Spring suds and sow day
Hello m' soapy suds,
Well, I don't think I'll be going out gardening in today's pelting hail storms, so it'll be a day for indoor sowing. There are more window ledges yet to be filled with promising pots of mud. I have a big bag of sowing compost strategically positioned by the newspaper plastered dining table. The seeds are ready. The teapot is on.
I popped to town during the week and decided to take a punt on some Wilkos ginger and echinacea packs. Regular blog readers will know of my love of ginger cake and my distress over last years depleted global harvest. The echinaceas I have tried 'bareroot' before and they didn't take. Fingers crossed this time!
Then I grabbed myself something nice to drink and settled down to watch a talk by Ron Scamp (Cornwall's daffodil king) of Scamp's Daffodils. I made so many fast scribbled notes, but it has since appeared on YouTube to watch back here. Ron, son Adrian and family grow over 2500 varieties of bulbs in their ten acre field up the road on the outskirts of Falmouth.
It was interesting to find out that Tête-à-Tête, probably the most well known mini daffodil, was bred by another Cornish grower, from over Camborne way, Alec Grey. One of Ron's dutch growing friends reported he'd produced an astonishing 74 million Tête-à-Tête pots in one year!
I planted some Scamp bulbs back in October and I can't wait for them to bloom. Ron has bred many of his own varieties over the years and I have added 'Swan Vale' and 'Falmouth Bay' to next season's wish list.
This is the kind of Wicker Man structure that "scares the B'jeezus" out of Monsieur (probably courtesy of some wicked art student) -
On closer inspection, there is a human sized hole at its base -
Now I could do with organising my composters like this -
This is the composting area back at Long Mizzle -
This years efforts of turning the heap more often have rewarded me with some rather lovely compost, but I can't get to it at the moment, as there's a half-hacked down budleja laying on the top! I think I am probably going to giveaway the black bins, in favour of some palleted enclosures.
[Look very, very closely....what could it be?]
Did I tell you that I'm trying some cactus from seed? Mam gave them to me for Christmas. They have been sat in my preferred propagator - a reused Rodda's Clotted Cream pot, for two weeks now and I have two baby cacti already!
And what does the red Amaryllis whisper to me??? - "Brush your storm hair, you big mop!"
Ah Amarlyllis, what would I do without your brutal honesty!
That's all for today folks.
I hope you are keeping well.
Please send me gossip in the comments section below.
Lulu xXx
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Hello, gorgeous! Well that's next week's trip out sorted, it's off to Wilko for some eccinacea and ginger (love both), had a failure with giinger in the past but I shall have another bash.
ReplyDeleteI love the composting bins at the National Trust places, they're always like works of art and look a lot better than our ugly plastic bins.
That gnarly old pear tree in front of the crumbling wall is a beautiful photo.
I saw something on the Tv last weekend about how Brexit (& Covid) had stopped almost all the foreign pickers from working on the daffodil farms and that most of the blooms were going to waste, such a shame.
The amarylis is magnificent. xxxx
Hello Vix :) Yay, are you going to pop it as a date in the calendar? Town and its three shops that I visited (Wilkos, pound shop and pasty shop) felt like quite an outing! I haven't been since the start of December. It was chucking it down, so was probably even more empty than it might have been.
DeleteThe National Trust really do a fine job of composting. What's a grand house / gardens tour without inspecting the composting area?! It's the equivalent of Keith Lemon looking under a celebrity's kitchen sink on 'Through the Keyhole'.
Ron Scamp mentioned in his talk it is unfeasible now for them to ship bulbs out of the country due to Brexit. I have noticed more bright yellow fields in the distance when I do the school run. Unfortunately the cut flower growers have had this year's season wiped out. The good news though - the daffodils come back year after year.
Lulu xXx
storm hair is the dernier cri this season!
