Magazine style - all inclusive

[alp]

Funny you should mention rat, Perki! I was feeding the bird when a woman across the no man's land called me and asked if I kept chickens and that there had been a rat infestation around here! Oooops! I knew rats were around, but it's like having soil and robins - when there are chicken foods, there will be rats! What do you expect! I felt very awkward as I had done my best to stop the rats going into the coop. We have moved all of them to hard concrete ground and blocked the damaged wood so that no rats could go in the coop to feed. She was actually quite nice when I said I put bait stations around, she said perhaps she would do the same. Phew!. I chucked rat cubes and they ate them and then died, hopefully. Now that the chickens are not allowed out, there has been no food left on the ground. When this lot dies, I won't keep any more. They are constantly hungry and pooing! Having said that, this lot has been really good, reliable with egg supply and are healthy and happy.

Helper came and laid the foundation of the 2nd greenhouse. I have to order some more materials before he could proceed. Today, I need to do some final sowing.

Perki: Your greenhouse has been erected over concrete ground or soil please? Where did you put the ocmpost? On the ground or in big pots please? It's too late any way as helper has concreted it the floor. I am dreading the idea of lifting the greenhouse carcass over the hellebores as the last greenhouse building had caused a lot of hellebores to die, especially a burgundy double with white edge. I can't find it anywhere.

Spotted this dark-edged bee-fly

It was resting on this piece of wood for a few minutes. Last year, I saw one double the size of this buzzing and flying around my petunias. It was quite a sight. Shame that I was too slow to capture it in video.

I'm trying to create a dark corner, with black double hellebore, single black hellebore, Chocolate cosmos, dark aeonium (not out yet), a cordyline (dark red), later some black viola. some salvia nachtvlinder, and a dahlia Verrone's Obsidian. This is inspired by a dark corner in Hyde Hall. It was very interesting.

Then there is a corner for red/gold for Rejman's Firecracker, Pasa Doblé, and perhaps some yellow helenium such as tiptop or autumnale.

 

[Perki]

Another good day but rained over night, tomorrow and weekend doesn't look good.

I've been planting a purple beech hedge for next door today .

My greenhouse is on concrete flags, I have a soil / compost border inside the GH thats where the compost yesterday went.

 

[alp]

Well, all my greenhouse will be on concrete, which is a shame. one side can have compost border, but helper had cemented the soil area with subbase and cement, so no such joy for me unless I put soil in troughs, but it's not the same as have growth areas along the sides.

It's not even raining now!

could be apricot or peach inside the 2nd greenhouse before 3 days ago
Snake head!

B&Q Canellia £9 but took 3 years to flower - has tons of buds this year

Pale pink Camellia

Last night was so cold. I had to sit glued to the radiator. I think I'm going to buy an Angelica giga to complete the black corner. Have a nice day - keep warm and safe!

 

[alp]

Didn't do much yesterday. It was cold, with infrequent showers.

Bought 2 Fiskars via Longacres £5.99 each + postage.

Some rose cuttings

Camellia Brushfield

A very small Fritillaria Crown Imperial

Pale pink Camellia

Tons of repeats on Gardeners' World! Can't wait to see Beechgrove.

 

[Perki]

Not much planned for today , no GC I fancy going to I've already been to all of them multiple times . Think I'll go and dig up the bob standard Echinops Rito and replace them with my new Echinops taplow Blue , E.Rito wasn't quite tall enough . I think I'll take the echinops round to my mums and plant them there and take the Rosa Desdemona the free one I received by accident .

The garden so slow this year the snowdrops are just finishing now and the daffodils have only just got going. I could do to sort out the pots I have everywhere with plants in its getting a bit silly / messy now with the sheer amount . I got some seedling that may need pricking out bacopa comes to mind .

I haven't watch GWorld yet , just don't seem to get round to it. I get a bored with beechgroove I didn't even watch most of them last year, mind I get a bit bored with GW as well at times .

 

[alp]

I could do to sort out the pots I have everywhere with plants in its getting a bit silly / messy now with the sheer amount

I know how you feel! Oh, dear! I just get depressed looking at the sheer amount of cuttings, dead seedling pots, dead cuttings, half dead cuttings and alstroemeria bare roots I have dug up. I used to throw them away. But a look at the RHS magazine made me book some water lilies, some desire to buy anemomes .. I did buy some salvias, some lotus/waterlilies. I think it's going to be pot luck. When I get depressed, I watched murder on C5. Just yesterday, I watched Robert Elmer Kleason, a murderer I had never heard of before. Quite a brute!

For the first time in my life, I have a BOWL of Beauty flowering! Very pleased. I split the tuber into 2 and I think I have 2 lots and 2 buds going. Then there is the primavera. Two with buds. I did the same with the tubers.

You know why things are slow? It's freezing. I went out to work a bit, just to return because of the chilly and freezing cold weather. It's just very unpleasant. Helper the scavenger eyed up some wood for the greenhouse base, and so had to lug the wood home. Even he said it was too cold for him to work. He said he will have to lift up the greenhouse so that he could work the base. Just the thought of lifting the frame worries me as it might kill more of my hellebores.

It's still cold and tomorrow there will be a shift and a dizzing height of 20c!

