3: Gardening Diaries ...

[Zenj]

By the look of it, Zenji, you still haven't got any spring flowers then? Oh, dear! I think I need to dig up my spring flower competition thread and extend it for another month!@alp just starting hellebore is one of yours .

 

[alp]

Wow! I have lost all of mine. Sold them too cheaply and killed the rest. Now I saw a seedling growing in that tight hole, so I am very excited. I am amazed you could keep it alive. Bet you haven't got ONE Black SWAN! I was sent twice BLACK SWANS and er.. no! Nothing is black. I paid £3.74 for a double black and sadly only the label has a flower! Ooops! What's wrong with me.

Wonderful flowers, Zenji! The hellebores must be dying when they reached you.

Gee, have been labelling for 2 and a half hours and getting rid of wood in my garden. It was hellishly windy and not a bit warm at all.

I am totally happy with my hellebore collection, but I have no idea how to label them. I have pure mauve, mauve with veins, mauve with spots, mauve a bit of white petals all covered with dots. Single cream with dots like stripes, with big patches of colour.... I felt utterly stupid buying something with a bit of differences. They are all different, but only with very little difference. Like non identical twins. I have white double, cream double... The mind boggles!

It's so windy that I don't think I am going out to the garden again. It's bright, but not warm.. Sang my praise too soon and the winds were slapping my face! LOL!

 

[alp]

Now I know who's been slapping my face .. The Pest from the West! Those were frosty biting slaps!

The 'Pest from the West' is here! Chaos on the roads as Britain is battered by four inches of snow before hail and gale-force winds sweep in this weekend.

 

[Perki]

It been snowing again here last night, thankfully the sun has now melted it but the lawn saturated again. Just been Lidl and B&m for some gifts for mother's day picked up a camellia and a couple of bux balls, for me some sand - top soil - troughs for strawberries- little terracotta pot for eucomis. Got the cylinder and bottom blade sharpened this week ready for when spring arrives maybe . Some seeds have arrived this morning which I am going to go and sow now.

I haven't really got any spring plants fowering yet but for snowdrops, got a couple of ret Iris opened up in the GH. I looked at my V tinus yesterday most of the buds look damaged by the frosts its got Viburnum beetle so i am falling out with it anyway.

I put some wooden borders in the other day to restrict the raspberries to their boundary. I had a look around Aldi on tuesday found a raspberry All gold, I've search everywhere locally GC & nursery's for Aldi to have it in down the road, I ordered some online eventually but not All gold, I had to buy one I am going to have to knock next doors fence down soon and claim some more garden as my own .

I manged to pull my calf muscle on Tuesday as well, good job their was still snow / ice around to help sooth the pain, it not so bad now. Could still feel it getting tight picking the bags of sand and top soil up though.

What are you going to do Alp when all the hellibore have finished flowering? start specialising in buying another plant species

 

[marlingardener]

Our local hardware store stocks plants in the spring, and while I was in town today I stopped by. Did I resist? No, of course not. I came home with a dozen tomato plants and six of my favorite sweet pepper plants.
The seasonal garden, where we plant short season plants and then rotate the crops, is prepared so I can plant peas and more green beans. Potatoes go in next week in the big garden, and I may try to sneak in a few cucumbers to see if they will do well planted this early.

 

[Logan]

manged to pull my calf muscle on Tuesday as well, good job their was still snow / ice around to help sooth the pain, it not so bad now. Could still feel it getting tight picking the bags of sand and top soil up though.

Sorry about your calf muscle, muscles take a lot of time to get better.

 

[Logan]

This afternoon got my chilli plug plants.
They cost £2.60 each but buy 3 and get 1 free.
This is what they came in and in a jiffy bag.

From left to right
Seven pot yellow, carolina reaper chocolate, Carolina reaper and the free one, no name but it's very very hot.

 

[alp]

Got the cylinder and bottom blade sharpened this week ready for when spring arrives maybe .

