Hobbies and Crafts

the one shown looks like a clematis flower. At first I thought it must be a passion flower but they are nothing like that one.

Hard frost here again this morning, very pretty to see all the roof tops sparkling.

Ann
You can see a description here.
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/pasqueflower

We too had a hard frost but I still have Penstomens in bloom together with Borage and an Antirrhinum.
I'll try and take a photo tomorrow.

Von that is a new one on me, not heard of Pasque. Is that one in your avatar? Very pretty. Is it a shrub? When does it normally bloom. Hard to imagine anything blooming if your weather is like ours today. We had a hard frost which has not cleared even with the sunny day we have had, in some places.

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Had a shock when I came home today to discover that my Pasque flowers are in bloom.
I've never had them in flower this early before. :-0 :-0 :-0

A lovely sunny day here today but, brrr, it was cold. We're still trying to get the garden tidied and "bedded down" for the winter but whenever we are free to do a bit it seems to be raining. Had an hour free this afternoon so I went out there and cut back some coreopsis plants and asters and deadheaded a couple of pots of pansies. I had gloves on but my hands were numb when I came in.

Yesterday we went to the garden centre as I still had some vouchers that had to be spent before end November. I couldn't find anything I wanted but didn't want to waste the tokens so I got 3 very big bags of compost and some fertiliser. I know they will be useful but they're not very exciting. I didn't even get a cup of tea as OH was in a rush to go on somewhere else :-|

we still haven't had any rain and we are having to water the pansies we have in pots and baskets. Yesterday it was very cold here but dry and part sun, the day before was sunny, today it is back to being grey and damp.

OH had a cortisone injection in his shoulder this morning. He was not looking forward to it having had one in his slbow some years ago, however, he said he hardly felt this one. Let's hope it helps the shoulder get better. I will be glad when he can play golf again. :-D :-D :-D At the moment he is giving the lawn a last cut.

Strange weather we have had lately from brilliant sun to misty damp and no rain. The latter was brought home to us today when we realised our baskets and tubs of pansies needed watering. I don't remember watering pots etc in November before :-S

Hi Gwyn we have been tracking her flight and she has just landed.

The narcissi are supposed to be scented.

Your spring bulbs sound very interesting Ann. Please do post a photograph of the unusual white narcissi, when they bloom.
Are they scented?
I only have to smell jonquil flowers and I'm transported back to early married days in Famagusta market.

I hope your daughter has a smooth flight.
My brother-in-law is up there at the moment, flying from Auckland to UK.,
We had a great flight when we went a few years back. You'd love all the different flowers there.
Strange to see conkers in February, but I guess you get used to switched seasons.

We have planted three baskets of pansies and two pots on the patio. Today OH planted some yellow tulips and a rather unusual white narcissi with a green centre. These we bought reduced yesterday. We have bought some geraniums in ans will soon bring in the fuchsias, then we won't be able to move in the conservatory.

I am a bit on pins today as daughter is flying to N Zealand via Los Angeses. We were able to track the flight until three hours out of Aukland but can't seem to get it now as anothe ANZ flight is there in its place. She should land in Aukland around 7pm our time. Such a long journey, not one I want to attempt, She started from home at 5am yesterday (Monday). :-(

Heard on the weather forecast that we are likely to get our first frost of the year so I've started putting the garden to bed for the winter. I have a semi-hardy fuschia in a big pot by the front door so that has come in to the unheated conservatory as has a trough of rather special geraniums. I also have four big pots of agapanthus and I have covered those over

I really feel winter is coming now so to cheer myself up I planted three nice bowls of mini tulips and replaced the fuschia by the front door with a couple of big pots of pansies which look cheerful when you come up the path. :-)

It's been a while since anyone posted on this thread so I thought I would, though I don't really have much to say.

I've been trying to tidy up a bit outside but there is still so much in bloom that I can't cut much down yet. OH had grown some Stipa Gigantea (Golden Oats) from seeds from our old house and we had five in the garden. They have been good this year but they are too much/too big for our little garden so he has dug them all out this week. I meant him to leave just one, had even told him which one to leave, but the message didn't penetrate his brain so they have all gone. Now I have to find something to replace them with.

A while ago I took a few cuttings from a Tom West fuschia that I have in a pot. They all rooted and after a while I moved them into individual pots and they are all doing well. I'll keep one or two just in case the parent plant dies of old age and will give the rest away to friends or to a plant sale.