ReplyDeletetell this your most beautiful and really huge amaryllis :-D
spring flowers galore in your corner of the world! awesome!!
here we need a whole month more to get there - minimum. same for seeding out in pots - not before april. night frosts in mid may are very common, so i better do not plant out until then.
please report about the growing of the ginger - sounds interesting. ginger has beautiful flowers from what i´ve seen in photos.......
had to google wicker man - haha, love a good pagan ritual ;-DDD
happy gardening! xxxx
'dernier cri' ... I like that Beate ! Amaryllis is a big beauty of a girl.
DeleteI've had a ginger root from the supermarket sprout green shoots in the past, which is apparently unusual as they are sprayed with growth inhibitors. Stupidly, I chopped it up and threw it in the wok. Lemon grass it another one I'd like to try. Yes, I will report back on it.
The 1973 version of the Wicker Man with all its may pole dancing, animal mask wearing and giant wicker structure is a truly terrifying movie :0 :0 :0
Lulu xXx
Really enjoyed this post Lulu. I love how the growing season is a little more progressed in Cornwall. It makes me feel even more excited for what's to come. That magnolia is magnificent! I think we saw an impressive one at Lanhydrock when we visited. Sounds like you have been very busy - fingers crossed for your ginger supplies this year. Oh, and the Amaryllis is gorgeous, if a little rude! x
ReplyDeleteThank you Claire :) When I watch Gardeners' World, and Monty (in Herefordshire) does his jobs for the weekend, I say out loud, "I did that over two weeks ago"! Monsieur says I am being annoyingly smug, but it just marks how our season is different. Then I watch Beechgrove garden (which I also love), up in Scotland, and that's a full month behind, maybe more.
DeleteI have never visited Lanhydrock but it is on the list and I will look out for the magnolia when I do. I bet it looks stunning at this time of year. The red Amaryllis is a naughty Gertrude.
Lulu xXx
You do make me chuckle when I read your posts Lulu. My hairdresser has banned me from cutting my hair so I am sporting a lovely wind blown mop these days. It's not a good look. I have a lovely bright yellow echinacea. Or at least I had. I may have dug it up and killed it off.
ReplyDeleteHello Cherie, good to hear I am not the only one with a mippy mop! I had my hair cut quite short before last year's March lockdown, and it has just done its own thing ever since. My brother says that on a good day, I look like Patrick Swayze from Roadhouse!
DeleteFingers crossed for the yellow echinacea! Lulu xXx
Hi there - don't think your hair is too storm damaged! we have torrential rain - I went a bit mad earlier and divided/repotted quite a few of my houseplants - they now look small, frightened and vulnerable! what have I done? I love the amarylis and the gnarled pear tree - great that you are composting - my brother is a landscape gardener and that's all he ever talks about -- composting!
ReplyDeletettfn. Betty
Hello Betty, I was just giving it the large to Monsieur that my hair looked big and Kate Bush like the previous day , but then the hail stones flattened it! Hopefully your houseplants will perk up an appreciate their new pots, once they've had their little sulk.
DeleteIs that the brother that's moving to Truro Betty? I made a pact with myself last year that I was going to chop up the material before depositing it on the heap...and turn it more often. Once I get over my fear of finding a fat rat, or accidentally forking a hedgehog, It is quite therapeutic. Lulu xXx
It was a strange year last year, what with our lack of ginger, which Paul hates and I love. It’s a key in Asian cookery to so we had to do with dried. What with the food and loo roll shortage it was weird a year.
ReplyDeleteSeeds are in short supply now so we get what we can. I did a manic repotting of a couple of houseplants. I need to start my seeds at the weekend. I miss daffs they always make me smile and bluebells as well. My hair looks a sorry state as well so you are in the same club!
We come out of lockdown on the 21st March , but my hairdresser is having a baby so no hair do untill may for me!
Keep safe and well
Yeah, I don't know what was weirder, a lack of loo rolls or ginger!!! I love a bit of fresh ginger grated up and thrown in the wok. Monsieur mostly just eats what he is given...unless it's too hot. This will hopefully be the year I attempt to make my own ginger cake, though I know it will not be nearly as good as Stones Bakery.
DeleteHaha, manic repotting? I have this image of you speed potting.
Welcome to the bad hair club :) and happy seed sowing Allie jane.
