Spritzhenry's Inbox

if i were you Spritz i would cut all dead and damaged bits out, it could just be that this branch has got damaged, proberly nothing to worry about. viburnum can be pruned qute hard and comes back better for it! - i'm always chopping bits off my mums one for flower arrangments and it seems to like it! pruning should be done after flowering, according to my book, but they do have such a long flowering period. i aways cut it when in flower or sometimes in bud - as this is best for my arrangements, and it does'nt seem to mind at all. it just produces more, if anything cutting now will proberly prolong flowering, so go for it, be brave!

I think it's hibiscus trionum as well. I've seen this growing naturalised in New Zealand (the botanists are undecided where it originates). Annual or short-lived perennial but pobably not hardy in the UK

Were you all dancing to celebrate planting the tree? Lindak

will have to get one great stuff

What a great source of info this blog is, Spritz, because I knew that wassail had something to with apples and cider, but I always thought that wassail was solely a type of cider drink. Many thanks for the enlightenment!

So interesting to see how you spent your afternoon and learn of your local traditions!

Thank you for the blog , it was great to read and see the pics , I really enjoyed it .

I'm pretty certain Hereford wassail as well. I think I'll start a new version here in Bracknell - the tree can have the toast and I'll have the cider :-)

I saw the photos and was waiting for the blog :o)

I have never heard of wassailing and it looks very strange! Is it particular to Somerset? I know there's a lot of cider brewed down there - in fact that was another one of the stands at the taste of autumn where I spent a few pounds.

Keep posting them Spritz! I like this one too.

love euonymus and have two in the garden cut to shape. Linda.

I was just writing in reply to Weemamabell's blog that I have begun a seed-sowing diary so that we won't have to rush at the last mo to get everything going, as usually happens. I, too, would have really a digital calendar like yours, Spritz, but, like you Majeeka, my pc is probably too old.

If you look again at my 'photos you will make out that mine became muti stemmed .

Hi Spritz

I have found this to be common. I have had the flower snap (they make beautiful cut flowers and last ages in water) and then had re growth.

Debs

hi Spritz, yes i have seen this before, did you dead head the original stem as the flowers faded? if so this could be the reason that it has re-flowered. either that or you are just very lucky. i have seen quite a few with two stems on at once or like yours a second stem once the first has flowered - i don't think it is damaging to the bulb in anyway - so enjoy!

yes it is a fantastic pressy, i would love one of these, i am always forgetting to do things and you don't always find out the info at the the time of year that you need to do it. any ideas on cost and where to buy one? also does it take up much room on your computer, i have a really cheap computer that is really slow when i try to put extra on it - my other half bought me a garden design programme last year but when i tried to install it, it was really complex and took so much room on the comp everything else started going doolally and really slow. so i had to take it off again.

You lucky thing!! Know where to come for my salvia advice now!!

I forgot my hyacinths this year for indoors!! Will miss their fantastic scent. Enjoy

I've got all my relations, who live in distant parts of the country, well trained - they send me Garden Centre vouchers every year. Perfect!

Hi Spritz, I think word got around that I'd started gardening this year and I got a few gardening pressies.

The most daunting is the RHS Encyclopedia of Gardening which is enormous and impressive. I was glad to find it had a section dedicated to growing veg.

The other two were asked for - an old fashioned watering can to replace the 4 pint milk bottle that we've been using all year, and a trowel. I'm looking forward to getting out in the garden after new year and I might dig a few small holes that don't need digging, just to try it out :o)

Gr8 pressies, Spritz! Not sure about the seat, though! I suppose it is meant to stop you twisting and bending so much, but I think it would make me seasick, lol! I got nothing garden-related from Santa - yet- but I did give out seed lists, and am happy to wait for these to arrive, and even more thrilled to know that my xmas wish list will keep us fully occupied and will flourish until next Xmas - and even provide food, decor, etc next festive season!

what a lovely picture! you really have captured the sprit of the season here!

I have been inspired to get out into the garden and look for stuff for table decor for Christmas day, pic placed on homepage! Many thanx.

One can tell from the pic of your doorway that a garden lover lives here. Really lovely!

If you'd based it on a boomerang, it would come back again for next year's - just a thought :-o

spritz what a fantastic effort - it looks lovely - very well done - who would know that you have used a frizbee? - i would be foolled - what a brain wave - i'll have to remeber that if we ever run out in the shop of wire frames! lol

I think your wreath definitely wins spritz :o) and I won't have time to do another one before Christmas.
Next year...

The fire I think must be very christmassy, and I like the idea of the rosemary. Like the lady above I too am a florist, and the simplest greens are often the best and most tasteful, they have so much texture and different shades of greens.

Have a merry christmas
Carolyn

yes spritz completely serious, especially this time of year when quite a lot of the flowers are poor quality and very expensive, we use much more folliege for arrangements particually large ones, pedistal arrangements, for big functions, swags, cascade arrangements for over a fire place ect... all of which do need long interesting folliege for which these are perfect. but then i would gues it would depend on the kind of work your local florist does. - so maybe best to check first. they also last for ages and can be wired and looped into very modern or tropical arrangements that can stand as big as 5 or 6 foot tall. but again it does depend on the type of work that the florist does, if they are quite a small shop that does mainly gift items they may not want them. - it's a shame you don't live near to us - i would defo take it off your hands! - living so close to london we do loads of big arrangements, texture is the key with these things. - and big structual flowers and folliege is a must as most are viewed from a distance eg;- front of the church for chrismas day, or big companies christmas doo's, posh resturants, even shopping malls, the list is endless and the shop where i work also does a lot with tropical flowers this time of year, because you get a lot of reds and golds in tropical flowers and they are a better quality and last so well, look great in christmas arrangements for a splash of colour amonst all of the berries and folliege - give a wow factor! phormium leaves are a must have in this sort of arrangement. we do use the traditional roses and carnations as well as all of this and you can also put these leaves in with roses obviously if they are 10ft long they would be cut down a bit, but they are so versitle! especially when a lot of the traditional english flowers are not at there best this time of year. would say it is worth a phone call spritz.

You lucky thing Kez. Black violets are fab!!
Welcome to GOY by the way