Echium KerSlap
Hello m' cocks,
Well, there's been a proper gale blowing here today at Long Mizzle. Gusts from the sea have been chasing up the tidal river, howling round the creek and whipping my poor plants in the face. Last week we had three Tree Echium spikes (Echium Pininana), now we are down to just one. This is a shame as I have been waiting three years for it to flower! Amusingly I have been left with the more unusually shaped spire ;)
Poor stem!
Will the remaining spire survive the weekend?
In the safety of the greenhouse, our of-of-date seed experiments have surprising results. The parsnip seeds, known for only having a two year viability, were sown haphazardly by our littlest and amazingly have sprouted. The Globe Artichoke seeds were seven years old. The little plants are bound for my brother's allotment, but need to get a bit bigger and tougher.
The red carnations are for my flower cutting patch. Unlike the stale, imported tosh you can buy in the supermarket - these ones will smell heavenly.
'Love lies bleeding' will tumble down the wall by the dahlias...if they survive the mutant snails. I haven't grown these before, but they should make for a very dramatic flower bouquet.
This is the ginger tuber that I planted back here, for my own emergency ginger cake supplies.
It finally has a single shoot!
Can you spot the new random greenhouse bird ?
The wooden puffin is thanks to Mumrah's recent womblings.
About a month ago, I moved one of my own Globe Artichokes to a sunnier site. They don't like being moved, but it wasn't doing very much in its shady spot. It has sat here sulking ever since. With all the recent rain, some weird fungi (jelly ears?) has appeared all around it...
and by the Achilea and Amni Majus too -
Weigela by the wilderness -
The strawberries in t' Pit are getting plump and need some sun -
Chives are popping -
Just a short one today m 'luvelies. That gives you more time for cuppa drinking...
or your preferred tipple.
Looks like the next month is going to be super busy for me. I shan't bore you with all the details, but I am going to have to get organized!
Hope you are well. What are you up to?
Lulu xXx
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Lovely to see your garden growing Lulu. Those strawberries are looking good.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend. X
Thanks Jane :) I have the cream waiting. Just got to keep the mutant snails and slugs off them now :0 Lulu xXx
DeleteYour garden looks lovely, Lulu. Mine is still very much a work in progress and, although it has appreciated the recent rainfall, much like myself, it could really do with some warm sunshine now.
ReplyDeleteFortunately we have managed to avoid the strong winds but I did notice my bird feeder is leaning quite dramatically, as I looked through the window earlier :) I will make sure to get it sorted before I go out this morning. X
Thank you Jules :) I don't photo the work in progress areas, such as the dumping ground behind the greenhouse :0 Hope the bird feeder righting went ok. Can't have them birds being all lopsided can we eh! Lulu xXx
Deletei´m so sorry for the tree echium! it is such a spectacular plant. would staking it do the job??
ReplyDeletewe are far from the ocean here, but with our north-west directed, 150m deep and narrow river canyon at the end of endless flat land we often get hit by stark winds - it works like a nozzle..... lost count how much pots got smashed by winds. (not counting the de-rooted giant fir tree which almost hit the railway(!) and the lose of 20m2 roof in hurricanes).
so much lovely flowers and promising seedlings in your garden - and its extremly lush in the overall sight too!
happy gardening!! xxxxx
Wow, that sounds like an impressive wind nozzle Beate. Lucky escape by the railway line :0 In hindsight, I should have put some type of stake in, or grown it further down the garden, where it is a little more sheltered. We get a right whipping at the top of the hill. Sounds like the windows are going to cave in some nights. It is even wilder on the north Cornwall side. Thank you, very kind of you. Lulu xXx
DeleteI can’t believe the difference a few weeks makes. Even with all the rain and little in the way of sunshine, your garden is bursting with life! Such a shame about the Echium. Love the little wooden puffin. Gareth came home and with a Mickey Mouse figure after a skip dive! He’s quite old, missing a nose, and stands about 14 inches tall. He’s pretty heavy though - he could be a weapon in a Disney themed game of Ludo! I have heard the weather is supposed to be hot over the Bank Holiday...fingers crossed. xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks Claire! Oooh, I can't resist a bit of skip diving.Our swan planter came from a skip. Good find by Gareth. I wonder if you will be putting Mickey in the garden? Fingers crossed indeed for the bank holiday weekend. Lulu xXx
DeleteYour poor Tree Echium, what an incredible thing it is. I hope the remaining spike survives!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is always such a delight and I'm always excited to spot things in yours that I've got in mine! I couldn't see any signs of life from the Wilko ginger I planted so tipped the pot up and was delighted to see that it had roots, yippee!
