@Valley Gardener Had a hanging basket with alpine strawberry plants in, they had been given to me by next door neighbour. Only a few fruits last year, but they were lovely. Came to tidy it up this afternoon , and yep, vine weevils had got to it, loads of grubs in the compost. I was seething, but managed to salvage 3 little bits that l have potted up. Grrrr.
@AnniD,..i am thankful that i have never come across the dreaded Vine Weevil,..perhaps its down to me not bringing in flower pots with soil,..i do bring in empty flower pots from people to whom i have given plants away to,..the rule is they get plants but must give me back empty flower pots,..i must check those empty flower pots in the future and zap them just in case.
Sorry to read about your Alpine Strawberry Plants,..fingers crossed the three little bits take for you.
Lol about the ice cream,..i ate nearly all of it myself,..except when i had the 87 year old neighbour as when she was sitting out in her garden admiring the plants i planted for her i would nip across with some ice cream and strawberries,..it was like giving a child ice cream,..i still miss her being there and she died in Nov 2016,..seems like only yesterday.
I laughed when i could picture you digging up caterpillars for Mr B and you then sitting on the porch throwing bits of suet to him,..still shaking my head,..you'r a panic lol.
Still no sign of your Hedgehog?,..but mouse appears,..i hope its not sick but gone walkabout looking for females,..presuming yours is a male lol,..just after 11.00 here and no sign of any Hedgehog here either.
@Fran IOM,..another nice sunny day here,..walked the dog and went shopping for my groceries,..i looked but wasn't tempted to buy any of the multitude of plants on display in the supermarket,..my attention was drawn to climbers,..alarm bells rang in my head as they had Virginia Creeper which i admire every year growing along a wall opposite my house,..i passed the test and moved along.
Digitalis 'Foxgloves',..now is the time when you can remove the young plants on the spire and pot them,..the spire is from the plant that bloomed last season,..like below,..it was a lot taller of course and i cut off several already so there are still about six plants that can be made from this
when cut off.
Then where to cut it,..just below the green area.
Dip it in rooting powder or rooting gel and pot it,..leave it outside.
I have a friend in Ohio,..America,..she made her own stone bird bath,..mixed some cement with pebbles,..scooped a hole in the soil in the shape of a bird bath,..placed some plastic sheeting in the hole,..added a full Rhubarb leaf on top the plastic,..then added the mix of cement and pebbles on top of the Rhubarb leaf so when it hardened it had the shape of the leaf all around the bird bath which she then painted green,..she was lucky to have a tree stump to place the bird bath on top.
@Purplerain,..yes its entertaining to see and hear the Hedgehogs and family,..i am listening out for them tonight as up to now still not a sound,..maybe they got enough last night,..no sooner than i wrote this i heard the crunching of cat food,..looked out and there is just one,..captured an image through the glass door rather than open the door,..leave it to eat in comfort.
I was looking at my Wallflowers today and decided to take cutting tomorrow of three species,..Erysimum cheri 'Bowles Mauve',..Erysimum cheri 'Blood Red',..and Erysimum Linifolium Variegatum 'Variegated ',..the latter i have two but it will be good to take all three and have them growing from the same time,..Bowles Mauve didn't put on a good show last year for some reason but its looking good with lots of buds,..fingers crossed.
I don't think my soil is right for Lavender,..as you mention perhaps too rich a soil and i am inclined to agree on that,..shame as i also like the scent.
@Valley Gardener,..here's hoping you are getting over that cold,..its a terrible dose and added with a sore throat,..every year my Doctors Secretary sends out notification that the Flu Jab is available,..just as a formality in my case as the Doctor doesn't recommend i take the Jab,..the last time i got a cold or Flu was back in the early 1980's and that was in London,..heaven knows how long before that,..i would guess it was in the mid 1960's,..so i was advised not to take the Jab in case it did something to activate me getting colds and Flu in the future,..makes sense when one thinks about it.
Sooooo feeding the Tadpoles boiled Lettuce,..i would never have thought to do that presuming they didn't need anything other than that which was in the pond,..one learns,..you may have some super frogs from the extra nourishment
Pieris japonica 'Mountain Fire',..putting on a good show at present despite it being moved from back garden to front garden.
@nultyphilip224 . Another gorgeous Amarylis... Feeling really ill now,going back to bed! Think Oh is getting it too,he's got the throat! We've had the jab,but of course it doesn't cover all strains,I've a nasty feeling it is A type of flu,as there's no way I could make it to the docs. Thank you all for your good wishes and have a great day.
