Magazine style - all inclusive

[alp]

It was very grey and yet very humid yesterday. I just wished I could get out of my jogger pants. It was so humid and uncomfortable. Went to get 2 more torn compost. Not cheap £2.50 for 50L. MiracleGro was even less. Went to the allotment!

Really love this

Lobelia Tupa is getting ready for action and has clumped up very nicely.

Great Mulleins just love my garden and have taken up quite a few spots, some most inconvenient. I never understood why Monty, "Stake them early!" until now. 3 stems have formed their shape by stretching but standing upright on a slab and if I staked them now, they would snap. Now they are sitting in the middle of my motorway!

Costoluto Florentino or Black Russian!

£2 for my beautiful standard rose!

Monarda Pink says hello this year!

Toto and Bishop of Dover are early birds and slugs love Toto!

Ah, Finally YELLOW echinacea after buying 3 white ones!

The Salvia Euphoria florets just look a bit unsightedly at the apron areas; otherwise, it's a cracking of a huge plant. Very imposing and BIG!

One or two giant garlic bulbs

Agapanthus just loves the allotment

My neighbour has a lot of sweetcorns and onions, both my favorites!

Agapanthus Donau and Alba!

Oak leaf hydrangea with double florets is so lovely!

Consumed for dinner yesterday. The millennial nearly threw away the beans. He had to take them from the bin and wash them. If possible, you have to show them what to pick. His world is spent on the laptop screen. Glad that he knews what beans are now!

Arabella

This alstromeria is simply stunning! No photoshop washing!

Prince George is thriving!

After 3 years, I was rewarded with my first Echinacea Twister!

 

[alp]

A very bright morning, compared with those before.

Went to Ongar British GC and found out that that was the best of all the British gc we have seen. Have to say the one in Chelmsford had more annuals, but Ongar was so well presented and looked after. Horticultural stock wise, Enfield wasn't bad.

Went to the allotment and sank ensata irises into tubs of water. Replanted a hydrangea which had been in a pot. Also dug up a viburnum plicatum mariesii and replanted it somewhere else so we had more land for vegs.

Put up a small plastic mini greenhouse and nearly 2 hours of hard graft reduced me to a heap on the sofa.

Now I have been having a steady supply of courgettes. Very pleased. But my fav sugar snaps were disappointing. Few and far between and the pods were tough. Lettuces were very nice. Cut and come type, so more or less steady supply. Now I just direct sowed comfrey in the hope of not having to spend £4 on a bottle of tom feeds.

I wonder how awful the winds were up north as even in East London, there were no let ups. The standard rose was moving in the air. The dry air has been damaging my plants. Very sad that I haven't had 2mm of rain.

Very pleased with this alstroemeria

Probably Donau

Looking at the number of buds. Finally after 2 years of drought!

 

[Perki]

Well it stopped raining for a afternoon , its been absolutely rotten the weather this past week rain more a less all the time with gales . The ground is sodden and squishing not really suitable to do much in the garden. It were supposed to be one of my close friend wedding last weekend , it did get cancelled due to covid but he was quite pleased it were now due to how poor the weather was.

I am a bit on the fence with yellow echinacea, I kind of think purple / pink / white for echincea - yellow rudbeckia - orange / red for heleniums. It does look quite nice though the centre of the flower is fascinating bit like a illusion. I haven't been to a GC for two weeks now having withdrawal symptoms

 

[alp]

I wish I had a bit of that rotten weather. Just winds and the leaves rustled like livng by the seaside. All around us, people had rain. In London, a couple escaped death when a big tree was uprooted by wind! Everything was dry and I had to spend an hour watering with tap water. As lugging it to the end of the garden was pure nightmare. Last time I had proper rain, it became flooded for 2 days and I was wading all around my lawn. Well, I'd better stop like a broken record and some tedious geriatrics!

I love orange, yellow and my funky white echinacea. Anything that is different I will have. I think I have a mauve agapanthus. I think. Bought some mauve ones from T&M and I am already dreading getting the wrong stuff.

Well, today, the weather won't be any good for you either, Perki! Zenj's might be a tad better.

Trying out my newish camera

Nachtvlinder

A magenta sunseeker!

