Magazine style - all inclusive

[alp]

Lovely photos! What is that beauty below the dahlia please? I actually had an echinop showing last month when I dug up the whole plant that had been soooooooooooo invasive. Now seeing your photo ... Perhaps I should have put it in a pot.

 

[Perki]

Didn't see Zenji there with the pictures I thought whats alp doing with that delightful little Ligularia and Lythrums

Thats a nice dahlia alp big Omega I like pinky / apricot colour in the garden

 

[alp]

Very itchy morning: Swarms of mozzies trying to attack my face and now I have 2 more war scars! Even mozzies can predict a hot day ahead. Non stop flying right in front of my face. Bought 6 bottles of Avon and can't find one!

Haven't done the back yet. Dreading the heat. Yesterday, I saw a bud in my abutilon which I raised from seeds. They were very happy germinating, but about a foot, they started having curled up leaves and they were weakly and you then realised why plants were raised with a lot of research, calibrated heat, fertiliser and sunshine. Bought some 3" bottles of instant liquid fertiliser which I stuck into one of the abutilon and the following day, I saw a reddish bud. Very excited.

All the dahlias are nice and this Omega was a great surprise - big, blousey and no staking required. The great thing is that they stay fresh and unblemished for a long time.

Sour Grapes, Arabesque F1 and Blackbird penstemons - all very happy in the front garden

Amazing one plant Coreopsis

This year, I have clumps my plants a bit more successfully, but still I have one one Savlia Patens Deep Blue here. Just wonder when the Caifornian tree poppies are going to flower! 2 there doing nothing ...

Teebrooke Audry - a very serene collarette

3 Omega blooms

A very striking collarette

Now @Perki and @Zenj : Please tell me what this huge, tall monstrosity is! I have quite a few of them growing everywhere! Are they from bird feeder???

A new dahlia and I need to see if the label is there!

This little camera can achieve some great photos and here is one of these amazing shoots!

My very first proper cucumber. All the others are about 4 inches long! I really admire people like Zenj who can raise their plants from a pot!

Salvia Euphoria when it is small and young!

I am never tied of taking this beauty! Sorry, folks!

 

[Zenj]

Hi alp
the plant you are asking about is this freeby

 

[alp]

That's lovely. How come I don't get free seeds like this????? LOL!

You know they sent me sweet peas instead of iris seeds! I couldn't believe it. First time, I thought it was my mistake. Second time, I was certain they made 2 mistakes. I have a 10% discount code somewhere if you want it. The man was very angry that I soaked his seeds and most of the seeds floated. The woman gave me 10% the 2nd time when I asked how many seeds in a packet. 4 -6 seeds in a packet and they would take 7 years to come to anything.... I was such a fool!

 

[alp]

My right hand is now swollen like cooked sausages and the skin feels taut and ready to explode. The weather was atrocious - the air was so hot that the flower petals were dried brown and curled. We had to go and water the whole lot in the allotment and I will water my whole garden later. Saw another late flowering iris on the allotment. First time in my experience I have had 2 of the same iris flowering in late July and August.

More photos of Canvey Island

We are going to pick up another water butt, but there is NOT a drop of rain. I was watching Diarmund Gavin's gardening series and was gobsmacked when he talked about rain ban in Ireland!?

It lies. Not a drop of rain here!

Weather.com is supposed to be very accurate. But no, not that I can see. Very dark, but rain is missing.

 

[alp]

Another hot day. Freegled a big lovely blue water butt, a privet which was in a huge rubbish bin. Had it out in the hot sun, with perspiration pearls dropping right from my forehead, I halved the root ball which was completely dry. I burnt the last bit in the bonfire and dunked the main root ball in water. It was so hot. Then I watched Diarmund Gavin 3rd episode and the last bit of GW. Really loved the birds bathing in the the pond. Next door but one neighbour had yet another party and so I had bonfire. Wish I had a loud workman's radio.

No reduction anywhere. All the Brits have become Chelsea hopefuls and nothing is reduced.

I think Cosmos need heat and sunshine and Newcastle might be just too cold for it. The weather report said 12c this morning, bet you might need to turn on radiator because it's so cold. Here, little emperor wants an air con which I had given away at £35 as it was so noisy and it needed a hole drilled up for exiting vent. People were fighting all over it. That was 2 years ago.

Cosmos Apricot Lemonade

I fleeced the seeds from a basket and these are my results!

Dahlia Toto!

The abutilon which I raised from seed

Fancy Pants dahlia - not mine! From a gc. I don't know where mine is or if it's dead!

Get some idea of how to make one of these!

A very Chinese water feature. That plastic bird has ruined my tableau!

£25 for this noisy maker!

People were already sitting by the sea. This is a view from the seawall! Huge mudflat. Very serene and it just needed some trees. Forgot it was little emperor's 25th birthday. Can't believe he's so old! LOL!

 

[Perki]

Good afternoon , it has been hot down south but not to hot up here more humid getting to mid 20s , today was very cloudy this morning but nice sunny and warm .

I've been out on a tour to Gresgarth Gardens , nice run out on the bike over the trough of bowland some beautiful views . Had a hiccup though thought I'd broke down in the middle nowhere no signal , bike went totally dead engine off / ignition off nothing , messed about with the battery and other bits thought I were going have to walk or push the bike somewhere until I got signal. Noticed the front light still on and then it cottoned on what I done , I manged somehow to flick the kill switch with my gloves while look round to take in the views . Turned the bike back on and it was good to go . I didn't come back the same way just in case I did proper breakdown. I'll put some pictures on later I just need to sort through them.

