Re: Gardening Thread.

**Sabot** Wed Nov 28, 2012 1:46 pm

I have just dug up all of my Geraniums, de-earthed the roots and stuck them in paper dog food sacks, in a cupboard, in the dark.
This is just an experiment to see if I can save any of them for next year.
Apparently, you have to give them a soaking a couple of times through the Winter, dry them out, and then stick them back in the sacks, in the cupboard.

My Chrysanthemums are all dying now, but they have been wonderful for over a month. They all do fine outside once they have taken root in their bigger pots.
I have a small fortune invested in Frost protected pots because I can't be asked to drag them all inside during the Winter.
There are "Seconds" of these pots around if you look for them. Nothing wrong with them apart from the odd dropped and baked on paint spots, and they are about half price.

**lily** Wed Nov 28, 2012 2:21 pm

I hope the geranium thing works, Sabot.

ETA: I don't need to worry about frost free pots this year.

**Sabot** Wed Nov 28, 2012 2:37 pm

lily wrote:I hope the geranium thing works, Sabot.

ETA: I don't need to worry about frost free pots this year.

I've got a feeling that it won't work, Lily, but ever hopeful.

Some of these pots are really pretty colours which brighten the garden anyway, And of course, the dog can't pee in them.

I have also cleaned off all of the garden furniture, and stuck it all under one of those expensive Baches I bought a couple of days ago. Diluted Bleach works fine on discoloured plastic, but I do wash it off afterwards.

Just The Wisterias to tackle now, and to cut the grass one more time. My mower which is a mulcher, will hopefully mash up the Wisteria leaves, and save me the trouble of raking them up.

**lily** Wed Nov 28, 2012 2:45 pm

What are Baches please, Sabot?

Oh, I do so hope that you can mulch the leaves in to save one more job.

**bb1** Wed Nov 28, 2012 2:54 pm

Pity you can't test them here, Sabot, the temperature is going to struggle to get over 0c for the next few days. On the plus side, it isn't raining, thankfully, so a bit of frost is nothing in comparison to those poor souls who have been flooded out elsewhere.

**Sabot** Wed Nov 28, 2012 2:55 pm

lily wrote:What are Baches please, Sabot?

Oh, I do so hope that you can mulch the leaves in to save one more job.

Bache is French for a plastic tarpaulin that you put over things like wood piles to keep things dry. The cheap ones have a nasty habit of tearing and falling apart, so I decided to buy expensive ones this time. The other one is actually over a wood pile.

I seem to remember that the mulching mower sorted the leaves last year, and raking is bloody hard work. Also it turns them into a sort of fine spread mulch. Actual leaves wreck the lawn if something isn't done about them.

**Sabot** Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:07 pm

bb1 wrote:Pity you can't test them here, Sabot, the temperature is going to struggle to get over 0c for the next few days. On the plus side, it isn't raining, thankfully, so a bit of frost is nothing in comparison to those poor souls who have been flooded out elsewhere.

I have only lost one frost free pot in ten years, Bonny, and that was a square one. And if often gets down to below minus five here, even if only briefly So I don't recommend buying square ones because they are weakened by the corners.
I have several of these pots on my front doorstep which is on the road and faces North East. The miracles is that no one has ever nicked one. Touch wood, so far.

**lily** Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:20 pm

Thanks Sabot. Hope everything goes well for you.

So, you guys are in frost time? Well, at least you have your Agas. smile

**Sabot** Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:37 pm

lily wrote:Thanks Sabot. Hope everything goes well for you.

So, you guys are in frost time? Well, at least you have your Agas.

I had a solid fuel Aga, until my rotten, gambling husband sold it. And it was the last straw. I mean, selling my Aga. This could be grounds for murder.
I dream of winning The Lottery so I can get another one. And I would always go for solid fuel because this is what they were originally designed for. Gas and Oil are just not the same.

**lily** Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:58 pm

Sorry, Sabot. I didn't know you no longer had it. They are so awesome. hug

**bb1** Sat Dec 01, 2012 1:00 pm

Express:

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/361765/More-flood-chaos-on-way

A spooky pic of Gladstonbury Tor, with the floodwater frozen:

Gardening Thread. - Page 27 361765_1

Avalon, anyone?

**Sabot** Sun Dec 02, 2012 4:36 pm

The only thing a good father can do for his children is to love their mother.

**bb1** Sun Dec 02, 2012 4:37 pm

I think you're in the wrong thread, Sabot.......

**Sabot** Sun Dec 02, 2012 4:49 pm

bb1 wrote:I think you're in the wrong thread, Sabot.......

No, I'm not, Bonny. I just didn't know where else to put it. And hardly worth starting a Thread for.

Oh, I heard it said on Radio 4 this afternoon. A bit profound, I thought.

**bb1** Sun Dec 02, 2012 5:09 pm

Oh right, with you now! Yes, that is a profound thought....I quite often feel sorry for modern men, they don't seem to have a defined role any more.