LOL! I know what you mean!

V tinus? Is the lovely tiered viburnum, is that right? I so want to buy one, but ..

"I am going to have to knock next doors fence down soon and claim some more garden as my own ." Ah! Naughty! When I had to knock my post at the back, I had to put it outside my stupid cemented low walls (half finished by the previous owner who self-styled as renovation expert!) I felt so guilty even though it was a tiny 1 and a half inch thick! Hope you get better soon. Hate nagging pain.

Hellebores this year are still flowering. Amazing, but I will start on my salvias Yeah! Infinite joy ... Especially the blue ones, the midnight moth (nachvind???) Just so nice and before that, irises and alstroemerias.. Life is full of fun.

I love sweet pepper. In fact, I had a pointy red pepper for breakfast this morning. Will keep some seeds and grow them. Why don't you do the same, marlin? I am sure with your heat and sunshine, you will get very good result. Love eating them raw. I paid 38p for 2 reduced. Yummy!

Logan: They look nice. I think I am turning on my propagator and see if mine can beat your £2.60! Don't you just love getting parcels. Exciting. I had to stop myself from going out.

 

[Mark56]

Evening all. Hope you are well. Funny old day weather wise, cold wind at the start and then sunshine broke through late afternoon.

Perki, did they have compost at Lidl yet? I think it's the cheapest I've found and good quality stuff as well.

 

[Logan]

Logan: They look nice. I think I am turning on my propagator and see if mine can beat your £2.60! Don't you just love getting parcels. Exciting. I had to stop myself from going out

Haha thanks,yes you need the propagator on for chillies. The last couple of years i haven't had any greenfly on them, i stopped putting old plants in with them from outside. Geraniums and fucshias are the worst and starting off dahlias when i used to grow them.Yes i love getting parcels.

 

[Perki]

Evening all. Hope you are well. Funny old day weather wise, cold wind at the start and then sunshine broke through late afternoon.

Perki, did they have compost at Lidl yet? I think it's the cheapest I've found and good quality stuff as well.

Yes Lidl and Aldi had compost in.

V tinus? Is the lovely tiered viburnum, is that right? I so want to buy one, but ..

Do you mean Viburnum Kilimanjaro ? Viburnum tinus is just a normal shrub shape

 

[Upsy Daisy]

More sowings today---

Dahlia
French Marigolds
Marigold ' Crackerjack '
Marigold ' Moon'
Amaranthus
China Aster 'Classic Rose'
Aster ' Blueberry Pie '
Cineraria Maritima ' Si!ver Dust'

 

[Logan]

Morning all

 

[alp]

Good morning - a quiet and grey morning. Tidied up some pots yesterday afternoon and 2 hours and found quite a few empty pots. Most of my wisterias raised from seeds have died. What a shame! I should have left them in the lean to. I hope the big one I bought reduced will flower this year! They wanted to throw the little ones away as nobody wanted to buy them. What a shame! I asked son to put them back in the shelf rather than them being left near the exit door to the rubbish and junk enclosure. Little plants - I hope someone loved you and gave you a home. Next time, if I will volunteer a donation and take them home.

Yes. The vehicles one door up were petrol bombed. The burnt patches on the floor were wide apart and his other decent neighbour's front mirror melted at the back. Just a little bit. No need to repair. Gee, need a clairvoyant to find out if your neighbours are decent or not. The perils of living in a built up area.

Split all the melons and cosmos seedlings and now more trays in the living room.

@Upsy: You've done well. My echinaceas Tanz yellow seeds have germinated. I am going sow some Teesbrooke Audry seeds as well. Together with the Franz Karfka, it was my favorite last year!

 

[alp]

Do you mean Viburnum Kilimanjaro ? Viburnum tinus is just a normal shrub shape

! Clueless I am? I know V Kilimanjaro is an Award winning tree in Chelsea 2 or 3 years ago. I'd love a wedding cake tree!