Dereks Diary Part 2

[derekbrooks]

Rained a bit this morning but dry rest of the day.Walked round Blackleach with Janet this afternoon recording the birds and wild flowers.Went in the garden after and again this evening and weeded the dahlia beds and part of the chrysanth beds.When Rosemary had gone to bed I went to the allotment just to water.

[derekbrooks]

Rained a bit this afternoon but dry the rest of the day.Not done much gardening today.We have ivy growing 0n a fence behind the rockery and it spreads over the rockery if I allow it to so I cleared what was on the rockery and cut a lot of it down.Filled my council bin and next doors with it.

[derekbrooks]

We are going to Wales tomorrow till Thursday because Alex our eldest grandson is 30 tomorrow.I think we are all going out for a meal to celebrate.Harvey, our great grandson (Alex's baby) was one yesterday.So you won't hear anything else from me till Thursday evening.
Because we are going away I wanted to do as much as I could today.I had some veg ready for planting which I was hoping to do so I went to the allotment this morning.I told you that I have been weeding a strip on the "others" bed.I weeded some more of it then raked in some fish, blood and bone and planted some courgettes. I also had some French beans that I wanted to plant before going away.They are the ones grown from the seeds that Robinsons gave me because the others they sent me didn't grow.There was a strip of ground that I had weeded on the root crop bed so I planted them in there.I know that beans shouldn't go in this bed but it would have taken me too long to weed another part of the "others"bed where they should be planted and I wanted to get them in as soon as possible hoping to get a crop from them in the autumn.
At home this afternoon I finished weeding the chrysanth beds and started the rose beds.I just went to the allotment this evening to water the plants I planted this morning and the communal tubs.A lady called Jean (Paws 57) is weeding these while I am away.

[derekbrooks]

Arrived home from Wales about 1.30.It rained much of yesterday so we couldn't go out much but all the family went for a meal to celebrate Alex's birthday. It was nice this morning so we went to Criccieth and had a walk along the front.
I told you that I mowed the lawns before we went away but I didn't have time to cut the edges because it started raining so I did them this afternoon. I also dead headed the roses and did some tying up of plants that needed it, mainly antirrhinums.This evening I went over the chrysanths again,tying some up that needed doing,and removed side shoots .I went to the allotment at 8.00.A troublesome weed on the allotment is shaggy soldier.I don't have it in my own garden or at Blackleach but it is all over the runner bean/sweet pea bed and the onion bed.It does pull up easily,though,and I pulled a lot up and filled two sacks and then watered the communal beds which I do every evening unless it has rained.Paws 57 has done them while I was away.

[balc2]

Glad to hear you had a good time away in Wales.

I don't know what the weed you call "shaggy soldier" could be as I've never heard of it before! But that might also be because it may have a different name here. Do you know the botanical name of it?

[balc2]

I just did a search for "Shaggy Soldier" & found this page which may be of interest to you.

www.naturespot.org.uk/species/shaggy-soldier

I think I have seen it on the allotments here.

[derekbrooks]

Thank you, Balc2 .I have looked at the page you put on about shaggy soldier.It gives a good description of it.
I wasn't connected to the internet yesterday and I don't know why so I couldn't go on the forum but Martyn has sorted my computer out so it is O.K.now.
Yesterday I went to school to feed the tomatoes in the evening.Went on the allotment in the morning and pulled up a lot more shaggy soldier and we went a walk in the afternoon.
Today,I went to the hut this morning. Before I went I fed the tomatoes and all my baskets and tubs.Heather arrived about 1.30 so because she is here to look after Rosemary,I had a good afternoon on the allotment.I had about 12 broad beans to plant so I weeded a strip behing those planted before and planted them,then I pulled up more shaggy soldier.
Heather took Rosemary shopping but when they got back she did a lot of work for me in the garden.She cut a lot off the rhododendron so that it is easier to go up the path.

[derekbrooks]

We had an allotment meeting at 2.00 but it finished about 3.00 so I went to my allotment and pulled more large weeds out,not all shaggy soldier.It started raining about 4.30

[derekbrooks]

Heather went home yesterday evening.She did a good job tidying my garden and cutting down shrubs that needed it, particularly the rhododendron.She filled 6 large sacks with branches and twigs and there are some on my lawn that were too big to go in sacks.I have at least 6 sacks of weeds on my allotment and I was hoping to go to the re-cycling centre with it all this morning.The weather didn't look promising,it was very dull so I didn't know whether to risk going.I didn't want to load the car up and then it start raining.It did start drizzling a bit so I decided not to go so I went in the greenhouse.It started raining a bit harder later so it's a good job I didn't go.I went through all my fuchsias and took 78 cuttings.I tidied all the plants up.Some were very leggy so I cut them back to make them bush out more.

[derekbrooks]

A nice day today so I went to the recycling centre this morning with 12 sacks of weeds ,6 from the allotment and 6 that Heather had filled with small branches from the trees and the branches that were too big to go in sacks.Cindy came to look after Rosemary this afternoon so I went on the allotment. I pulled more weeds out and tied up some of the dahlias and chrysanths that needed doing.

[derekbrooks]

Not been able to do much gardening today.We had a heavy shower this morning but it didn't last long.I only had to water in the greenhouses.This afternoon I had a meeting at Blackleach at 2.00 but it was over at 2.30 so when I got home we went a walk.I wanted to mow the lawns this evening but it was very dull and looked like rain so I didn't know whether to risk getting the mower out for fear of it starting to rain. However, I did risk it and managed to get them done. It did start drizzling before I had finished but I carried on.

[derekbrooks]

I have my first show of the season on Saturday, at Whitefield.I have no veg ready for showing except for cherry tomatoes but plenty of flowers.I started cutting the flowers today.I went to the allotment this morning and cut spray chrysanths and dahlias -roses and a few annuals.While at Blackleach this afternoon for the art club I cut some Rudbeckia goldsturm from the border. This evening I have cut some chrysanths. I have also found which pot plants I am taking.

[derekbrooks]

Today I have been cutting flowers from my own garden for Whitefield show, mostly annuals but some more dahlias and some gladiloi. It hasn't rained today so this evening I went to the allotment to water the containers and then I loaded up the car with the flowers for an early start in the morning.

Flowers cut for Whitefield show

[derekbrooks]

Whitefield show today.I got up early because I wanted to be there at 8.30,when staging begins. Uwas held up a bit on the motorway as there was only one lane open part of the way and I didn't know if I would have time to stage all my flowers.I wasn't very late, though and I did get them all done.Martyn was bringing Rosemary in the afternoon but they didn't get to the show at all. By the time they reached the Whitefield turn off it was too late to come so they went round the roundabout and came home.Anyway, I put 26 entries in 20 classes and got 13 firsts, 7 seconds and 3 thirds.I only had one vegetable exhibit ,cherry tomatoes which came third out of eleven entries.I won a trophy for the most points in the flower classes and an N.D.S.bronze medal.I will show you pictures of some of my exhibits,probably tomorrow.

[derekbrooks]

It was raining this morning,hard at times, this afternoon was a bit drizzly and it is raining harder again now so I have not done any gardening jobs today,just carried on with my writing much of the time.