Magazine style - all inclusive

[Zenj]

Morning All
Still cold and plenty of snow still on the ground,got my Jab yesterday well done NHS were very well organised and felt safe ,do yous use this site find it very useful and interesting https://garden.org/frogs/search/?q=Passiflora,You get a news letter every weekend if you join mixed countries but some very interesting things.

 

[alp]

I do use the site but have not registered. Are you telling us that you're buying passiflora? I love them but they smothered a huge tree and the fruits are still hanging over the tree. I have some errant self seeded passion fruit seedlings.

I will join it on your advice, zenj!

Such a relief that it's Saturday and that it should be the last day of hell.

 

[Zenj]

alp you have missed your vocation you should have been a detective ha ha ,my daughter as a bog standard one in her garden but never does any pruning so looking at when,but I do like the red ones might try some seeds.Have a good weekend.

 

[alp]

I'm looking forward to next Saturday. I really hope it's going to rain today!

*******************************************

It seems that the special ego is at his games again! No, not football, but mind games! Some people commented on the sports section that he makes more money when he's not working. Ego is unemployable. Wherever he goes, he plays mind games with his players and the teams flops. He's clever to have included a sacking clause, making his sacking extremely lucrative! Sack me at your perils!

*****************************************

Yesterday was still very cold. The winds have damaged quite a few plants. It's the winds which have blown the plants dry and lifeless. Even hellebores don't look good as the bitter dry cold winds have dehydrated the blooms. Snow everywhere but the plants really can do with a rest from the winds.

I can't sow any more seeds as I have plants everywhere, even the TV table is shared with plants. Son asked me if I wanted to use the big bedroom. I really didn't want to. By the look of it, I might have to. That room faces west and has a fair amount of sunshine and warmth in the afternoon. But the thought irks me.

Was thinking of bidding a Snowdrop Chrome Yellow, 11 minutes to end of auction, the bid was at £11.50. We were toying with £12.00 or £11.51. Then BOOM out came £17 and that killed the game and saved my heart and purse. You know: all these newspapers reporting how much a galanthus bulb cost; it is often a concerted effort to jack up the prices, making it a game for silly people who are being swept along! I often think it a sign of dishonesty and greed.

 

[Perki]

Well its warmed up a bit today its raining and melted the rest of the snow and ice I'll pop round to my mums tomorrow and do the steps for her and get it ready for pointing on Tuesday I hope .

Can't wear large gloves when I am out and about with the camera , I'd have to take them off every time I use the camera. It were just a very cold day and wind , it were freezing my face mask the bottom my pants and my boot laces together .

Is that for one bulb the snowdrop ?

 

[alp]

Good morning. Yesterday was so bright and today so dark. I hope it has rained. All the flowers in gcs were limp, droopy and lifeless. All that cold and dry winds and they even turned shrubs along road side into frozen spikes.

People were obeying the laws and even in gcs, they were few customers. I replenished my calibrachoas which died as they were too near the radiator which was turned too high. Life is long term learning.

Yes, I was often wondering why your guys wear for gloves working in gardens. As my hadns are small, wearing gloves are sooo clumsy. But they either are too big, let in water or can't keep the thorns out. Take a photo of your trusted tools including gloves please. You know it is so important to have proper and reliable tools, from gloves, to secateurs and even shoes.

Only took a pic of a strange looking bellis. Got another packet of Rejman's firecracker and black honka, both of which I love very much.

They said one bulb as is often the case. But if you are lucky, someone might send a bundle with 2 buds which could mean 2 seed pods. And there was £5 postage on top. We left looking at the clock as soon as it hit £17, This seller is a very important breeder with a nursery starting with M. A lot of Avon bulbs descriptions actually tell you the sources and his name as well as some others are mentioned. There are cheaper suppliers and you just have to look early and compare the prices. I think there will be sales soon.

Some suppliers also sell resting bulbs and they are usually cheaper.

