3: Gardening Diaries ...

[alp]

You see, my dad was a farmer and there was no need to iron anything. I ironed my school uniforms and my son irons his when needs be!

Just watched GW, a most enjoyable episode! The humungous vegs are just hilarious. They are literally inedible. Huge clump of celery and the weighing allows the wrapping materials to be weighed in, not very accurate. But those cancer-like bulbous biggies really made me laugh.

One plant I won't buy is Rosa Rogusa Agnes! LOL! Full of nasty thorns.. But the yellow roses are delice! Love the lady in Sandwich, Kent. Most exotic and she's a tinkerer but her passion is infectious!

Sadly, it is the penultimate episode. Even The Beechgrove Garden will have 2 episodes to go on.

 

[Perki]

Hi its rained some today and windy but nothing to bad, pots at the front door blown over again they will break one day.

Sorry to hear about you dads so called gardeners @Upsy Daisy , I would consider employing another gardener instead of taking it all on yourself with your dad having a large garden, if it were small I would say take it on but it doesn't take long for a garden to get out of hand. Why don't you just get someone to cut the grass fortnightly / cut large hedges / heavy work for a start you can do the nicer / easier jobs if you're up for it If you do get another gardener walk around the garden with him/her bit like a interview but more subtle asking about plants does this need doing etc , I would of thought that's a better way to judge someone knowledge and experience, anyone can say their qualified and wave a piece of paper around.

You still have a lot flowering @alp I don't feel like I've got that much flowering this year for some reason, I think not being able to walk on the back lawn not helping can't see everything, I 've got a green haze on the back lawn now it growing and fast.

My new mobile turned up the other day after waiting a month, was supposed to be next day delivery. It making me really lazy now I don't have to get up and move to look on the PC now down side is it would take me ages to type all this out

 

[alp]

Good morning! Who's snoring this time? Well, it's early! Good morning to early risers and night owls!

A very warm balmy day! I also admire how people can type on such a small mobile phone. I can't even switch my old Nokia off. I prefer to look at pics on son's MacBook Pro - it's another world. New mobile probably have a lot of pixels now, so it could be better than my HD laptop.

If I were you, I would take it on myself, Upsy! Just introduce low maintenance feature and take your time. You could enlist your sis and hubs and take your time. Now that winter is coming, sack the two and take your time. When summer comes, you can start employing people on an hourly basis and see how it goes. Shame Perki doesn't live near you!

Perki - Yes, I do have a lot of flowers left still, especially dahlias, salvias and cosmos and asters. I even have a sorry Princess Diana coming into lovely blooms, but had to untangle the plant as I had to remove the swing! Glad that your lawn grass is coming on nicely and this warm spell must have done them a lot of good. I just keep watering my lawn. Really want to go to London zoo, but the fare and the house cleaning take precedence. It's already very warm now. We might go as 24c is a balmy day not to be squandered!

Incidentally, really love asters. Might look out for one in November or December in gcs.

Phew! it's WARM! A hot cuppa and I'm perspiring now.

 

[alp]

Oooops! Just saw a tiny mouse in my lean to! What should I do to get rid of it(them) please? There must be a mummy somewhere!

 

[Upsy Daisy]

Morning all

A bit of a grey day today but it's warm and dry.

Just off to do the grocery shop before heading into the garden.

Still pondering over whether or not to take it on...have enough on my plate already really. But half of me wants to .....but not sure really if it would physically prove too much. Haven't mentioned it to my Dad yet so will think it over . Hubs would assist in hedge trimming and shrub management but sis is definitely not physically able to at all.
I also wouldn't be able to care for his ponds either....a few years back I did brave it and put on the waders and go into his big pond and sort out the lillies and other water plants, but only in the shallow part...and that was waist high!! Hate being in water and can't swim either The trouble is that really and truly they are top notch gardeners, but in my Dad's case I have the uneasy feeling they are preying on his vulnerability and skimping things but taking his money!! When we left the other day we found them at the side of the house raking leaves....one was holding the collection bag open while the other raked!!!! He's paying them about £34 an hr!!! ,even I can rake up leaves without needing hubs to hold the bag open for me!!
Hey Ho , anyway that's my problem will think it over for a few more days.

Have a brilliant day everyone

 

[Zenj]

Oooops! Just saw a tiny mouse in my lean to! What should I do to get rid of it(them) please? There must be a mummy somewhere!

Sprinkle peppermint ecencial oil they cannot stand the smell ,I also sprinkle it round my Lilly’s pot edges deters the Lilly Beatles with its smell blanks the Lilly smell out you need to do this as soon as they show growth and repeat now and than ,Good morning all rained from 9 pm last night and still raining at least the wind as gone, Have been looking for bulbs for some pots walked past the local green grocers yesterday £1 a pack of 20 and loads of choice so bought a few bargain I thought and look quality bulbs.

 

[alp]

Thank you, @Zenj ! I will buy some tomorrow. Wonder where I can get it cheapest as I know Holland and Barratt charges quite a bit. £1 for 20 bulbs ..That's a bargain. Went to Lidl to get chicken and pork joint and though the £3 for 2 bulbs included paeonia. Of course not as paeonia is tuber! So end up paying £2.99 each

for these two

Peony immaculate

Today is a day of haemorrhage - £6.49 a box and £2 each for agachtashe Kudo Coral and Silver Blue

The smell is overwhelming!

