Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

Aw that link. Had real trouble. It was as if Amazon had a cookie placed and that's all I seemed to get + it wouldn't give me the page advertised

I don't know what I've done with my photo of the cake covers either. Filed it I suspect - but where?

Bit hot to garden now so all change.

I found this as a pressie for Bluey while I was looking for cake covers

Dog training for retreving at a village near Dusty. I was there for ages watching them

Rosa Mundi has a wonderful history if it's that, it's also pretty bomb proof as most of the old roses are.

Paspatur

@Dustyevsky you are spot on there with the foxglove it does not matter whether it is fasciation or a peloric mutation it is just a wonderful reminder of how nature can gobsmack me time and time again
@YoungBlueEyes yes Turkey
@Farway there are around 10 tortoises in the grounds and they are really not pests, there are at least 40 Turkish hollyhocks plus lots and lots of other plants and they don't eat them. Unusual for this one to eat those plant leaves but they are normally trimmed by now but a heatwave of 40 degrees delayed pruning and this particular tortoise is the only one who ventures round the swimming pool for a daily walk. On numerous occasions I have put my hand down to grab my water bottle and found the tortoise marching from under the sunbed. The others tend to hide in shady corners and they do get fed with fruit and veg. I think the wanderer just wondered what the vegetation was that is not normally there on it's daily walk

goldfinches

Lovely weird foxglove and terrific tortoise too. I'm really enjoying your photos of the posh garden near you Dusty, I'm off to visit the yellow book open gardens tomorrow afternoon so I'll take my camera along and see what I can capture. 

I spent several hours doing yet more weeding at my allotment and then planting out sweetcorn so I've fingers crossed the pigeons don't take a fancy to them; the calabrese I planted out on Monday and forgot to net got munched but are all still alive so I hope they'll recover and grow on. 

I spotted this robin picking over the bit I'd weeded and then dug over to get rid of the marjoram and thistle roots.



I've still got a way to go with the clearing but I'm beginning to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel so I'll keep plugging away.

2p - all your links show up with the !!! instead of the website name for me which I always assumed was a problem with my browser but it's a pain because I never can see any of the things you're showing us. 

Ybe - I think it's Rosa Mundi too and agree that the scent is a knockout. My only reservation with roses is that they look so dull when they're not in leaf, there's a rose garden on a historic site near Magdalen Bridge here and it smells heavenly on warm summer afternoons but in the winter it just looks like a lot of scratchy sticks. How has your neighbour managed to avoid the dreaded slugs, if you find out could you help her to bottle it and make a mint? I'm sure I have at least half a million on my allotment alone and have got through almost a ton of slug pellets already, it's so discouraging to find your salads vanishing when they've only just germinated. That cat is creepy, get a water pistol and discourage the nasty thing. 

PP - rabbit and pigeon pie springs to mind as a possible solution to your woes. 

Farway - no licence here either so I might fossick around on YT and look at Beechgrove sometime too but really no-one is a patch on Geoff Hamilton and Barnsdale, I've just discovered that they now offer holidays there which include tours of the garden so I'm saving to go. Lemon scented posties knees made me hoot, but it's a lovely idea to plant things to brush against and release aroma so I'll remember that. I've seen Coleus used for bedding very effectively too, there's always next year.

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

Here's one from my outing the other day to a posh garden, don't know what the plant was but the shield bugs loved it

I think it's Echinops ritro. I don't recommend growing it from seed. It's a right pain to look after when young.

I'd no idea where that village with a bridge is 2p, but it's a large bridge, and not much water coming through! I've ruled out Landacre and plumped for Withypool. It's a good place to train hawks as well, up on the common with great views across the valley.

I'm not keen on any rose with variegated flowers like the one pictured. Early in our horticultural meanderings, we bought a Harry Wheatcroft  rose...

After a few years, we concluded it was so awful it had to go!

The pussycat looks like it should go on a diet, but animals can't help what they look like. Humans can. If I had better self-control, I'd look slimmer.

twopenny said:

Love that stream Dusty. Is that what yours looks like?

I'm not sure which stream you mean. My stream is almost dry now. The last posh garden photo I uploaded showed their mini valley, which has a spring and a series of ponds, all with bridges. Here's another view, a bit further down:

Nice Physocarpus 'Diabolo' on the left side. That's a bomb-proof shrub and easy to propagate, as is its yellow cousin, 'Dart's Gold.'

YoungBlueEyes

A white cat with orange eyes pp - that is literally the stuff of nightmares I don't know why it's so fat, might be pregnant, possibly? Aye Peasholm is a Japanese stylee garden, but I much preferred the Beachgrove woman's one. Jeez it was good. How's your wonky tatties btw? Have you persuaded them to stand up straight? When's the first harvest due...?  

2p those pics are heaven itself Gawd what I wouldn't give. I bet the fourth dog in the bottom pic did some shaking when he got out Can we add something to the Rottery Acres list - I'd like kennels for some labs and spaniels please. I've been long enough now without dogs.

I don't know how Posh Friend is slugless, the gardens either side of her are ummm .....wonderfully natural wildernesses She has no ants or mare's tails or bindweed or thistles either *shrug* And her grass front and back is covered in daisies! 

Cute little robin there gf, they're such a joy Your allotment is coming on eh. Have you got it sorted in your head what you'll do with it all?

Your bridge pic is beautiful Dusty, love the colour And the plant on the left looks devilishly good    Another one I'll have to keep my eye out for...

