Magazine style - all inclusive

[alp]

I'm thinking of having a big garden, bigger than my 40 feet in the front and 115 at the back and I will plant them in clumps or en masse. I will leave those I don't like here. Those I hate in the front lawn as there is less chance of them being stolen. Just gone to another town to get them free paving bricks as I want to build a platform in the middle of the lawn where I can sit in front of a fire in winter or a pizza oven to enjoy al fresco garden living. Need to get another lot tomorrow and I will design it myself. Best is to do it during 3 or 4 dry days and this temperature is best.

Believe it or not, I still have lots of holes in my borders. One patch is now covered with horse manure and under cardboards. Wish I were young age, young man! Hehe!

 

[Perki]

I don't know I hurt my back this morning getting out of bed I think this age thing catching up with me

 

[alp]

I don't know I hurt my back this morning getting out of bed I think this age thing catching up with me

You don't carry heavy slabs, I hope. I felt sorry for the Rich brothers when they lugged heavy trees and slabs. Do some yoga, Perki - it's good for everything and the deep breathing sends oxygen right to the tips of your extremities. Be very careful, son, as all injuries impact on your future quality of living. I don't want to frighten you: please eat a wider variety of foods. I heard that a young man went blind because he only eats chips. I actually knew one such person who used to work in Tesco. Sorry to be a killjoy! I can't even convert my own son to a mushroom lover. He just goes sick every time he tries to please me.

Strange that there are only winter, spring and summer on the iplayer. Ah, perhaps winter is the starting point. Wish they would say how many episodes there are.

True to forecast, it rained again. I potted up all the 3 trays of pansies x 6, 2 trays x 6 violas - all 50p each tray and the roots are beautiful as they were just right, but it was hard work trying to knock the plant out of its own receptacle. I nearly lined up the whole of the back of the raised bit in front of a line of bamboos. I might go to Wyevale or Upminster gc to get one more tray to plug the gap. I also ripped apart my Rock and Roll alstroemerias into 3 and they are now being drizzled outside. Also planted out a pot of daffs with irises above them. I still have to plant out a parrot tulip and some dwarf irises. What have you been planting or sowing, Perki?

 

[alp]

Grey and dull and thankfully, it's dry! A REAL soak for the garden. I must book a date with Humberto next year!

Great! A pretty dry day to look forward to. Need to think about grafting again.

Wish a had a shed to work in.

Was surprised to see Emilia, The Irish Poet showing up loads of buds. Suddenly, it dawned on me that after all the rain we have had, which is similar to Irish weather, the IRISH poet has woken up to its nature and hence all th

Buds everywhere

My camera is hopeless with such tiny flowers!

Aster Island - a paler shade of lilac!

A very late dwarf dahlia

Nerine

Very happy Salmon Dance!

Love and Wishes!

Knautia which I deadheaded two days ago is now throwing up new flowers!

 

[Perki]

More showers today but this afternoon were quite nice .

Think I could do with some more aster or more specific symphyotrichum ( ridiculous name ) I have aster monch ( true aster ) and thats it , I want a tall magenta one to go with a miscanthus memory another plant which I am finding hard to get hold of. Doing a revamp of the herbaceous borders I am sure I say that every year. Still haven't bought bulbs yet but for a few packets.

 

[alp]

Agree! Aster is really a gem! I have so many of them and I intend to get to the bottom! LOL! I kept watering them and there are now lots of basal plantlets asking me to divide them. I saw a Novi?? purple or violet one in Wisley and I so want to have one. I really like Monch the big starry one. I have one with such a label, but the flowers seem to be round rather than a big starry daisy. Now I have Barbados, Bahamas, Monch, Island, Girasol and they all are flowering happily. I really love Bahamas and last week when the sun came out, bees were buzzing, totally inebriated and with that level of sunshine, it was a lovely sight!

