Shrinking Violet

What's the weather like in your area?

Bilberries, wineberries whortleberries - local names for a truly British delicacy.  Exmoor - Lorna Doone - well, Frank, there is many a place named after the Doones hereabout:  cafes, restaurants and campsites take the name, although I doubt if many of the patrons have ever heard of R.D. Blackmore! 

Mostly sunny and breezy today, with a few light showers.  Not quite summer as I would like it to be - but acceptable given some of the rubbish we've had to endure

What's the weather like in your area?

Sunshine and showers (and heavy showers at that!).  The month may begin with and A - but more like April than August!

Bilberries on Exmoor are known as Whortleberries, Frank - but they make pies and jams just as lovely - no matter what they are called!  I visited Goathland the other year when I stayed with my cousin in York and we had some wonderful days out.  The moors there are bleaker and more stark than we are used to - but beautiful, nonetheless.

Replanting between leylandii stumps

We had a 30 ft high leylandii hedge at the north facing front garden when we moved here.  Because the treas had been planted close to a boundary wall, we were advised not to try to take the stumps out, because it could cause damage to the wall.

We had them cut down as close to the ground as possible.  We then put in a border edging (about 2 - 3ft away from the wall) and created a "raised" border, in-filling with topsoil, and covering the stumps.  Shallow-rooting plants close to the stumps had no problem and other shrubs (wigelia, spirea, hebe and rosa rugosa for example) have found their own space, and settled in very nicely.  Interspersed with some easy annuals and freely self-seeding plants (such as poppies and aquilegias) we now have an  easily maintained area that has allowed light and air into the front garden.

it will take time for the stumps to rot down - but they are not prone to honey fungus, unlike some trees. 

Prunus Kanzan (flowering cherry) going brown

I had just such a problem the other year.  I put it down to low light levels and a general malaise of poor seasonal weather.  A lot of rain promoted lush, weak growth, although the soil was far from waterlogged.

Advice that I was given was to give it a bit of a feed and see how it responded.  It didn't.  That is why it is, sadly, so more.

I don't know if my diagnosis was correct, or if the advice that I was given was poor.  But sometimes a plant reaches a point beyond which it cannot be saved.  I hope this is not the case with your tree - but I would be prepared for the worst, and pleased if next year it manages to perk up. (or, hopefully, there may be better advice from more knowledgeable posters here.)

What's the weather like in your area?

Dry and cool all day - but it's raining now.  Apparently this rain is moving across the country tonight.  One week of sunshine, and now it's "normal service is resumed"

What's the weather like in your area?

Chucked it down with rain for most of the morning.  I think we must have sent this weather across country, since I saw it pelting down at some of the Olympic events!  Lea Valley canoeing seemed to catch quite a downpour.  I was interested to see the area - it's near to where I used to live - and I used to go there to pick wild blackberries and rosehips, as well as bicycle around the flat areas, especially the towpaths.  It looks a bit different now!

Afternoon was lovely sunshine, although noticeably cooler.

Clematis

I've earmarked this one - though I wasn't going to buy one until (if!) we have moved.  But I see there's a special offer by GW, and I'm so tempted to buy & keep it in a pot until I can plant it out.  Is that a plan?  Or madness?

What's the weather like in your area?

A dose of British reality today:  rain overnight/early morning, then sunshine and clouds with a stiffish north-west breeze. 

Enjoy the rains, Lisa - I think it's the percolated peaty water that makes Glenlivet so renowned. 

Olympic opening:  some of it must have had overseas viewers scratching their heads, wondering what it was all about.  But - what a stroke of genious to create the "cauldron" for the flame as they did - and not give the lighting of it to just one - but to seven young people.  I was in total awe - and so proud you'd think I designed it myself

What's the weather like in your area?

It was cloudy at dawn - but bright sunshine now.  A bit cooler, too - only (!) 24 C in the shade.  Cooler weather on the way, apparently.  Sea breeze may pick up a bit, but at least it's still Summer.

What's the weather like in your area?

Lisa - Glenlivet:  am I right in thinking this is the home of one of the best single malts? 

Fungus on peas

Weather Lore - and more

The wrong kind of birds

Community Orchard