The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
Good Morning all. @Valley Gardener So sorry you are feeling so ill and OH not good either. Let's hope a day in bed will do the trick and you will feel better tomorrow. Do hope your daughter hasn't caught it as well. Can't imagine my daughter wanting to swap clothes with me although she has given me some of hers. Hope the cold sore is getting better as well. @AnniD Maybe little mouse gets his instructions from Mr Hog to go and see what is on offer and report back to him. Hope all the hedgehogs are comfortable in the shredded newspapers. How good you are. Do hope you get rid of your vine weevils. @Purplerain Did I get anything from SGC? Oh dear yes. I must get my other plants out in the ground before they arrive. Got - Polmonium Caeruleum, Saxifraga x2 Peter Pan and Elf, Anemone, Geum Tosai and Eryngium. Had to make it just over £10 plus discount so that once the discount was taken off it would be £10 free of postage. I wonder if they have noticed their sales have gone up recently. Do you remember your purchase "something beginning with H"? @nultyphilip224 Thank you for the instructions for taking cuttings from the foxgloves. Very explicit and helpful. I wouldn't have been doing it right. Must take some rooting powder over to the allotment. My Pieris Japonica is showing lovely red colour now too. Brightens the place up. I am never impressed by some of the plants outside SM's. They could usually do with a watering. My recent purchases of two geraniums from the local greengrocer/florist were well established and healthy. Virginia Creeper takes me back to Victorian times somehow. Don't know why.
Had another productive day yesterday. Perfect gardening weather. Think it could be slightly colder today. The hanging basket I made up with pansies was supposed to hang from the pergola but I couldn't secure it properly as it was too high so then noticed an ideal branch on the apple tree so there it hangs and looks much better than it would have done on the pergola. Lots more weeding done and hopefully not too much more to do. Famous last words.
Good afternoon all. Yet another glorious day and pottered rather than worked in the garden. I planted a clematis Volcano beside the new arch as the old one blew down last year, and cut back some ivy that holds a fence up at the back of the garden. It should be the other way about but never mind 😀.
@nultyphilip224 inspired by your plan to take Erysimum cuttings, I decided to take some too. I sat on the back step in the sun, and felt very happy doing them.
@Fran IOM the H plant is Helenium short and sassy (like me). I don't remember growing it before so I will see if it likes my soil. Your Eryngium will be smothered in bees in the Summer. I thought I had a swarm at one point last year, there were so many of them on the one plant.
@Valley Gardener I hope you get well soon. It's such a shame that you are ill with this lovely weather. Stay tucked up and warm.
@AnniD I can't believe the evil weevil are in your strawberry planter too. This must seem like a big problem and I hope your nematodes work. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that I dont get them. I will check all new plants for them.
I think that's me finished for the day so take care all.
@Purplerain I've got Volcano too! I think I've planted it next to Josephine,which is a pink double. We will compare notes when they flower! All I've done today is empty the coffee grains on the garden,and put lettuce in for the tads. I've got so much to do out there,and inside come to that!!
The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
Posts
Had a hanging basket with alpine strawberry plants in, they had been given to me by next door neighbour. Only a few fruits last year, but they were lovely. Came to tidy it up this afternoon , and yep, vine weevils had got to it, loads of grubs in the compost. I was seething, but managed to salvage 3 little bits that l have potted up. Grrrr.
Sorry to read about your Alpine Strawberry Plants,..fingers crossed the three little bits take for you.
Lol about the ice cream,..i ate nearly all of it myself,..except when i had the 87 year old neighbour as when she was sitting out in her garden admiring the plants i planted for her i would nip across with some ice cream and strawberries,..it was like giving a child ice cream,..i still miss her being there and she died in Nov 2016,..seems like only yesterday.
I laughed when i could picture you digging up caterpillars for Mr B and you then sitting on the porch throwing bits of suet to him,..still shaking my head,..you'r a panic lol.
Still no sign of your Hedgehog?,..but mouse appears,..i hope its not sick but gone walkabout looking for females,..presuming yours is a male lol,..just after 11.00 here and no sign of any Hedgehog here either.
Digitalis 'Foxgloves',..now is the time when you can remove the young plants on the spire and pot them,..the spire is from the plant that bloomed last season,..like below,..it was a lot taller of course and i cut off several already so there are still about six plants that can be made from this
when cut off.
