Magazine style - all inclusive

[Perki]

Afternoon alp and everyone else , think I will finally get the tomatoes planted in the GH today. Apparently frost this morning everything were white, I didn't notice anything freezening when I were walking home early hours this morning, didn't cover anything up but everything seems ok.

 

[alp]

Afternoon alp and everyone else , think I will finally get the tomatoes planted in the GH today. Apparently frost this morning everything were white, I didn't notice anything freezening when I were walking home early hours this morning, didn't cover anything up but everything seems ok.

You have a lucky escape, Perki!

Same can't be said of me! Baldie has disappeared without trace, not even feather! ! I had let her have free run of the whole garden and Houdinia once leapt over the garden fence and after that the rest is history. Now, Baldie is nowhere to be found. I have walked the whole length of the garden with her favorite mealworms. Alas, to no avail!

Son's first response was £30 down the drain!

Been out to Waitrose to get our organic flour, which we don't want to get from Amazon as they sent us some outdated flour - yes, same company. Such a trauma as if we were late, we would have no free parking on the street and only the first 20 minutes is free. That is the only nearest place we can get this flour. We were lucky to have found a space out on the street. We literally cleared the shelf of that flour. After that a stint in the allotment till nearly 5pm.

Went to Wyevale and made use of my £2.50 voucher and got another camellia for under £3.

Just had a chat with neighbour's daughter who told me that it's quite possible that Mr Fox had her for dinner. So sad as I really have bonded with her and she would eat lettuce leaves from my hand. I wish I had caged her.

 

[alp]

No, Baldie is definitely gone!

Wish I had taken more notice of Zenj's suggestion for safety.

Warmth and sunshine brought on my Californian Poppies

and Oriental poppy

Clematis Gillian Blades with chiselled strong wavy petals. And this year, they have beaten the SS!

Geum - I don't like it much!

Red Peony

A huge petunia spotted in Wyevale

My hydrangeas, gooseberry left by previous owner!

Before

After. Took me 4 hours!

Beautiful camassia!

 

[Zenj]

Morning all sorry to here about Baldie alp,yours flowers are lovely you are well in advance than us ,but we have sunshine and warmth today ,had three new plants delivered on Saturday geranium pretence striatum,geum rivale ,and perovskia blue spire.

 

[alp]

I should have sat up and listen to your advice. But it's so nice for the hen to run around free range, rather than being confined to an area.

Very sad as I have grown to be very fond of the bird and before 8am, without fail, she would give me an egg!

Zenj, I have to duck the heat and sunshine. Once it is out, it's like having nowhere to hide. I am amazed by flowering of the orchids which were planted by Brian in Beechgrove in Scotland and by a running stream.

My Trollius Chinensis is down from 3 to one and even that, I have to remove the hellebore leaves to let it access sunshine. The nearly meconopsis x 3 are nowhere to be found. Very sad! Especially when Liverpool failed again!

By the way, I saw a ground covering flower in Beechgrove which the presenter said would flower for months .. What an asset. Might research a bit. Another useless viewing today. I would like to move agent, so I don't have to pay so much - £3k more than online company. I need to act quickly as I would love the have the extra cash!

 

[alp]

Son failed again and all the eggs being hatched are still EGGS! After so many days and they are still eggs. Could have enjoyed them for breakfast. No sight of Baldie. Was thinking of getting some from Rayleigh. Any way, we both have learned how to sex chicks using youtube. The seller obviously lied, saying that they couldn't sex them. Another lady living near me bought some from them and they are all males bar one. She is selling 2 male for £10. So I think I am going to get them.

So easy to learn something new via youtube. The viewer never turns up, after hours of panicking.

Acanthus surely wants to conquer my world! I hate it when it has finished flowering and I hate the fact that I just can't never get rid of it. It has long and tenacious root sand would go everywhere!

Sarah Berndhart is going to collapse onto the ground soon. Poor thing - like an ill-conceived formation - too top heavy to stand up properly!

Gorgeous and perfumed purple rose is full of flower and bugs.. I have stopped myself growing garlic, but by the look of it, I need to dig up some and spray every bit of this rose and lilies as well. James Wong said we need garlic spray to keep lily beetle away.

Some glorious irises have bloomed, but one stem was snapped by you know who! I picked the flower up and hand pollinated it with My Indian Chief and Amas bi-colour (I think)

And of course, I have lost the label. Tomorrow, I will hunt for the label!

 

[alp]

Now, I know there are fragrant irises on sale as I have now GOT ONE!

Very subtle and distinctive perfume!

I think it is called Fragrant Lilac, but I could be so wrong!

 

[Perki]

Sorry about your Chicken alp, need to keep vigilant if a fox got baldie it will come back for the others.

Your allotment coming on well its keeping you busy.

Nice warm day today 19 - 20 C not a cloud in the sky, got my tomatoes planted yesterday in the GH, the GH is looking really full now. potted on tithonia - cleome and others this evening and planted out indigofera pendula - echinops T and two sanguisorba.

GH filling up

tomatoes I planted the other day

Apple tree been covered in blossom this year

 

[alp]

Wow! Wow! Wow! So many things I like here! The stunning meconopsis, the stunning and striking tulips (what is the beauty called?)

Ooops! My newly acquired silkie rooster is telling me, "Get me out of here!"

