Our gardening diaries - from latest toys, flowers to wildlife .. Please upload pics

[alp]

Good morning to all: A greyish day and it's supposed to pour down with rain. Don't hold your breath as this is Essex.

No, @Logan and it's going to be costly. Have 2 people in mind.

@MaryMary Fuchsias are certainly worthy of a place in your planting scheme. They are more or less perennial here and can be overwintered in doors. Some are hardy .. Brilliant plants as the flowers can be very big and pretty.

 

[Logan]

@alp that's good, yes it will be. My fucshias isn't in bud yet, because i was late doing them.

 

[BigC]

Morning all. hopr your day is everything you wish it to be.
@alp are you replacing the skrting board or just cutting a 4-8 inch piece of floor tile to act as one??
I'm in two minds here...I've seen 2 stone sitting greyhounds that would look nice either side of my front door...should I buy or wait incase I see something better on the mainland....I'd still like a stone pig for the back garden also...dilemma of the day.

 

[Larisa]

Would love to have all of yours. I'm not greedy

@alp If you were my neighbor, I would gladly share with you any plants.

I absolutely have to have a fuchsia or three.

@MaryMary Caution! From this begins the disease "flower fever". A person begins to grow something and can not stop. This is difficult to treat! (Verified by personal experience)

@Logan Did you ever make jam from gooseberries with walnuts inside?

 

[Upsy Daisy]

Morning all ....phew tad hot at the moment!!

Well sadly we weren't greeted by the rain that was forecasted
We still have a yellow weather warning for rain and thunder until 2am tomorrow morning...so we may get lucky but the BBC site has us down for full sunshine until 9pm....who knows!

Plans for today have been cancelled...so not too sure what we are doing now...hubs has suggested going on another NT visit.... Mmmmm...not too keen really as I find that my foot ( that had the recent surgery) tends to grumble a bit when doing a substantial amount of walking in the heat....we'll see.

Love Fuchsias we have hardy ones and h h ones that overwinter in the greenhouse. Never bothered about deadheading them until last year......and wow..what a difference not only did they bloom forever but they looked so much better too, trouble is I have now made a rod for my own back.....not sure if I can keep up deadheading them this year

Well keep in the shade and have Terrific Thursday

 

[alp]

Morning all. hopr your day is everything you wish it to be.
@alp are you replacing the skrting board or just cutting a 4-8 inch piece of floor tile to act as one??
I'm in two minds here...I've seen 2 stone sitting greyhounds that would look nice either side of my front door...should I buy or wait incase I see something better on the mainland....I'd still like a stone pig for the back garden also...dilemma of the day.

Yes, that was what one man suggested and I quite like the idea. Thank you for the re-affirmation (is there such a word). It's very difficult to find a good professional and if they are good, they are bound to be very busy!

 

[alp]

@Larisa I'm forever in the deep grip of flower fever! Haha!

@Upsy Daisy Same here! I saw a blue blob just north east of London and of course, 8am came and went, not a drop of rain - zilch. Now, I need to tidy up the kitchen all my strepto shoeboxes are there. One thing interesting is that strepts are very happy inside a hot and steamy shoebox even with 1cm of water at the bottom. I only expose them when they flower.. What a nightmare. Wish they were all like hardy fuchsias. .

 

[Logan]

@MaryMary no, i only make jam from the wild plums. Their called bullaces.
The gooseberries i put in a mixed fruit compote. With red, black, white currants and rhubarb.
Instead of flower fever, I've got fruit fever. Got so much fruit that we had to buy 2 small chest freezers. I might have to make some redcurrant jam, not jelly.

 

[johnny canoe]

I think I will hop on my bike and see if I can find some hungry birds. It's 7am and going to get into the 30s today. No rain coming and the farmers are getting worried. Apparently there was an earthquake in Montana, they said the tremor was registered here in my city but I felt nothing. Well that's the about it for here, oh, the Calgary Stampede starts Friday.

 

[tbendl]

I wish we lived closer @alp, I have a fantastic tile guy! I redid my house actually a year ago this week and I am in love with my new flooring. I hate that they are gouging you with the price. Big box stores are stinkers!
And @Upsy Daisy I hope your foot feels better, does it only ache when you walk alot in the heat?
And I agree with @MaryMary I need a fuschia now too! It is gorgeous!
Here are a few pictures from this morning of bog plants blooming and the pond.

 

[tbendl]

@Larisa I took this one this morning for your game of "what is it"? I apologize since it's a little blurry after I cropped it.

 

[alp]

@MaryMary no, i only make jam from the wild plums. Their called bullaces.
The gooseberries i put in a mixed fruit compote. With red, black, white currants and rhubarb.
Instead of flower fever, I've got fruit fever. Got so much fruit that we had to buy 2 small chest freezers. I might have to make some redcurrant jam, not jelly.

You should sell them ..

 

[alp]

Now that I'm sweating like a pig, I'm not sure I want to live near you. It's pure torture.. Imagine what @Vishu1708 has to put up with ... If I lived near you, you wouldn't like me as I would boss you around about your plants as if I knew everything.

@Larisa Would certainly love to share flowers with you.

@tbendl so glad that you don't have Koi carps as when they are large, you won't get a good night's sleep. They keep flapping about in the water.

Some of my flowers

Whilst inspecting the garden this morning, a fragrance caught me by surprise .. Only when I walked closer did I realise that the "tree lilies" have bloomed. Only that they are very short.. not really a tree yet.

I'm never very keen on Buddleia, but this little pure beauty self seeded from my wild flower seeds and I simply have to let it live.

A cactus flower

It is a one-day wonder. Tomorrow it will be more or less wilting very badly.

Finally, my double pirouettes have said a BIG HELLO!

This one is my favorite as it boasts of frilly edges - serrated and different.

@johnny canoe Do you think you would try some of these? They are really worth it and I am sure you customers will be thrilled.

 

[tbendl]

That cactus flower looks almost translucent! Yeah you would hate the heat and the humidity here. What are those last few flowers @alp? They are pretty.

 

[alp]

@tbendl They are petunia doubles, some are called pirouettes and some California doubles/mixed. These are all doubles which you can take cuttings and you can't gather seeds. You can buy the seeds and they are simply big, bold and beautiful. Only the bees might not be so happy.

@tbendl What are those flowers which look like cannas or ginger flower? I mean the leaves remind me of ginger or canna, but I could be so wrong..