Magazine style - all inclusive

[alp]

You guys must now realise why I am so hesitant in whether to erect the greenhouses or not! The roofs will need to be constantly off as there is or has been NO rain. Not a drop and the temperature is just hot. Well, not this morning. It's freezing with a chill in the air.

In anticipation of a possible royal visit, I decided to have a bone fire. So we dismantled the gazebo which is 3m square and is huge with one broken arm and it was a difficult job going with only 2 people. It took a long time for the fire to get going - 3 rounds of kerosene. It was smoke fanned by winds. Then I realised that I could burn the turf from the front. I saw 3 bags of poppies, trimmed cistus stems and weeds and as they were hidden by a huge piece of prospect and placed against the bay window, they were bone dry. Suddenly, the fire had new vigor and the wind went crazy. Neighbour's sun brolly was ripped off its stand by the wind and the fire was roaring. It was terrifying. I thought my lean to windows might explode. I wish I had burnt those soil at the back. The roaring fire went on till 9pm. So pleased a lot of rubbish had been burnt and they will be used to line my raised bed, keeping slugs away. The royal visit is cancelled - not a drop of rain. If there was, one dusting as there is not one drop of water in my most useful butt.

That's a lovely bike, Perki! I think Zenj has had most rain!

Cirsium Atropurpureum

Pink alstroemeria

Agashache, very happy in the drought

Salvia pink

Self seeded Canterbury Bells

Ammi and candytuft

This is my sweet surprise of the day! Well chuffed. This summer series of alstroemeria will flower till kingdom comes and I have 2 stems of this beauty. For some reason, my photos are darker than I want them to be! Must get my semi-wizkid to sort it out. He told me he inserted a carousal in his web design. He learned it with me and of course, I was and am zero and he's a semi-hero!

 

[alp]

Very happy. At least, I don't have to water today! Hurrah! 2 inches of rain in the main one. RAIN!

BBC

Met Office

I remember seeing this lily in one of the National Trust properties. Right at the entrance and I was fascinated with its leaves coming out of the central stem. Very excited to have this in my garden.

Old fashioned fragrant sweet peas. Self seeded!

Deutzia Magicien!

Never expected to have 2nd bloom.

Melittis Royal Velvet Distinction.

Salvia Coccinea Summer Jewel Pink

Supposed to be black petunia

Stunning photos here!

 

[Perki]

Blimey need sunglass to look at them alstroemeria .

Rained on and off today got wet through and dried out a few times today.

One variety of petunia I've been nurturing from seed Petunia Axillaris isn't P.axillaris , its messed my plan up for my pots and baskets I made up last week , I have to do a 50 mile round trip back to the some baskets now to rectify the offending petunia. I shouldn't say offending petunia really its quite nice and nearly gone extinct in the wild Petunia exserta .

 

[alp]

We have had a bit of rain, nothing heavy as seen on TV. Rain hasn't been heavy enough. But the winds were awful. The noise reminds me of my in laws' place by the seaside. The noise was extractly like that.

Perki But that was just white petunia? 2 years ago, I had tons of white petunia raised from seeds. This year, all very sad. But I do have this one from seed fleeced from somewhere.

Should have looked better, but inside lean to, the light is never as good as that inside. Now the sun is glaring baring down! No wonder I have glaucoma.

White goes with everything. Can understand why you're annoyed. Perhaps next time get 2 white flowers of different varieties. Tomorrow, we gallivant. Now that son is teaching at home, we have 2 days off instead of just the one. Zenj must have a lot of rain now. We have on and off and it's just not enough. Wondering if you 2 are holding onto your roofs ..

 

[Perki]

It is just a white petunia but a rare white petunia which is supposed to smell brilliant in the evening . The basket I made up were of whites - blue - purple /lilac it would look odd having 3 2ft tall red petunia dominating the basket. I think I'll send them a email later signalling there mistake , not after a refund are owt cause I've still got some nice plants.

Winded picked up here as well the sweet rocket are more a less on the lawn again. Its been hail stoning here as well this afternoon.

 

[alp]

I remember one year I spilt the seed packet and white petunia and in the end I picked out about 6 trays of white petunia. Don't think it's scented though. Was it Happy??? you bought it from?

BBC weather won the war yesterday

Hope Met office is correct today

Deutzia Codsall pink £1.99

China Dragon, bought it as rhizome in Enfield this year!

Saw this clemetis Angel in Wisley and really like it. Masses of flowers with brown back and yellow yellow. Very pretty. I have so far 2 buds.

