The picture above is of some carrots that I dug up on my allotment two days ago. As I explained back in June, I have taken to sowing carrots in deep pots and planting them out as an undisturbed pot full once they are a couple of inches high. I started to do this because…
Cyclamen, some notes on raising hardy species from seed.
At the beginning of August I collected seed from the pods of Cyclamen hederifolium and coum in my garden and Cyclamen repandum in another garden. The pods were ripening and beginning to split open and I collected both open pods and those just about to open. I space sowed two full sized seed trays with…
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Six on Saturday – 12/10/2019
Photo editing programs allow you to manipulate colours within photos, toning down everything except red perhaps. That's exactly what todays weather is doing, everything is dull except for the reds, which seem stronger than ever. Every component of my water harvesting system is getting a thorough testing and while I've made a few small alterations…
Six on Saturday -5/10/2019
It's been a week of dodging showers or just ignoring them and getting wet. I managed to plant some wood anemones and a few bulbs, about ten, small ones. Bagged my first Camellia picture of the season too, though this is the wrong blog for that and it wasn't one of mine, unusually. I was…
Harvest Time
Water harvesting, that is. We are often urged to try and minimise our use of mains water, with the added incentive that many of us are on a metered supply and stand to save money if we do. Save the world or save some money; it sounds good but I don't have high hopes for…
Six on Saturday – 28/9/2019
Two Camellia articles that I am supposed to be writing fall due in October so I've been willing it not to arrive since April. Didn't work, I'd better get writing. It's a funny time of year in the garden; part of me wants everything to go on flowering and looking good for as long as…
Six on Saturday – 21/9/2019
The slow downward spiral into autumn continues, slowly this week, a little quicker next week if the forecast is accurate. Soon it will be Camellia season, which always keeps me busy through the winter months. I have buds on new plants that I cannot wait to see in flower. Still lots of colour around though,…
Begonias
There are lots of groups of plants that divide opinion, genera containing a wide diversity of plants are almost bound to. Even genera with a narrow range can get caught up in disputes, take Cyclamen, among the straight species it is almost inconceivable you could love one but loathe another; but bring in the all…
Six on Saturday – 14/9/2019
It's one of those beautiful bright mornings where you go out, take a deep breath and go back in for a jumper. I intend to spend time on my allotment; Monty says it's time to prune my Blackcurrants, not that I watched GW. A bit of weeding wouldn't go amiss either and I should dead…
Six on Saturday – 7/9/2019
The cats away and the mice have been playing. Sue gets back on Tuesday and I have a project on the go that needs to be finished and the mess tidied up before then or I'm in trouble. Most of what I've done in the garden proper this week is move things around, by which…
garden ruminations 