Then where to cut it,..just below the green area.
Dip it in rooting powder or rooting gel and pot it,..leave it outside.
I have a friend in Ohio,..America,..she made her own stone bird bath,..mixed some cement with pebbles,..scooped a hole in the soil in the shape of a bird bath,..placed some plastic sheeting in the hole,..added a full Rhubarb leaf on top the plastic,..then added the mix of cement and pebbles on top of the Rhubarb leaf so when it hardened it had the shape of the leaf all around the bird bath which she then painted green,..she was lucky to have a tree stump to place the bird bath on top.
I was looking at my Wallflowers today and decided to take cutting tomorrow of three species,..Erysimum cheri 'Bowles Mauve',..Erysimum cheri 'Blood Red',..and Erysimum Linifolium Variegatum 'Variegated ',..the latter i have two but it will be good to take all three and have them growing from the same time,..Bowles Mauve didn't put on a good show last year for some reason but its looking good with lots of buds,..fingers crossed.
I don't think my soil is right for Lavender,..as you mention perhaps too rich a soil and i am inclined to agree on that,..shame as i also like the scent.
Sooooo feeding the Tadpoles boiled Lettuce,..i would never have thought to do that presuming they didn't need anything other than that which was in the pond,..one learns,..you may have some super frogs from the extra nourishment
Pieris japonica 'Mountain Fire',..putting on a good show at present despite it being moved from back garden to front garden.
Amaryllis 'Minerva'.
Feeling really ill now,going back to bed! Think Oh is getting it too,he's got the throat! We've had the jab,but of course it doesn't cover all strains,I've a nasty feeling it is A type of flu,as there's no way I could make it to the docs.
Thank you all for your good wishes and have a great day.
@Valley Gardener So sorry you are feeling so ill and OH not good either. Let's hope a day in bed will do the trick and you will feel better tomorrow. Do hope your daughter hasn't caught it as well. Can't imagine my daughter wanting to swap clothes with me although she has given me some of hers. Hope the cold sore is getting better as well.
@AnniD Maybe little mouse gets his instructions from Mr Hog to go and see what is on offer and report back to him. Hope all the hedgehogs are comfortable in the shredded newspapers. How good you are. Do hope you get rid of your vine weevils.
@Purplerain Did I get anything from SGC? Oh dear yes. I must get my other plants out in the ground before they arrive. Got - Polmonium Caeruleum, Saxifraga x2 Peter Pan and Elf, Anemone, Geum Tosai and Eryngium. Had to make it just over £10 plus discount so that once the discount was taken off it would be £10 free of postage. I wonder if they have noticed their sales have gone up recently. Do you remember your purchase "something beginning with H"?
@nultyphilip224 Thank you for the instructions for taking cuttings from the foxgloves. Very explicit and helpful. I wouldn't have been doing it right. Must take some rooting powder over to the allotment. My Pieris Japonica is showing lovely red colour now too. Brightens the place up. I am never impressed by some of the plants outside SM's. They could usually do with a watering. My recent purchases of two geraniums from the local greengrocer/florist were well established and healthy. Virginia Creeper takes me back to Victorian times somehow. Don't know why.
Had another productive day yesterday. Perfect gardening weather. Think it could be slightly colder today. The hanging basket I made up with pansies was supposed to hang from the pergola but I couldn't secure it properly as it was too high so then noticed an ideal branch on the apple tree so there it hangs and looks much better than it would have done on the pergola. Lots more weeding done and hopefully not too much more to do. Famous last words.
Have a good day all.
@nultyphilip224 inspired by your plan to take Erysimum cuttings, I decided to take some too. I sat on the back step in the sun, and felt very happy doing them.
@Fran IOM the H plant is Helenium short and sassy (like me). I don't remember growing it before so I will see if it likes my soil. Your Eryngium will be smothered in bees in the Summer. I thought I had a swarm at one point last year, there were so many of them on the one plant.
@Valley Gardener I hope you get well soon. It's such a shame that you are ill with this lovely weather. Stay tucked up and warm.
@AnniD I can't believe the evil weevil are in your strawberry planter too. This must seem like a big problem and I hope your nematodes work. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that I dont get them. I will check all new plants for them.
I think that's me finished for the day so take care all.
All I've done today is empty the coffee grains on the garden,and put lettuce in for the tads.
I've got so much to do out there,and inside come to that!!