On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:40:43 GMT, "Jo B"
 blethered:

>
>"Halla"  wrote in message
>news:ba10041u8rjfq97mvmk2h8d627sg59rjju@4ax.com...
>> On Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:00:11 GMT, "Jo B"
>>  blethered:
>>
>> >
>> >"Jeremy Henty"  wrote in message
>> >news:slrnfvukj3.4fd.onepoint@omphalos.onepoint...
>> >> On 2008-04-11, Halla  wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > Most surprising, there are April showers and everything.
>> >>
>> >> We're getting April fricken' *hail*!!!
>> >
>> >April blizzards! All my damn planted seeds are screwed :-( Hey ho, plant
>the
>> >beans AGAIN!!!!
>>
>> <:-/
>>
>> Ah well. plenty of time yet for beans. Mine didn't do so well last
>> year. Haven't planted much yet this year, bags of potatoes and two
>> post of violas but that's about all. Pulled out lots of plants for
>> other people, mind, mostly those thingy-wotsits... one lady calls them
>> montbretia. <googles> Yes, them. Crocosmia. Pretty, and spreads like
>> wildfire. I've got some rhubarb to plant now, and some fruit bushes
>> that need heeling in to pots while the allotment is finalised.
>

The rhubarb is growing so quickly I could probably hear it if I
listened closely. :-) Must find it another site pronto, it's a bit
constrained in its current trough.

>Aye, gonna get some more beans etc in after the Whitby Goff Weekend. 

Mate from another group has just come back from Whitby too, I am
faintly boggled as she's a late-fledged goth. :-) She's got a tattoo
now and everything. :-)

>Got
>no-one to mind the kitten so she's coming too *oh joy and hilarity*

Er... OK. <g> How did that work out then?

>Got a load of Autumn fruiting raspberries and some strawbs last month and
>they seem to be ok - will have to see how they do in our cacky little yard.

Fingers crossed. :-) I got my goji berry bushes (well, sticks) the
other day, a free gift from subscribing to a magazine, so I'll see how
they go. My fruit bushes (XS Stock specials, nothing, er, special) are
sort of heeled in in pots for the moment, it looks like I'll need to
get some more big pots and put them in properly though. I also hacked
a bit off the self-seeded raspberry at the gate and potted it up, it
kept getting stood on where it was. Caved and bought some strawbs from
Homebase because they are in bloom already, they're potted up too. 

>Its all looking a bit more gardeny though :-D Only problem is that pots and
>compost are expensive.

Tell me about it. All the job lots of pots on ebay seem to be in Kent
or somewhere too, so dead cheap but no chance of delivery. Mind you,
ebay does have some good deals on little pots. Means you end up with
lots of pots... :-) 

Poundland up my way are selling little cheery potholder buckets in a
variety of colours, I got five of them because I thought they looked
pretty. All bright vibrant colours except for the one that's pale
pink. Dunno if their stock is local or whether a more local one to you
might have them too? 

>Spuds are doing ok, tomatoes are in a basket in the mini greenhouse,

I've got two tomato plants braving it in a growbag outside with some
onion sets in the other bit. One of the cheery buckets has a pepper
plant in it, I'm not bothering with that inside as evey time I do that
I get greenfly so the pepper can take its chances outside while it's
still hale and hearty and not half-chewed. Want to get some of those
trailing tiny toms for the basket at the door. The potatoes are
starting to need earthed up, after an inauspicious start. Once I
noticed that they weren't as damp as I thought they were and gave them
all a good drink they've set off at speed. Interesting to see purple
potato stalks appearing. :-)

>courgettes *might* make it but I ain't holding my breath.

Still to plant some of them. Everything is delayed here, but we did
sign the offer letter for the allotments this evening. :-)

>I've got a crocosmia in a pot - I like em.

Don't let 'em get a corm in the soil though. <g> I like them too,
although once they die back they leave a lot of tatty rubbish. But by
golly they do well wherever they are. 

>
>College course is almost at an end - mad rush of assignments to do in the
>next month :-S and I still have 117 hours of client placements to find
>before Xmas. I don't even think thats possible.

Blimey. All the best with it. :-/


-- 
Henceforth I ask not good fortune. I myself am good fortune.
 -Elizabeth Watson

"Halla"  wrote
> Fingers crossed. :-) I got my goji berry bushes (well, sticks) the
> other day, a free gift from subscribing to a magazine, so I'll see how
> they go

Oooh, let me know how they get on.  Be interested to see how they get on in
your part of the world.

