[Tuppence2]

Hello, everyone.

Thanks very much for the information about whitefly, Bob, and about the sticky stuff, Myrna. I'll try the "blasting" them with water method, I think. I didn't know about spraying frosted plants with water.

Lovely to see your plants, Bob. Here's a photo of the peas and mangetout in the peat pots - you said you'd be interested in their progress.



Spiders are fascinating. They are also part of the food chain for other animals, such as birds. Their webs are things of wonder. I love to see them full of the tiny baby spiders.

You had a frost, Yvonne! Is that very unusual for you or are you in an area where it happens regularly? Hope you plants are all right.

I visited Devizes today, went on the bus and had a lift home with a friend, to the market there in the town square and found a great herb stall - everything you could think of. I got a sweet Cicely and would have liked rue but couldn't afford both this week - next time, though. Must take the camera and photograph the stalls.



It's the ferny looking plant on the right of the photo, in front of the thyme.

The morning has been damp and it's showery now - good. I'm hoping it will save me having to water.

[telecom69]

Hi Ladies, Once again the forecast rain never arrived,but it was very cool and cloudy all day,I never got all the plants out of the greenhouse to harden off,I just left it wide open all day,same thing really,it was just that I was worried in case it did rain hard on them ...The peas are looking good Penny dont forget to soak those pots they are in, and also cutting down the sides with scissors, when you plant them, will help the roots to escape,because they dont always rot down as fast as they say they do.

Its May now of course,and in a couple of weeks its accepted that the frosts should over for this Spring,we shall see, and we can start planting outside with gay abandon,as the saying goes looking back now it doesn't seem long since we were waiting for this to happen with impatience,and now its here,just what the season will bring for all of us,remains to be seen of course,Mother Nature will decide, I just hope its perfect for us all ....the long range forecast for the UK suggests it will be a hot dry Summer ? my preference will be that it is not too hot and certainly not too dry a Summer ...

My only bad descision up to yet was ordering those Geraniums and Buzy Lizzies by mail order, they are still not yet potted up,compared with the ones I have which were bought as plugs from the garden centre,they are very small,they will be ok,just about 3 weeks behind the others,maybe Im a bit too impatient with them

The Tea Roses I planted in the front garden are going great guns,lots of big shoots now appearing,and they are looking really healthy, the Floribunda ones out in the back garden are at long last showing signs of getting going and many shoots are now on show,will post some pics when they are a bit bigger ...looking forward a lot to see how good all the blooms will be in their first season for me ...

[Tuppence2]

Hello Bob. Good luck with the roses. At the last count I had nearly 40 roses of one type or another. Must count them again.

I'm pleased with the peas and mange tout - I'll remember to take them out of the peat pots when planting. The ones I planted in the garden are beginning to shoot, too. Just hope pigeons don't get at them. I could net them but the net is over the plum tree at present. Perhaps I'll let that take its chances and cover the peas instead.

Not to worry about the plants that are slower to get going - you will have them spread out over a longer period. I saw a programme about Avebury Manor gardens and the owners plant new daffs each year, among the well-established ones, as they know they will take longer to flower and be on show later than the others.

It's rained in the night as it's damp out but the sun is shining and the cloud is high. I was going into the nursery to volunteer but my back is giving me "twinges" so I might rest today.

[oil painter]

Hi All:

It's a gray day today and they are calling for more rain. It is warm though so that's good. I have been out in the greenhouse planting the rest of my seeds. I still have a few more to do but I decided to take a break. I will be busy this weekend because a lot of things need transplanting. I already transplanted my Malva Zebrina, but the alyssum, lavateria and antigua marigolds need it too.

I just planted Brachychome and wondered if anyone used that for hanging baskets. It's very easy to grow from seed.

Cheer up Bob--just plant the late ones among the others and it will look good. The early ones will show and the rest will catch up.

I envy you all your roses--sure wish I could grow them.

Penny; Here's something that corn farmers sometimes use here to keep the crows away. They punch holes in tin foil pie plates and tie a couple of them together and put them on poles near the corn. When the wind blows or there is movement they clank together and scare them away. It works for a while until the birds get used to them, but crows are much smarter than pigeons. Try tying some in your plum tree

Well I'm back to work, as soon as I have a little bit to eat.