Yesterday morning, we went to get the rest of free new paving bricks and then I removed neighbour's tree (top half of it as it's hanging over my garden. Quite a big tree which took quite a lot of brute force - sawing and chisel, anything that made the upper trunk move. It came down very neatly. Now, my plants can see more light. I planted a Leucothoe Keiskei there and I was very confused as research says it needs shade and then it needs sun. Anyway, it's near the shady part of the garden, very dry and shady! Now that big top is gone, hopefully, my bamboos will grow straight. I have a Euonymus European Cascade which could be a big tree and I don't know whether to put it to ground as I'm scared of the words large tree!

We have solid heavy rain at about 4 to 5pm. We hadn't had such soaking rain for a long time. How do you keep the slugs and snails at bay in rain sodden Lancashire? Perki, do you have seeds for your very tall plants such as Eupatorium please? Can I swap something with you please? I really want a sanguisorba officinalis or any tall plants which can be left at the back of my border. Incidentally, you can take bog sage cuttings very easily. Most of my plants are from cuttings.

Ideal day for clearing things up in the garden. Very disappointed that those £4 to £5 salvias brought have done nothing, apart from starting at me! ! I hope they overwinter well. My heart misses a bit when I think about the killing power of winter!

I ordered one trillium, some more erythroniums, and even one hepatica! Oh, dear! Hepaticas can be so pricey and beautiful!

This one above was £790!

Japan is the holy grail for hepaticas! Amazing tiny beauties. Don't think I will have money to buy any more - but one for fun!

All the plants I want were sold out! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr and it's only October. I must mark on the calendar to get what I want next year.

Viburnum P Mariesii with a dying reminder of its former glory!

Crinodendron Hookerian, with its distinctive lantern - very pretty thing!

Slowly but surely - Lobelia Tupa is making me wait!

My very tatty hanging basket!

The rain has resurrected the whole basket, especially the lobelias!

A new rose for me David Austin's A Shrophire Lad! With scent!

I am waiting for a yellow one to bloom .. There was a sharp red one which I want very much, a screaming red .. Wonder what it's called. £10 for a standard in my fav gc!

 

[alp]

Going to be a half decent day -- dry at least!

Planted out a magnolia, a Daphne at the front yesterday. I hope comes spring, I won't miss out all the fun! So nice to see all the magnolia trees draped in thousands of blooms. Also out are 2 French lavenders, a Viburnum P Mariesii.

This clump of dahlia is just showing a tiny bud!

This could be Arabian Night.

Couldn't believe my eyes. A Shropshire Lad is a damask rose! Beautiful delicate sense. A climber!

I think this one cost me £3! A real bargain!

 

[alp]

Good morning to a very dull, wet day.

Yesterday, we went to buy some sowing and cutting compost x 3 as it was reduced to £2, but only 50L. Hope they are going to reduce the big bags. Strange that they had removed all the compost bags indoors. Probably being stolen from the outside.

Got quite a few free pellets and going to dismantle them when we have time. Washed tons of pots, all thanks to the abundance of rain water.

My echinacea

I will transplant them before their roots grow through the box. I have another tray of echinaceas,

Some ammi majus, delphinium, lupin and Paulownia tomentosa which has shown in sign of germination. There is also Daucus Purple Kisses mixed. Need to sow some Angelica!

 

[alp]

Going to be rainy! Not that I mind! I had the luxury of washing all my pots in rainwater .. tons of them.

I have become a very good rat killer. Yesterday, I killed another one in the lean to. Now, I have traps everywhere. Yesterday morning, we moved all the furniture in the living room and doused the place with pepper powder and peppermint essential oil. These rats seemed to have become slow - must be the effect of the poison. Very nasty critters .. but the killing bit always makes me ill! Nevertheless, needs must!

Bought quite a bit of seeds online and it seems so frustrating that the instructions all say: sow seeds asap and leave them in unheated greenhouse ...

Went to the market and bought a very pale white alstroemeria and a very decent Sarracenia for £5. Not a bad price for the 2 items as just the latter cost me £5.99 and it was tiny and useless . The alstromeria will soon turn into 3 or 4 plants. A fiver well spent! Better than buying a Taylor Bulb alstro which took at least 1 year to flower and it cost £3.99! However, I have to say I am very happy with with sunshine red/yellow/orange alstro, probably from Taylor bulb bought from gc as it is still blooming gloriously and the colours just announce its presence - pièce de résistance! No less! I hope the Sarracenia will catch all the tiny bugs in my lean to. I have had 2 sticky tapes full of them.

