Most mornings this week there has just been a touch of ground frost and in desperation to get some space, a few risks have been taken. I planted tomatoes in my tunnel and have been putting things out by day then back in at night, or not if I’m feeling lucky. Planted a Begonia out too. Mostly this week though I seem to have been mixing concrete, laying slabs and finally, starting to put together the greenhouse extension.
One.
First thing yesterday morning I set up the camera on its tripod and took a picture before I started. At the end of the day, I took another, identical except for a bit more clutter. I didn’t make the progress I’d hoped for. I can tell you that Elite greenhouses are not precision engineered to the standard of Rhino greenhouses, though that wasn’t the only thing that slowed me down. Here’s the half finished gable end. I just looked out the window, the glasshouse fairies haven’t come and finished it during the night.
Two.
In memoriam. While I was pushing glazing beading into glazing bars, I heard chatter from beyond the section of fence beside me, so I jumped up to ask after the old man who lived there and whom we hadn’t seen in a long time. He died a week ago it seems. His son was there to take stock of the house and contents, which will be cleared and sold. So we shall be getting another change of neighbours; I’ll put any changes to the fence on hold for the time being. This is Mike’s Pieris, which I hope the new occupants see fit to leave, though I imagine we get the best of it, ours being the sunny side.
Three.
Back at the end of January one of my six was about grafting another couple of scions onto my family apple tree. I think they’ve both taken though one is ahead of the other in starting into growth. If all goes well I would expect anything up to two feet of growth on this shoot by the end of the season. I don’t know the variety but it was a very large cooking apple.
Four.
Adiantum venustum. This really is a fabulous fern. Happy in almost any conditions and close to being a thug in spite of its delicate appearance. The new growth has escaped any frost damage and was looking so lovely in the afternoon sun yesterday.
Five.
Muscari have been about the most reliable spring bulb we’ve grown, with the possible exception of Camassia, so When I’ve seen different forms I’ve tended to buy them. They seem to be flowering later than the regular blue or M. latifolia; here are ‘Peppermint’ and (for Tony) a white one which has no label and isn’t in my plant list though it may be ‘Baby’s Breath’, in which case it isn’t going to stay white. I see a little tinge of blue, looking closely. Sorry Tony.
Six.
Begonia sp. U614. I keep an eye on Nick Macer at Pan Global in the hope someone will come up with a name for this as yet unidentified Begonia. I dug it up in the autumn, overwintered it in a large pot indoors where it died right down and started to shoot anew a few weeks back. Impatient to get on, I planted it out and it has caught the frost a little. I should have put something over it. It flowered last year and produced pods which appeared to have viable seed in them. There can’t be much to choose between Begonias and Orchids for absurdly small seeds. Needless to say, I collected the seed and sowed it. About a week ago I saw the first seedling appear. Keeping them going is the challenge now. There were other Begonias growing nearby, I might have some exciting new hybrid.
The only thing I shall be doing this weekend other than glasshouse building is watering. By next weekend it will be finished and I’ll be on to the next thing, which is replacing a trellis arch while it is still covered with a massive Holboellia. Then there’s the Acer to remove.
I’ll find time to lounge around and peruse Six on Saturday posts, I need a bit of downtime, or leisure time or whatever it’s called, at my age. The Propagator, as ever, is the host with the most, links that is.
garden ruminations 
Good luck with the glasshouse project! If you do happen to meet the glasshouse fairies or construction pixies could you send them to me in Frome when they’re done please? 🙂
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Will do!
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This frost has been stinging plants around the country. I bet those little begonia seedlings are going to be watched over daily.
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I do a daily count, going up is good, going down is bad; all up so far.
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I like that adiantum also even though it does move around a bit.
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It has a worrying capacity to go through things, removing it would be impossible.
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Yes, it runs through erythroniums, Paris and trilliums in one bed here
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I guess that’s you who has good taste rather than the fern.
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Oh yes, deju vu with the watering, it was the same last year and maybe even the previous one. Love that begonia, it is very special! Good luck with the greenhouse, looking forward to seeing it finished and full.
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I’m not at all keen on dry cold springs. The worst of all worlds. I have a seed pot of another Begonia that has gone green in 24 hours. ‘Ebony and Orange’ or some such. Another thing I don’t need more of.
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Bravo for your grafted apple trees : It’s a success!
Good luck for the continued construction of the greenhouse : fairies aren’t cool right? They could have helped you a bit…
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All the fairies have done is leave things for me to trip over and hide my tools. Worse than useless.
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Sue is naughty to hide your tools …😂
The job will take more time
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You call Sue a fairy at your peril!!!
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The Pieris is such an unusual plant, but very attractive. Looking forward to seeing the greenhouse extension as it progresses.
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I hesitate to make myself hostage to fortune but the greenhouse structure should be finished tomorrow and possibly glazing too, Monday at latest.
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Pieris have such beautiful new growth, not to mention the flowers. Well done with the greenhouse extension. I only wish I was as able. My shed has been used by rats during the winter, having chewed their way in through the fairly rotten floor. Now I just want to knock it down!
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I quite like the challenge of jobs like building greenhouses but I’m outside my comfort zone so it can get quite stressful, I dread making the big mistake that means I have to go shamefaced back to the real experts to get me out of it.
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I see the cover photo shows you hard at work! If it helps, a customer of mine has a new Elite greenhouse and the finished product is very nice indeed.
Lovely fern – I do like an enthusiastic grower…
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What I have now done is to extend the existing Elite greenhouse to be half as big again. The original has served us very well and they haven’t really changed it at all.
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Hey, it is not in my garden. Besides, such pale blue is alluring anyway. It would be boring if everyone liked white as much as I do. I will grow ‘Album’ in my own garden. It would be just fine if no one else does. Hey, that would make mine ‘special’!
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Mine is definitely pale blue now it’s further out.
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Adiantum is an intriguing range of colors. Also appears to be thriving in full sun? The muscari peppermint is a nice blend of delicate blue and white. The name is a bit surprising, unless I have misunderstood something. Allow me to congratulate you on your begonia seedlings.
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The Adiantum does get a lot of sun and would be happier with a bit less, though it is pretty tolerant. I take it you would have expected ‘Peppermint’ to be green rather than blue? I hadn’t given it a thought. I’m not going to count my chickens with the Begonias, success will be getting them to flowering size and I think there may already be less of them than there were.
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Adiantum venustum looks like great groundcover! I have put my sweet peas out in their pots the last couple of nights and thinking about planting them in the ground today.
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Adiantum is great groundcover once it gets going, it tends to be a slow starter. We seem to be missing the worst of the frost down here, I’m leaving more and more out.
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