Good morning friends. Wow! What a gorgeous morning!!! It's going to be around 65F today and so will not be on here much. But....we are in for a Noreaster, for the next three days and that is disheartening. My poor potted plants have been in and out of the shed and like me they don't know whether they are coming or going. I miss Saturdays back home. It was our day for the markets - I just loved it. The Bury St Edmunds market was just great!!
I had email from Jean a DG member. She is looking for Scabiosa Clive Greaves and can't seem to find it anywhere here in the US. I told her to visit us here on this forum and have a word with the "Brits" at home. I pointed out to her that Thompson and Morgan might have it also - I know they used to. Well, I shall be here for another 30 minutes then I'm off. Hope you all have a wonderful day! :-)
Saturday March 24th
Morning Louisa, stop give us the nice weather report will, it bloody cold wet and misserable here, again, lol, you missed me by just seconds last night, i saw the time on the mail, i went to be d at 3.59, woke up with a stinking cold, thought i might though, felt it coming on last night.
Alan.
Oh Alan, I'm sorry you have such a cold. It's such a miserable condition, like you needed it eh! I hope you get over it pretty quickly. Do you know of the Scabiosa that Jean wants? It's pretty common in the UK because I use to grow it.
I have a few supliers list here, and there are several scabosias in them, just not that one, i have had a look for it, but its not on any of my lists, i try to find out for people, if i can help all the better, thats what daves is about.
Alan,
Hi all i'm here..
hello daisy, hows the misserable waether in norwich, today.
Alan.
Pretty awfull, grey and drizzly, nothing unusual there!
I'm dreading tonight. I'm being dragged to a concert that my father in law is performing in. I can't think of anything more boring!
Oh dear, misserable weather all day, then that, still you know the drill by now, grin and bear it, lol, and say it was what great, sure way of getting another invite to the next one, lol, have tried saying you dont like it ?.
Alan.
Morning Daisy. Is your father giving a recital or something? I am taking the opportunity of this fine weather to go and repot some of the plants so I will stay just a minute longer and then leave you all to it. Maybe Lisa and Patty will emerge before I take my leave.
Luckly this is the first time, i've managed to get out of the past 3 performances due to "unavailablity of a babysitter".
We took a trip to the Notcutts garden centre this morning to get prezzies for both mums, and i did notice my little girl pick up an outdoor candle holder with a butterfly on it for me!!! Thats cheared me up, something groovy for the garden.
Louisa, let me no when its ok later.
Louisa, Its not my father, its my fatherinlaw! LOL. If It was my father i would tell him in no uncertain words i was not going.
Your so lucky being able to get on in the garden i really am gealous. I don't even have a green house to escape to. So looks like i'll be infront of the computer for a while.
well there plenty to keep you busy on here, and i wont be going far either, are you in quaters there ?.
No, we have own house. I only have a little garden about 10 metres square. But it's cramed full with plants. We had to get rid of our lawn last year coz it got infested with Chaffer Grubs. I spent days on the phone to chemical companies trying to get hold of something to get rid of them but it's all been banned over here. Now if i lived in america, it would be perfectly legal! work that one out. Anyway, one saturday lunch time at the hight of my dispear i told my hubby to grab the spade, i ordered the skip and we dug it up. It was very easy, like ripping up carpet!
That evening we sat on the patio, wine glass in hand, the drastic realisation of what we done hit me! Our garden consisted of 3 borders a patio and SOIL. My favourite option was to the whole garden into a flower bed, but this would have been unpractical as our little girl was 2 at the time. So the planning started again. Within the week i'd drawn up plans for decking. Oh yes i know, i'm afraid i was under the influence of a cretain gardening programme on TV at the time! But its all finished now and it's the best thing we could of done. It's great. My daughter can go out and play, when it's dry, when grass would still be wet.
This message was edited Saturday, Mar 24th 9:29 AM
I ask about the quarter because i know they only have tiny gardens, and the regs probebly wouldnt let you have a green house anyway, but you are still a bit restrict for space now arnt you, DECKING, its a bit harder to rip that up "WHEN" you get fed up up with it, but haveing young children in the garden you have to be careful, i have my sisters daughters come around here, the eldest is 5 i think, she loves it out in the garden, but i still have to keep an eye on her, i thought i was going to be able to change a lot of things when mine grew up, never expected my niece to be into gardening at her age, so i will have to wait a bit longer,but even in the smallest garden there are still things that a little one can get into, so you will have to play the waiting game too, lol, but for the moment it is a you say practicle for your daughter, and dry, my lawn has been sodden for the last7 months.
