Hobbies and Crafts

my tulips are starting to open
and the daffs doing really well
considering the weather we have had :-D :-D

Thanks Merlin :-) <3

I like that Mersey.

Yes ours too Joy.

Hopefully now the weather is warming up and we have had some much needed rain, we will be able to get planting. Although my OH has already planted his potatoes in pots and his dahlias, and filled the hanging baskets with compost ready for putting the plants in them.
It is beginning to feel as if winter might really now be behind us. But what a long one it has been.

sure has - I have lovely pansies from last year with lovely smiling faces :-D :-D
My Daphne is in full bloom and I've had a big bumble bee visiting today

Yes - actually just planted some of the potatoes in the deep beds today and seedlings are coming through in the greenhouse and the miniature tete a tete daffs are actually in full bloom.

Only problem is the cat has decided the perfect sunbathing spot is on a large pot on top of my bulbs that still sprouting!!! :-(

Must be the warmest spot K :-D

* fingers crossed it is getting more like spring. I have just seen a butterfly, not sure which sort as it flew past quickly and I almost missed it, and a bumble bee in the garden. :-)

It must be spring, Ann, cos two fekin pigeons have just been 'cavorting' on my back wall in spite of my yelling and waving arms at them. Some pigeons are quite brazen are they not? :-D

I've not heard of that species of pigeon BC - is it a hybrid? :-)

How rude of them BC tell them to 'get a room'. :-D

Island, it is the name of a rare pigeon of the area...soon to be extinct :-D Ann, I did say something similar to them but they ignored me :-D

My roses are really coming on, though. Can't wait till they flower!

well I've planted my lovely sweet pea plants - let's hope they fare better than last year's - three lots failed last year, but I am very hopeful with these

I love the wood pigeons I get in my garden

As a rose virgin...this is only my second year growing climbing roses...I don't know a sucker from a lateral...ahem :-)....so could someone please advise. There is a sprouting thing shooting up from base of plant. Do I let it grow or nip it in the bud?

And do I feed them now?

Yrs. BC XX

T says feed it now. He says is it def. a climber. If is his suggestion is leave it until the rose has flowered and then if nothing is shooting from it prune it out. Although it is unlikely to be a sucker if it is a climber.

Thanks Ann and T....Yes definitely a climber (called Compassion) but I shall do what is suggested and see what happens! BC XX

My cyclamens are in flower - bit late!

I didn't see any sloworms last year, was worried the cold weather had killed them of, then the rain. :-(

However, I saw one today - unfortunately dead - I could have drowned it when I emptied a bucket of rainwater over the cyclamens, or it could have been caught by a cat, but that's unlikely as there were no marks on it.
BUT. it was a very young one - and where there is one baby sloworm, there's usually a whole bundle :-D

Evenin' all. BC, suckers usually have 2 extra leaves, I think. I grow 'Compassion' and it doesn't have suckers.

I'm not a great rose-grower*, but I have been told that you should pull suckers off the plant, rather than cut them off with secateurs. Don't know why.

*In fact, you could say that I've remained a virgin all my gardening years :-D

Lol Wend.

Well from one virgin to another, Wend, I think I will let the old suckers (or whatever they are) stay! I am too much in awe of this lovely climber to dare interfere with it :-D

ps...hope you are feeling better and will soon be able to go out in your beloved garden <3