Twister

Baby Swan

Amethyst lip

Black petunia - going to collect seeds

also for collecting seeds

Salvia Amistad

Fire and ice?

Bishop of Dover who doesn't like the sun. The whole day, it turns its backside to the sun! How droll!

Ultra Violet or Nachtvlinder

Toad lily - with quite a few buds. Amazing little plant!

The evening sun got in the way!

Close up of Amethyst Lip!

Helenium would be Sahin's Early

Moerheim Beauty

 

[Zenj]

Well another poor day weather wise cool but at least the winds have gone.

 

[alp]

Hehe! Snap! I have the same dreamy achillea, Zenj! Only mine is very bitty - the florets are much smaller and not so advanced as yours.

Is that Hians? They are fantastic and lush! Here, they are not even developing flowers. I have some other Salvias which had small flowers and they bolted straight away i.e. seeded and the flowering periods were so short.

I think you have the MAGIC touch, Zenj! Look how many florets your thalictrum Flavum Glaucum or Thalictrum sphaerostachyum has! Simply stunning. It's like they are on steroids.

Mine is still the same size as I bought them many months ago. I had to remove it last week and plant it somewhere else and at the moment, it's still 4 inches tall!

I love gypso! I have quite a few, but they are a bit small. I think I need a lot of rain to bring my plants to your standard. It has been raining, but not enough. Mind you, shouldn't complain! Much welcomed rain here! Still I had expected more.

It must be rudbeckia time! I saw some Herbstonne standing tall and proud and bellowing yellow blooms in one household. This plant is planted at the most inaccessible area. When it first flowered, I thought it was a goldstrum. Then I realised it was Rudbeckia amplexicaulis

I have quite a few of these, but I have no idea where I have planted them. They are quite quaint!

Oh, dear! I still can't focus properly!

My very first cosmos Apricot lemonade.

Love this verbena - there are so many of these colour combos!

 

[alp]

Don't think I will give plants away on freegle! The amount of servicing is unreal. Sit here waiting for pick up. Nah, no more from me!

 

[alp]

That a stunning photo taken by winner of 2020 Audobon Photography.

Planted out some more delphiniums and don't think they will flower. Also direct sowed some more nicotiana seeds, coreopsis seeds. After rain, there is nothing better than direct sow. 24c on Sunday. I'm trying to duck the heat. In the end 10 replied to my clump of Phygellius Cape Fuchsia and at least 7 got a tiny bit. It's kind of confusing as I didn't know who had collected or not. In the end, all 7 bits gone.

There has been a bit of welcoming rain and the cooler temperature is just so pleasant.

Lockdown has me addicted to Cheetos which I can consumed 8 packets in one day and also Raphaello chocolate which thankfully is difficult to get hold of and expensive. Roasted chicken today. Might go for a Nando if Treasury rained manna from heavens! Things have just gone mad! Is it really necessary?

 

[alp]

Which one do you believe?

Met office

BBC

BBC is so wrong - Sun is shining and of course, NO rain!


So far, only one Cosmos Apricot Lemonade! I even pinched the tops to delay flowering in a bid to bushing out the plants.

Salvia Amistad is just so handsome!

£2 Rose standard very happy where it is!

Bishop of Dover is allergic to sunshine or west setting sunshine!

We had roasted dinner yesterday. Went to the back to dig up some spuds and was thrilled to see some big ones. I spotted a blue thingummy in the soil and thought it was a ball. Turned out to be a blue egg! Wonder which squirrel tried squirrelling this!
It even had a faint lion passant stamped on it. Still on my sink top. Might put it in the propagator! Just for a laugh! People found gold coin; I found old blue egg!

From Home Bargains On Stage

This could be Pretty woman?

White Hellebore Anemone flowring now!

One dahlia trying to vie for attention. Can't wait for it to unfurl its petals.

My thalictrums are already showing a deep lilac colour!

 

[alp]

So much better using my little Samsung! Light weight and equally full of details.

Mellow Yellow! And they have mellowed into white!

Penstemon Volcano series Mt Etna - smothered with flowers! Very pleased.

Agapanthus Fireworks - more mauve to white than blue!

Snap! Zenj!

Could be Mrytle Folly!

