Gardening Resources & Tips

[Stokey Sue]

I think last year was early - I used to need a bunch of daffodils every 22nd February (school birthday) and even on the South Coast that usually meant buying them. Here in Stokey I can reliably get miniature daffs in flower for St David’s day a week later, but not full size ones.

[herbidacious]

Going further back into my photo archive, I think that is the case, Sue.

It is around about this time, though, that people see ornamental plums in flower, think they are ornamental cherry and start shaking their head and muttering about global warming. (Of course climate change is here but this is not indicative of it.) Someone across the road has had daffodils out for weeks, but I assume an early flowering variety. But mine are not close to flowering. They don't even have buds. So maybe a little behind too. March is the month for daffodils though, and temperatures do seem to be rising a bit.
I am happy with delayed gratification.
Last year a lot of flowers were decimated by slugs because, remembering now, we had a really warm late winter and the slugs 'came out' early. The slug population went through the roof last spring. I lost so many plants.

[Sloe-Gin]

Been to Aldi and they have gardening specials. I bought summer iris, gladdies and freesias for £1.89 per bag.

[Uschi]

Been to Aldi and they have gardening specials. I bought summer iris, gladdies and freesias for £1.89 per bag.

Axel went for some pink and white begonia while I availed myself of some sparaxis tricolor corms. I have never grown these and am looking forward to them coming up in summer.

[KeenCook]

I was wondering why my Valentine's tulips from OH were still growing in the vase 11 days later!

When I googled, this article came up ... https://oggardenonline.com/why-do-tulip ... g-cut.html

Very interesting!!

I always keep tulips in the packaging they come in for several hours after trimming the bottom of their stems, ever since I read that on the instructions with a bunch of tulips from Waitrose. A friend said that it was a good idea to keep the water in the vase quite shallow, which I also do. You can see when it's a glass vase, which all ours are.

[Earthmaiden]

I dread being given tulips, whatever I do with them they never seem to last long. This is useful info.

[PatsyMFagan]

I find the cooler condition the tulips are kept in the longer they last. My porch is always cold, even in the summer and they last for about 3 weeks in there.

[herbidacious]

I got some Valentine's tulips too. They are definitely dead now (but still on the mantlepiece). I was going to take an 'arty' photo of them thus, but the light hasn't been good at the right time.

[Stokey Sue]

My prediction was right. Miniature tulips started to open today.

[herbidacious]

just found down the garden
Good things come to she who waits, etc
But sole survivor of many! When should I harvest do you think? I’d hate to lose it to pests.

IMG_5514.jpeg (115.05 KiB) Viewed 16430 times

[herbidacious]

Meanwhile broad beans decimated. What’s left are full of holes.
I think I will give up. Or buy some later and put on a pot. But probably not worth it. They take up far too much room anyway. Allotment veg unless you want to prioritise them.

[herbidacious]

I sowed 30 pots of seeds, mainly different types of calendula, but a few other bits and bobs. (Can't believe how long this seemed to take, but I enjoyed it, backache aside.) I think I shall try some direct sowing of these too, both in the ground and in a big pot. In the past I have found ones in pots have succumbed to mildew, though.
I also potted on two Italian anemones and an astrantia, planted out two foxgloves, a white scabious and a cornus.

[scullion]

we had one of our cauliflowers for dinner last night -

i picked it for the greens (which were lovely) the teeny tiny cauli was a surprise bonus!

i wouldn't leave your cauli much longer, herbi, the florets are beginning to get bigger and to drift apart at the bottom by the looks of it - you don't want it to go to seed.

[herbidacious]

Thanks. Will eat this weekend. It's quite small...

[scullion]

not as small as my cauliflower!

[herbidacious]

No, indeed not

[scullion]

maybe we should have a tiny, full grown, veg competition!

[herbidacious]

How would you know if it were fully grown, though...? I suppose if it sat there for a long time not getting bigger...

[herbidacious]

What did you do with greens btw, Scully? (I picked the very small romanesco. Lots of leaves as yet unpicked. I ate one raw and it was very nice.)

[scullion]

i boiled them lightly just in case they were bitter but i don't think they would have been. i usually steam the good leaves when i buy a cauliflower, anyway, and they're never bitter. they are lovely.
my partner had asked for them for dinner tonight but i couldn't be ar$ed to go and pick one so he's having baked beans on toast instead...
(we had a big early lunch at the eden project so we're not really hungry)