Magazine style - all inclusive

[alp]

Yes, very cold night. I'm feeling a bit unsteady. A bit wanting to vomit. Hope it's not the bug! Need to change and sow more seeds. I so want to buy the Black Buddha from Farmer Gracy, but free delivery for over £50! I won't be parting with £50. That's for sure. Going to clean up at least one propagator and use it for 3 nights.

 

[Perki]

Well I am back in the house its lovely and warm in the GH even though its not partially sunny more overcast , sowed more seeds while in there Cosmos purity and candystripe which I may plant together if they germinate , Also more cleome there a bugger to germinate I am using seeds I collected very late last year which I didn't dry to well, others seeds sown canary creeper - 3 types of marigold - Tomato sunlemon - Ammi vasnaga - sunflower and some others I've forgot .

That were the jobs in the GH done and now for outside where is cold and trying to snow, cleared out the rest of the veg beds mulch with own compost . Planted out my potatoes in one bed , I am growing Red duke of York ( earlies ) this year . Pulled the odd weed out while inspecting the borders after using the rest of my Home compost mulching one of the borders.

It were Free P+P last week that why I bought some bits , only just remembered though about 10.30pm Sunday, I hate paying postage but sometimes its probably cheaper than traveling at times.

 

[alp]

You're so lucky. I missed the boat! Perhaps for the best. Went out shopping for food for the bird! But got the wrong type. Now we might have to go again. Such a nuisance!

The queue at Tesco was so long that we gave up and went to Lidl instead. What a joy! Things were much cheaper. Got another 3 cucumbers, not realising that there was one in the fridge. Got another box of White Ferrero Rocher (which I nearly finished! Ooooops!)

Whilst shopping, heard something chucking at the rooftop. Turned out that I missed a solid 5 minutes of sleeting. The windscreen still showed a strip of the white pebbles when I was out. Got quite a lot of stuff and now I can relax. My lean to is now choc a bloc.

Roasted chicken for my little emperor tonight. Why isn't it Mothering Sunday again?

 

[alp]

It's totally miserable and grey outside. Cold and it was quite windy too.

By the look of it, today will be a joyless day - sunshine at a premium, chill factor free gift!

It was so sad to see most businesses closed yesterday. Untold human misery, especially those doctors and nurses at the front line.

I also have Duke of York potatoes, Perki! I just don't want to commit them to ground, but I might have to take them to the allotment. You've sown a lot, Once potatoes are in the ground, you will have them in perpetuity. Not funny!

I have checked for my pirouettes, some seedlings got top leaves eaten - hopeless. Can't find slug pellets. Hopeless again!

Today, I'm going to sow some more hanging basket materials. I have some aubretias, some verbenas. Just have to make a list.

Stay warm and stay safe! Enjoy the pond and the GH! My lean-to is just oozing with warmth.

 

[alp]

Just now, I saw that Perki actually bought 16 x 50L. Whoa! That's serious! I only had 570L, dwarfed by 800L. Wish I could order via a lorry load.

Put out a lot of cuttings and seedlings into my cold frame outside. Sowed more petunia, lobelias and verbena. Had never been so late. I read that label from last year and it read 22/2. Such a failure this year.

The erythroniums were so slow. I had about 6 decent buds, but they just stood there, teasing with a bit of white, pink and yellow!

Look at the lovely temperatures! Not! Another cold night to come.

Saturday when the temperature starts to climb, we will go to the allotment to plant out the potatoes.

Well, it's not all doom and gloom! Courgette Black Beauty is strong and healthy, so is Tom Florentino

My dahlia root cuttings are coming on nicely! So are the salvia seeds from Chilterns

Cerinthe blooms are teasing bees and me!

Hellebore Ceres

H pink Tutu

Have a nice and warm day!

 

[Perki]

Not so warm here and it must of rained over night. Which salvias are you growing ? Your dahlia cutting are loking good as well, did you see gardeners world last friday about dahlia cutting plants have bigger and more vibrant flowers ?

I always buy a load of compost before potting on seedling so not stockpiling due to covid 19 but I am glad I did buy it just in time. I've already used 2 and half bags before buying 16 more, I'll probably need 8 ish more bags when I plant my summer pots up.

I've been taking plants into the GH this week but more frost forecast for Friday morning and Saturday so I'll have to bring them in for those days, due to warm back up though . GH is already pritty full and I've still got majority of my seedling in the house.

 

[alp]

I have about 7 new salvia growing, including Hians! Sorry, just got evicted from the living room. Talk later!

 

[alp]

Got evicted for half an hour, but I had to water a lot of potted plants. I have to give up on some of my hellebores as I haven't divided my doubles yet, so I definitely need to buy a piece of land like the dahlia growers. Yes, it's amazing that rooted cuttings and tuber growths give out different grades of flowers. I remember Zenj talked about getting a flower which looked nowhere like what the seed/tuber packet showed. And I love the Galanthus Steve Owen! Wish there would be one named after me. I'm trying my hand at bearded iris pollination and have sown some seeds. Need to sow some later. I have already cross pollinated some galanthus.

Café au Lait I used to have! Don't think I have it this time and all the gc selling them are closed. Thanks. Some of the cuttings look good as I managed to take a bit of tuber, but it's hard work. 2/3 times I couldn't manage it.

Heard on the news that 2000 nurseries are throwing away their plants. They don't need to, Online commerce is going crazy and the postmen have never got any recognition! It's very sad. Wish I could be their bins!

Salvia Glutinosa which started my trouble! LOL!

Salvia Jurisicii

Salvia Moorcroftiana

Sadly not Moorcroftiana Shangri La

Salvia Barrelierri

I have the feeling this is a wrong photo! Ooops!