[margaret zanoni]

Hello everyone

Bob - nice to hear your roses are coming along nicely - looking forward to seeing the photo's later on. If they are anything like the plants you have grown up till now they will be superb.

Penny - I am posting a picture of a Pidgeon and a Swan - this was taken a minute before the bird tried to pick up a piece of bread thrown for the swan who promptly snapped at him- the pidgeon was lucky he only lost a couple of feathers......pity you haven't got a duck pond near you as they dislike pidgeons too and could safeguard your plants!

I managed to catch 'Roland' on camera this morning as he was rummaging about under the daffodil leaves - he buried some nuts in this border last autumn and the little rascal is digging up everywhere trying to find them. He has reeked havoc amongst my little beetroots and I was glad he had moved down to where the spring bulbs are dying off - even more pleased when he found a nut - at least the rest of the border is safe now!

I am posting a photo of the path along the river which we call the Bunny walk - the baby rabbits are growing fast and luckily for us stay their side of the river bank (not so lucky for the gardeners who live on that side).

My bed of Lily of the Valley is full of flowers and the clematis President is too - let's hope the weather continues to be fine and sunny and by the end of the month we should all have the first roses out.

Myrna - here this is long weekend as the first Monday in May is a bank holiday - is it the same for you in Canada? Usually we have wind and rain on Bank Holidays but not this time thank goodness. Looking forward to seeing how your baskets are coming along - you seem to like the hanging containers quite a lot - I note that you use some different plants in them so I am going to try and get hold of a couple of your varieties.

Yvonne - I never knew you could water frosted plants - sorry you had the cold but glad I learnt from it! I am with Bob when he says use your charm to have Broadband installed now you have had an upgrade - you will wonder how you ever managed with dial-up - I know I did!

Well time to make a cup of tea and see who is setting the fastest practise time in the Spanish MotoGP - hope it is Rossi!

Have a nice weekend everyone.....regards as ever Margaret

[telecom69]

Greetings Ladies, Another day of wall to wall sunshine yesterday,I potted on the 36 latecomer Geraniums into 3 inch pots hoping they will grow a bit faster with more leg room,everything is now in pots except for my latecomer Busy Lizzies,they are going great guns in the trays and will be planted out from them direct,had no delay with them this year and already lots of flower buds appearing,they will romp away when planted out,I just know that ....never had so much stuff in pots as I have this year,so much is ready to plant out,but still I must be patient for a little while longer ...

Myrna, I have grown Brachychome in the past,but never in baskets,mainly as ground cover or in containers,its a great plant really,needs no attention,flowers forever,and even withstands some frosts,what more can you ask of a plant ? its also called Swan River Daisy over here,as you say its very easy to grow from seed,and the garden centres do sell it in pots for use in baskets,so could be worth a try .....best of luck with all your sowings etc,hope the weather is kind for you ...

Margaret as to how the Roses do,is in the lap of the Gods,Ive not grown any for over 30 years now or even longer,except for two I have always had for as long as I remember, half of them are Tea Roses and the others Floribunda,the Teas are in the front garden,the Floribundas in a border out the back,will be interesting to compare how they perform,because the Floribundas came as bare rooted,the Teas in pots ....I will post photos in due course ....enjoyed the photos you posted,thanks for sharing them ....

Penny I know you have grown Roses from cuttings,I just wondered how they go from them,? not going to do any or anything,but was just interested because as you know Roses usually come grafted onto wild stock,to give more vigour and resistance to disease amongst other things,do they flower ok? and how do they compare to conventional Roses? I did read somewhere that though they will root ok they dont always survive,is that your experience ?

