Horizon's Gardening Topic

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  • My yellow osteospermum hasn't stopped flowering. I still have nasturtiums, geraniums and begonias flowering as we've not had a sharp frost yet. I bought the Mediterranean hibiscus in several months ago and it's putting on a flower display. Usually does as it responds to being in the warm.

    The browser dictionary doesn't include osteospermum and offered osteoporosis.^^ I've added it now.

  • My yellow osteospermum hasn't stopped flowering. I still have nasturtiums, geraniums and begonias flowering as we've not had a sharp frost yet. I bought the Mediterranean hibiscus in several months ago and it's putting on a flower display. Usually does as it responds to being in the warm.

    The browser dictionary doesn't include osteospermum and offered osteoporosis.^^ I've added it now.

    Lucky you. I love the brightly coloured osteospermum but the purple coloured ones are the only ones that survive our winters. They must be a hardier strain. I've lifted the double begonias but haven't bothered lifting the geraniums. We have a hardy Hibiscus (Bluebird) but the tender ones have much bigger flowers. The only plants that survive in our house are cacti and succulents. It is too warm for most house plants.

    Mark Twain — 'Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.'

  • I have three hardy hibiscus in pots on the patio: Blue, pink and white. There are several of these in gardens round here.

    Once a few more flowers are open I'll try and post some pictures. On Cyprus they use these as hedges, very pretty.

    Our Mahonia has been in full flower for a couple of weeks now and the winter pansies and wallflowers are still flowering. Our Osteospermum is just starting to flower and that will be a prolific flowerer until December or so. Bulbs have been showing for a few weeks but no flowers yet, not even the snowdrops or winter aconite are flowering. I hope the squirrel hasn't eaten them all!

    EDIT: just had a closer look down the bottom of the garden and the aconites are in full bud so should be flowering soon. The snowdrops are around 2" high but no flowers yet, and the winter jasmine is flowering. :)

    Amazing isn't it, the usual seasons have gone

    I think you are in Yorkshire so it makes your garden even more amazing

  • Rather big garden project for the new year. A paved outdoor patio round the tree with paved steps leading down past the pond to join up with paving there. Then remodelling all garden beds round the paving to try and circumvent the ravages of drought.

    Here is what has happened so far. The foundations have been laid and the supporting walls put in. Next will be levelling and then the top put on, but Percy the builder will be laying the path paving in the mean time.

    paving1.jpg

    paving2.jpg

    Love the choice of bricks that you chose there LW. Nice colours in them.

  • Mr Blackbird is singing his heart out these mornings trying to attract a mate. He must think it is time to breed in this mild weather

  • I love the way blackbirds post a sentry and they start to 'pip, pip, pip' when a cat or other threat appears.

    Mark Twain — 'Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.'

  • My dog has learned bird alarm calls and goes to chase cats away on his own now. Birds are very useful warning systems for intruders and lurkers as well. If you're suspicious, watch the birds. if they are not concerned, there's no one there.

  • Winter flowering Jasmine is well out. Seems odd to see some of the summer bedding plants still flowering as well.

    Indeed. I never got to do any gardening in Autumn that includes the usual overwintering of all my summer stuff that I keep. At the moment (of course it could all change) the geraniums are healthy and some of them flowering.

  • I find the worst alarm calls from Mr Blackbird is when another Mr Blackbird is around. I find the blackbirds and robins the most territorial out of all the garden birds.

    A friend insists that robins only live for a year and i have to say that we have a different one every year

  • Percy the builder has laid another set of foundations for the walkway, which will have three stepped levels to the paving at the pond. He will build retaining walls next and then filling and top level paving decoration will be done.

    paving3.jpg

  • It looks good, LW. What will you do with the ground either side of the walkway? Grass, or planting?

    Mark Twain — 'Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.'

  • Grass and some planting. We think the grass may grow better if it's in smaller quantities and next to paving and brick. It tends to get tatty and die off in large dry spaces.

    We had some torrential rain recently and even with just the foundations of the paved oblong in place, the runoff was diverted from going into the pond and taking mud with it and it ran down the outer edge of the retaining paving wall instead and off to join its mates that come under the garden walls from the top of the street. Things were getting dire in that department and the tree was being gouged out and the top soil was flowing away.

  • It's always good when a plan works as intended. :)

    Mark Twain — 'Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.'

  • Mr V plans it all out in detail beforehand. I found him out there one night at ten o'clock, designing things and drawing them out on paper. He's an engineer. Everything tends to be precision planned with strength capability built in.

    Luckily I'm not the one planning it :D

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