happymarion

Dicentra

Here is a male orange tip butterfly snoozing on a Dicentra "Stewart Scotsman" in the plants for sale section of the Bristol Bot, Garden yesterday.. Dicentras are great nectar source for butterflies and bees.  This one only flew off whenthe first raindrop fell.

Talkback: Plant envy

I know exactly how you feel, Andy. I have just fallen and bought Heuchera "Midnight Rose" while at the shops and have been worrying where to plant it all the way home. "Lime Marmalade" was easy and the caramel coloured ones looks superb among the bluebells. But very dark purple with pink spots? Perhaps i can pick up the pink in the spots among my primulas. Just like painting really. Perhaps art classes are the answer.

Salad leaves

Yes, thank you, I have been advised at the bot. garden to put my packets in a tupperware box with a sachet of silica gel and store them in the bottom of the fridge till needed.  I do like salad every day since I got in the habit while a student in USA!  It is so easy with salad leaves, not boring like lettuce even if you do have redones and crinkly ones as well as cos.  And salad leaves make better soup as the mustard and pepppery flavours are there.

Salad leaves

The packet I bought last year lasted the year and this year's should as well (over 1000 seeds.  Just says Packed for year end 2012 on back of packet.I know if I sow last year's cress packet nothing comes up so think oerhaps these salad things do have to be fresh seed..  Thank you for your concern.  I was thinking I might buy five packets.

Talkback: Growing salad leaves

Gracious, Pippa, the new directive from Europe which means we will not be able to buy mixed packets of salad leaves means I will have to buy several packets as you say, but the one packet kept me going all year last year so my bill for seeds will probably be ten times larger, unless these seeds can be saved for several years. Can they?

Salad leaves

I have just read the report that says salad leaves mixtures will not be available after this season because of a European directive.  Which means to get the scrumptious salads I am now enjoying i will have to buy many packets of seeds.  Mixed lettuce will still be available but this is not the same.  i love the peppery, mustardy, bitter and sweet bitefuls you can get from growing the mixture.  Does anyone know how long those kind of seeds are viable for as I am hoping to be able to stock up wth some packets?

Talkback: Holly blue butterflies

Oh, Richard, and it is too wet to get out in my garden today to see it all. Last year I had hordes of them in April but then we had that lovely weather, in fact a five week drought. I have seen orange tips and speckled woods in the last few weeks but no blues as yet. My garden has all the shrubs you mention, in fact loads of holly and dogwood and a solitary spindle brought by the birds, four pyracanthas and a large snowberry bush, so it is holly blue heaven.

Talkback: Tulips

I love species tulips, James. T. . . clusiana, sylvestris, Turkistanica, tarda, all thrive in my garden but Even I weep sometimes. The wind and torrential rain in Bristol last night has snapped the stems of my clusiana which have been delighting me these last few weeks. Serves me right for putting them right in the middle of the garden where I can enjoy them most. It seems like some shelter is needed.

Talkback: Growing salad leaves

Poppyfields, aphids do not like draughts so make sure your salad pots are in one. Also bring in any ladybirds you find and put them on an infested pot for a feast.

Talkback: Emptying the compost bin

My compost Dalek bins had to be moved when my new design raised bed veg. garden was built. I left everything in a heap and made sure there was shelter for anything that wanted it and the workmen built the beds round the heaps. When I spread the contents in the beds there was no sign of my very long slow worms but now the repositioned bins are half full the slow worms have taken up residence again.

picture difficulties

SOS 

Talkback: Gardening in Russia

Awww, it was the same for my sister gardening in Edmonton in Canada, James. It was amazing how much they could grow in their very short thr... 

Spring sweethearts

The sun shone brightly enough for my tulips to open up,something that thrills me every spring. 

Spring Spectacular

The Garden Sculpture Exhibition at the Bristol Botanic Garden  

Talkback: House sparrows

In the eighties I used to stop counting at 20 when the sparrows descended on my garden. The wild patch og groud at the back of my garden wa... 

Gardeners World new season

How was it for you 

Talkback: Blind daffodils

You would not think from seeing the wonderful display our hellebores are putting on in the Bristol Botanic Garden that they once had the dre... 

Talkback: Good things about February

Oh, and Iris unguilaris is at its height though it can flower for ten months of the year. Pancake day has just been and I made 32 of them. ... 

Talkback: Waiting for the snow to thaw

Ah. James. I already have a duck pond at the kitchen door and loads of birdseed and crumbled fat balls on the paths. lots of eucalyptus bar... 

Talkback: Learning from 2012

I have vowed only to grow early potatoes anf harvest them before the dreaded blight, and only Gardeners; Delight or similar tomatoes and yel... 

Winter wonders

What is beautiful in the winter garden 

Talkback: 2013 in the garden

Happy New Year to you too, James and my resolution is the same as it has been for as many years as I can remember for just that - to make it... 

Talkback: Winkworth Arboretum

So with you there, Pippa, as long as it is not too cold. Stretching my legs at the Brisol Bot. Garden on Thursday in between cleaning seed ... 

Grow it and eat it

A combination of gardening and cooking is long overdue. 

Talkback: December gardening jobs

I have to go up to my spinney and cut cornus sticks which are now bright red to stick into my spreads of white heather at the front gate whi...