I planted some Non Stop Begonia corms in 5 inch pots must be nearly 3 weeks ago now, and so far no sign of them,seems strange that not one of them has appeared,they are certainly taking their time,anyone know how long they take to show ? my impatience showing again perhaps ...lots of watering now with everything in pots because the roots soon fill the pots and the water runs straight through,its surprising how quickly they can dry out when the weather is warm ....Spring Onions and Lettuce I sowed about 3 weeks ago are now starting to grow with some vigour,the Lettuce more so than the Onions,....the Lettuce will go into a grow bag,the Onions remaing in the large container in which they were sown,more of these will be sown this weekend for sucession ...

Overall Im more than pleased how everything has gone this season so far,everything has more or less gone to plan,and this doesn't always happen as you all know,not had a better start than this for quite a few years now ,with as the saying goes "Everything in the garden is lovely" its a great feeling, and what keeps us so interested, hope that you all soon feel it if you havent already so far ...more soon,take care all and happy gardening

[telecom69]

Happy Birthday Farmgirl,hope you enjoy your very special day

[oil painter]

Hi Everyone:

Bob I used to grow and save my non-stop begonia tubers. I'm sorry to tell you they take a long time to come up and grow into a good sized plant. I potted mine up around the end of Feb. or the first part of March and transferred them to the greenhouse when I opened it and planted them out the first part of June. I haven't grown them for a few years but I intend to buy some plants this year, You might not end up with flowers before July, but the good thing is you can save the tubers for next year.

This is how I over wintered them. At first I treated them like Dahlia tubers and some withered. Then I read it was a good thing to dry them off and then bury them in dry peat moss in a plastic container with a lid and store them in a cool place. They seem to keep better that way. I think the peat is to draw off any moisture so they won't rot, and the lid isto keep the moisture in the tuber. I don't know --all I know is that it worked.

Margaret. I enjoyed your pictures. No we don't have bank holidays, though the banks seem to take every holiday going. There is just about 1 statutory holiday every month and this month it's the Queen's Birthday on the 24th. Now my husband says it's to celebrate his birthday on the 21st, but I think Queen Victoria is a little more noted.

Happy Birthday Farmgirl

[telecom69]

Thanks for the info on The Non Stops,Myrna, I bought a couple from the garden centre two years ago and was very impressed by their flowering capability,they were bought as plants in pots then...These this year I bought as bulbs/corms whatever they are called and are each planted in their individual pot in the greenhouse,I was starting to give up on them because of their non show,but will now leave them to it and see what happens

[Tuppence2]

Hello, everyone. Happy birthday, Farmgirl.

Lovely to see your photos, Margaret, especially "The President", as I've just planted one in the front garden, against the wall. I'm lucky in that I don't have a squirrel problem. Swans fly over regularly on their way to the canal and river but they don't stop on the way.

"Gardeners' World" on cable the other day, Bob, was all about growing roses from cuttings. It's very easy and they don't sucker. They don't mind what soil they're in and will just grow. The presenter didn't seem to find many problems and said it's easier than you think. Like anything you plant from a cutting, if it doesn't grow you haven't lost very much, and a lot of them do take.

I've just planted my dwarf peas and mange tout into the garden. I potted runner beans yesterday and they're in the greenhouse.

I really enjoy everyone's gardening news. Sunny and warm today. Someone told me that the forecast is for a warm summer. I'd rather have rain than a drought, though.



p.s. at 6.29 p.m. Just planted an oriental poppy, "Beauty of Livermere".

[telecom69]

Hi Ladies, Another long sunny day yesterday,with most of the plants outside,hardening off,I decided to remove the temporary staging from the greenhouse,took me while and I ache from it now,but glad I did it because the Tomatos are now getting light from all round which they need,getting everything back in for the night was a bit awkward,lot of it on the floor but never,mind the Tomatos have the support canes installed and will soon have the greenhouse to themselves,cut the grass again,its every three days now,its growing so fast and looked round for what space I have to play with at the bottom part of the garden,most of it has perennial stuff in it so Im a bit limited for summer plantings such as Dahlias and a few spray Chrysanths and of course my beans ....one perennial geranium has to come out today,its grown to rather large proportions and is taking up far too much space,its flowers are not that long lived so I won't miss it too much ....

