Janet 4

ID of plant growing EVERYWHERE!

Isn't Rosebay Willow herb supposed to be getting more scarce in the wild? Meadowsweet is my favourite wildplant. Friends gave me a cutting from their meadow years ago, and now I have clumps in my garden.Love it the smell the fluffy heads. Grows beside the pond, in the shade of a well established camellia bush and interspersed with fennel. Heaven on green and white clouds.

Blossom Trees

My husband bought aCanadian Apricot off the internet. It devloped the yuck orange resin juice coming out of it and died in less than 6 months.Now I find our beautiful well established 5 year old Almond tree we had has also now got the dreaded resin pouring out 18 months after chopping thr other down. It was on a nearby, but not touching area . So PLEASE be very careful where you get your plants. The RHS may charge more, but any problems and they will replace or refund up to 2 years after buying. I got my money back with a holly that just didn't take and died on me, no problem. But the rest of their plants are`healthy as anything.

The wrong kind of birds

Hi Shrinking Violet. If you are thinking of coming to Tiverton (it was you wasn't it?) ,we get a number of rooks, jackdaws, and the best of all seagulls. We have or did have hundreds of ducks in Tivvy, as we live so close to the river. Our first year one family brought 11 babes in, she and her 2 reliable male ducks. It was lovely, so I thought. So I put out 2 large pot bottoms full of water so they could swim in them. We blocked off the pond, as they brought leeches in which have affected the fish etc. and ate all the plant life we had. But night after night she seemed to come back with less and less ducklings. It upset me so much when eventually she returned one day with none. So now I am afraid I have to discourage them. I am just too soft. As my twitcher brother points out, the rooks etc will be aerating the lawn for you when eating they then look for the leather jackets and bugs in the grass.

Talkback: Cats in the garden

Cats and slugs. YUK! A friend explained about putting sticks in the garden, pointy end up. My firm recently got rid of cutlery and make us use wooden sticks to stir our tea! Not at all environmentally friendly, but it is all cost cutting now. So I collect these sticks. As I am going around the garden, after weeding and preparing in go hundreds of these, pointy end up remember! And as I am pruning perenials, I notice a lot of these were strong and sharp enough to go in as well. So no waste, and twigs don't seem to break down very well in the compost bin either. Yes, it is working, but don't forget the edges as well!!!! Hurray.

What's the weather like in your area?

Woops Sorry to put you off Violet. There is a lot going for the town if you want to get involved. I love the Saturday market and the car boots around here. In full time work means that is the only time I can get there. My problem is I always go for open aspect properties, so only now I am beginning to realise if you want a sheltered garden I will have to get an enclosed courtyard next time.

Plant in pot leftover from last year - identify?

Yes it does look like a petunia. But also reminds me of my oregano plants that I have everywhere. Bees love their little mauve flowers later in the year. Crush the leaves, do they smell?  I get a lot of snap dragons, Antirrihnums(?) self seeding in my garden, and cannot throw them away, but they will take over a flower bed as they are so prolific but flower ALL summer.

April in Your Garden

Was able to move shrubs and plants between extreme showers yesterday/Saturday. Very pleased with result.Have pots every where of plants and cuttings for my 2 daughters in law, and someone who wants plants for a new property, and all their money is reserved for the house. I was unable to unsubscribe from the Mid Devon Freecycle, and now I am glad that I was. I.ve given away so much. Great!

What's the weather like in your area?

I moved to Tiverton, Devon 5 years ago, and it has rained here ever since. My twisted Hazel has still not got catkins or leaves, it is in the front garden where we get cold winds and our street must be very exposed. The river is less than 100 yards as the crow flies. What does grow gets eaten by slugs, or drowns! Come to sunny Devon...Yeah!

Talkback: Ask Adam

My husband bought an Apricot tree online. It began to ooze red resin from every branch and tree, so we dug it up and threw it away in the bin.
We hoped that an established Almond tree next to it would not be affected. But I see this year it does have a couple of small red oozing patches from a couple of side branches. Is there any way we can save this tree. Do I need to cut off the branches or buy a cure. There is tree bark at the base in this area Should we have cleared this away, might it have. spread the disease.The almond tree has been there 5 years, and is very prolific.
Thanks for reading. Janet

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