Angel next to Deutzia Magicien.

Bought from Farmer Gracy - Martignon lily

 

[Zenj]

Strange weather for June cold a couple of hail showers yesterday ,today cold ,showers and windy roll on summer ,recieved my honeysuckle rhubarb and custard nice plant in good condition will wait for the weather to get better before planting out .

 

[alp]

Just come home and caught in the rain at the last minute turning the car round from friend's house. Now, it stopped.

Sent email to power that be of royal mail as I was told that a parcel was sent before last weekend. Last time this happened, the seller told me to talk to royal mail, saying he was sorry that royal mail messing me up. I told him that it was his duty to contact them, not mine. He was very rude and said he would refund me and that I was not to contact him again. The item arrived 28th May and it was posted 11 May. From the funny way it was packaged, he seemed to have put in a lot of care. Of course, the plant became soil improver. I gave him a decent feedback by contacting me using son's account. He then lectured me that I should not buy anything until I know royal mail was functioning properly. How a rude person that was!

I contacted the power-that-be and today the parcel arrived. Plug plant for £3.50. When I contacted the seller, saying that it was too much for a plug plant, she promptly banned me from buying. I used son's account to buy it. There they are - plug plants very small. What is this custard nice plant, Zenj? What cultivar of rhubarb have you bought? I was thinking of getting rid of all my rhubarb and I gave them away via freegle. They came and took the whole tray including the tray. I was so mad. Any way, despite my murderous intent, one still got away with it. I plan to force it in December and see if the flavour agrees with me. I know I am not English when I don't like rhubarb. They all have a line of rhubarb. I was told that the latest rhubarb is SWEET! as if there were such a thing! (Pressed the wrong key and it was posted.)

We had thunder and lightning and now all the stuff is still in the car. We evn bought 2 40L organic compost from Enfield. Then went to my fav gc and I couldn't say no to a spotty standard rose for £2! And the rain has stopped.

 

[Zenj]

The name of the honeysuckle is rhubarb and custard because of its flower colour.

 

[alp]

That's how they name our plants. I hope it tastes heavenly.

 

[alp]

That's how they name our plants. I hope it tastes heavenly.

Honeysuckle is very invasive here in East London. Impossible to kill and they go everywhere. However, its perfume is just incredible. You see, I was still confused that it was a HONEYSUCKLE!

Looks striking. Mine is more yellowy.

The temperature has dropped like a lead balloon!

and I actually saw condensation in the lean to. A bumble bee was dead clinging onto a leaf in the lean to. Very nasty drop of temperatures and tomorrow will be 9! Shudder to think what it will be like up north.

The nursery we went to was queueless! Hurrah! There are 4 massive greenhouse - one for begonia, one petunia and calibrachoas, geraniums, verbenas and they are huge. Enfield is of course the home to Capel Manor, a famous horticultural college. We haven't been there for nearly 5 years. Last time we went, we had free entry.

Perki, you can move here! Have you sorted out the house yet? Remember, house prices are crashing. Having said that, where I live people are a bit of a snob. They keep saying house prices are falling, Not here! Should have taken some photos of white petunia or trailing begonias, just to tease you!

Planted out Agapanthus Twister with a bud and another AGM blue one. Also a dicentra duo. (red and white), a yellow echinacea pallida? Trimmed a standard rose which I got for £2. I don't even know the colour. But to buy a stick for my clematis to climb one costs me £1.99! So this is a bargain. An acer for £5.

When we went to Enfield, we went for the first time to this nursery which was like a family run little business. The labelling was poor. My eyes stumbled upon a Campanula Octopus which I had lost for about 3 years.

Remember this one?

Ask for the price and it seemed to me £3.60 is their magic figure for everything. Bought this and 2 x thalictrum aquilegiifolium (one for friend). Shame the whole day was cold and rainy.

When we came back, it was lightning, thunder and rain. Had to leave everything in the car for an hour to wait for the rain to stop. Great that plants got a proper soaking.

If anyone is after Princess Kate clematis, B&Q is selling it for £9 and if you have a pensioner's card, 10% on Wednesday! Today, I will start snowdrop twin scaling. Keep my fingers crossed. Delayed it again and again.

 

[Zenj]

Morning all back to the norm rain rain and more rain still raining now ,yes alp honey suckle can be rampant ,but this is compact around 5ft there’s even one available now called strawberry and cream that’s 1mt by a 1mt .

 

[alp]

Sounds like you're fed up already! LOL!