Last night's gardening programme featured a young man with his metal pots. I love his dahlias - quite different from ours! His nana's lovely chickens was what made me scream with delight. He said he could easily spend over £100 on dahlias and that meant he would have no designer wardrobe. I quite agree. I haven't bought any clothes for nearly a year. All my money goes on plants, compost, and petrol for bargain hunting trips and sustenance. Recycling sites help a bit. I got 2 lovely shiny hoes, a very sturdy garden leaf holder which I would never spend money on and others yesterday. But I missed the nettings, compost bin and seed mixing tray! Gutted. The advert went live 5.15am and I put in claims 6.30 and they were all gone! I missed his water butt with stand last ime! ! The quality of his stuff is what I like about recycling. Sometimes, you went to collect items and you felt like someone wanted you to THROW AWAY their rubbish. Not with this one. AND I'm still enjoying my old Gardening Which? (no commission from them, alas! But a bit of education for me. Yesterday, I found out why all the seed packets recommend using vermiculite for seed sowing- not a must, but obviously there might be a good reason for some!)

 

[Perki]

What seeds have you bought alp? I went GC yesterday and picked up some tulips and daffodils for the pots . I put my order in for peter nyssen tomorrow I think, I spend for to much on bulbs when compared to seeds , seeds are very cheap in comparison.

 

[alp]

Perki - Loads of erythroniums, but no white swan or white beauty. I know I shouldn't as here in droughty east London, it's just might be too hot for them. No Nomocharis - all sold out. Some Salvia Mexicana and many others. It will probably take 5 years, if I am on course, to see any flower. By that time, I might be too crippled to walk to the shadiest part of the garden. My knees are playing up. Tons of carrots and celery to ease the pain. I bought up 10 packs of celery just for that. LOL" By the way, how's your back?

If you want to order by bulk, you could try J Parkers wholesale. The Prairie Glow Rudbeckia is very nice and tall. I think Adam Frost used Prairie Glow and they packed in a punch! I ordered them from J Parkers the year before. Very nice!

Spent half of yesterday tidying up the lean to. I was expecting delivery from Edrom Nursery. Carriage is so expensive! I don't like the website as the pics are tiny and there is no way to appreciate the beauty of the plants. Whilst taking to a delivery man for next year, the couple who used to buy eggs from me came up and talked to me. They asked if I were selling eggs any more and how I was keeping. Very nice! Just so sweet of them. They are probably in their 70s. After the horrific fox attack, my hen stopped producing eggs and when Maisie was laying eggs, their shells were too soft and I bought a new feed and yet she didn't seem to like it and there was no improvement in the egg shells. After putting the lone rooster with her, I have seen them in action, but she seems to be too old for eggs, but still have time for fun! LOL! I should have told them that in a bid to reduce my broadband and phone line expense, I removed the call plan. Initially, I would dial 1471 or 1571 to hear some phone messages, but it cost me money and they are usually about house sales, so I don't bother any more. When the lady phoned, she probably wondered why I didn't return the call. I'd rather spend £7 on plants than call plan. Very nice of them to worry even think of me!

I'm so gutted. The biggest deer antler split end dahlia with red and yellow didn't come through in the camera. I really need to replace it.

Nerine time - pink and whitish! Very happy!

My creme de cassis stood up so well. A whole clump of them!

Honka Black. Gutted that the big dahlia photos are lost. I have 2 dinner plate deer antler split end dahlia plants and the flowers are similar to this. Very dramatic!

It rained the whole day yesterday

today, I'm going to plant up my seeds and hope they flower before I die! LOL!

 

[Perki]

Raining again here for the day think tomorrow better up to tea time.

That's a nice pink dahlia , I don't think my nerine are going to flower planted them out far to late see if they survive the winter first yours look great though real eye catcher .

I were looking on the Edrom website yesterday at erythroniums I want a tall purple variety, its to plant infront of a choyisa goldfingers .

