Spring Bits and Bobs.

[retropants]

They do indeed OH. My mum also gave up her plants/honesty box as last year someone took the lot.

[oldherbaceous]

It’s certainly warming up now!
Looks like we will be straight back into a drought……

[Clive.]

We got another 10mm rain such that it was plenty wet to be on ground yesterday morning....but it's drying up fast now as plenty windy as well as the warm....

Just had a nip out to the local garden centre and come home with 3 nice Liatris spicate to fill a gap in my South border between sub shrubs. The shrubs looked a fraction wide spaced at the moment and I do like liatris
Also have ordered online 3 Salvia 'Ostfriesland ,' which took my fancy and also a Veronicastrum of which I have had no previous dealings with...

My dahlia patch by the house back door is now an ex dahlia patch but has been weeded through this morning...and I have ordered some packets of painted sage, Salvia horminum 'Bouquet Mix' to sow in situ. I had hoped the garden centre would have some packets as the ground is just nicely damp for it to set straight off...but no stock and so to plan B...

Sweetcorn to put out next...

C.

[Geoff]

You should enjoy your Veronicastrum, wonderful plants that bees and butterflies love.

[Clive.]

Thanks Geoff, The one I went for is 'Fascination'.

As it's worked out the whole border is of things loved by bees, butterflies and moths, even though the stating point was about the plants to suit the site It's certainly a million times better with the big old cryptomeria tree gone, the removal of which was the catalyst for the border re-work.

C.

[retropants]

I’ve got some dark red Bidens in a basket, the honey bees seem to love them. I’m going to see if they have any left at the GC to fill gaps in the sunny border.

[Clive.]

There were a few Bidens at the one I visited, looked lovely and they nearly came home with me..

Just been down the garden and the wild bees are busy on broad beans, raspberries and loganberries

C.

[Westi]

Well I did try to post but AI (or human) seems to have eaten it & to add insult to injury a stupid "sign in' thing keeps floating by even though signed in already. I'm in nearly every day so obvs signed in & legit so why /what is going on.....admin ? Anyone else having problems?

[Clive.]

There's now 3 less Bidens 'Blazing Ring of Fire' at the local nursery/garden centre....called in on my way home this lunchtime

C.

[Clive.]

Things are really dowking with this warmth and the breeze on top... more so than yesterday although we still have damp under so they should pick up overnight..

C.

[oldherbaceous]

I love it when we share ideas….hope the bidens, do well for the both of you!

[Geoff]

I've tried Bidens "Gold Nuggets" from seed this year but got poor germination followed by slow growth. When I was planting up the tubs yesterday I put the seven I got all in one tub so we'll see what happens.
Mower stopped on me today in a cloud of smoke, can't decide whether to try an eBay engine, left it for an hour and it started and let me finish the cut just to make the decision more difficult.
Veg plot full of beans today as I planted out 61 runners, 28 borlotto and a few Cobra.

[Cider Boys]

Managed to plant out my courgettes and sqashes to-day, my word it was windy but I had been acclimatising them for a few days, I just hope that they get used to the ever present wind that we get here. I need to get busy with the hoe soon, the weeds are all doing extremely well. Also planted out some zinnias to help give some colour to cheer me up.

Barney

[oldherbaceous]

Planted out 140 various types of plants over the allotments, for cut flowers this morning….a job I would normally leave until we have a showery spell, but they were constantly drying out, in the plug trays!
Very hot over there now!

[Clive.]

I was doing about the same job....but to include sweetcorn Goldcrest and Celeriac Asterix....all had been waiting such that they were stationary if not going slightly backwards...

There was a thunderstorm that ran through in the early hours in some parts of the county.. no amount of rain just some Sahara? dust in rain spots on the car this morning. MW radio was crackling quite a lot first thing and I'm sure I could here some thunder rumbling out at sea first thing when all around was quiet except for birdsong.

There seems to have been a 'small bikes' ride out about today...Honda 50/70/90 Honda 100 etc type of thing....large number gathered at the petrol station this afternoon.

The Clary seed, from Yorkshire Seeds, has dropped through the letterbox today.....I ought to get it sown quick and raked in...in my ex dahlia area...energy replenish needed first.........

...I see that the little bumble bees' have already found the Bidens..

C.