Judirumble's Outbox

Oh lovely - puts my weed infested borders to shame. (Sigh)

99 years - what a great achievement ! How proud you must have been of her.

I think you were OK to have double dug - just don't do it again !! Just keep adding mulch, old spent compost etc on top and forking it in. It may take time but it will sort itself out. If it is heavy soil Dig it up into big chunks and let the frost break it up. I would try raising the bed a bit too - a small stone or brick wall and then just pile loads of compost or mulch onto it. Then plant through it.

I used to double dig but now I just lightly dig over the top and pile on the mulch and let the worms do their stuff.

My goldfinches come to the garden all year round but they can disappear for seeks on end and then re-appear. I had a great thrill at the weekend - a Goldcrest appeared in my conifers (well - the non-descript trees someone had planted, I suspect old Xmas trees!!). never seen one before in my garden.
My goldfinches like sunflower seeds

Now that's nice

Pouring in torrents here in SW Scotland. All my paths and patio are standing in water and it is racing down the village street like a river.

I just leave mine alone - they seem to thrive on neglect. If the pots start to look too full I transplant the bulbs into the flowerbeds, just keeping some bulbs back to re-pot.

Looks an interesting plant. I would water by standing it in a tray and bottom water (let them suck up what they want). I would let them get quite dry before you water as well. I'm a culprit for over watering too esp with house plants.

Gritty compost I would think for the babies. Maybe get a cactus compost.

Don't get water on the rosettes.

They look nice healthy plants.

That's looking wonderful !!

It might be one of those patio roses that you can buy as gifts. I was given one a couple of years ago and I split it intyo 4 plants. They have all grown quite tall and flower wonderfully but they have no scent and the flowers are on the small side. Ideal for large pots on the path though

Love the blog. How's the pond doing and what fish have you added? I'm putting off getting fish until next spring.

Nothing in the autumn - they should be frost hardy unless they are exotic (in which case swathe them in fleece in early autumn if frost is forecast and then wrap them in straw for the winter months). If you are worried about late frosts in the spring - keep plenty of fleece handy and an eye on the weather forecasts.
If you are worried about birds - netting is the only answer but I usually share and share alike with my garden birds. There is usually enough for both them and me..

I just let mine get on with it. If they like where they are they will thrive. If they don't they will curl up their toes and die regardless.

I made some raised beds this year and my carrots (Chanteray) and lettuce did well. It is now full of sprouts and parsnips. I probably won't use it for sprouts next year as they rather overwhelm everything else. I grow my potatoes in deep sacks and got a good crop. Once they finished I popped in parsnip plants that I had been growing in pots in the cold frame.
Depends a bit on the size of your raised beds - mine are deep but a bit on the small side.

Yes my Tangutica and the deep purple one (sorry - here when I came so no idea what it is) are still flowering away up here in SW Scotland. They will both last until the first real frosts as they are in my south facing front garden.

I hope you remembered to specify you were taking them with you - your house buyers may not like it !!

very nice - what variety?

That's so nice. I love the pot emptying into the water.

You should have seen the boulders which got dug out when the bank was terraced back. One was massive !! Luckily I knew someone who wanted them. I'm still digging rocks (of the smaller variety) out everytime I dig the bed over or go to plant something.

Thank you. The pond and terracing is actually built from the stones of an original and very old wall which went straight up from the path to a height of 5 ft. It became unstable and began to fall down last winter so we had the whole bank terraced back and the pond built as well. The pond is designed so that any excess water will soak back into the ground behind it.
I actually think that you maybe right - the man who constructed it for me may have installed too powerful a pump. Everything is fine if I have the waterfall and the fountain both on together. The problem only arises when I turn the fountain off and just have the waterfall.
I will try what you suggest.

I've got a "not my cat" too. he comes for breakfast, lunch and tea and sometimes spends the night in my porch. His home is across the road and he shares it with chickens, ducks and a Westie - which is perhaps why he spends so much time with me !! (And my 2 cats and elderly collie)

I prune mine down gradually as the flowers go over and then, at the end of October, prune it down to 2 or 3 main shoots about 2 ft. from the ground. If you don't prune it enough you won't get those lovely big sprays of flowers in the summer and, as said previously, you will soon have a seriously big tree that is out of hand.

I'd pop it on a warm windowsill overwinter - not forgetting to put it INSIDE the curtains at night, not next to the cold window pane - and let it grow on. It will probably slowdown anyway due to lack of light. Fingers crossed it lasts through to spring !

Clematis Almondii and a David Austin climbing rose together. The clematis has white flowers early on which have a gorgeous scent and the rose will flower in the summer. You could also add something for autumn/winter colour - Virginia creeper??

Some of my friends use LOL as Lots of Love as well as Laugh out Loud.

We silver surfers have to stick together. I bet your gardening advice is good, Wyeboy.

Dig in loads of compost and keep topdressing with more compost. Eventually your soil will improve.

Leave them in - they are helping make you lovely compost.

Have you given it lots and lots of water? if it is a marrow they like plenty of water. What are the flowers like? My courgette flowers are big yellow flowers with pointy petals. if you grow courgettes on they become marrows !!

Does the plant have very big leaves on long stems which are hollow?

How about a "Chinese Lantern" ? Crinodendron Hookerianum The flowers and seed heads are great and long lasting.

Just as bad up here in South west Scotland. Wet, grey, cold and windy. My courgettes are doing very well but the greenhouse is full of green tomatoes that show no signs of ripening and now I've spotted botritus rearing it's head.