What are you going to do with the hens ? get some more or pack in keeping hens ?

My back rite it soon heals for now

 

[alp]

I only bought about 5 items and carriage is £8.50

1 Erythronium dens-canis Purple King £3.00
(erdecapuki)


1 Erythronium dens-canis Pink Perfection £3.00
(erdecapipe)


1 Erythronium White Beauty (erwhbe) £4.00


1 Trillium grandiflorum (trgra+) £7.00


1 Hepatica nobilis Blue forms (henob)

I hope they are plants. I spent so much money and was jumping from one site to another that I went to Worldseeds or seedworld and ordered tons of seeds, which was very stupid of me. It will take 5 years for the blessed seeds to become flowers, IF I'm lucky. I might be dead by then! Another horrible thing was that I was confused about the 2 orders and emailed Edrom to ask them where the rest of my order was!

The Edrom website was doing my head in! Tiny pics and even though their staff member told me to hover over the pic to get a bigger pic, I could see no improvement. Then I saw the snowdrops. Oh, dear! I steered myself away from them. Scared to death by the way I spent on plants and seeds, especially when I washed the pots. I found out that I spent tons of money on reduced plants.

I have been feeling very bad about the rooster as I felt like I might have frightened him a bit when they croaked too much and too loudly. Don't forget I had had a complaint already. Any way, I'm building up his trust for me. This morning, I saw another rat darting around the chickens' feeding area. I guess rats are terrorising us as every time I went to BQ, I saw people looking at rat poisons and buying them, including me!

My lovely Sarracenia for the bugs

And a lovely alstroemeria with tons of potential for new plants - the 2 cost me £5!

We had rain from 12 to 2 and after that I went out to wash the pots and didn't finish until 6pm. 5pm, the sun actually shone and it was lovely! Now I'm waiting for the pasta bake to cook.

Good that you're feeling OK. Must look after yourself.

 

[Perki]

Bargain the sarracenia & alstro .

I am sure they are plants what erdom nursery sells its refers to plants anyway but doesn't say what size of pot which can be quite annoying .

Ordered the bulbs now some species tulip pepperstick + other tulips - more daffodil and some I've already got kust to replenish some of my old stocks - scilla peruviana - crocus - iris - snowdrops flore pleno didn't want to look in snowdrops to much don't want to get attracted to an expensive one ,they were expensive enough £9.75 for 25. And obviously I got more alliums 6x Ambassador £4 each some blue ones caeruleum and 3x stipitatum which I am curious about the colour I reckon the pictures have been photo shopped . Anyway it all come to £108

 

[alp]

tulip pepperstick is so pretty. I bought some Taylor bulbs, a parrot style one, 2 packets of irises from Wilko, (prices good, but choice limited), You can easily lose a lot of money buying plants and bulbs, but I would now only buy plants. Buying seeds and let them stew for 5 years and still pay £3 or more for it is just plain stupidity on my part. I'm going to use the spooning method to increase my daff and other bulbs next year. I will seriously work on twin scaling of my snowdrops. Hopefully, they will be heirloom for my son!

This year, I planted them in pots as normally my pots are stored. I sold my neighbour's good quality pots - those snow-proofed ones. 2 for a tenner! So it helps toward my addiction. I stopped short at selling one glazed green one with a tray. Really lovely and I saw all these potted daffs, tulips and irises on TV programme and so this year, I actually potted them up in pots. I will use the spooning method to increase my bulbs and save some money. Needs must. For anyone who's interested in spooning.

Talking about Scilla Perviana, I have had one for nearly 3 years and it didn't flower last year at all. What a shame! It's lovely! I hope this year's rain is enough to make it reappear! It's raining now.

Reversal of fortune - I think up north will be dry whilst we are being stewed!

Went to lovely gc, another one in Brentwood where all the allium bulbs were of poor quality. I needed 3, but all of them have damaged patches on them bar one. If you see Prins bulbs, make sure you check the bulbs. I will have to wait till Lidl works its magic and sells theirs. Going to find my snakehead seeds and sow them. I have already seen some blades teasing me!