Salvia Rose Rhapsody

Salvia Viscosa

Those from Chilterns are doing very well, from Plant World seeds, I have to check.

Also, this year I have bought some abutilon seeds and hope they will reward me. You all know how I get close and personal with the markings of abutilons! Just love them.

Penstemon Cyananthus

Penstemon Mexicanus

It's like I'm counting chicks before they are hatched.

I definitely will have Salvia Glutinosa as I have bought a plant and have taken cuttings, but the blessed aphids are part of the foodchain! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr! Yesterday, I took 5 ladybirds from outside and released them in my lean to. I wonder if they will actively procreate or actively annihilate the blessed green tiny behemoths!

Funny how Salvias are named so horribly - Glutinosa, Uliginosa!

My large Glutinosa plant is outside sitting under a grand dome taken from the allotment as it was left by the previous owner! Yeah!

 

[alp]

Is there an emoji for a sign of relief!? Finally, 5c is the predicted minimum. The night before last was horrific. My bungei was roasted, 2 salvias toasted! I cut off the top horrible stewed bits and covered them with big paint tubs. Normally, around this time, my hellebores will be covered with aphids. Thank heavens NOT this year, but the chill had greyed my hardy slipper orchids, so I took them back in the lean to. Nothing going on, except for this

AND I actually have a label Dens Canis x 5! 5 bulbs for £5.99 was very reasonable. When I stumbled upon that, I was very happy and now even happier!

Took some dahlia cuttings again and the names seemed to alien to me - Optic Illusion, Fancy Pants .. The latter is actually stunning.

I don't mind wearing this one! Charming and delightful!

Ah, I must persevere with my Salvia Hians.. 3rd time lucky I hope now that the weather is more clement!

 

[alp]

Wonder if it's safe to plant my sweetcorns outside on Sunday or Saturday!

If only every dahlia cuttings were like this

I'm not the only one getting excited over new growths

Camellia

Amazing how plants respond to heat. Near heat and sunshine, they bloom so much earlier!

 

[alp]

I hope you are all going to enjoy my good fortune! I wonder if my limping seeds now feel the searing heat after the freezing chill!

My lovely E G Waterhouse

When the sun is out, I will cross pollinate the two and I wonder if they have seeds! I remember someone saying that the yellow one might not have seeds.

I might ask the supplier as to the name of this beauty with purple pollen! Lovely as it's different.

Pagoda I think!

Apricot Twirl - Due to the lack of space, I have dug up Daffs and tulips are no exception. Suddenly, last night the daff episode made me see them in a different light! Some salmon pink ones were simply stunning!

Apricot Twirl is one confused beauty!

How are your Farmer Gracy performing?

 

[Perki]

Blimey all that sun , you'll be crying out for rain again soon .

Do you mean my farmer gracy bulbs from last autumn ? I think / are they are coming up some camassia and daffs , you are a lot further on than me daffs started flowering down town ( about 250 -300 feet lower down ) about 2 week ago my very few large daffs in the garden haven't been open more than a week. The ones in the pots are behind cause I plant them late. MY crown imperial fritillaria are just starting to flower .

Just been down weeding at that new job I were on about a while back , I haven't got a picture yet but its mainly shrubs / conifers but some nice unusual conifers . He has a tree fern as well about 5ft tall.

 

[alp]

I cackled! What do you mean by crying out for rain again soon? I AM ALREADY CRYING!
3 and a half butts gone!

Even when it's raining, I would take the water in the kitchen for washing vegs and stuff to the front garden as I knew it wouldn't be long when the garden would be patched. The strong wind literally dried up my back garden. Quite a few hellebores in pots have been abandoned by me! What a bad mother!

Did you people see Adam Frost using a pathetic crate to grow carrots! He must be growing Chantenay carrots!

Rachel was on and last time she went to Monty's, they nearly had fisticuffs!

I have quite a few camassias and I have gone off them and couldn't even recognise what they were. I do have 2 lovely daffs from Farmer Gracy and a grosesque dark blue muscari! I would never let them go loose in the ground. The ordinary muscari has always been giving me a fright. You need to mash the roots up or they multiply like thugs.

That orange is really pretty!

Went to the allotment and felt like a fish out of water. All the men folks there turned their soil and all very neat and well dug. I just wanted to get away with doing as little as possible. Last year, I mulched nearly the whole area and of course there were weeds this afternoon, but I was secretly chuffed as it was not so bad at all. I said to myself that I preferred no dig and that I needed to protect the existing bacterial and worms' abode (grand excuse for lazybone like me) . I just put all my Red Duke of York underneath a big hole and covered it. I think they must now know that I am sloppy. I can't be bothered and it's sad that we left the seed bag at home. The only other thing I have sown was the butternut squash. Mmmm, so yummy! I will never touch another pumpkin again! My plan B already decreed NO MORE PUMPKIN! Oooops!

 

[alp]

My freegler friend sent me this Mellicanthus Major with 21 flowering spikes

I pasted the photo twice and the iphone 11 photo proves to be too big for the forum to handle.

Ideal for allotmenteering! Too hot for me though!

Yummy watercress in allotment

First 2 osteospermum

Old age has crept upon me - shaking syndrome! Should have been a lovely lavender

Very first bearded iris - baked next to neighbour wall

Pagoda! Believe it or not, the pot nearby was for erythronium seeds - a pure waste of time and money!

The pink ones were not faring very well.

 

[Zenj]

Nice sunny day here but a tad breezy but nice for gardening ,will have a look at farmer Gracie later as free delivery ends tonight .