**Sabot** Sun Dec 02, 2012 5:14 pm

bb1 wrote:Oh right, with you now! Yes, that is a profound thought....I quite often feel sorry for modern men, they don't seem to have a defined role any more.

And not too many of them actually have any respect or great love for their wives. But this might be because wives and mothers don't know who they are anymore either.

**bb1** Mon Dec 03, 2012 2:55 pm

Guess what it did here overnight? Gardening Thread. - Page 27 R020

**Sabot** Fri Dec 07, 2012 6:27 pm

I am now about to bore you all witless. But that thought is entirely to do with my lack of faith in my inherent genius as a Citizen Churnalist.

Yesterday I finally found some Crocus Bulbs, but they were horrendously expensive. I bought a melange of 50 Bulbs for 7 Euros because individually they were priced at 50 centimes each. Possibly better quality, but who cares at that price. Even 7 Euros for 50 isn't cheap.
And then, glory be, this very nice lady explained to me in a very loud and slow voice that I got to get another packet of cheaper bulbs for free. Even total French cretins spot my appalling accent the minute I open my mouth, and this is never going to change no matter how good my French actually is. I live with it these days. But they are kind. And they do try.
Anyway, I picked 6 very pretty Narcissus, although God knows what I am going to do with them since I don't have anywhere to put them that the dog won't pee on. Barstard. I am going to have him put down in a minute. But I suspect that I might live to regret that threat before very much longer.
Barstard isn't all that well these days, but he doesn't know, and I am pretending that I haven't noticed. He is thirteen years old, and Shar Peis just don't live that long. And I am not having him pumped full of steroids just to keep him going. Been there and done that, and I will not countenance that again. The final collapse is so much worse than it would have been when it inevitably happens.
My lovely Rom has nearly had his day. But nothing will ever be as bad as the death of Hamlet. So I expect to survive this.

**bb1** Fri Dec 07, 2012 6:43 pm

Oh dear, Sabot hug

**Sabot** Fri Dec 07, 2012 7:42 pm

Yar, well, there you go, Bonny. Dogs don't live as long as humans. And all dog dependent humans have to go through this several times in a human life time. I make no shame of being dependent on Dogs. I just am. They are me and I am them. This has been so for all of my adult life. And I had dogs before I had children. Although I have had a couple of dogs put down because I couldn't trust them around small persons. But if you know dogs then you know when it must be done.
Rom has never been at all suspect, But Afghans sometimes are. Afghans don't really understand a Pack Leader because they didn't often run in Packs in The Wild. And they were wild until about eighty years ago. Always my first and ever endearing love. And so much more amazing than most humans realize, because they are never owned. They merely tolerate the hand that feeds them.

Anyway, enough of this old shit. The day draws nigh. And I will know when I must.

**bb1** Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:32 pm

...And another day draws on, with dogs huddled against radiators refusing to go OUT in the storm which is currently raging over most of the UK.

There is absolutely NO chance of a white Christmas:

http://news.sky.com/story/1028153/village-evacuation-as-flood-alerts-spread

Gardening Thread. - Page 27 Metrainmap-1-252x337

Gardening Thread. - Page 27 Metrainmap-1-252x337

Heavy rainfall spread this morning

but a lot of poor souls are getting flooded yet again.

**Sabot** Sat Dec 22, 2012 3:11 pm

Okay. All on track for Christmas Day. Bought Parsnips yesterday because I never have any success at growing them.
Nearly bought a Goose but it was 46 Euros, so Duck it has to be. Into a bucket of Brine with that tomorrow. Not proper Brine, just salt water. I shall stuff it on Monday with Chestnuts I found by the road, along with old French Bread that crumbles to dust without going mouldy first. Plus Sage from the garden, and a bought Onion. I don't have the room to grow those. Blast, I forgot to buy Garlic.
Bottle of Vodka on ice. Tomato Juice and all the other crap for Bloody Mary's, on standby.
And I shall fire up a jolly great blaze in The Inglenook.
After that it will very nearly be Spring.

PS. The nights started getting lighter earlier yesterday

**bb1** Sat Dec 22, 2012 3:57 pm

Phew, good job you got the voddy! Sounds excellent, Sabot - do people really pay €50 for geese? Are they proper, farmyard-type geese?

**bb1** Sat Dec 22, 2012 4:14 pm

BTW, having been out in the wilds delivering Christmas pressies, I can confirm that the weather in the UK is appalling:

http://news.sky.com/story/1028993/weather-floods-bring-christmas-misery

I feel heart-sorry for people in flatter, lower-lying parts of the UK, it must be heartbreaking for them to be flooded yet again this year.

**Lamplighter** Sat Dec 22, 2012 4:35 pm

bb1 wrote:Phew, good job you got the voddy! Sounds excellent, Sabot - do people really pay €50 for geese? Are they proper, farmyard-type geese?

Here a goose from a neighbour and free range, would be about £15 max, a turkey £10/12 and a duck upwards of £10, all large. I have guests arriving today so we have goose, duck and pork. LL

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