I've been really pleased with the mini buddleias I bought. I've got them in half barrels and they have grown and bloomed beautifully all summer, and still have small blooms on now. My avatar is the blue one and I also have one with red and one with white flowers.

Now I just need to keep an eye on the weather forecast to get in a couple of tender plants and cover a few others if there is talk of frost.

Happy gardening everyone :-D

We. Went to a garden centre this morning with daughter. I wasn't going to buy anything but ended up buying a pack of dutch iris bulbs, one corm of a white allium and some smaller white allium with a pink blush, also bought a small christmas present for Adam and Inara.

I am managing to get a bit of tidying up done in the garden at last, though my efforts are a bit haphazard. I don't have a method. It's more a case of having a few minutes free and dashing out to cut something down or deadhead something else, but I am gradually getting bits done.

As you know it's a very small garden but it is surprising how much difference there is in plants just a few feet apart. We have two areas of lavender. One is round a hawthorn tree and the blooms on that finished a couple of weeks ago so I have been able to tidy that area up. The other area is round a gravel circle. It is exactly the same plant bought at the same time from the same nursery but this patch is still in full bloom and the bees love it so I haven't touched that yet.

This afternoon we had a drive out to a garden centre a bit further away from home. I was really tempted by some of the plants on sale but we really don't have any more space at the moment so I was very good and just bought a couple of nice terracotta pots, the shallower type, that I thought I would plant with hyacinths or mini tulips or iris. They are a decent size and really nice pots and were only £4 each or £6 for two.

As I hadn't spent much money I felt justified in persuading OH into coffee and cake in the garden centre's very nice cafe :-D

:-D :-D :-D Kandj

Thanks Ann. I need to look around for the hedge trimmer. I had thought about a
cable free one but I decided that they would be heavier because of the battery??

I opened the kitchen blinds this morning and saw the hedge shears that I had
left on top of the garden wall............... I am definitely losing the plot!!

We gave our hedge trimmer to our daughter but it is too heavy for her to manage (She has lymphodoemia in one arm due to Radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer) so she has bought a cable free one. Do lift any before you buy.

The wine voucher has expired so we gave up on that. Trying to get the garden sorted before we go away, nearly there. It is still looking bright but very autumnal now. We have put lots of pansies in pots to have on the patio as we rarely go down the garden in the winter. Got to pick in the tomatoes today, will probably make them into sauces and put them in the freezer.

Ann we have a Home Bargain store not too far which I haven't been into but our
neighbour loves browsing like you and often passes by with full shopping bags.

Hope the rain eases off tomorrow so that you can go and enjoy your free wine.

We had visitors this morning and after lunch I felt weary but I pushed myself to
go out and I managed to trim a small euonymous Emerald and Gold it's pretty
and compact and looks better now for the trim. I am considering buying hedge
trimmer to save time. Possibly an electric one but it must be lightweight. I have
already bought the extra cable and an electric circuit breaker. Now I need to look
at finding the right hedge trimmer to make life just a little bit easier for myself.

Vera I hope that you and OH are both feeling well now and able to enjoy spending time with your family this weekend.

Yes, our patches are covering over nicely now too Kandj. No gardening for us today as it has been raining all day so far, not heavy but thick drizzle. (what we call Welsh or Cornish rain). So we have been for a mooch around Hobbycraft and Home Bargains (actually bought 4/5 small christmas presents) and then bought a pizza and some sticky ribs for a quick easy meal tonight. We were so tired lasy night that we slept (with a trip to the loo somewhere in the middle) from 11pm to 0915 this morning. We were going to go into town as we have a voucher for a free bottle of wine at Carluccios, but didn't fancy it in the rain.

Aww, how lovely to see Mitzi as your avatar Vera. Well done, enjoy your weekend..
I once was told that when a cat held her tail high in the air that was a sign of
a happy contented cat and Mitzi certainly looked that way. No wonder you miss her.

I do feel much better for no gardening yesterday but now I need to carry on and
sort out the front border before Winter sets in. I am planning to move some of the
small bushes which have outgrown the space, I just hope the roots aren't too long.

On a positive and happy note, the patches that the gardener burnt and I raked and
reseeded are now looking good and healthy with new grass growing nicely.