Magazine style - all inclusive

[alp]

Perki: Are you feeling better now? I remember one morning 6.02am, I saw your name flashed on the screen and I said that's a bit odd. I looked, but no notification. You are allowed to talk to your 3rd mother when you can't sleep! LOL!

Just finished this week's gc hoppiing. Went to B&M and got a box of Ty.phoo and an olive oil and tried to pay. The 3 queues were awfully long. We just left. Repotted tons of Dahlia Teesbrooke Audrey seedlings which are growing too fast for me. It rained a bit, but not enough to wet the ground and I transplanted a clematis macropetala which was smothered with blooms. Planted out a bit of Perki's Allium Silver Spring seedlings. And the sun is OUT!

 

[alp]

I'm watching Monty Don's French gardens. Those castles and gardens are out of this world.

 

[alp]

Oh, dear! GW is full of repeats. Thank heavens I am not paying for TV licence. 3 long repeats.

Allium flowering! Whoa! Mine is still waking up. Is that a repeat too?

 

[alp]

GW on Friday was a WINTER SPECIAL. So many repeats. Geee! There is another episode on now. I am so confused. Where did that winter special come from?

Caught up with Love your garden. The money spent on those gardens was obscene. I reckon just one acer palmatum cost at least £300 to £500. Although all gardens done up in the name of helping someone, the amount of money spent made AT seem very disingenuous.

Looks like a good day.

Bought a Jack Magic half price and another New Horizon half price. Also a bit of fleece for £5.

This wall flower looked so pretty - variegated leaves

Love this cute flower

The lovely Bonnett was open and I bought 2 Polar Bear snowdrops half price.

Hope we all enjoy a good fine day!

 

[Perki]

Yes not so bad now Alp thanks , I was on early the other day was up most of the night couldn't sleep , still got a blocked nose and slight cough but I am perfectly fine but for that . 3rd mother ??? more like 2nd

Tyhpoo tea defiantly not have that in my house anymore its very bitter even more than Tetley.

Yes more repeats on GW they may get round to doing more films soon, the Kate garraway I suppose was a follow on but most of it was the same. I like the young women with the allotment she done really well for herself even getting a job out of it.

 

[Perki]

Well your in for a treat now bit of a surprise to myself didn't forecast it but its snow again last night and a LOT. Light snow showers it forecast not 6-7+ inch of the stuff . Very wet snow stuck to everything even the telephone wires, its melting fast but its having another little snow shower so it will probably freeze solid tonight .

Its crazy watch the Burnley game ( Burnley north of me ) earlier today they hardly got anything could just see it on the tops of the hills , burnley only about 8mile away. no snow in blackburn either 10mile East. Went for a quick walk in the woods this morning, looked magical stuck to all the trees until it started falling off had to leg it kept going down my top .

 

[alp]

I like the young women with the allotment she done really well for herself even getting a job out of it.

Er hmmm! She's an eye candy! Isn't she?

 

[alp]

Stunning photos, son! LOL!

Footsie results very exciting! Came in for a breather. Been weeeeeeding!

 

[Perki]

Ye makes a change to see a bit of eye candy on GW other than plants .

I didn't mention the 3rd picture down is my crown imperial fritillaria this morning , the last picture is the afternoon , shows how fast they can bounce back fritillaria they bend often when it freezes but not to that extent .

 

[alp]

It's a ridiculous amount of snow you had yesterday morning, Perki! That amount was what we had about 5 years ago when it snowed seriously.

Very nice Christmasy photo and the thickness of soft snow is endearing. Hope you've overcome your cold.

Went out weeding again after 5.45, but had to come in as it rained a bit. Not enough to wet the ground, but I had to stop weeding. Very annoying. Planted out bout 20 Kale seedlings as I was fed up with waiting.

Well, eye candy in GW had been gardening for donkey's years. You can see that she had pitchers plants as well. That's what I would call a seasoned gardener and she had her allotment since 2019, not 2020! But the results are spectacular. In Beechgrove, another new presenter who went to horticular college and got a job in a castle and she sadi she had to plant 15,000 gladioli in a day!

TV exposure is good for career: all the TV criminologists are now professors.

Delicate pink camellia

Kondo erythronium

I really hope the cold spells are more or less over. All the plants are crying to get out of the pots.

 

[alp]

REAL news: Finally, RAF flew planes to Ukraine border to keep an eye on Russian build up of power toys there! And cheap tyres are polluting our air and our children are literally breathing in tyre dust!

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

The energy bill amount is shocking - all the cold weather has sparked a surge of gas and electricity use. Normally, in April, I only use £10 of gas, but not this time. This cold weather is annoying as I can't direct sow anything.

0c tomorrow!

My peony is fading! Looks like a Nymphe!

This F Persica is really lovely!

Today, I might do more weeding, mulching and sowing. I have bought several packets of comfrey seeds. None of them germinated. I'm so annoyed.

Went out to have a look and there was a hard layer of frost sheen on all plants. Very serious frost! I will direct sow something and fleece the whole raised bed. Funny thing was that it was very hot when the sun was full on yesterday. Can imagine how cold it must be in NE and NW!

 

[Zenj]

Morning alp go dig some up from the wild looks like hard work from seed info
Comfrey can be grown from seed, but it requires a winter chilling period to germinate. It's also not unusual to sow the seeds and not see any germination for two years. So it's more common to propagate the plant from root cuttings. ... Plant more shallow in clay soil and......

 

[alp]

Haha! Thank you for cheering me up!

Never knew that. The packet never gives proper instruction. I have bought so far 3 packets. Guess I will have to stick to stinging nettles, banana peels. .. Thank you for the info.

 

[alp]

Well, I bought some comfrey root bits, Zenj. They looked dire, but I hate to add to the population in my fridge salad compartment. I have already populated them with parsnips, carrots and potatoes for the birds. In fact, I grated carrots for them and they seemed to like the landcress from the allotment more. I bought yet another peony ludowii lutea. I used to have one, but after flowering, it looked monstrous, messy and took up too much space, so I destroyed it. I even had seedlings which I neglected as I didn't want to have another plant. But comparing all the expensive peonies, I have decided to give it another chance. It will be planted outside, near the road and I am sure people will take selfies with them.

Another cold day and I planted out 3 courgettes yesterday, after the kales the other day. I covered them with bottles and plastic sheet and gave them a drink of coffee to deter slugs and snails feasting on them. That shouldn't happen, but one can't be too careful.

I have made another decision: no more cutting over the winter. My lean to and one greenhouse are clogged with dead twigs and when you pulled them, they had tiny side-shoots; and at that point, I really must have killed the tiniest chance of life in them.

Love the articulation of the petals of this lovely erythronium (Pagoda?), I had a pink perfection which the slugs had left me with 1/5 of the bud!

This Monkey Puzzle tree grows very slowly!

I probably should go around and cross-pollinate these tulips!

Just learned this

When to graft Chip budding and T-budding are undertaken from mid-summer into early autumn, while whip-and-tongue grafting takes place in late winter or early spring.

Have a nice and productive day!

 

[Zenj]

Morning all still getting the frosts but at least the days are sunny, have some new plants to plant out but will leave in pots and just put them out during day ,surely this cold snap cannot go on much longer.