I appologise for turning back to the subject that was descussed last night. But have you been to Gardeners World Live before Alan?
No i havent, i wanted to go last year, but it didnt happen, i dont know of anyone around here who wants to go, and i dont want to go on my own, but i will get there one year, even if i have to suffer a bus trip.
I'm going up on the Thursday night with hubby, for the Friday entrance. Were staying in the travel inn just down the road. Why don't you come along and we can meet up for a coffee. Do you think that would spoil the fasard of DG.
Oh Louisa, reading that you're repotting plants is adding to my frustration today. I need sympathy! This week, I felt really in the mood for giving my seedlings pots of their own and moving everything else up a pot size. I went into the new big hardware shop in town on Tuesday, and bought four bags of compost to be delivered. I asked particularly if they had John Innes, as I prefer loam, and I usually mix the JI with ordinary multi-purpose compost. I'm in Ireland, and peat-based compost is available everywhere, but I know John Innes is virtually unheard of, never mind coir compost.
Anyway, the girl asked a man from the outside bit (later in the year, it'll have flowers and be called a 'Garden Centre'), and he confirmed they had John Innes. How happy I was! I waited delivery, possibly on Tuesday? All Wednesday. Thursday. Friday - a perfect gardening day, sunny and no wind. No compost either. I telephoned this morning, and they brought it up.
It isn't John Innes at all. It's multi-purpose (peat) with 'Added John Innes'. The bag extols the advantages of the loam in the John Innes, but I can tell from the feel of it, there's only a very small proportion of loam in there.
My plants are too precious to put into this rubbish. I've pricked out the nasturtiums, but now I'm even further back than square one. I'm £22 worse off, and I have four bags of useless compost in the garage.
I've looked on-line to see how much John Innes this stuff actually contains (but I know it's too little, and I won't use it as it is), I've looked at the websites of the biggest DIY store in Ireland and a garden centre that calls itself the best in Ireland, but there's nothing at all about compost in either of them.
Alan, everybody, cheer me up!
This message was edited Saturday, Mar 24th 9:59 AM
I'd take it back to the shop. If the sales man missrepresented the product and sold it to you making you think it was something else, surly thats fraud?? I think you deserve a complete refund. Stand up for your rights, go gettam girl!!
Mary, that stuff you have had deliverd is only good for your garden, i dont use john innes myself, but i do have a better quality chep stuff, lol, i had one cheap bag last year, i couldnt grow weeds in the [profanity removed] stuff, i ended up putting it in with my Autumn mulch, which didnt go on until january, there are some good composts about, but i dont know wats avaliable in Ireland to give you a pointer, i use one from Great mills, and i have had some very good reults from that, i put seeds, cuttings and young plants into that, and its been fine, its only 3.50 for 125ltr bales, hows the weather inyour patch then Mary ?.
Daisey, is it next weekend is it.
Oh Mary - I can almost feel your frustration. There is nothing and I mean nothing worse than getting ready and eager to do some work in the garden and then have your hopes dashed because of some idiot. I can fully sympathise. Actually I have just come back in. I was outside and repotted at least 25 plants. How's that. I only have another 250 to go!!! LOL
louisa, are stayimg a while this time, you shot off last time.
Mary - I went to school in Down Patrick when I was a wee one. I remember drinking pink milk and the nuns insisted it went all the way down. I hated it. I remember also going to the afternoon cinema with my cousins who were older than I. I went to the loo and when I returned to my seat the whole cinema had emptied. I was so frightened. The film had ended and everyone had gone, including my cousins. I was so bewildered because it was my first time and I made my way outside and crossed over what seemed an enormous bridge and there coming towards me was my darling daddy. I was so happy to see him.
Louisa, can i come and join in the planting. I've got absolutly nothing done in my garden today coz of the weather.