Agapanthus Twister! Bought it from Clockhouse and £7 for a plant with bud. Won't be able to have for less than £13 or £15 in my fav gc!

Baby Swan!

Sombrero Lemon Yellow

Lobelia perennial Queen Victoria.

First time I have had flower with Astilbe - 2 clumps of them. Shame the white and the red are not here! I have had them for 4 years plus!

Angel Clematis - dainty but perfectly formed. The yellow and copper are very classy, quietly!

This dahlia doesn't resemble anything I have bought. Either ice and fire ??? No idea, but they are very happy on that spot and the flowers are just non-stop coming!

Isn't she stunning?!

I love my little Samsung and here's why! Shame I was beaten by a penny. We bid £15 and then £16 and found out someone bid £15.01 and there went my camera!

Have a happy day ...

 

[Zenj]

Still overcast but warmer 19c had a good walk on Cresswell beach today.

 

[alp]

What a lovely long stretch of golden sand! Zenj: You're so lucky to live so near this silky beach. We used to go to a beach outside my in-laws and it was full of rocks more than anything else. Then there was the sailing club making it very noisy. The last time I went to such a lovely beach was in Great Yarmouth - Havens and it was great and the food was even greater. That was nearly 20 years ago.

Tiny plums - mostly split on the side and not matured yet.

A rose which I have neglected.

Jackmanii

Now I really have to buy a new camera. This is supposed to be a very striking ORANGE! It's a pompon. The colour is just fantastic!

Salvia Black and Blue

Streptocarpus

The 3 peaches. Yesterday we had a plum - Reine Claude d'Oullins which was delicious. Supposed to be reddish. No chance of waiting that time as the last one was damaged. It had a wonderful fragrance and was very delicious.

Went to Glebe in Enfield and bought a Sombrero Salsa Red Echinacea. Very pleased. The owner said they sold all of them to Knutfield Park in Plumstead? All I had for choice was 2. One with a red flower and one none! I am always too late.

 

[alp]

It was so hot last night. Even at 8.30, it was very humid. And now it's so cold

Never knew 13c could be so cold. Night time temperature really is very low and it's chilly now. I so want to go out and work my garden, but the rooster will wake up the whole neighbourhood and it's not even 5am!

Yesterday, I watered some plants and tidied some toms and even at 8.30pm, it was hot and humid.

Earlier, yesterday, we went to the allotment to plant out some expensive ensata irises and water everything. My Red Duke of York is also ready for harvesting. Sadly, they are a bit small. Rajmen dahlia and Creme de Cassis are flowring in the allotment while so is Mrytle's Folly at home. The happiest are the agapanthus.

Bought another Rudbeckia Autumnale Gold for £1.49. The one I bought yesterday was £3.74 and I thought that was cheap. I'd better invite the ex to come up on Saturday to stop the splurge. Also, I more or less have everything.

Now I know why the English like tea so much - only means to keep me warm!

 

[alp]

Finally, little emperor got his act together!

Rajmen Firecracker

All my agapanthus are flowering. Biological clocks are ticking!

Creme de Cassis

Some grotesque Rudbeckia Mexicanus, I think! Bought one for £1.49 Bargain!

 

[Perki]

Well its been raining most of the day again, I've been in the GH tidying up a bit and moving plants around, still got a lot of plants in the GH but I am getting there with giving them away / planting out. Potted on my echincea pallidia and nepeta walkers low I've got quite a few now.

Weekend was more productive got out and about on the bike its been 3 week and went to a few Garden centres, found some agastache coral amongst the masses of pots / weeds, I've been looking around for a bit on the internet to no avail I given up hope for this year, but they just caught my eye and I weren't even looking for them .

I were going to pay a visit to gresgarth hall gardens on Sunday ( it were in the CH5 program with carol ) its only open one Sunday a month but I never bothered , a few reasons I wanted a lay in and the bike could do with a service and breakdown cover maybe I'll go next month instead.

Planted the agastache out and moved a Heuchera , dead headed all the roses and weeded the borders .

The purchase of the house has gone through today as well , the garden and the house I suppose is mine now.

My red duke of york have been struggling first the frost got them and now the slugs are eating them , my dahlia are starting to open now along with other summer plants like heleniums / kniphofia etc.