Then bought peach, 2 x apple Gala, one plum Reine Claude d'oulins, and 2 x cherry Kordia, all £3 each after being reduced to half price. Also got a Hominika rot standard for £2 and Anemone Whirlwind for £1. Total 21 - some will be Christmas presents for ex as he's very sick of his cooking apples!

A lot of work to do as they are bare roots, but for £3, they are bargains.
Another guy got two Thuja spiral £10 each. Real bargains.

 

[alp]

Morning all

A bit of a grey day today but it's warm and dry.

Just off to do the grocery shop before heading into the garden.

Still pondering over whether or not to take it on...have enough on my plate already really. But half of me wants to .....but not sure really if it would physically prove too much. Haven't mentioned it to my Dad yet so will think it over . Hubs would assist in hedge trimming and shrub management but sis is definitely not physically able to at all.
I also wouldn't be able to care for his ponds either....a few years back I did brave it and put on the waders and go into his big pond and sort out the lillies and other water plants, but only in the shallow part...and that was waist high!! Hate being in water and can't swim either The trouble is that really and truly they are top notch gardeners, but in my Dad's case I have the uneasy feeling they are preying on his vulnerability and skimping things but taking his money!! When we left the other day we found them at the side of the house raking leaves....one was holding the collection bag open while the other raked!!!! He's paying them about £34 an hr!!! ,even I can rake up leaves without needing hubs to hold the bag open for me!!
Hey Ho , anyway that's my problem will think it over for a few more days.

Have a brilliant day everyone

£34 an hour! Crikey! They charge like a lecturer! You probably should be there to keep an eye on them when they are on. You could employ them only when the pond needs being taken care of, rather than weekly and hourly.

 

[alp]

Shocking weather and I have been feeling like in a perpetual sauna whilst sorting out pots for the new bare root plants

Whole town is underwater and homes are evacuated as Storm Callum floods hit with nearly six inches of rain falling in just 24 hours

• Small town of Crickhowell, southeastern Wales, has been turned into an island after torrential rain from storm
• Cars completely submerged in water and sandbags have been put outside homes to prevent flooding inside
• Amber warning was put in place for south Wales with the weather causing 'danger to life', Met Office said
• In contrast, South East England enjoyed balmy Saturday with temperatures in 70s - and London reached 78F
  
  
  

source

And then there is fracking in the Northwest! Really crazy stuff. This country is too small and too built up for fracking! Not a good day!

 

[Perki]

Evening , good buys alp I fancied agastache kudos coral for myself. My bulb order turned up today I could do to go on a adventure hunting for bargain plant sales don't fancy it turner more rain forecast like today .

I think the £34 per hour is between 2 alp so seems less when you think of it that way but £17 is a lot if they are hacking at the Camelia at this time of year cutting all the flower buds off .

 

[alp]

@Perki ! You will have tons of sunshine tomorrow whilst I will be drenched in rain. Don't I just LOVE the idea! I thought it was £34 for each person. I could be wrong!

There is a red one, but none of them full of new growth as these two. As Logan said, they were a bit messy now. I will plant them out outside and see how they faire. I really like Lidl being so proactive and are selling peony already. They were selling peony with flower for £7.99. Can't say it's cheaper than other places, but they steal a march over others by selling them now.

I bought the Kordia as the card says it is resistant to split ends. My last stella has been plagued by this. By the way, anyone knows if I can use a gluey sticky yellow strip as a moth barrier for tree please? Or I need to buy proprietary tree band barrier and where can I buy them please?

Yes, go out and enjoy bargain hunting, Perki! It's good for the soul and spirit!

 

[Perki]

No sunshine forecast for tomorrow rain forecast from 5am to 3pm .
Could be £34 per person blimey surely not, upsy will say later.

Best time for planting / moving peonys so makes sense to sell tubers now, don't normally see them in garden centres at this time of year, but by late spring they be loads with a big price tag .

 

[Upsy Daisy]

Hi, he has two of them for 3.5 to 4 hrs a week and ( I found out today) pays EACH one £91: 50p. They had the cheek to persuade him to have them twice a week as of next week. Well not now....I am his official gardener. Hubs will do the occasional heavier work but it will be mostly me.

 

[alp]

Hi, he has two of them for 3.5 to 4 hrs a week and ( I found out today) pays EACH one £91: 50p. They had the cheek to persuade him to have them twice a week as of next week. Well not now....I am his official gardener. Hubs will do the occasional heavier work but it will be mostly me.

Hurrah! What a waste of money! Now make sure you get your wages in cash and you two deserve every penny! When the going gets tough, you could see if someone can do the pond for you. Don't over-stretch yourselves.

Peonies, especially the intersectional ones, are very pricey! I'm so happy that I got 6 trees, one red gooseberry standard and a double white anemone for £21.

Just finished watching Strictly Come Dancing. Think it's between Faye and Ashley!

 

[Upsy Daisy]

Watched the first couple of dancers. Will watch properly after Blackpool, gets more interesting then . I will check out the S Spoiler a bit later tonight to read whose gone


You had a good shopping day today @alp