Bookertoo

Hello I'm a Lily Beetle, come and get me!

Yes, the poo covered larvae are a joy and a delight aren't they- not!!  Trouble I find is spotting them once the lilies leaves thicken up, but we can just keep trying.  Not so many adutls today, mind I did have a killing spree on Sunday - but they are doubtless still there in numbers.  

Newbie Introductions

Hello, welcome to the forum, hope you find some good information and friendly people here - we are all people who love to garden and talk about it, and enjoy sharing things with each other. 

You are in a more difficult place to garden than some, but there are things you can grow that others can't - I believe that meconopsis do well in your part of the world, or is that more to the west?  We are all 4 weeks behind this year because of the late spring, so I guess you are still in late spring?  Do you still have tulips out?  It was interesting a month or so back that things which rarely flower together were doing so as the early ones were late and catching up and the on time ones were coming through with them.

I have only just got to filling my hanging baskets which are usually done a month before this as it has been so cold and dark.  We are haing a few good warm bright days too - long may it last.

Veggies are beginning to catch up a bit, but many are still a good way behind themselves - still, nature usually gets it right in the end, so hopefully will do so this year too. 

Will Acidanthera Ever Bloom?

I cannot speak about gladioli, but acidanthera I find just do not have a long enough season of sun to flower.  They don't flower till late in the year anyway, and unless you are in the far South, I think they are hard to get to flower.  Lat year was hopeless anyway, far too dark and wet for them.. Sorry, but don't know of any trick for them, have given up on them myself.  Gladioli flower here in the midlands, they do need sunshine and not too wet conditions, and a bit of space - in an overcrowded bed of mine they leafed but did not flower.  Moved to a more open position and they did well. 

ground cover for slope

Can't access your pictures Gillylal, could you try again?

FORGETMENOT blue.

Verdun, brunnera comes close, the flowers are virtually the same, perennial and tough.

Just bought Sambucus Nigra "Black Lace" 30cm tall

As I do with my fig, I want the huge leaves and am not bothered by the fruit at all - each to there own thank goodness. 

Female blackbird loses her mate - very sad

It is however interesting how nature takes the best out of things, there is a bypass not too far from where I live, and sadly many small things lose their lives there - though so far it mostly has been squirrels (I must admit no sorrow there) and the odd pigeon (none there either) but the local kestrels, of which we are lucky enough to have quite a few - enjoy the road kill as unchased food!  I do worry that they too may get run over, but have never seen that, I imagine they are too quick and careful for that, and a free meal cannot be a totally bad thing. 

FORGETMENOT blue.

Brunnera is lovely, has very similar flowers, slightly darker in colour, and it does not spread everywhere.  The leaves can be very good too, silver splashed or almost totally silver - good nature, has survived several harsh winters outdoors.   Saw a very pretty deep blue forget-me-not in a shop yesteray, being promoted as a 'Cheslsea flower', but I'll bet it is as much of a thug as its cousin - it is a myosotis as well.  

Just bought Sambucus Nigra "Black Lace" 30cm tall

Mine lives in a pot and has done for the 5 years I have had it.  It does very well - I keep thinking I will make pale pink elderflower cordial, but it seems such a shame to pick off its flowers - and by the time I think I will, it is too late!!  Lovely thing, the baby leaves are quite an incredible black against the greyish wood.  

A couple of IDs please

Maybe leave it in the pot then?  We have several euphorbias in pots, which also get little if any attention, and they do fine - if it ain't broke don't fix it?

Solomon's seal

For whom do we garden .............

frosted lilies

out of season plants

bird feeders

Hazel nut queries

Flippin' pigeons