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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 7, 2008 20:25:11 GMT 1
I've had a lovely day today...this afternoon OH drove me over to Dad's with a bootload of plants and I sorted out 'the sarcophagus' a massive planter under his window...it's more of a raised bed really...about 6 ft long and 2 ft wide...3 ft tall....
It was full of cineraria from last year that had gone woody, a rather nasty variegated holly and some going over pansies....I oiked everything out, binned most of it and put the holly in a large pot. Then I climbed up onto it (it's brick so it didn't collapse) and forked it over, added loads of home made compost then planted up...
7 cosmos sonata mixed (24")
1 Dahlia bishops children
3 cineraria silver dust
1 coleus Kong Scarlet
3 delphinium blue butterfly (dwarf)
6 verbena compacta
2 veronica longifolia
3 lobelia string of pearls
1 gerbera californian giant
5 alsonsoa scarlet
3 gazania
1 chrysanthemum snowland
3 chrysanthemum eastern star
It should be a riot of colour...if the slugs don't eat it all.....
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 7, 2008 20:32:04 GMT 1
THEN.....I came home and dried off (it was raining whilst I was at Dad's) then I potted on my baby musa x 2, the 2 lemon grass plants, the trachycarpus fortunei grown from seed last year (still only little) & the colocasia (Black Prince). Tidied up the conservatory...the seeds Mick sent me still haven't germinated so I'm beginning to wonder if I've done something wrong  ...there's still time.  Took some houseplants outside for the summer...my little myrtle standard, cycas revoluta, and took the massive red banana out to stand in the front garden (pot pushed down into the soil)...tired she is...I ache all over...but I'm happy with my day's work ;D |
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Post by alicat on Jun 8, 2008 0:25:22 GMT 1
THEN.....I came home and dried off (it was raining whilst I was at Dad's) then I potted on my baby musa x 2, the 2 lemon grass plants, the trachycarpus fortunei grown from seed last year (still only little) & the colocasia (Black Prince). Tidied up the conservatory...the seeds Mick sent me still haven't germinated so I'm beginning to wonder if I've done something wrong ...there's still time. Took some houseplants outside for the summer...my little myrtle standard, cycas revoluta, and took the massive red banana out to stand in the front garden (pot pushed down into the soil)...tired she is...I ache all over...but I'm happy with my day's work ;D Sounds like you had another great day in the garden - and I don't blame you. - hope you have a good day at GW live too. sorry i'll miss you.  |
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 8, 2008 20:40:11 GMT 1
Are you coming to Sleepy's BBQ Ali? I am going this year and bringing OH ;D
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 10, 2008 21:35:11 GMT 1
Yesterday I was musing about the huge pot in the front garden...I'd taken out the phoenix palm and planted it up with red trailing geraniums, cineraria, ipomoea (a dark red foliage one) and a few other things...but it looked 'bitty'...then one of my sisters (Peggy) turned up and said 'Shall we go to a GC?'....daft question really..... ;D
SO now it's been re-planted...got 7 surfinas 'crackling fire towards the front, a purple osteospermum at the back, and two of the trailing foliage ipomoeas...it's gonna be great... ;D
The plants I took out are replanted in pots or the border..so they haven't gone to waste.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 16, 2008 20:03:08 GMT 1
I didn't get much done in the garden what with being post-on call on Saturday and having visitors (YAY!) yesterday...but I have managed to pot up the rice paper plant into a nice terracotta pot...the tree spinach is in a large plastic pot in the border, the begonia masoniana is in the conservatory in a nice pot, the caster oil plant and sanguisorba are planted in the border...and all is well in my world.... ;D
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Post by 4pygmies on Jun 23, 2008 7:19:18 GMT 1
My garden has gone berserk while I've been away......I've come back to a forest of nettles and burdock and my veggie garden has disappeared. It's a tad depressing......so yesterday I started to clear out the flower garden (again). I am yanking out nettle roots as thick as branches....OH did put down the small area of slabs in front of the seat for me so I am working out from that. It's bl**dy hard work though! Two barrow loads of roots and I'd only cleared an area about 3' X 3'...sigh....but at least the plants I put in before I went away have all thrived in the wet weather! And I composted about 3 trays of baby plants that were beyond help - they needed repotting before I left but I didn't have time. It made me feel terrible but now they're not hanging about reproaching me! My garden is a total mess again but nil desperandum......or something... |
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Post by 4pygmies on Jun 23, 2008 9:41:40 GMT 1
It's the first time I've been away for longer than a weekend for 8 years The witch..I'd like to think going in the Autumn would make a difference but the sad truth is that my garden is a minute away from being a wilderness all year round......I am gradually losing all my battles with it. I think I may just give up and leave it be I am finding things a bit desperate atm...seriously thinking of giving up on Gardening Club too - there is no interest in it tbh apart from the "oh what a good idea but I'm couldn't possibly find the time to help" attitude which prevails too much these days. I am beginning to realise that I am just banging my head against a brick wall in many areas of my life : Depressing really.... |
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Post by emseypop on Jun 23, 2008 9:52:23 GMT 1