My Daughter sent up two large planters for me to plant up,they are at least 3ft square and would take a lot of compost to fill so shall use some brokrn up polystyrene packaging to fill up the botom third

Following Myrna's advice about the Non Stop Begonias I took a closer look at them and gently scraped away the top of the soil in the pots,and there is life in there, they are just starting to shoot,very pleased about that one ...thanks for the information about the Roses from cuttings Penny,since those programs on cable are repeated quite a lot I will keep a look out for it

A few pics from yesterday,my Clematis Montana,just starting to flower...




So too is my first Rhododenron...




This is showing above my fence from an adjacent garden,the fence is 6ft high and its 2ft above that,so its some plant,I think its a Broom of some kind perhaps,beautiful salmon pink ...




This I think is Creeping Jenny? its just now turning fro green to its golden colour,great for use in hanging baskets or containers ....





Thats about it for now folks, more later,stay safe,keep well and happy gardening to you all

[Tuppence2]

Morning, Bob, on a bright Sunday (rained in the night, though and the ground is damp - good!).

I loved seeing your plants, thanks. Your Montana is doing well - the one on my fence is absolutely covered in blossom.

I've just transplanted a few of the beetroot seedlings from one bed to where I think they'll be happier. The peas and mange tout I sowed straight into the ground are appearing fast. I've just watered the ones from the plugs which I planted into the garden yesterday and some new herbs I got on Friday.

I've a border along the fence that's overgrown with grass and I'm gradually removing the turf and weeds - a slow job with my back being dodgy and having to bend using the spade.

You could grow vegetables in the bid planters from your daughter. It seems to be the "in" thing, to grow them in containers.

[oil painter]

Hi everyone:

Lovely pics: Bob.

Your flowers are going great guns. I'm glad that your Begonias are finally sprouting. I used to grow the Non-Stop in pots on the edge of my front steps. 7 years ago when I broke my hip, my son and husband put a railing on the steps to make it easier for me to get in and out of the house. Since I no longer need it and I would like to put my pots out again, my husband removed the railing last summer. My pots will be going out there with non-stops again.

Like you said, they are true to their name and are just covered with lovely rose like flowers, that don't quit until the frost gets them. The tubers eventually peter out and they don't seem to make little ones, but one yellow one lasted for 6 years.

I have 2 large planters that I have styrofoam containers broken up in the base. The plants don't really use all that space anyway and the containers are much lighter that way. I don't put all new soil in every year euther. I use about half old soil and half new and it seems to work just fine. Have you tried some of the less invasive grasses in a big planter at the back. I can recommend blue oat grass. A lovely color and it adds height.

Hi Penny: If there's anything you want to save in your plot you are digging, dig it out and pot it up. Then pour boiling water on the rest. It will kill the weeds and grass. Don't worry about the worms. By the time it filters down to them it won't be boiling any more. It will make the digging easier.

I have been busy in the greenhouse. I planted my nasturtiums yesterday--the climbing ones and the whirlybird. They can go out early as small plants because they don't mind the odd frost. I have made a start on my transplanting, but I will be doing more today.

[Tuppence2]

Hello Myrna on a sunny sunday afternoon. You sound busy in your greenhouse. I like nasturtiums a lot.

Thanks for the tip in a previous post about hanging tin-foil plates, etc., to frighten the pigeons. A good idea.

I've just cut the grass, weeded between some paving stones and put pots and a chair there as a place to sit and contemplate the growing beans and peas.



Trimming the hawthorn hedge is next on my list of things to do in the garden but not today - my back has had enough.

Thanks, too, for the tip about potting things I want to save and using boiling water to kill the unwanted stuff - what a good idea. I'm working on the border a little every day and there is a lot of grass to come out.

Hope you have a really good weekend in the garden. It's a Bank Holiday here tomorrow so that means lots of noisy children in the neighbouring gardens! It's relatively quiet this afternoon so I think they must be out.

[telecom69]

Hi Ladies,Firstly today I have some very sad news to report,our friend Sooky Lu (Luanne) has passed away,there is a thread in announcements about this,Luanne visited us on occasions but was not well enough in recent years to do any gardening herself,but was interested enough to visit us and pass comments,she was a very dear friend and will be sadly missed .....