 

[Don Perry]

Alp, what are they powering the electric power plants with? If you use fossil fuels to power the electricity plants, isn't that just a ruse?

 

[alp]

Alp, what are they powering the electric power plants with? If you use fossil fuels to power the electricity plants, isn't that just a ruse?

Well, I'm in no position to answer such a specialist question. As scientists or specialists do their research, we learn more and more. Can't say our ancester usng fossil fuel as a ruse. We live with what we have got and our knowledge which has to be accumulated over time. Now, we have solar, wind and hydro and even nuclear (France is big on this as they have a lot of uranium - another example of using what they have got!) to produce electricity. All have their drawbacks and fortés, some involve mining precious metals using children. I think we throw away too much and a lot of stuff is poorly designed or can't be recycled. To minimise throwing away things would help.

Some people attack those wearing fur, but if fur is harvested in a humane way, it saves a lot of energy producing synthetic stuff. Before, the UK government encouraged people to buy diesel cars and now they are given such a negative image. You see, woke culture has a lot to account for. We learn and we adapt and better ourselves and our environment.

Before, I was crazy about horse manure for gardening. Now, I would prefer comfrey, nettle teas to manure. One thing you don't have to do too much using the latter is that you don't have to weed like an idiot. The woman across the road keeps a horse or 2 and when asked for horse manure, she gave a man some. Then he blamed her for his incessant weeding.

As I said, I don't have any authority over this question or indeed any questions. Since you asked me, I ventured some form of answer. I don't want to be trapped within my perception. Feel free to express yourself ..

***************************************

Watching Devil's Whore and New Worlds has really opened up my eyes and stirred up emotions. No, not the nude scenes. That's why I had avoided watching them. The name whore had put me off. But I was desperate to watch something when I wasn't messing up my house.

Anyway, it was good TV about levellers, republican or equalitarian movements (the latter tends to lead to anarchy or dictatorship. People with vision and a sense of fairness are hard to come by!), How well has it fared? Badly! Democracy has been made a joker and those aristocrats, rich and powerful still reign supreme. Money and status and "those you know" rule the world! I hope one day people can be persecuted for manufacturing public opinions, lobbying for private gains, promoting idolatry to keep their lifestyles.

 

[alp]

Well, it's not that warm, but still better than snowing or raining. Came the afternoon, all was lovely and I managed to weed a bit and pull out some wishy washy hellebores. So painful to do that. It took nearly 2 to 3 years to see a flower, and then you rip it them. I need to have more land or a more intelligent use of what I have already got. Shame that I didn't win the lottery, I would buy land, woodland .. what wouldn't I buy is the correct answer. Anyway, the only people who have definitely won is Dermont what his name doing the voice over for serious money and the CEO.

A dark red or mauve double hellebore

Really like this anemone

Another bloom on the same plant

I don't know how to describe this one: Beauty or beast?

This is like a tutu, but very plummy!

Every single one of these is called a picotee!

This bellis is interesting.

She will set you back £17 with change.

I had to seriously restrain myself from splurging! But it will haunt me day and night ..

 

[alp]

I am having this nightmare of where to put my different yellow snowdrops so that they are not confusing me. All the yellow ones with very similar inner markings can be anything. When inspecting and weeding the plot, I came across 2 more Ecusson D'or.

The above is one of them and the other one was too small for decent photos. So altogether I have had 4 whilst I have only bought one. Strange thing is that the other two was at the other end of the plot. Very interesting find.

The following is Midas

This one is a tricky one to photo - Margery Fish - very small, but look at the details.

Another pleasing fact is that Philipe André Meyer is named after a very generous employer by Mark Brown, according to Avon. This very dainty is also very generous itself and it has given me 3 buds this year. Made this cold and miserable winter a sweet, sweet surprise for me.