It would be a shame to see you give up the gardening club 4p, I don't know anybody who'd do the job and help the kids as well as you, but you should put your self first. If having more time on your hands would help you do more in your own garden, and make you feel better maybe you should give it up.  |
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Post by madonplants on Jun 23, 2008 10:24:52 GMT 1
My garden has gone berserk while I've been away......I've come back to a forest of nettles and burdock and my veggie garden has disappeared. It's a tad depressing......so yesterday I started to clear out the flower garden (again). I am yanking out nettle roots as thick as branches....OH did put down the small area of slabs in front of the seat for me so I am working out from that. It's bl**dy hard work though! Two barrow loads of roots and I'd only cleared an area about 3' X 3'...sigh....but at least the plants I put in before I went away have all thrived in the wet weather! And I composted about 3 trays of baby plants that were beyond help - they needed repotting before I left but I didn't have time. It made me feel terrible but now they're not hanging about reproaching me! My garden is a total mess again but nil desperandum......or something... Oh dear, 4P. I think you need to teach OH about looking after plants, like Jennifer has taught me to cook, while she is away!  |
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Post by 4pygmies on Jun 23, 2008 10:38:19 GMT 1
It's a nice thought but my OH isn't interested in gardening at all. He'll do some strimming and mowing and the very occasional bit of building something for me but that's all. He is far more interested in going down the pub and riding his motorbike. Actually that's all he's interested in really...... :
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Post by Sweetleaf on Jun 23, 2008 11:37:42 GMT 1
It's the first time I've been away for longer than a weekend for 8 years The witch..I'd like to think going in the Autumn would make a difference but the sad truth is that my garden is a minute away from being a wilderness all year round......I am gradually losing all my battles with it. I think I may just give up and leave it be I am finding things a bit desperate atm...seriously thinking of giving up on Gardening Club too - there is no interest in it tbh apart from the "oh what a good idea but I'm couldn't possibly find the time to help" attitude which prevails too much these days. I am beginning to realise that I am just banging my head against a brick wall in many areas of my life : Depressing really.... This doesnt sound a bit like you, but if its as bad as you say, (and I never doubt you), perhaps something has to give. Im giving up one of my plots at the lottie, for the same reason. You will be starting another job soon too, and Gardening club is developing into another thankless task isnt it? Why do people expect you to do it by yourself, I wonder?  |
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Post by madonplants on Jun 23, 2008 11:58:39 GMT 1
It's the first time I've been away for longer than a weekend for 8 years The witch..I'd like to think going in the Autumn would make a difference but the sad truth is that my garden is a minute away from being a wilderness all year round......I am gradually losing all my battles with it. I think I may just give up and leave it be I am finding things a bit desperate atm...seriously thinking of giving up on Gardening Club too - there is no interest in it tbh apart from the "oh what a good idea but I'm couldn't possibly find the time to help" attitude which prevails too much these days. I am beginning to realise that I am just banging my head against a brick wall in many areas of my life : Depressing really.... I know what you mean - frustrating and annoying isn't it I guess a wildflower meadow would be hard work too, wouldn't it? Your OH could do that couldn't he, 4P? He can mow you say. It would be a shame to see your Gardening Club given up, but if something has to go, maybe it is that! Charity starts at home, they say! |
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Post by debbiem on Jun 23, 2008 12:37:22 GMT 1
I'm sure you have a much bigger garden than I had when we lived in the country 4P, and ours was hard work enough with a constant battle against Mother Nature and ending up on the losing side! And like you things couldn't be put off as there's be several times the work in store for later. I did love it though. : In the end we decided to work with nature and not against it and let the nettles have their place - easier said than done when they're on constant march and I so understand how it is! We tried to get a small gardening firm to come in and remove the nettles but they weren't interested. The people who moved in there after we moved got EVERYTHING removed, chopped down trees, got rid of all the undergrowth, plants, bushes, and added decking, loads of straight lines, a very manicured pond, a great big pool, bumped the price up by £150k and sold it. This was a 1600-something house and garden.  They modernized the inside and when we saw what they'd done we could have cried(I did). But the reason I'm saying this is that although they thought they'd got the better of Mother Nature and did manage to clear the place we heard later that during some heavy rain a whole bank had collapsed since there were no plants holding it together and had come crashing down through the side of their conservatory. Mother Nature getting her own back.  There must be a way of having some kind of happy medium? |
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Post by 4pygmies on Jun 25, 2008 12:44:15 GMT 1
My Mum used to call Epimediums 'happy mediums' as a joke! ;D
I've just done a bit of speed planting....put Gerberas, Cerinthes and Anise Hyssop in my herb bed - and speed weeded the annoying Soapwort which keeps appearing too. One very tiny bit of my garden is actually looking reasonable...ish!
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Post by Sleepy on Jun 25, 2008 12:48:21 GMT 1
My Mum used to call Epimediums 'happy mediums' as a joke! ;D I've just done a bit of speed planting....put Gerberas, Cerinthes and Anise Hyssop in my herb bed - and speed weeded the annoying Soapwort which keeps appearing too. One very tiny bit of my garden is actually looking reasonable...ish! I've got some lovely anise hyssop in a bed near my greenhouse. It's going to flower soon I reckon. Lovely foliage colour |
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Post by 4pygmies on Jun 25, 2008 12:49:57 GMT 1
Those people with exemplary taste and a genuine love for wildlife have the gorgeous and bee beloved Anise Hyssop...good man!
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 25, 2008 18:57:48 GMT 1
I got some too  |
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Post by 4pygmies on Jun 26, 2008 7:17:36 GMT 1
I have..very often, The witch. I even went so far as to speak to the local beekeepers group (although it's not all that local to me) about starting. I would LOVE to have a couple of beehives in the garden particularly as I've got such a lot of their food plants (deliberately). Sadly I haven't got the £300/400 pounds needed to set up and my mother is not very keen on the idea... I had a very interesting talk to a beekeeper at GWLive - he has been keeping bees for over 40 years and is convinced that the reason that the bees are disappearing is because they know that something is seriously wrong with the environment at an elemental level unknown to us - he says they will leave a hive if there is a threat.....chilling thought, eh? Scientists have claimed that we will not be able to survive more than 7 years without bees to pollenate......we need them but, as ever, don't care about them all that much.....
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Post by Sleepy on Jun 26, 2008 9:38:56 GMT 1
I heard some time ago that we would only survive for a short time without bees - a sad fact that I would guess very few people are aware of. Bee keeping equipment should be VAT free, if it isn't already that is. If you were to sell any honey produced would it take long to recoup the cost of setting up one or two hives? BTW for those of you who might not know - local honey can help alleviate hay fever symptoms. Some cheapish bee hives on ebay - shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=bee+hivesCorrection - local honey is reputed to alliviate hay fever symptoms. |
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Post by debbiem on Jun 26, 2008 9:41:36 GMT 1
I've been meaning to look into keeping a hive for ages now but I wonder if we have enough sunshine in our garden to do so. I think I read somewhere the hive should be in sunlight? If the hive should be in dappled shade we'd have no problem. |
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Post by debbiem on Jun 26, 2008 9:42:28 GMT 1
My Mum used to call Epimediums 'happy mediums' as a joke! ;D I've just done a bit of speed planting....put Gerberas, Cerinthes and Anise Hyssop in my herb bed - and speed weeded the annoying Soapwort which keeps appearing too. One very tiny bit of my garden is actually looking reasonable...ish! I've got some lovely anise hyssop in a bed near my greenhouse. It's going to flower soon I reckon. Lovely foliage colour It's so pretty but the snails and slugs have a particular liking to it every time I've tried to grow it. |
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Post by emseypop on Jun 26, 2008 9:43:48 GMT 1
Its something I'd consider if I had your space 4p, if I had a hive here it would be too close to the house wherever I put it. I love what bee's do, and I love honey, but they do scare me a bit, which is silly I know ;D So perhaps i'd have to have someone to come in and remove the combs for me ;D
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Post by emseypop on Jun 26, 2008 10:12:51 GMT 1
I'm not sure The witch?
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Post by mickthecactus on Jun 26, 2008 10:13:24 GMT 1
I'm very conscious of the bees and have to say that they have been more plentiful in my garden this year than the last couple of years. But I'd still like to see more.
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...there's still time. 
They modernized the inside and when we saw what they'd done we could have cried(I did). 
