Magazine style - all inclusive

[alp]

Didn't do much yesterday. Sowed seeds: Verbena, Paulownia tomentosa, (30m tall!? I won't worry about it as I have never had any success with my seeds so far and it's one of those seeds I kept buying every year.), Strawberry seeds (from the stall holder contracted to my son's work place for its catering functions. The strawberries were delicious), and some others.

An out of focus Ceres and a Harvington Smokey Blues!

 

[alp]

Went to the zoo and had a lovely day, albeit too windy!

Visited the aviary this time and it was a treat!

A white starling!

A scarlet ibis

A Manchurian Duck - a very handsome male!

 

[alp]

Saw another Manchurian Duck in gc yesterday. Amazing that I have seen two in as many days. Bought an Avalon Pride peach and don't think I will have any peaches this year. The poor thing was tall and straggly. Had to be trimmed to be put inside the car. Bought 2 Black Dragon iris and 2 mixed echinaceas and they turned out to be better quality in the store nearer to us.

A lot of snakes and lizards here

Hippo

Hunting dog

Okapi

Lemur

Wonder who can tell me what this clematis like flower is! It's an evergreen and grows up to 1.5m. The flowers are lovely!

It was most windy around 9 to 10.30. Then around 1pm heavens lashed down and after 3, sun came out and it was warm, calm and totally different weather to what went before, as if what the fuss before were about!

1c on Wednesday!

 

[Zenj]

Morning all lovely photos of the zoo alp ,snowing at the moment and a covering over night.

 

[alp]

Snowing!? Crumbs! I might need to cover something. Just when I think it's safe to plant out some salad leaves! My kitchen is choc-a bloc with trays.

 

[Perki]

Apparently it snowed early this morning but its rained since I've been up. I am still recovering from weekend went to a 30th birthday party and went watching the boxing , sleep pattern knackered again.

can't say I recognise the shrub alp .

 

[alp]

Zenj Wish you lived near, could have given you some tickets to take your grandkids to the zoos. The highlights for me are lemur feeding, meerkats, birds and butterflies.

London zoo has the most beautiful penguin enclosure and here are the opportunists fishing at feeding time!

A Fritillaria Imperialis?

Camellia Japonica Brushfield!

Perki - Practise yoga - no need to move your legs or arms, but deep inhaling and exhaling and try to relax, release all the nervous energy. It's really good for the body. You didn't physically go to watch the boxing match? On big TV? That's better - at least, no saliva or blooding flying around. To think these boxers might suffer from brain damage .. But still, it's another way of firing the passion in us ..

 

[alp]

It was so cold yesterday. I went out 3 or 4 times, but the chill in the air just shocked me. From now on - 2 pairs of trousers instead of whinging. Wonder how those people in Alaska survive in winter. It's frigging cold there! Glad that they have now so many docus on their lives. It really is enlightening!

 

[Zenj]

Morning all well the snow was short lived and was away by late afternoon ,3 days of dry weather according to forecast we need it.

 

[alp]

Yes. You and those up north and north west definitely NEED dry weather. You see, you can't even escape to sunny clime because of the coronavirus! The latter has really brought the world to its knees!

 

[alp]

River Severen has broken its barricade and the rain ribbon is still on going all the way across the pond! Feel so sorry for those trapped in waters. They really need to dredge rivers before autumn and build houses on stilts.

Old camera
Camellia J Brushfield

Midas

Trymlet

F Imperialis Lutea

Double Apricot

Another hellebore

Out of nowhere came this hellebore

Trymlet

Midas

New camera

Camellia Japonica Brushfield

 

[Zenj]

A frost this morning but now sun a few from the garden today the ceanothus shouldn’t be flowering now.

 

[Perki]

Can't make its mind up the weather , wet this morning . I've been out twice pruning the roses but keep coming back in when it starts snowing or hailstone the sun been out as well.

Very early for a ceanothus to be in flower . To early yet here for daffodils but I do have one or two rouge ones , most of the others haven't even budded up yet.

That's a nice camellia alp I hope mine decides it want to flower this year , its got plenty of buds on but they don't always open .

 

[alp]

I never have had a red double, Zenj! That's so lovely and so is the last one - so perfect and the spots are are evenly distributed. I was shocked to see ceanothus so early! There must be quite a bit of microclime in your garden, Zenj! Sooooo early! This year, I will have one flowering first time in 10 years. We culled the repens as it was taking over the front near the door. Now I have an AGM Puget and I could see buds, bot blooms, no! I kept buying them and they all died on me £2 a pop and I bought 3 of them. This is my 4th attempt and it was no longer in a pot.

I culled 2 or 3 hellebores yesterday. In fact, the whole day was spent labelling them and splitting them into smaller plants. In the morning, I spent 2 hours making hellebores - hall of fames 1 and 2 videos.

I also weeded a bit and it was ideal weather - 2 pairs of trousers and a thick gilet. I worked beyond 4 and then tidied up the work surface. Split 2 hellebores into 5 or 6 plants and watered them well.

The day before around 5pm, we had rumbling thunder and then lashes. Yesterday was so very bright and then it had a bit of sleet. I retired Blackie and then it stopped and it was gloriously bright again. I took Blackie out and at about 4pm, he perched near his coop and I put him back into the warmth and calm. When the sun was out, it was pure bliss! No rain after that.

My first camellia never flowered but it had buds. Turned out that spot was perpetually dry and the buds fell off. Last year, it flowered its socks off! That was the most common camellia that Carol Klein talked about. It had one flower 2 days ago.

Correction: This is Fritillaria raddeana

This is the camellia we used to make medicinal soup with. Think it was 99p from Home Bargains

I found my zen like hellebore yesterday

Videos

Hellebores: Hall of Fames 1

Hellebores: Hall of Fames 2

 

[Zenj]

Morning all
frosty but lovely sunny day alp your videos are very good loved watching them the colours are amazing lovely plants hard to pick my favourite the apricot is up there though.