ruminate vb. to chew (the cud)
Last weekend we went down to the plant fair at Tremenheere, which netted me Begonia koelzii. On the way back we called in at Trevenna Cross Nursery where I found a reasonable plant of Begonia 'Garden Angel Silver'. There were other purchases, mostly for Sue. I came home significantly poorer. Since then it seems mostly…
The switch from summer to autumn happened rather abruptly but since summer ended in blazing heat and parched soil, there is a sense in which autumn represents an upturn in the garden's fortunes rather than the beginning of a steady decline. A lot of things have perked up greatly and late flowerers like Fuchsias and…
It is very frustrating that I have so many problems with direct sowing on my allotment. Most things seem to germinate then disappear, presumably due to nocturnal predation by slugs. I dare say there are other culprits too, voles, snails maybe, but it hardly matters. I managed to grow carrots successfully this year by direct…
Fuchsias are really easy to grow and trouble free except for Fuchsia rust, Fuchsia gall mite, Fuchsia flea beetle, capsid bug, apple moth, vine weevil and whitefly. They also don't enjoy being very hot and dry. There was a time when the only concern anyone ever had about them was whether they were hardy; no…
Almost at the end of another month. I received some Erythronium bulbs today and was re-acquainted with how dry the ground is below the surface when it came to planting them. It's no wonder most things look jaded. It took longer than usual to assemble six things, another sign of the turning seasons. One.Hedychium 'Tara'.…
A week ago we were on day four of a severe weather warning for high temperatures. We were also, and still are, experiencing a very dry summer. The world is getting warmer and the rate it is doing so is accelerating. I already have a fairly complicated water harvesting setup but my stored water ran…
Four hot days and a thunderstorm, the new normal for an English summer perhaps, except that in these fast changing times, the very idea of normal has largely gone out of the window. What lies ahead is varying degrees of abnormal. In any event, Sunday was a sizzler and Monday the thunder rumbled around for…
I thought to do a six consisting of three watering cans, a hose, a hose nozzle and water butt. It just isn't a situation to make light of though, so I'll stick with plants, some of the survivors. One.Dahlia 'Karma Choc' is a plant I find all but impossible to photograph satisfactorily. It must register…
My Begonia collection continues to grow, to the point where my list making instincts are about to kick in. This year has seen the addition of a number of species and varieties and I've just placed an order for another five so I'm not easing up on them just yet. My focus continues to be…
Our last garden opening is next weekend, so we have been making an effort to keep things alive and at least most of it presentable. Once that's out of the way, unless we get substantial rain, it's decline will be rapid. The money we've taken on plant sales might just about cover the extra on…
garden ruminations 