 

[alp]

I am sitting here, sweating all over - huge pearl drops from eyebrow, forehead, cheeks, whole body... It's a nightmare! And this dreadful heat continued.

That must be a lovely place, Perki! Seemed to be enormous and with a lovely river going through it. Most amazing! Love those pleaded ??? (I need some of those to hide the house from the sunlight. We're using car screens to screen off the heat and we argue where the tin foil bit facing in or out.) We went far and wide to Van Hage GC and then off to Burston. Have to say they don't store enough varieties of plants. Nice to have a day out, but not for serious plant hunt!

Gresgarth must be lovely - a bit rugged because of the landscape, a huge proper river, and some italianate design. Shame your bike broke down. Just yesterday, I was saying to myself that bike of yours made such a lovely sight.

Remember the Fancy Pants photo I took yesterday from a gc. This morning, it unfurled its first petals and this afternoon, with the heat and sunshine, it actually is saying a proper hello! Right at my front garden.

 

[alp]

Good afternoon , it has been hot down south but not to hot up here more humid getting to mid 20s , today was very cloudy this morning but nice sunny and warm .

I've been out on a tour to Gresgarth Gardens , nice run out on the bike over the trough of bowland some beautiful views . Had a hiccup though thought I'd broke down in the middle nowhere no signal , bike went totally dead engine off / ignition off nothing , messed about with the battery and other bits thought I were going have to walk or push the bike somewhere until I got signal. Noticed the front light still on and then it cottoned on what I done , I manged somehow to flick the kill switch with my gloves while look round to take in the views . Turned the bike back on and it was good to go . I didn't come back the same way just in case I did proper breakdown. I'll put some pictures on later I just need to sort through them.

Very lucky!

 

[Perki]

Some pictures I thinned them out best I can , Surprised how many pictures I do take.
It were a nice day out , the gardens weren't as perfect as I imaged and alot of it is woodland / rough grass .
The Pond and the wallled kitchen garden were brilliant , the house is beautiful as well I feel like doing a lottery ticket or two next week. I reckon its nicer in April / May early spring lots of hellebores and azalea etc

This is a magonlia I come across couldn't believe the size of the leaves, I have quite large hands as well

 

[alp]

I think the pond was man-made. Imagine making a big pond! Surprised you didn't take a snap of the river. Nice to live near a beautiful venue opening to public. As for the herbaceous border, I think yours with your planting is better than those border with no definite wow factor and the dahlias look like a cut flower raised bed! Want to go to Nymans now. Love the topiary there.

Some magnolias have flowers bigger than our faces! Perki, you've a pianist hand! Long and elegant fingers. Reminds me of my son's!

Went to the allotment to water the plants at 7.30pm. This year I have watered all of them. Last year, I never bothered with the irises, but I was surprised at how few of them flowering this year.

Very late at night 8.30pm and saw these on the allotment. Fate will have it that I bought exactly the same gladioli this year from Clockhouse. I was thinking of buying a unique green one and whilst comparing the corms, I made a mistake and took home this one! They are now languishing in a pot.

Rejman's Firecracker!

The lobelia tupa has now become a thug!

Out of nowhere grown this sunflower. I hope it will entice birds to eat the seeds.

This could be a reblooming iris

I don't think this is a comfrey???? Most probably a weed! I have direct sown, sown in a pot and the result is zilch!

This white flower is part of this red veined flower plant. Would you believe it?

This is the biggest courgette so far!

Monch Aster!

Very big antler petalled dahlia - very interesting!

Another hot day! Watering when it is a bit lighter. Could have done it now, but for the nosy rooster.

 

[alp]

It's unbelievably hot! The heat from yesterday lingers on! It's awful and I am not feeling the heat at 8.05 in the morning. Indoor temperature is 24.5c. It's cool here.

No thunderstorm or rain! Just heat and humidity! So unbearable!

Ah, now I see the river. Not many estate can boast of a river running through it.

Omega is huge! not very tall.

Bought it because it's reduced.

Some melon

Some of my penstemons Arabesque F1 red one. Sour grapes, and blackbird! All very happy here1

Blackbird

Some interesting pompon from Blue Diamond

This reminds me of my Honka, but where is my Honka

Sweating at 8.17am! Unbelievable!

 

[Zenj]

Beautiful day lovely and warm here’s a few from the garden today

 

[alp]

What is that apple tree, Zenj? Most prolific. Sadly, my Fiesta had 3 apples and 2 got puffy browned flesh and when I tried to remove the most rotten one, the only good one fell off. It was big, but still too raw to be edible.

Amazing that your incarnata is already flowering. Mine (I have several) are still trying to get up to one foot. I don't think they will flower this year. Perhaps a bit of Epsom salt might help. I have tons of curassavica and tuberosa seeds, but they have disappeared after germination. I wonder if my lean to is full of fungal spores. Need a bit of clean up.

I bid for another Samsung 16mpx and it was so slim and light. Came very late and so the light was not bright enough. The Crystal Foundation clematis was at the allotment and it was nearly 8pm.

By the look of it, not so good as my Samsung 12mpx. Need to try again. Including postage, it was just under £19. At least, it is light and the screen clean. Will try again later.

It is a bit more humane to sleep last night. At least, there was a bit of breeze and this morning was cool. It was very hot even though it was 8pm last night. Another allotmenteer had to beat a retreat as he said he had been slaughtered by mozzies! I know how he felt.

More watering again. Please rain, rain or thunderstorm for 2 days!