flowering rose

what decade is your garden?

since I can not get out to do the garden due to the deluge from the sky,I have been thinking about the gardens here and around ,how you can tell what plants were in favor ,say the seventies.I can remember the supermarkets selling cheap plants ,for instances ,flowering current ,forsythia,and everybody's favorite the cypress tree.I look at the gardens (that have not been concreted) and see different plants from different era 's. Again pampas grass was popular until one discovered you needed a bigger garden.Of course recently you have grass's and other fashions,but  I still have the remains of sixties   roses , peonies and hydrangeas  in my garden and I been here 34 years.

yelow centipede

they do eat pests but  they do like to bore holes into things-its a love hate thing.

So annoying or not!!

My pots are swimming in water and the lawn deep in surface water.I live on a hill and the bottom of my garden which once was a duck pond is reverting back to just that.My begonia of which for 10p in  a sale was looking so pretty and thriving was cut off by my dog .The pond is over flowing (good bye duck weed) and I guess its time to put sensitive plants to safety if only I could get out in before the next deluge!!!.

chocolate cosmos

chocolate cosmos

wait for a dry day  and collect seed and put in a tray to dry on window sill.when dry separate the seed from the chaff and put into paper bag or envelope.Then in  spring sow seeds in a seed tray and place in greenhouse or window sill.water when dry do not over water.when they appear and are still small transplant to pots to give more room to grow.then when few inches taller and looking strong and healthy transplant to garden when fear of frost is gone.(in my area that can be end of April).you will  need to stake them as sometimes they can topple also keep dead heading to prolong flowering.hope that helps ,they are easy to grow,nothing to lose.

Killing Ivy in a Hedge

My husband who hates Ivy with intensity  has just removed (wearing gloves as ivy is poisonous,makes a skin rash).by hand it s easy just pull and it comes away,where  it becomes a problem is if it is attached to your house and then you will have to watch the mortar does not come away with it!Then you will need a ivy killer of sorts .I don't like poisonous remedies but you ll need one for this task.

Sparrow

never pick up a fledgling,leave it where it is as the mother will come back and feed it,(unless of course its in the middle of the road for example)if you move it the parent bird will not come back to it and you will not be able to feed it successfully and it will just die.Hard as it is leave well alone as "mum" knows best.

chocolate cosmos

I don't think you will,mine usually rot after awhile but someone might know different.I collect the seed on a dry day and keep for next year(if we get a dry day)they are easy to grow and I love this variety .but this year all were stunted and rotted.should of kept some.I also had candy twist.good luck.

Absence of Frogs

some years ago had a lot of frog and toads ,in fact over run with them.Then suddenly they start to die .I and my neighbour found frogs dieing ,they had blood on them . .they then declined drastically and I thought we would not see any more but they came back slowly but their numbers were never the same again.It was reported at the time as some sort of virus.

Duckweed and pond weed

tried that,but it keeps re appearing! small dottie type leaf thing.I saw a big pond with this problem and they dug a small channel of sorts to let the water overflow and depoist the weed on the bank,seemed to work.I am on a smaller scale trying to imitate this by letting the rain water from the butt flow into the pond (when butt is over flowing)so as to wash the D.... stuff out.It keeps the water clear but its still there.Time will tell.

breathing life into faded plastic chairs.

Talkback: Plant diseases and busy Lizzies

is re-cyling your green bin ,a good thing?

The weather

Talkback: Edible dahlia tubers

Talkback: Orange ladybirds

squirrel shot for coming to the table.

down at thefrozen pond

what you find when out walking

new years resolution

wildlife in the city

Ford Abbey near Yeovil

Talkback: Hedgehog rescue

slugs in the kitchen

christmas tree