 

[Perki]

Looks like its going to be a reasonably nice day , got a few jobs to do in the garden today . could do to go and do some work really but the van having a funny do , oh well I'll get the hedge trimmer out and attack the honeysuckle and maybe look at tidying a area to move the raspberries to .

 

[alp]

Perki You were lucky to have a fine day. Here, we rained, stopped, poured down again. I have had a Spetchley Yellow snowdrop indoors, thinking when there was sunshine and warmth, the plant would become a lovely object for photography. But no, not a ray of sunshine and the tepals stayed closed, like our shops.

I managed to separate some similar yellow snowdrops. I need to find them proper home so they can naturalise and multiply.

Would you be happy if your yellow snowdrop had this potential of splitting into 5 to 8 plants?

This veined beauty is certainly one to keep!

It has turned out that I have 2 more Midas ie. 4 together and still only 2 Ecusson D'or. I am still happy.

This one is a Selina Cord - a replacement for the Rosemary Burnham which turned out to be an ordinary cheap common snowdrop. So it is small and looks damaged. Got it before the snow. The day before, to be exact.

Phliippe Andre Meyer was named after a generous employer in France and this beauty is also generous - giving me 3 buds this year!

Ah, actually 4.

So this is not Ecusson D'or as I didn't get to see the top yesterday. Midas with big bulb

Raddeana Crown Imperialis

Very excited to see her again - I thought all the walking for the greenhouse had led to her early demise.

Oh, crumbs! I saw an intruder!

A few days after the terrible dry winds and snow and suddenly, hellebores smiled at me! Have to say, not a good year for then. I need to feed with with epsom salt (2 bags bought) to strengthen them. Glad that they all more or less flowered.

All is not lost! At least a bit of sunshine! Hopefully, I can take pics of our Spetchley Yellow!

Have a good day!

 

[Perki]

Got quite a bit done yesterday , I did quite a bit of trimming with the hedge trimmer . Pruned a buddelia and sambucas and did all the roses and retied quite a few back in . Also pruned the wisteria and a bit on the apple tree .

Not done much today it been raining on and off but I did get some shredding done .

 

[alp]

I have got nothing done, apart from sowing my L emperor's favorite - Kale. Couldn't find my secateurs .. any of them. In the end, consumed half a bag or EXTRA CREAMY KP peanuts. Oh, dear! I am sitting upright to reduce the accumulation of ...

I really must share this as I had never expected to have this at all.

I think I must have bought this as shades of black and it turned out to be exactly the flower one of the staff member talked about his winter corner in Harlow Carr!

There are metallic or darker bits of pigmentation on the petals. I was thrilled to have got this. I must have thought it was a plaiin shades of night. Very excited. The rest will wait tomorrow.

Read that someone in Nottingham had his/her flock of chickens stolen, including galvanised feeders! Very sad. I knew someone opened my coop top (just one compartment) during the day quite a while ago. The poor chickens just stood in the compartment with NO cover. My heart nearly missed a bit. Then, of course, someone threw in a pair of trainers.

Also read that since Brexit, 100,000 orders cancelled as Northern Ireland would not accept roots with our soil! How very sad and bad for the growers in this country. Pure lunacy! Someone has got to solve this unwanted problem.

Glad that you did so much, Perki! We had a bit of rain and quite a bit of warmth and sunshine. Tomorrow is a different story. It was reported that we might have 17c on Sunday. Would love that. Need to show my face in the allotment and I think my plot is totally covered with weeds.

 

[alp]

Spetchley Yellow - a dainty version of nivalis Sandersii

Midas

See the lovely details of Midas' inners

This is the one with metallic shards - very interesting and different from the ordinary pure black or slate black hellebore which is actually its neighbour on my plot.

This is the dull black one, standing next to my yesterday's exciting find. Never expected the 2 clumps to be different.

Blonde Inge

Phillipe Andre Meyer

Don't think I will have another exciting find today. Ah, no! I have found out that Cotoneaster is a good pollution fighter! I need to see if my cuttings have taken and take them to the front.