Author: Flighty

I’ve made a start on digging out, and sieving, compost from the plastic Composter bin.  Yesterday morning was overcast but dry and I dug out  two builder’s bucket worth, approx 25 litres in total, which I put into an empty compost bag.  I won’t spread it over the plot but will use it as and when I plant or sow things.  For instance I’ll put a handful or two in each seed potato planting hole before backfilling them.

This  morning I went to the horticultural society trading shed to get onion sets Sturon and seed potatoes.  This year I’ll be growing first early potatoes Pentland Javelin, second early Charlotte (my favourite variety) and another second early Kestrel.  The later is instead of a maincop variety such as Desiree or Picasso.   I’ll be putting them in egg boxes on the windowsill in the spare room to chit for the next month or so.  That gives me plenty of time to prepare the ground for planting out.

Today’s picture from the archives shows white cosmos in July 2021.

The weather forecast is looking good for next week so hopefully I’ll be doing plenty of plotting.

Have a good week, and take care!

was dry and sunny so I went to the plot after lunch for an hour or two and did some plotting.  I cut back all the dead flower heads and stems on the sedums to ground level, then added them to the compost heap.  I also cut back the stems on three of the the asters/Michaelmas Daisies, being what I left when I pruned them in the autumn.  I tidied up, then hoed round  and will add some compost once I’ve dug it out.

Earlier during the day I found that online social media friend, and fellow allotmenteer, Hesperalis had posted a comment and the picture below on my Mastodon timeline.   She had taken it in a municipal park in Chile, where she and her husband are on a once in a lifetime holiday all this month.  Her comment reads…While you’re waiting for your own to grow and flower here’s some of your favourites blooming now in Patagonia.

Yesterday the weather was dull again and cold with the feels like temperature just reaching 0 C / 32 F.  Looking ahead to the weekend and into next week it looks like the temperature will reach a balmy 13 C / 55 F, but remaining mostly dull and, hopefully, not much rain.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

It was dry and sunny on Monday so I took a look round the plot after lunch.

The red stems and crinkly leaves of the rhubarb are just starting to appear above ground.

It’s always good to see the self-seeded Collomia grandifloria seedlings. In the early spring, once they’ve grown, I’ll replant some so that they’re all together.

The English Daisy (Bellis  perennis) has been flowering all winter, with one or two flowers showing at any one time.

Monday’s good weather didn’t continue and it’s been mostly damp and dull since then.  The weekend is looking dismal with the feels like temperature on Saturday being around 0 C, then sleety for most of Sunday and a degree or two colder.

Here’s a sunflower from September 2012.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

I feel as I do given the seemingly unremitting damp and dull weather,  and  I’m really not in the mood to even do a blog post.

So here are a couple of hopefully uplifting pictures from the archives.

Pot Marigolds Flighty’s Favourites from September 2015.

Cosmos from September 2021.

Have a good week, and take care!

the plot yesterday I was pleased, and relieved, to see there were no signs of any waterlogging, although it had rained all day on Tuesday.  It is rather soggy though so I won’t be doing any plotting just yet.

All the asters/Michaelmas daisies are showing new growth. This is my favourite one Twinkling Stars (proper name Monte Cassino).

I also had a quick look round the site and saw lots of these crocus spread across one of the grass paths and part of an untended plot.

Today is another dismal rainy day and looks like being much the same tomorrow and Saturday.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

and both clumps of crocuses are now flowering.  By the dog rose are the white Snow Bunting and on the main flower patch are the yellow Romance.       The later have a silvery sheen to the backs of the petals.

Here are two archive pictures, from March 2010 (left) and February 2014 (right) showing close-up views of the flowers.

I went to the plot yesterday after lunch just for a look round, and although it had been a rainy day on Tuesday the ground wasn’t as soggy as I thought it would be.

The weather looks like remaining unsettled through into next week with more rain and not much sunshine, so I’ll be mostly armchair gardening.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

I went to the plot last week was Tuesday, after lunch, when I actually did some plotting for an hour or so.  I removed all the dead stems from the the blackberry bush,  which is one of the few jobs where I wear heavy duty gardening gloves. When I do get to dig out the compost from the Composter I’ll put most of it under and around the bush, where it will be out of the way until I need to use it.

I like dark-centred lemon yellow sunflowers but have never grown many as they’re mostly tall varieties.  However I’ve found Garden Statement, a semi-double variety which only grows to around 30 in / 80 cm so should go well with the  Music Box ones I’ll be growing.

Next week is looking mostly dull and  unsettled , with more rain, so I guess that I won’t be doing any plotting.

Have a good week, and take care!