Sunny and bright but windy here. Dawn (well a bit after dawn now) was perfect, the wind hadn't got up yet and the air was so soft and clear. Windy and sunny and cool all day, they say, but it's warmer now than it will be all next week. Possibly. Flaming June? Aye flaming June :rolleyes: 

Farway

Weather is looking much better this morning, sun's out. It was very cold yesterday, not a day for gardening at all, with a bitter and cutting wind.

goldfinches said:

Farway - no licence here either so I might fossick around on YT and look at Beechgrove sometime too but really no-one is a patch on Geoff Hamilton and Barnsdale, I've just discovered that they now offer holidays there which include tours of the garden so I'm saving to go. Lemon scented posties knees made me hoot, but it's a lovely idea to plant things to brush against and release aroma so I'll remember that. I've seen Coleus used for bedding very effectively too, there's always next year.

I found Beechgrove yesterday instead of doing proper mucky hands gardening
 that Japanese style garden just shows what can be done, and I liked the fallen over forsythia repair where it all went wrong and finished up just like I'd do, tied up with some rope to post.

Geoff & co are on YT, and now I'll have to watch them.

Dustyevsky said:

Early in our horticultural meanderings, we bought a Harry Wheatcroft  rose...

After a few years, we concluded it was so awful it had to go!

The pussycat looks like it should go on a diet, but animals can't help what they look like. Humans can. If I had better self-control, I'd look slimmer.

As we are of similar vintage, I also remember the fad for striped roses. Harry W made quite a name for himself, at the time. I think we've discussed this previously?

Ditto the slimmer bit, I can empathise with that

If weather holds up, I hope to prowl around and maybe tie in new Merton Thornless blackberry shoots and anything else I spot

One Must Do is pot up the germinated Celebration runners, pic below

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

As we are of similar vintage, I also remember the fad for striped roses. Harry W made quite a name for himself, at the time. I think we've discussed this previously?

Ditto the slimmer bit, I can empathise with that

Being of that vintage, if we did discuss Harry and his flamboyant roses + facial hair before, I don't remember!

The drunks say it will start well here today, but cloud up about the time we go for an amble around the open gardens in the small town nearby. Photos are often better if It's not too bright. We'll have to wrap up well against the persistent north westerlies though, bound to be boiling us at 13c. I'll be looking out in particular for some good sitooteries. In the meantime, even further down the valley in the posh garden, here's one of theirs. It's quite a tramp from the house! 

pink_poppy

Our white pussycat was beautiful, YBE. Her nickname was 'fatness' because she loved her food   My tatties are still wonky - I haven't been out there for days because of the weather, but I can see them from the kitchen. I really, really need to earth them up some more - maybe today because the weather is supposed to be dry. Absolutely no idea when they'll be ready to harvest - I think a few more weeks?? They were planted on 2nd May, so maybe August time (if they don't get blight)...

I could never put bunny in a pie, goldfinches, the baby one is too cute, even if it has eaten my Hollyhock

Dusty, I lurve that Lutyens bench - getting one is still on my wish list. That one looks a wee bit fancier than others I've lusted over seen. That's a very nice sitooterie.

Germinating beans on a bit of damp kitchen roll never ceases to amaze me, Farway. I don't understand how it works?! My brain just can't work it out   

I had four blackbirds waiting for me when I opened the back door this morning, then the robin flew down to join them. I put an insect infused suet block out on Thursday and that seems to have brought the bluetits back as well, including at least two fluffy babies.

The weather today is cool and cloudy...

twopenny

Hot and humid here with deep cloud close down.

I've made a huge dent in removing the bramble pile and did a bit this morning too. There's a hedgehog shelter underneath so I've raked up some small pliable branches and will do my best to re roof it when done.

Sorry about the links Goldie. Not sure what I can do but I don't think you;re missing much.

I'm another that's not keen on striped roses, striped tulips etc. But as I said before I like the old roses. Scented, pretty much disease free and have scent.

Stuff in my garden has to look after itself mostly.

Yes Pas, nature is amazing. Yet it passes people by time and again because they are too busy planning to look at what's there now.

Another who wants that bench, darn Farway got first dibs Still looking for one that's in my price range  

We;ve got loads of baby bunnies on the moor, have to drive slow but they are nimble enough. It's the Ohhhh cute factor for the ones small enough to sit on your hand.

Robin on the allotment must mean good soil full of bugs

Right, that's the cup of tea and cool down over. Off to browse then one more bucket of brambles phew!

Farway

Sun's gone in and clouds have arrived.

But before that happened, I did get my germinated runners potted on, now waiting until green shoots pop up & safe to plant out. 

As I thought, all the previous ones have been noshed by slugs, isn't is a sign of madness to keep doing the same thing & expecting a different result?

Lock me away

pink_poppy said:

Germinating beans on a bit of damp kitchen roll never ceases to amaze me, Farway. I don't understand how it works?! My brain just can't work it out   

One of the wonders of the world , works with all seeds, not just beans, but beans are large enough to easily handle & sort

When you think about it, it's the same as being in the ground, except you control the environment, warmth, moisture, no bugs etc

Very handy for only half a dozen beans or peas.

Whisper, shhh, hush hush, my cherries are looking lush, colour is coming on & starting to be plumptious.

I've put chicken mesh over them so that should may prevent feathered attack, furry & slimy attacks may occur of course.

And look what I found, wonky Heritage raspberry, my first one, from Morries this March, £2.50. It's an early bird, the main crop, ho ho, is Autumn.