Have a fab week and don't work too hard. xxx
Fingers crossed Vix, it is hanging on in there! I am reliably informed that once you get one Tree Echium to flower, they self-seed like weeds. So, in another three years I should have lots of them... that's if I don't spot any two year old ones once the carboot sales startup. I too got impatient with the ginger tuber and had to have a little rummage around to see if anything was happening. Lulu xXx
DeleteDear Lulu
ReplyDeleteThan's so sad about the echiums. I saved some young dahlia plants from snails the other night - they would have ruined every last one. Sometimes nature can be less than helpful! I hope your seedlings continue to do well and avoid molestation by molluscs!
Best wishes
Ellie
Well done on saving your dahlias Ellie. I wish those mutant snails and slugs would leave my young dahlias alone. It has been so soggy, so perfect rampaging conditions. One plant may be beyond saving. Fingers crossed for a little sun now to get them growing strong. Lulu xXx
DeleteYou have such a magical garden full of love. Always a pleasure to visit your blog. A pity about the echiums but such is life. All good wishes ~ Mike
ReplyDeleteThank you, that's very kind of you Mike. I shan't loose sleep over the Echium, but will endeavour to grow even more of them next year! Take care, Lulu xXx
DeleteNever mind your strawberries getting plump and needing some sun... I clearly am a strawberry cos I too am getting plump and needing some sun :-)
ReplyDeleteHaha, it is good to be a strawberry Cherie! I am a stringy green bean. Lulu xXx
DeleteI like that posturing puffin, he sort of has presence :) How come your garden has so much going on ? all I get is yellowing patches of pee'd on lawn (Mollie) woodchip flung everywhere by spritely thrushes searching out worms and one hanging basket full of beautiful deep pink petunias proudly positioned centre fence .. now swinging like a ball and chain in the storms - must do better/try harder/get help
ReplyDeletePuffin certainly seems to be checking everything is in order ! The secret must be having random wooden birds to watch over the garden ;) How funny that the thrushes are partying in your woodchip Betty. Lulu xXx
DeleteHi have you thought of staking the tree with bamboo? That’s what we do with poorly plants that look like they might fall or die, have a look at some pictures of Japanese bamboo staking that will give you an idea.
ReplyDeleteThat fungi looks gross. My kids would poke at that to see if it is alive or if it moves you know kids. The rest of the garden looks fab. I forgot how cold it is over here. So we have been on the hunt for hoodies I cannot believe how desolate the high streets are and I refuse to go into Primark at all costs. So online hunt begins ,ramming our pockets with heat packs are costly and not cost effective at all !! Still glad to be visiting for a short time.
Hello Allie jane, I've seen Japanese bamboo staking in Monty Don's Japanese Gardens programme. That's a whole art form of staking! I have bamboo but I can't sufficiently sink it in the stony strip of ground around it :0 The fungi keeps on growing, like something from a horror movie. I expect the bamboo will end up being used just to poke the fungi. Hope you found some warm clothes. The weather must be a shock to your system. I personally find a good snood or full face balaclava works wonders ;) Lulu xXx
DeleteOh the poor darling poor Tree Echium!!!! It's so beautiful, what a shame it has toppled spires! I hope the 3rd is ok. I'm a bit fed up of this wind. Stupidly planted out 2 of my 4 remaining cucumbers (Gave no.5 to my sister) last weekend and they look really bedraggled and wind damaged. And my beans are looking awful, courgettes looking totally dead, tomatoes looking really sorry for themselves and rather bleached. And I was SO proud of myself managing to germinate them. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly looks very Jelly-ears-esque or Woodears perhaps? Or are they the same thing? If Jelly ears, it IS edible!
Yes it seems three is not the magic number on this occasion Kezzie ! My cucumbers are still waiting on my picnic bench - but are looking very sorry for themselves. (I am wondering how my brother's are faring on his allotment, as we bravely planted them out t' other week). Fingers crossed your plants pick up this bank holiday weekend. Thank you for the fungi tip! I thought you might know something about them. Lulu xXx
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