@Nollie ..thank you, I'm glad you liked them... ...no worms ?.. you know when I came here 10 years ago, we had no worms, no birds either, nothing for them to eat . it was all paved over with landscaping fabric underneath... the soil was dead.. it's been a hard slog since...
...by the way @Nollie, I hope you find this as amusing as I did today... and I would be mortified if you didn't, so please forgive in advance whether I've got this right or wrong because it's none of my business anyway, but as we've been talking roses for over a year or more, I always had you down as a lady gardener... don't ask me why, I just made that assumption and never thought more of it... until I saw an earlier post today which made me question those assumptions.... ...then I looked up 'Nollie' meaning and it says ''male gender'... doh !... lol !!
I enjoyed a glass of wine in the garden and watching sparrows and blue tits eating aphids today. And my cat trying to hunt them... she's still a kitten, very clumsy. Obviously, it would be better if they could have their dinner without this little beast disturbing them but I am happy to have them (and she's only out when I am out so not bothering them too much).
No problem @Marlorena, I am used it it and don’t mind either way. An old uni friend and I both have forenames used for both sexes, but more commonly thought of as female, causing much confusion and hilarity over the years. Nollie is actually an old nickname derived from my surname, though.
Back to gardening, sadly, no worms in my borders (some in the veg garden) but I do wonder if my border soil lacks microbial activity - its a thin layer of clay on rock, a previous owner put down a layer of compacting gravel and builder’s sand (I have dug out barrows-full of the stuff), then I added tonnes of bagged manure, compost and sharp grit all of which would be fully broken down if not sterilised.
The shrubs and perennials are fine, but maybe I have actually been slowly starving my roses over the years if the DA organic rose food has had nothing to break it down - like roses in pots. Of course this could all be nonsense, I don't know enough about soil microbiology, but be interesting to see if my use of inorganic fertilisers this year is having the effect I think it is, or whether it’s just all that rain we have had!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
...oh good it wasn't just me either.. yes I remember that now.. I've obviously been talking to too many ladies over the years, yet most professional rosarians I know are male.. I think my Desdemona has just opened... I might get a frost next week... hardly had one all winter now I get one in May...
@Nollie thanks for understanding... you've done so much there with your soil, I used to garden with a thin clay level, not much more than 4 inches overlying a granite bedrock...new build, the builders took all the best top soil and left me with just a layer of turf virtually... that's where I learned to trim the roots of bare root roses when planting, and how it did not impair their performance... I also planted some at an angle [they right themselves]... there was no other way I could plant them.. turned into the best garden I had eventually..
This is where I recommend Julia Child rose [Absolutely Fabulous to us]... because although I no longer have it, it was just too darn good for my border, and made everything else look rather plain actually... it grew huge and was out of place.. yet the soil there is just rubble and builders sand with a bit of loam somewhere in the mix... never saw a worm till recently, but Julia thrived in that... I reckon that's why she does so well in yours too..
Lovely... I like your oranges and lemons... I think you considered getting rid of Munstead at one time didn't you?.. mine are a peculiar shape, whereas yours seem fairly even...
Posts
..thank you, I'm glad you liked them...
...no worms ?.. you know when I came here 10 years ago, we had no worms, no birds either, nothing for them to eat . it was all paved over with landscaping fabric underneath... the soil was dead.. it's been a hard slog since...
...then I looked up 'Nollie' meaning and it says ''male gender'... doh !... lol !!
Back to gardening, sadly, no worms in my borders (some in the veg garden) but I do wonder if my border soil lacks microbial activity - its a thin layer of clay on rock, a previous owner put down a layer of compacting gravel and builder’s sand (I have dug out barrows-full of the stuff), then I added tonnes of bagged manure, compost and sharp grit all of which would be fully broken down if not sterilised.
Glad it wasn’t just me! Had a similar “ohhhh!” moment yesterday when’s I saw your post.
Mind you Marlorena also thought I was a lady until I changed my username!
Edit: haha, I found it
I think my Desdemona has just opened... I might get a frost next week... hardly had one all winter now I get one in May...
@Nollie thanks for understanding... you've done so much there with your soil, I used to garden with a thin clay level, not much more than 4 inches overlying a granite bedrock...new build, the builders took all the best top soil and left me with just a layer of turf virtually... that's where I learned to trim the roots of bare root roses when planting, and how it did not impair their performance... I also planted some at an angle [they right themselves]... there was no other way I could plant them.. turned into the best garden I had eventually..
This is where I recommend Julia Child rose [Absolutely Fabulous to us]... because although I no longer have it, it was just too darn good for my border, and made everything else look rather plain actually... it grew huge and was out of place.. yet the soil there is just rubble and builders sand with a bit of loam somewhere in the mix... never saw a worm till recently, but Julia thrived in that... I reckon that's why she does so well in yours too..
Munstead Wood looking the best it ever has for me:
Darcy Bussell:
Little Warm Welcome, my second, waiting to be planted out in my Oranges and Lemons border:
And The Prince’s Trust, opening today, hopefully: