3: Gardening Diaries ...

[alp]

Very stunning pics! Whoosh! And all your plants are in flower! Sadly, not for me. I have a field of hellebores! The Canterbury bells are so striking in blue. I never liked them as mine had prickly stems and it always came up at the wrong place. All the tall architectural plants grew at the edges of my border and threw a spanner amongst the pigeons. Then one day, it got so heavy that the stem snapped by the wind and I pulled and that was the end of the Canterbury bells.

BigC You could use your fish water to feed your plants. That's what @johnny canoe does! And the plants love it.

I can see a bud in my Easter Star chrysan. I can't wait to see it open. The cosmos have been planted outside with ash and cinder around them to send out warning to the SS not to advance. I snapped the tips off so that they won't be so straggly. This year, I have raised any more petunias from seeds after the failure of the first batch. Just hoping to pick up some when they are reduced.

 

[Logan]

Morning all

 

[DirtMechanic]

Morning all

Good Night All

 

[BigC]

BigC You could use your fish water to feed your plants. That's what @johnny canoe does! And the plants love it.

Plants grow on grids over aquariums to clean the water...natural filtration

 

[alp]

I can hear @DirtMechanic

Good morning to all to a grey cooler and more civilised day. Life seems to be so much more relaxed when it is cooler with a bit of a breeze. I have the feeling that @BigC pretending to be awake whilst he has been awake for hours. Let me check!

 

[alp]

See, my 6th sense never fails me! No, he has probably JUST woken up with his train of thought fixated with the aquarium filtration system from last night.

Good morning, @BigC !

I don't need to rush out to water my plants as it is cooler today. Tomorrow morning, I certainly will. I have only 4 water butts left and I'm panicking. Heavy rain and severe winds for you soon, BigC!

 

[alp]

How to hand-pollinate alstroemerias

1. Locate flowers on the selected alstroemeria plant that are open and have loose pollen. Pollen is located on anthers supported by long, thin filaments. Combined, these parts are known as the stamen; each alstroemeria flower has six. Touch your finger gently to an anther to see if a small amount of pollen sticks to your finger, meaning that the pollen is ready for transfer.
2. Touch the tip of a cotton swab to the anthers on the plant to collect as much pollen as possible and bring the pollen-laden swab to the plant you will pollinate.
3. Brush the pollen-laden swab tip gently onto receptive stigmas in flowers on the chosen specimen. Each flower has a single stigma rising out of the center of the flower. When the stigma is ready to receive pollen, it looks shiny and is sticky. There should be pollen grains visible on the stigma after you touch it with the pollen swab.
4. Repeat the transfer of pollen from one plant to another daily until flowering has finished.

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/pollinate-alstroemeria-58212.html

 

[alp]

Just sown the grass seeds

A standard rose blooming happily

With my multi-stem foxglove behind, singing!

Lagurus ovatus

Hypericum

Penstemon telling me that they have found their home

Tomato greenhouse - I think I might have overdone it. Too many in one!

 

[alp]

Been tidying up the garden the whole day except for 2 hours. Even I am overwhelmed by the number of pots and plants I have. My Lord Lambourne Apple tree keeps shedding its tiny fruits. I am not happy. Did a bit of hand pollinating with my alstroemerias. Quite fun!

 

[Logan]

Lovely rose @alp such a vivid pink.

 

[Logan]

Here's 3 of my roses.

 

[alp]

Very pretty roses, Logan!

 

[Perki]

Evening , another dry day but not to warm . Emptied most of the pots / barrels yesterday for planting up for summer. Spread the barrow loads of used compost on the borders . Got to decide what go where now , I've suspended planting up until after Thursday due to strong winds forecast.

I've enjoyed everyone pictures the last few days I took some pictures today of my roses etc I'll put them on tomorrow.

Were looking at my astroemeries today, its a bit pathetic very small. Its in a pot now due to slugs demolishing it when it was in the garden.

 

[Logan]

Morning all

 

[alp]

Good morning to all. It's brighter today, but I prefer yesterday's weather - dull and cool and I worked about 6 solid hours reducing the number of pots. Tomorrow someone is coming to take photos, hopefully, as I have no documents in the email.

Saw a lovely house in Reading. Wonder what it's like living there.

@Perki You probably will have strong wind and heavy rain. I wish to have some of the latter. I am down to my last 3 water butts and the whole garden is crying for water. Need to go out before the sun is in full glare. There is still a lot to do. I wish they could photoshop @Upsy Daisy 's garden into mine and it will sell! Alas, no! My gardener is more functional than enticing.

Perki when you have a bonfire, keep a bit of stinky wood ash and the SS will spare your newly planted seedlings. My salvia amistad was not allowed to grow back the stems because of the SS onslaught. I added a dose of that and they are now 2 cm out above the ground.