quercus_rubur

July in the garden!!

Well I'm feeling very umpty. On Friday the garden was looking good despite the weather. I don't normally suffer very much with slugs - not sure if this is down to my organic gardening or my neighbour's obession with slug pellets - I fear the latter.  Tonight I came home from work and had a wander round my very wet garden, and found an invasion of the little buggers on my broad beans. I picked off 8 slugs in the time it takes to say slug pellets! The one flower bud on my Bishop of Llandaff Dahlia has broken due to the wind, the bounty of apples on my pot-grown apple tree which had which all looked healthy on Friday seem to be shrivelling. To add insult to injury the BBC have removed the GW episodes from iPlayer!

On the apple problem has anyone any idea why this would be, or is it down to the wettest June on record? The 3 cordons which are growing in the ground seem fine - so far

Beware of Parkers Bulbs. .

I've bought bulbs in the past from them too and they've been very good, though I agree about their plants. They sound cheap but generally are very small. While size isn't everything when planting, some have been too small to thrive. For the same price you can get much better at Wilkos! If I buy online I generally find Crocus good. They are good quality, large plants. With herbaceous plants I've often managed to split them into 2 or 3. If possible though I use my local garden centres. Use them or lose them

Gardeners World - not back for 4 weeks!

kate1123 wrote (see)

Just a reminder to set your recorders for Hampton Court Flower show, Tuesday morning at 11am on BBC2.

Hmmm 11am on a Tuesday morning. Is this another example of how much the BBC holds gardeners in contempt? No offence to those at home in the daytime, but surely they'd get a better audience if it was shown in the evening. Apart from those of us who work, the ones at home maybe out gardening, seeing to the kids, shopping. I could even understand it if it was lunchtime

Feeding tomatoes with powdered milk

Well here's a good case for a Beechgrove trial!

Weeping Fig

They do lose quite a lot of leaves every now and then. It isn't neccesarily a bad thing. I'd take it home and put it in the shower - unless they have one at work . Might sound silly but a lot of house plants do well on a bit of a steamy, warm soak. I do mine a couple of times a year -spring, summer. A 3 minute shower in warmish water, then leave it in the shower where it's damp and warm. It's like a tropical holiday!

What am I ?

It'll grow 6- 10 metres. Very good for butterflies and moths, but you'll need lots of space. It's not just the height is the breadth the branches take up.

Vertical gardening

I found this. I've been toying with doing one on my brick shed for ages. going to the Tatton Show next month so hoping there might be some inspiration there. This page list suitable ferns

http://www.scotscapelivingwalls.net/plant-list.html

What am I ?

See this is why Latin names ARE useful. I'd never heard of Goat Willow. Just been to look it up. I HAVE heard of Salix caprea though.

mystery tree

It's very good. Freaks my cats out when I play it indoors - which I do when I'm being mean

Oriental Lilies

Well I just found this on a website called The Lily Pad "Do lilies "revert" back to ancestral types?

No, this is not the case. Oriental lilies cannot change to Asiatic types, nor can lilies change their basic color. Mutations are remotely possible, but extremely rare. In certain instances, color intensity can be affected by environmental variables, but this is probably a one season fluke."

Alternatively were you wearing your sun glasses at the time? If I fancy a change of colour in the garden I pop on my sunnies. Much cheaper than buying new plants! 

My Corkscrew Hazel - Thanks

Gardening as part of the National Curriculum

Dilemma - Corkscrew Hazel

Speed gardening

Hampton Court Palace Show

Calling Mrs P - or anyone who can grow Verbena bonariensis from seed

I have my first courgette!

Push mowers