I was at the garden centre this morning, and you all talking about compost has reminded me i forgot to get some while i was there. Oh bother, looks like another trip to the shrine!!
Well you know Daisy that these plants are getting ready to be fitted into their new garden (when it's prepared), so I'm just letting them know I haven't forgotten them and still love them and we will all be together once more in our new home - terra firma at last! Hubbie called me outside for a minute to see something and I was still in my dressing gown (white). I ended up doing the potting up and now my white dressing gown is in the wash and my shower is beckoning me. I have to run a few errands today and possibly go to Monticello to see the beautiful gardens (Jefferson's house). It's only about 15 minutes from us.
Louisa, have you heard of the book "Gardening in your nightie"? we should re-name it "Gardening in your dressing gown". lol
Mary, my blasted frogs are back, they have been quiet for afew days, now there amother load in the pond, paires too, noisy little buggers, i dont what they have to sing about its horrid out there, i did wonder if someone around here has had a pond and filled it in or something, because i have had loads more this year, and i have never had to spawning lots like this.
Louisa, if i tried to big a hole four inches deep now it would fill up with water, the garden is so wet, my bog plants are waking up though, its just right for them.
daisy, i want a full description from you, here monday morning, ok, it thought it was in june, not next weekend.
Alan I will mail you later on tonight. You can mail me anytime and talk about gardening and the such. Sometimes hubbie feels I am too soft hearted and I encourage people to vent out to me. Just like a lady I know, met her over the forums and turns out she has a real problem. I have to write to her to give her all the encouragement she needs. If I don't then I think about it all day long. Hubbie says I shouldn't get involved - but he's not as soft as me :-)
Alan, I know very little about ponds. But hope to have one soon.
It is in June silly! lol
You got me all wrong. When i said were going up on Thursday night, i ment Thursday 14th June. I know i'm keen, but sitting camped outside the NEC for 3 months is a little excesive! lol
Well, as much as I enjoy your company I really do have to go. I cannot waste the beautiful day. So my friends, I will talk later. Be kind to each other! :-) Byeeeeee!
Alan, the weather's like me, waiting for something to happen. It's not cold, it's not raining, it's not sunny, it's just hanging there. My tadpoles have hatched, by the way, but they're not doing anything, just writhing about in the middle of the spawn.
I can't really blame the people in the shop. If anything, it's the manufacturers. They aren't much into gardening round here, and no-one's heard of John Innes and the words 'John Innes' on the bag are as big as the words Multi-Purpose.
Now, If I were feeling more enthusiastic, I could go out and poke around in the compost heap and see if anything's rotted down enough to add to this stuff. I feel like a child stamping its foot. I want John Innes!
This message was edited Saturday, Mar 24th 10:31 AM
hahahaha, i thought it was a bit odd that i hadnt heard about it, i will let you know how it goes, i really do want to get there this time, so if i do we will have that coffee, i am going to start trying to find someone else around here who want to go.
louisa, ok, later as the norm, i love my little ponds, they bring in a whole new world into the garden, i keep thinking about another, but its bloody hard work digging out a pond, and i dont have anymore room for another mountain of soil.
My pond excists in the form of a sealed pot with aquatic plants, nicked from my mums garden! Last year i was lucky enough to have a frog resident in it, but it didn't stay long....that cat was obviously hungry!
While i was splitting an iris last autumn i found a newt! I've seen no sign of it since. I have considered putting a log pile at the back of the border near the fence. Do you think he'd like it??
Its still a bit early for newts, now that is something i havent seen here, and i havent seen one for at least 15 years, but i wouldnt object to them in my pond or my garden.
Alan
[ Removed per member request. - Admin]
I couldn't believe it when i saw it. I live in a new house its only 5 years old, on a new estate.
People round here don't seem to care about their gardens. Most of them are just grass. You should see the state of next doors, it's a tip. She keeps moaning about it to me, but she's one of those lazy people that expects everyone else to everything for her. I'd love the challenge to "make over" her garden, but i won't on priciple, coz she wouldn't appreciate it. I'm detracting from the subject....we don't have many birds because there are no established trees, so i have made it my project this summer to get more birds into my garden. I've planted a eucalyptus, so the birds will have something to pirch in.
How awfull for lisa. Hurry back !