>
> >I've got a crocosmia in a pot - I like em.
>
> Don't let 'em get a corm in the soil though. <g> I like them too,
> although once they die back they leave a lot of tatty rubbish. But by
> golly they do well wherever they are.
>

See, I like th mounds of leaves crosmia leave behind, I think they look
great, and provide valuable overwintering grounds for insects and small
mammals (and protect the corms from frost, lost a couple of crocsmias due to
hard frosts in their first year when they hadn't produced enough leaf mound
to protect themselve properly yet, admittedly these weren't lucifer, but
still).
--
Rhiannon_s
I am me, this is now, we are here!

On Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:31:28 +0100, "rhiannon s"
 blethered:

>
>"Halla"  wrote
>> Fingers crossed. :-) I got my goji berry bushes (well, sticks) the
>> other day, a free gift from subscribing to a magazine, so I'll see how
>> they go
>
>Oooh, let me know how they get on.  Be interested to see how they get on in
>your part of the world.
>
>>
>> >I've got a crocosmia in a pot - I like em.
>>
>> Don't let 'em get a corm in the soil though. <g> I like them too,
>> although once they die back they leave a lot of tatty rubbish. But by
>> golly they do well wherever they are.
>>
>
>See, I like th mounds of leaves crosmia leave behind, I think they look
>great, and provide valuable overwintering grounds for insects and small
>mammals 

And slugs.

>(and protect the corms from frost, lost a couple of crocsmias 

If you'd like some more I have a bin half-full of them, plus a clump
in the garden. <g> 

>due to
>hard frosts in their first year when they hadn't produced enough leaf mound
>to protect themselve properly yet, 

Were they in pots too though? That's an added hurdle for overwintering
plants to overcome[1] of course.

>admittedly these weren't lucifer, but
>still).

Hmmmmm. Nah, on balance, I think they are nice enough but only if
treated like mint - not allowed to roam free in the garden. Of course,
I have large clumps of both mint and crocosmia so perhaps no one
should listen to my opinion about this. <g>

[1] It's just struck me how odd that phrase is - when was the last
time you heard an athletics commentator saying 'And the field have all
overcome the first hurdle, on their way to the second...'? Hurdles
aren't overcome, they're, well, hurdled. 


-- 
Henceforth I ask not good fortune. I myself am good fortune.
 -Elizabeth Watson

"Halla"  wrote in message
news:d7up1410t7lan7ivfrletv6pddeg0pcs1q@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:31:28 +0100, "rhiannon s"
>  blethered:
>
> >
> >"Halla"  wrote
> >> Fingers crossed. :-) I got my goji berry bushes (well, sticks) the
> >> other day, a free gift from subscribing to a magazine, so I'll see how
> >> they go
> >
> >Oooh, let me know how they get on.  Be interested to see how they get on
in
> >your part of the world.
> >
> >>
> >> >I've got a crocosmia in a pot - I like em.
> >>
> >> Don't let 'em get a corm in the soil though. <g> I like them too,
> >> although once they die back they leave a lot of tatty rubbish. But by
> >> golly they do well wherever they are.
> >>
> >
> >See, I like th mounds of leaves crosmia leave behind, I think they look
> >great, and provide valuable overwintering grounds for insects and small
> >mammals
>
> And slugs.

Yebbut, well, slugs.  They have their own minature Tardises that allow them
to apear from hyperspace seconds after a plant is planted.

> >(and protect the corms from frost, lost a couple of crocsmias
>
> If you'd like some more I have a bin half-full of them, plus a clump
> in the garden. <g>

In theory I have a garden now, if I could just work out which of the various
patches is supposed to be mine here.  If I work it out I would take you up
on that.  Actually, I shall see if I have a victim I can do some gardening
by proxy on.  Hmm...

> >due to
> >hard frosts in their first year when they hadn't produced enough leaf
mound
> >to protect themselve properly yet,
>
> Were they in pots too though? That's an added hurdle for overwintering
> plants to overcome[1] of course.

Nope, planted in soil, in what was in theory full sun, just got unlucky and
that year had minus fricking fifteen frosts at one point.  I mean how often
to we get that in the UK?  Lottta plants popped their clogs, especially
since immediatly following that it rained almost constant for two weeks.
Too cold followed by too wet, poor sods never stood a chance.

