Awful weather - typical Brits talk

YoungBlueEyes

Ooh Arb, that's coming along nicely, it'll be beautiful when it's all planted up That's a very attractive patio too, did you go for black grout as well?

 -taff said:

 Every year I learn something new, honestly.or more accurately, i learn what needs ot be done to keep stuff alive betterer.

^^^ This, all day long. I think I was just bashing along before, now I've at least got the death rate down ha haa! Learning's half the fun of it though eh.

Kmn I think (but don't know) you can shoot stuff with an air rifle if you're properly plagued with the swines, that includes squirrels (not our native ones mind). I've never eaten squirrel but pigeon is quite nice, I've a couple of recipes if you need them )

Toad Flax and Ground Ivy - aren't they lovely. I've not (knowingly) seen Ground Ivy but Toad Flax is v pretty. My want list is getting that long  

Taff did you go out again for that metal bed? I noticed some in morries yesterday (other supermarkets are available, really they are!). They've all sorts of gardening stuff out now, so did Lidl actually. 

Good luck with your mix ups 2p , do you have them all straightened out now...? So are you and Farway gonna have a competition then, who has the most attractive Happy Accident  

OT not a bad morning out there, cool and calm and cloudy like it was yesterday. Proper gardening to be done today I think, once himself peels his erse outta his sick bed. (I was later than normal getting back yesterday, so instead of cooking himself something for dinner he ate 6 hot cross buns with cheese and washed it down with a whole Easter egg :rolleyes: I gave him side eyes and he sloped off to bed. Honestly, what can you do with them.)

LessImpecunious

Newly opened flower in the garden spotted yesterday, some will know what it is, others may like to have a guess! (Sorry it's a bit fuzzy, testing the macro on my phone but in too much of a rush...)

Farway

Dull start but sun expected later.

If it arrives I'll pot on the last of my tomatoes, these I know the names of. Goodness knows where my Balcony Yellow have gone, all the mixed up ones seem to be quite tall now.

I could sow more Balcony because it's my own-saved seed, but I have far too many toms as it is now since my forest sowing

Before I forget, I'll be MIA tomorrow, off to DD's for a family gathering. 

Not neglecting gardening though, I'm taking along the potted rose grown from cutting from ex neighbour's last year, glad it will have a decent home because it's a nice rose & I really can't give it the space it needs.

Plus a Thorn Free blackberry, from Morries, I bought it because DD has fences that really cry out for fruit along them

And I can get an update on the Purple Haze apple I planted last month, should've settled in by now

I think some Toad Flax may fall under her front hedge next to the pavement

The garden coming along well now Arbs, starting to see how it will look once completed.

YoungBlueEyes said:

 -taff said:

 Every year I learn something new, honestly.or more accurately, i learn what needs ot be done to keep stuff alive betterer.

^^^ This, all day long. I think I was just bashing along before, now I've at least got the death rate down ha haa! Learning's half the fun of it though eh.

Patience grasshopper , I'd guess between us older ones, me & Dusty, we've sent many a plant to Valhalla over the decades as we learnt what not to do, top tip is not to knock seedlings off the window sill.

And looking at your apple now you know just how straightforward espaliering can be, it does look good YBE, just think next year when it may be a fence full of blossom at Blue Eyes Hall.

Quick devil calling , T & M have more from 69p seeds, with free P & P this weekend, just in case you want to stock up with toms or beans etc for next year. Not all are 69p BTW, and any deviation is full postage. 

Use order code TM_TN4871W.

https://www.thompson-morgan.com/newsletter-special-offers-friday5?source=newsletter-gold-120424&acq_source=

Finally, here is rose pic from last year's cutting, on its way to DD's tomorrow

Dustyevsky

Looking good Arb! Respect to those who can work in all weathers and get it right. That's a big project too. I like the slabs and the pattern used to lay them, which looks random, but isn't.   It's good things are drying out now, so hopefully the rendering will go on in clement weather, and the whole will come together quickly. Who's moving the soil?

Compared with you, I've done little on the building front. My hole in the path is now a partial trench leading to the polytunnel, but I need to finish it. I've cut the pipe, installed a right-angled bend and a blanked-off section about 30cm long, so the water to other parts of the garden is now back on. Hopefully, when I've bought a few extra fittings, the water supply will be inside the poly by the end of next week.

Yesterday we walked around the land to see where we might use the extra soil we'll have left over when the digger starts work. It wasn't long before we saw these guys, whom we've heard individually and seen at very long range. They don't seem antagonistic, so I guess that means no females around at present. Edit: Less, I think it's something that turns into a hairy fruit! 

