, the slugs cough their lungs up [joke]

My T & M seed offer has been posted, I expect them to arrive after Easter now

Today is plum blossom pic day, fingers crossed the sun will help get them pollinated

YoungBlueEyes

Ah well that saves me buying bran Farway 🙄 My ever such nice neighbours (not screaming heathen scum at all etc) have a log burner that they throw absolutely all and sundry into, but I’d sooner stick pins in me eyes than knock and ask for some. 

I might have to go in soon, the wosnames that buried themselves in my grass last year are all getting up again now, my garden’s abuzz  : 

My diary confidently informs me that today is “Easter Eve”. Such is life when these things only cost 49p  

Paspatur

Best wishes to all those who are poorly
@Farway you are pruning your forsythia and mine is now in bloom, not totally yet
Not a great pic as the sun was in my eyes
yes I have sun!!

ArbitraryRandom

Dustyevsky said:

ArbitraryRandom said:

One of the things I'm looking at is bird netting and I'm wondering if anyone can recommend somewhere to buy decent quality hoops that would span a 1.2m bed (growing area in each bed is going to be roughly 1.2x3.5m)?

I make my own out of black MDPE 20mm water pipe: https://www.plasticdrainage.co.uk/polypipe-mdpe-20mm-pipe-25m-black-11658

I screw it to a frame made from 38x 25mm battens:  https://hutchingstimber.com/product/38-x-25mm-treated-roofing-battens/

Nothing fancy, but can be made to measure and lasts for years.

Love the picture - reminds me of one of the 'new' dr who monsters from a few years back?  

I think my beds are going to end up a bit of a difficult size, so made to measure sounds good... When you have a second free (optimistic I know) I'd appreciate a quick snap?  

Farway

Paspatur said:

Best wishes to all those who are poorly
@Farway you are pruning your forsythia and mine is now in bloom, not totally yet
Not a great pic as the sun was in my eyes
yes I have sun!!

And I spy crocus bottom right. Of course long gone down here, mind mine were long gone with the squirrels anyway.

Sun is still out & it really would be a lovely day for an Easter Bonnet

Now, quiz time, no prizes, it's a when you know you know one.

Identify this plant

ArbitraryRandom

Not a clue... but if I saw it 'in the wild' I'd probably assume it was some kind of fern? 

Dustyevsky

ArbitraryRandom said:

Not a clue... but if I saw it 'in the wild' I'd probably assume it was some kind of fern? 

I will go with Shuttlecock Fern, because mine look like that when the sticky-up bit that lasts through winter, falls off. That's right now!

pink_poppy

Aye, I'd say fern too - had loads in the garden when we first moved in and they were a swine to get out.

I identified a Woodcock skulking around in a small wooded area next to our last house, Dusty. It had a long stubby beak iirc?? I'd never seen one before or since.

Well done on the veggies growing, AR, it sounds like you're going to have a garden full of food.

My back has felt better today, thanks. I've been using anti-inflammatory gel and that seems to have helped more than the painkiller (the one beginning with cod). Hope your back is okay, Farway. I was moving sacks of peat on Monday and I think that's what triggered mine.

I love the apple and plum blossom pics and the Forsythia. Nothing like that in my garden, although a couple of neighbours have yellow flowering shrubs out at the moment, so maybe they're Forsythia. The cherry tree down the road still isn't doing anything, although I think there's a hint of pink going on, so hopefully it'll burst into life soon because it looks stunning when it's in flower.

Meanwhile, my daffodils and ones in the surrounding area are looking gorgeous at the moment - it's been a really good year for them. I've got a couple of pics on my phone so I'll post them in a bit.