Erythroniums - I have lost the labels because some foxes were digging them up and I thought some had died. Then in another spot, some critters dug the tubers up and the cat used it as a motor way and all my labels have been mixed up. All I know is that there is a lilac one, a certain Joanna, some Kondo. I give up.

The earliest Clematis macropetala hybrid to bloom, Clematis 'Jan Lindmark' is a deciduous climber with double, purple-mauve, nodding flowers adorned with slender sepals. Source Gardenia

Now I wonder what these sticks are. I planted it out and discovered 5 little sideshoots. Very pleased

What a delicate colour!

Snowflake

Fritillaria Persica Black Tower! I am pretty sure the packet showed a white ivory tower, and I was lamenting the lack of the black one! Ah, well! It ends well! I prefer this colour and I will dig it up and put it in the black magic corner!

Glorious Prins tulip

Full House Daff or I name it Baroque Boudoir

This pot is full of this salmony nectary except the penultimate one in which the yellow bit weaves in and out of the petals. Very interesting.

Bridgewater in May if you're quick and have deeeeep pocket!

Have a nice and warmer day, folks!

 

[Perki]

Don't know about a nice warm day the wind howling and its lashing it down.

I did quite a lot yesterday moving plants around and planting others , I didn't tidy up the pots or use them up , I did plant out some astrantia superstar and salvia serande and some other bits of bobs , I moved a Acontium royal flush quite begged to be divided and potted up which I refused at first until a little bit was left when I lifted the clump, so I added again to the pot pile . I went round to my mums and planted out some plants and moved others . Also took some petunia red velour cutting, while I was in there I could here a noise but couldn't make out what it was, looked down at the floor and robbin was there trying to get back out through the door , while I was opening the door the cheeky sod flew between my legs to the other side of the GH, had to wait outside for it to leave .

 

[DrCase]

I tried out my macro lens today .
red maple leaves and pansies

 

[DrCase]

Sorry I must of hit the double button

 

[alp]

Sorry I must of hit the double button

Not to worry! I did that all the time. I must dig up my little lens to have a go. You see, it's infectious and inspiring. Love those close ups!

 

[alp]

I have had a busy morning and only 2 cups of tea! Let me go and make a real HOT one! Yes, a piping hot one. If I don't see steam coming out of a cup, I feel disappointed!

Had a busy day yesterday. Did a bit of planting and discovered that the radishes, beetroots and onions (globe and spring) were germinating! Very pleased. I followed George Anderson of Beechgrove by sowing next to the diamond shape slabs or flagstones. Despite the cold and irratic weather, most have germinated.

Went to B&Q and got some compost and went to food scavenging to plug the holes I had dug buying yet more plants. Bought some waterlily and mini lotus seeds and was on the hunt for anemones. I had one Anemone Green Fingers in the basket, but not content as Anemone Frenzy was also exciting. Alas, millions had received their RHS magazines and MILLIONS had been plant hunting. In the end, the one in my basket was removed and I ruined my expectation and no Green Fingers or Frenzy for me, after hours of googling! Enough to make me cry.

Went to Wid Wild West and it was weeds everywhere in the allotment. Dug up 3 or 4 plants to take home and potted up 6 plus pots of strawberries.

Is this an Alkanet or comfrey please?

My magnolia Stellata.

Well, I'm pretty sure that it's alkanet.

 

[alp]

Now that lockdown is over, the air is being fouled again. I felt so ill that I couldn't function. I tipped over some of my Fritillaria Crown Imperial pots and planted them onto the rich soiled border. I want to have seeds and everything grows better in proper soil in the ground - more minerals, vitamins and nutrients, so 3 pots went in in 2 days. Also planted out some more dahlia, a salvia Involucrata Hadspan,

I was trying to photograph Jan Lindmark clematis when I spotted this tray of rubbish. On close inspection, I realised that the Asclepias Incarnata Cinderella seeds had actually germinated. This nearly brought tears to my eyes. I never thought it would work. I found it strange that these seeds needed to be stratified. I emailed JB here and he told me that certain asclepias seeds would benefit from stratification. I said to myself: "I have so many seeds. I could just dump them in a tray and leave it at a warm and sunny place in winter and see if it works". There we are, seeds just trying to break free of their shells. Amazing! The journey started 6 January!

Magnolia Stellata

A deformed Bowl of Beauty! First peony of the year! And my first Bowl of Beauty! Bought on 3rd January and split into 2. This is one of them and it has never been outdoors.

 

[alp]

It was very hot and we were working at the hottest spot in the garden. Well, mostly helper.

He's supposed to come 10am and I told myself not to wait for him as he was very unreliable. Any way, I was right. About 1pm, he shouted at the back and I told him to go the front and I would open the door for him. He was nowhere to be found. Later, half 15 minutes, I went to the front and he came with this egg.

He said it as a pigeon egg and was pushed out of a nest .

We fed it water and cut up worm

In the end , it died.

Fritillaria Crown Imperial Lutea

 

[Zenj]

Lovely sunny day again being spoilt,nice to be busy in the garden a few from our garden this morning.

 

[Zenj]

Sorry hick up did it twice for some reason.