Constant rain is depressing! Besides, it's freezing! There are standalone honeysuckle and if I see one again, I will buy one. It went begging last year and I then realised that it was not a climber. Went there again and it was gone! Must remember these names as honeysuckles smell heavenly.

 

[Perki]

Been raining here this morning and dull and cloudy this afternoon . Been to 4 GC today got some compost which I payed way more than I normally would, I went to 2 others on Saturday where I normally get compost but all gone , B&M had nothing including all building materials . I've gone through more than 20 bags and I still think I need more including the ones i bought today.

So the GC gallivanting didn't go well at all . first one got compost but nothing else , second one I went to had nothing not even the sale bit were any good dead fuchsia for £4 cheeky sods. Went to another GC I've not been to before massive queue so didn't bother. fourth one I've not been to was tiny I think I've got more plant here at home than what were in the GC , ironically they had some trailing begonia I want nearly everywhere looking for.

I give next door some red petunia the ones which are supposed to be white last week, I mentioned that they weren't white but red , she went and had a look and they were one white one out of about 40 plants I've grown. She did give it me back

NO GC here have anywhere near that amount of bedding plants left only dribs and drabs and they are charging a lot more than a quid a plant . Some are asking £8 each for one large trailing begonia.

My honeysuckle are rampant but they provide a good screen between next door.

Not much has happened on the house , they did say the solicitors have contacted them a couple of weeks ago but nothing else. House prices are raising fast round here basically because Manchester City centre is just down the by pass less than 20 mile away. Just looked it up we have here the highest house price raises in the North west + 18.3 %. One of my friends were moving house / selling it fell through just as contract were about to be signed cost him £2500 cause it fell through.

 

[alp]

I consulted the two meteo offices and they were both wrong. Predicted to be dry and cool and so went to the allotment to put down 20p a bag potatoes Nicola. Turned out to be hot with occasional breeze. Went to queue out KFC again and then it started to rain at about 12.30pm. Very pleased and in any case, not enough.

Very sorry that you didn't get enough compost and overpaid. We went to ex Wyevale now British Upminster GC where the old staff kept on were a bit on the rude side. We queued a bit, not that bad, but right at the entrance there were some salivas including Blue Note. I was checking the price and suddenly, someone shouted: Are you moving? So rude and of course, those new plants being exactly at the entrance, we unknowingly were holding up people. At the entrance, I saw two slightly split 75L compost and that place was already mean with reduction. So I checked and they were half price so £2.50 each. So we had to clarify how to get them with the boy cleaning the trolley and that properly set some staff woman in red in RED! I have got 2 - I wished I had got more. Didn't buy much there, just a starry red/yellow petunia and an iris. They were selling off clematis macropetala for £3 each. There was only one Markham pink and it's the weakest link there. The rest were all blue. So kept my £3. £7.99 for a Salvia Blue Note. Gutted. Didn't buy it.

Crikey! That's very expensive. Usually, they charge that price because there are snobs working in them or the area is affluent.

Last week Clockhouse charged £1.50 for one pot of calibrachoa and this week, the came down on earth as they grow them in house and now had excess stock. £1 and so I got some that I really like for myself. I am sure you'd love to live near Enfield - loads of gcs and prices are very reasonable and you could go there every week, like me even though we live far away. In the nursery next door, everything was £3.60, but they all came with a slug!

Ask your friend to look for an online solicitor which says no sale no fees. Some even have office in Chelmsford.

Is there enough land for you where you are? I wish I had more land. Some dahlias are still cooped up in my lean to. This weather saga is killing seedlings. Went to the allotment and saw my Costoluto Florentino browned by cold. Ben next door heard this and offered to give me some beefsteak stock. Obviously, he's not into name. As he was so good, onions very happy from seeds and I always asked him to see what he was doing. He was throwing something onto the ground and the nosy me asked him what he was feeding the sweetcorns. He said slug pellets and my heart sank like a lead balloon. Now I absolutely understand why. Because of the rain, I saw a slug kissing my Salvia Patens Deep Blue yesterday morning. Of course, I killed it with much frisson - hatred, guilt of taking a life and glee as I caught it just in time! Then I walked around the around last night and saw more and more snails and slugs traversing my garden right under my foot - felt a lump and found myself trodding on a fat slug! I wish I had dusted everywhere with my ash and cinder left over by burning grass patches, dead trees and dead cistus. I am dreading what else has died in the allotment, again! The cold must have wreaked its havoc again.