> >admittedly these weren't lucifer, but
> >still).
>
> Hmmmmm. Nah, on balance, I think they are nice enough but only if
> treated like mint - not allowed to roam free in the garden. Of course,
> I have large clumps of both mint and crocosmia so perhaps no one
> should listen to my opinion about this. <g>

Ok, mint I'll give you, but I've never found crocosmia to be invasive.

> [1] It's just struck me how odd that phrase is - when was the last
> time you heard an athletics commentator saying 'And the field have all
> overcome the first hurdle, on their way to the second...'? Hurdles
> aren't overcome, they're, well, hurdled.
>
>

--
Rhiannon_s
I am me, this is now, we are here!

On Sun, 4 May 2008 01:21:30 +0100, "rhiannon s"
 blethered:

>
>
>"Halla"  wrote in message
>news:d7up1410t7lan7ivfrletv6pddeg0pcs1q@4ax.com...
>> On Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:31:28 +0100, "rhiannon s"
>>  blethered:
>>
>> >
>> >"Halla"  wrote
>> >> Fingers crossed. :-) I got my goji berry bushes (well, sticks) the
>> >> other day, a free gift from subscribing to a magazine, so I'll see how
>> >> they go
>> >
>> >Oooh, let me know how they get on.  Be interested to see how they get on
>in
>> >your part of the world.
>> >
>> >>
>> >> >I've got a crocosmia in a pot - I like em.
>> >>
>> >> Don't let 'em get a corm in the soil though. <g> I like them too,
>> >> although once they die back they leave a lot of tatty rubbish. But by
>> >> golly they do well wherever they are.
>> >>
>> >
>> >See, I like th mounds of leaves crosmia leave behind, I think they look
>> >great, and provide valuable overwintering grounds for insects and small
>> >mammals
>>
>> And slugs.
>
>Yebbut, well, slugs.  They have their own minature Tardises that allow them
>to apear from hyperspace seconds after a plant is planted.
>

<nods> Or. Often, when one buys a fish tank plant, one gets free snail
eggs with it, because they're really tricky to see. So one gets free
infestations of snails in the fishtank. I think slugs do similar with
garden plants.

Did I tell you that my spider plant has worms? Can see them every now
and again in the pot, they seem happy enough - unlike the spider
plant, which can drink two litres of water at a go and still have dry
soil and which needs repotted *again*. I'm officially running out of
space to keep the monster.

>> >(and protect the corms from frost, lost a couple of crocsmias
>>
>> If you'd like some more I have a bin half-full of them, plus a clump
>> in the garden. <g>
>
>In theory I have a garden now, if I could just work out which of the various
>patches is supposed to be mine here.  If I work it out I would take you up
>on that.  

Well, does anyone else plant things in the other bits? Stick crocosmia
in them all and see if someone yells.

>Actually, I shall see if I have a victim I can do some gardening
>by proxy on.  Hmm...

Heh. If we get asked to do any garden design you're one of our
consultants. ;-)

>
>> >due to
>> >hard frosts in their first year when they hadn't produced enough leaf
>mound
>> >to protect themselve properly yet,
>>
>> Were they in pots too though? That's an added hurdle for overwintering
>> plants to overcome[1] of course.
>
>Nope, planted in soil, in what was in theory full sun, just got unlucky and
>that year had minus fricking fifteen frosts at one point.  

Ah.

>I mean how often
>to we get that in the UK?  

'Bout every ten years? Oh, rhetorical question, right? Well, that was
a guess anyway. <g>

>Lottta plants popped their clogs, especially
>since immediatly following that it rained almost constant for two weeks.
>Too cold followed by too wet, poor sods never stood a chance.

<nods> 

>
>> >admittedly these weren't lucifer, but
>> >still).
>>
>> Hmmmmm. Nah, on balance, I think they are nice enough but only if
>> treated like mint - not allowed to roam free in the garden. Of course,
>> I have large clumps of both mint and crocosmia so perhaps no one
>> should listen to my opinion about this. <g>
>
>Ok, mint I'll give you, but I've never found crocosmia to be invasive.

Creeping. It'll definitely set off over the border (heh) if not
watched. The gardens I've been in the past few weeks are owned by
folks who don't have the time or fitness to tend the place, so the
crocosmia have been left to their own devices for a while. That might
be why I've taken against them. :-)

<snip>


-- 
Henceforth I ask not good fortune. I myself am good fortune.
 -Elizabeth Watson