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

Patience grasshopper , I'd guess between us older ones, me & Dusty, we've sent many a plant to Valhalla over the decades as we learnt what not to do, top tip is not to knock seedlings off the window sill.

And mine is, “Don't be fooled by peat-free composts drying-out quickly on top, and then over-water the poor seedlings!"
 Great rose photo, BTW.

LessImpecunious

Dustyevsky said:

It wasn't long before we saw these guys, whom we've heard individually and seen at very long range. They don't seem antagonistic, so I guess that means no females around at present.

Edit: Less, I think it's something that turns into a hairy fruit! 

But maybe the one on the right is serenading his pal? Hairy fruit is a good clue!

-taff

YoungBlueEyes 

 ^^^ This, all day long. I think I was just bashing along before, now I've at least got the death rate down ha haa! Learning's half the fun of it though eh.

I don't know what it was about last year but I've been growing veg for years, but never really did flowers or trees, I just got things, planted them, was sad when they died etc with no plan or anythng. Last year for some reason, sounds silly, but it was like new pathways got made in my brain regarding weeds, flowers, trees etc. Not that a huge amount has changed but I'm definitely getting there on the covering all earth with something in the front garden although there is still a major amount of stick it in and see, and then hoik it out if it doesn't look happy.

I did indeed go back and buy the bed, and put it together last night and am about to clear an area for it today, ready to fill with part of the sawn down tree and my cheap ex strawberry compost, with fingers crossed none of the blighters have viable roots left.

Arb, that ooks really good, very neat and tidy looking. Lovely slabs too.

Dusty, maybe little on the bulding front but water in the tunnel is not to be sniffed at, that's an achievement worth doing.

Farway, that's a lovely rose, my mother would have loved that. I have one similar in the front garden my father gave me as a twig from hers. Seems like we like ot pass on plants as well as all the other stuff people leave in wills

Right, off ot move stones and baby ponds...Happy gardening today...

ArbitraryRandom

Dustyevsky said: That's a big project too. 

I was positively shook when the builder was working out how much soil to order - in total surface area they come to around 200 square foot/18m2 - that's a lot of square foot gardening  

LessImpecunious said:

Newly opened flower in the garden spotted yesterday, some will know what it is, others may like to have a guess! (Sorry it's a bit fuzzy, testing the macro on my phone but in too much of a rush...)

Picture looks good to me - like one of those flowers from Alice in Wonderland that's paying just a little too much attention to what you're doing...  

I only know what it is because I just bought one (which was delivered as bare root this morning, no leaves or flowers but some healthy buds and stuck in a spare pot with some strawberry runners from last year for now). 

Farway

Toms all potted on now, PIA, well PI Back really, but a job that has to be done, and as I survey the odd looking & unknown toms later in the year I'll be glad I did it.

Less, the flower is a one I have & makes nice crumbles

Plants sorted for delivery to DD tomorrow. I'm taking the growing runner beans along as well, a bit too soon, but by the time I see her again they could have a giant climbing down them looking for his Golden Goose.

Hopefully she will keep them sheltered for a week or so until it's all clear.

Made a start on tidying up & kicking back into life the streptocarpus cuttings I rooted last year, once they revive I can tidy up & remove dead bits etc

ArbitraryRandom

Sorry, but can someone please sense check me? 

This claims to be on a special rootstock so it wont' grow 6 foot... but I can't for the life of me find anything online that says (without careful pruning or training) any plum rootstock will naturally stay to that size. 

Prunus Opal Plum is a gorgeous, self fertile tree which will grow in any garden. Opal produces an early crop of large juicy sweet, superb flavoured dessert plums in late summer and bears stunning blooms of white flowers in the spring. This tree can be a grown a specimen tree in the garden or allotment. This tree has been specially grown on a high fruiting dwarf patio standard stem and will form a beautiful dwarf fruit tree and will only grow to approx 4-5ft tall, with a bushy head of approx 2-3ft wide when mature. Although the tree will stay nice & short which will be perfect for your patio, you wont be short of fruit! These are specially grown to have a very high yield (lots of fruit). Great if you lack space within the garden.

https://www.diy.com/departments/patio-dwarf-opal-plum-fruit-tree-3-4ft-supplied-in-a-5-litre-pot/5061013071574_BQ.prd


I'd also appreciate any opinions or experience with Prunus 'Porthos' (a 'bush' cherry with adult height of 2m)