Creepy crawly horrors invading my garden! Uck uck uck!
A massive sawfly larvae infestation all over my green and happy gooseberry bush. At first we thought they were quite sweet, until we saw how they stripped the leaves clean down to their veins, and just kept on eating. According to the Encyclopedia of Gardening, you have to pick them off by hand and for "severe" infestations it's insecticide, baby!
Yeah. It looks like we might be at that level.
Luckily pyrethrin is an organic insecticide, and is supposed to be safe for us, and for most of our other garden residents. I still hate the idea of using it, but it beats picking handfuls of little green wriggly things off my poor mutilated gooseberry bush every 4 to 6 hours. I say again UCK!
No pictures, but just imagine a tiny green caterpillar with a black head eating its bodyweight and expanding at the speed of light. To the garden centre I go!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Apparently, I'm the head gardener!
We've just moved offices at work, and our new site overlooks the railway. The bossman suggested that a hedge might make our little patio more pleasant, so there I was, with a big bundle of beech hedging, a tiny "lady's shovel" and a bank made up principally of rocks, chunks of concrete and quite heavy clay.
I know you're supposed to dig a trench, but that was not gonna happen, no way.
I was quite proud of my 27 holes excavated, filled with water, and eventually with tiny twiggy beech plants. It took me all afternoon, and freed me from 4 hours emptying boxes. Despite all the effort it looks just as if I poked 27 twigs into the ground. Today they looked a little fuller, and a bit more relaxed. Hopefully they'll leaf up eventually.
I asked for a pay rise based on being the official head gardener, but sadly that's not a long term job title.
I know you're supposed to dig a trench, but that was not gonna happen, no way.
I was quite proud of my 27 holes excavated, filled with water, and eventually with tiny twiggy beech plants. It took me all afternoon, and freed me from 4 hours emptying boxes. Despite all the effort it looks just as if I poked 27 twigs into the ground. Today they looked a little fuller, and a bit more relaxed. Hopefully they'll leaf up eventually.
I asked for a pay rise based on being the official head gardener, but sadly that's not a long term job title.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Prehistoric Monsters Have Invaded My Garden
I knew there was horsetail in the plot, I thought I'd pulled a lot of it up and there were just a few patches left.
What a fool I was.
It's now over-run with the stuff.
It's quite pretty in a way, but that doesn't mean I want it overtaking my whole garden like this
Fifteen minutes with the strimmer, now I need to go back out with the weedkiller.
This is not a good time for mystery fatigue to hit. Hmmph.
On the upside, I have a lovely lovely hyacinthoides non-scripta that has fought through the prehistoric spikes!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
What a fool I was.
It's now over-run with the stuff.
It's quite pretty in a way, but that doesn't mean I want it overtaking my whole garden like this
Fifteen minutes with the strimmer, now I need to go back out with the weedkiller.
This is not a good time for mystery fatigue to hit. Hmmph.
On the upside, I have a lovely lovely hyacinthoides non-scripta that has fought through the prehistoric spikes!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Not a parenting blog
Except when it is. I have to post pictures today of the small opening the present that Diane, my sister non-scripta blogger, sent her in the post. These are for you Bloo:
Do you think she likes them?
This is when I told her who the parcels were from. Admittedly, she's hugging Claire's present there, but she thinks it's all from you!
Commentary on the wrapping paper. Serious inspection.
BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS MUMMY.... BOOKS!
Dis one DIS ONE READ IT NOW!
Ahem. Very well appreciated. I'm trying to decide which is currently my favourite. She asked for three of them at bedtime tonight.
Dear internets, I have lots of gardening pictures for tomorrow, but I also have job application to fill in, so we'll see.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Cunning plan
My plan of attack for the next couple of weeks is:
Anyone ever had any luck with physalis giving fruit? I want to grow to eat, not for decoration, although that's an added benefit.
I have also been given a load of carrot seeds, are carrots hard to grow? I have heard of carrot fly...
The small is obsessed with watering and weeding. This is mostly good, however, what she wants to weed isn't always quite right. Luckily I have more than my fair share of rocket seedlings.
Our exciting planting venture of the week was to put loads of fresh potting compost into the planter that lives on the shelf in our porch. Normally we regrow morning glories there every summer. This year we're trying morning glories AND dwarf peas. Both lots are coming up already, after being planted and heavily watered on Thursday. Impressive!
- repot enough seedlings to start hardening off
- put them somewhere cooler than my windowsill
- plant them in final location
- plant more seeds
- Rinse
- repeat
Anyone ever had any luck with physalis giving fruit? I want to grow to eat, not for decoration, although that's an added benefit.
I have also been given a load of carrot seeds, are carrots hard to grow? I have heard of carrot fly...
The small is obsessed with watering and weeding. This is mostly good, however, what she wants to weed isn't always quite right. Luckily I have more than my fair share of rocket seedlings.
Our exciting planting venture of the week was to put loads of fresh potting compost into the planter that lives on the shelf in our porch. Normally we regrow morning glories there every summer. This year we're trying morning glories AND dwarf peas. Both lots are coming up already, after being planted and heavily watered on Thursday. Impressive!
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