Your greenhouse is filling up nicely! Amazing! Have you been using electric heater for the greenhouse, Perki?

I have also acquired a greenhouse, but I don't know where to put it or if it should be put up at all as I am selling the house! What a nightmare! Someone was supposed come and view the house yesterday and I ended up watching Garden Rescue. The viewers were supposed to come at 4.30pm. Don't know what's wrong!

Charlie had a brilliant design and the dogs next door stole the show. Animals are so cute until you see the sizes of their poos and the stench ...

Good heavens, the silkie rooster is marking his presence without impunity

It has a most beautiful wattle! I now realise that it is still a baby! And I gave him adult food, just because he looks so big.

Yesterday, we bought 2 laying hens and then I found that some lady was selling 2 roosters for £10 ie. £5 each. As we had already spent £15 for the two hens which were dirt cheap compared with £15 each from another seller. I decided not to take the two roosters, but only one. The lady waived the fee and Silkie is now the noise engine in my lean to. I feel so sorry for my son as it has been croaking quite loudly right underneath his windows. This morning at 5.30, I turned on the tap and nearly dropped my kettle when it croaked. I had forgotten I had a rooster! Ooops!

I think I will call him Bluey!

Come to think of it, it could have been me lumped with all roosters. This lady and I both went to the same seller and this Vietnamese lady, unlike me, was capable of only one expression i.e. smiley and one would wonder what harm she could have done! And we left after picking out some chicks in one white translucent big plastic containers. Two minutes down the road, I asked son to turn the car around so that I could ask the woman and her English husband about the sex of the chicks. He said it was a valuable skill which they didn't have and this skill was a real money earner. We stupidly had no answer and left. Imagine, the lady bought about 5 and had one female and the rest handsome Messrs.. It could have been me. I had nothing but female chicks. Imagine 5 of them marking the break of dawn with gusto, like a rousing opera! Can't bear thinking as we have neighbours on both sides.

Perki You have quite a few dahlias and they are full of stems. Mine just looks pathetic in comparison. Do you sight your greenhouse in the sunniest place in your garden, Perki?

 

[alp]

RIP, Doris Day!

 

[Zenj]

Another beautiful day

 

[alp]

Wow! What are that blue flowers and I really love that orchid like flower! Hardy outdoor orchid! What's the name please? On my hit list.

I googled and saw some really beautiful outdoor slipper orchids and I have bought the most boring ones! Typical of me.

Stunning day here as well. Was thinking of going to the allotment, but really scared after losing a hen and these two new ones are pecking at each other. One is especially nasty and the other is already lowering her head every time the aggressor went near her. I gave the nasty a stern telling off and something more. Very annoying!

I thought I would let Kusco, the real silkie rooster go near the girls, but no. He went for one of drumstick afro hair bop straight away! How tiresome! Bullying in poultry kingdom! Some nasty just has to win!

See how silkie the feather is! And it has a very stunning neon wattle! Very beautiful and son was admiring it laying on the lawn! Every time it croaks, I wish there were a hole for me to go under!

The heat has brought on the cistus - such pristine virgin white!

 

[Zenj]

Orchid like is Bletilla Striata white had it 3 years but first time its flowered

 

[alp]

Orchid like is Bletilla Striata white had it 3 years but first time its flowered

You're lucky that you have got the real McCoy and it's stunning. I need to buy this. Love the creamy and milky colour and the markings! I often waited 3 years for my shrivelled iris rhizomes and if they flowered, they would be Indian Chief! I'm overrun with them . LOL!

I must see if I am late for buying nomocharis. Just researched and no! The one that I liked has sold out.

First time leave my chicks out in the garden. Was so worried that they might be cold, and nearly buried the whole cage in layers and layers of materials. This morning, my handsome Kusco, the silkie was croaking non-stop inside the workshop. I have to ignore her plea of "I'm a handsome celebrity. Get me out of here!" until 8am.

Think it's going to be a lovely day as sun is already shining! Isn't it lovely?!

My favorite programmes are now Escape to the Country and Garden Rescue. Arit is brilliant as she bleeds different textures into one another and lets the grass bleeds into the bricks. Must say I'm not keen on having thymes grown into bricks. Can be a safety hazard and hexagonal raised beds make it difficult to reach the centre.

 

[alp]

A full bladder cut short my watering plan. Wish we had 2 WC here, one downstairs as I don't want to wake up my son.

Now what have I done? I went to my smiley friend who kindly let me have a male similar to my brood for £5 even though it is one year old. A glossy male! To be unveiled later. Then I wanted a female silkie, but she said she couldn't sex it as it was too young and if she was wrong, I would "kill" her! Oh, dear! I came home with a handsome male and a silkie IT!

Before we went, I told myself, I would choose a female and now that I had been educated by youtube video, I was more knowledgeable than the previous time. Oh, no! The lengths of the feather was very confusing and I couldn't see any sticking phallic weapon in the bottom orifice. I'm dead! Better stick to flowers!

My glossy Goldie was already in action yesterday. He didn't waste any time.

I am soaking my waterlily seeds and they were puffy. I snipped the bottom/top? bit and let in water. Yesterday, whilst walking about, I noticed some horrible bubbles on the top of my cup, I replaced the water and had a look and saw something green growing inside ONE seed. Saw in the video that someone in India has new shoots in five days. Very excited.

Another glorious day and one butt of water gone!