Lulu xXx
What an interesting post. It's a great time of year as all of those early flowers show off their colours. We hope to get to Heligan next week as they are open to locals with yearly passes Wednesday to Sunday (I believe). Always something of interest.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week. Good wishes ~ Mike.
Thank you Mike :) Oh we love The Lost Gardens of Heligan. I wonder if you like the rope bridge? Makes me feel like Indiana Jones. The first time I visited, some time in the 90s, it was still very wild and had not been open long to the public. Then I revisited two years ago...wow, what a difference. The sleeping mud lady and pineapple pits are particular favorites. Enjoy! Lulu xXx
DeleteStorm hair is all the rage! I like to indulge in it most days with a helping hand of 'cycling helmet' to make it even nicer!
ReplyDeleteFascinating to hear and see about the daffodils.
I do love compost heaps. I love the compost areas at the music camp I go to- always love emptying the bins there although a lot goes to feed the pigs now.
I WISH that I had taken the larger compost bin with a hatch at the bottom when I got my current one (which is one of those where you tip it to let it out the bottom. Someone was getting rid of 3 along the road) as I can't seem to tip it properly and when my husband did it for me last year, he was so horrified at the pooey, wet grass underneath, that he promptly tipped it back the other way so I'm not sure what it is like at the bottom- it did have a slow worm in it last year though.
Your chillis and tomatoes are doing well! I've started mine a little late- only one has germinated so far and it is a bit floppy. They were all my own seeds so I might try some I bought in Lidl yesterday.
The amaryllis is amazing! What a colour and size! So impressive.
Ah, the classic cycling helmet treatment Kezzie! Hot stuff ;) I am now playing a game when I walk about; spotting daffodils and trying to identify them. I have to get my kicks somewhere eh! Though I don't think there's anything more fun than watching a fat snuffling pig eating and / or rolling around in mud.
DeleteSlow worms are lovely creatures, I love the way they seem to blink at you with long eyelashes. Composting is all about the 'magic ratio' - browns : greens. [Browns = wood, paper, straw, dry leaves | Greens = grass, fresh leaf cuttings, vegie scraps] . Whole heavy books have been written on it...
but I say, if it doubt, mix it all about..... and do what Bob Flowerdew famously does .... have a leisurely wee on it.
I am always amazed at the radish seed packets in Lidl. I must have about eight different varieties sourced from there. Happy sowing. Lulu xXx
We've had wild weather the last week - so, sowing seeds has been an indoors affair too :) This week looks to be so much better (yay), I tried ginger a couple of years ago (failed miserably) I might try again :) this year x
ReplyDeleteHello Kate, as I type and drink, the sun is shining so I am getting out there for the afternoon! I was worried I may not have positioned my ginger in the right alignment, but having done some research, it is ok laying flat :0 I suppose the buds could potentially come up on either side. At £2 a pack, I thought it was worth a punt. I have a better chance at it than the Lotto (which I never play!) . Let me know if you try some. Lulu xXx
DeleteOh wow what a post filled with spring joy. It is so heart warming to see things sprouting. I planted some sweet peas, nasturium, dahlia and marigold seeds a few weeks ago and they are all sprouting too. Such joy. Take care |Lulu. X
ReplyDeleteThank you Jane! I love having a little chat with the seedlings and baby plants each morning. You have reminded me I need to plant my Dahlia tubers. Sweet peas are my all time favorite; their smell is divine. I'm popping over later to do a big blog reading catch up. Lulu xXx
DeleteNo gossip but reminds me that I must pay another visit to Tremough Walled Garden. I heard that someone was trying to keep it locked???? Lovely to see all the seedlings coming up. I love sweet peas, too, but I've never had anyluck growing them! x
ReplyDeleteOoops, sorry Sue, I've only just seen this. Tremough is looking great, or was a couple of weeks back. I haven't heard about anyone trying to lock it (?) . It seems to be open for the odd student on a practical course, sparse uni staff, more dog and baby walkers ... all with enough space to be socially distanced :) Take care, Lulu xXx
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