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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 5, 2017 21:34:57 GMT
Two vases of mixed garden flowers which I thought were good for November and so did the judge. There was one more entry at the front which the show manager removed temporarily for me to take the picture. This is the last picture. Brought on of these vases home and it is in front of me now. The other one was donated to the church for todays services.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 6, 2017 22:19:13 GMT
This morning I decided to finish my painting. I had half of the chrysanth frame to do and I gave one side of the shed another coat (the side that gets the worst of the weather). Went to the allotment this afternoon and dug up the spray chrysanths and brought them home. I then boxed them up into mushroom boxes , 2 or 3 varieties in each box.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 7, 2017 19:27:55 GMT
Been at Blackleach till 1.30.Took Billy another 4 bags of old compost to put on the nursery beds. I also asked him to remove some plants from the border that had finished. It had been raining most of the morning but was fine this afternoon. I thought it was too wet to go on the allotment so I did more tidying up in the garden. Started emptying baskets that had finished and potted up some plants from them that I want to keep. Will be re-planting them soon.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 8, 2017 23:04:40 GMT
This morning I emptied the hanging baskets from the front of the house and under the carport and the tubs at the front of the house even though some of them were still flowering . Potted up some plants from them that I wanted to keep to take cuttings from in the spring. Got the tubs ready for re-planting. Removed as many roots as I could and mixed a bit of Q4 base with the remaining compost then topped them up with some new compost. Went to Martyn's this afternoon and removed his bedding plants. Weeded part of the area by hand where they had been then turned over the soil with a fork.Will finish the rest of it next time I go. I had 5 bags of plants from my baskets and tubs and one from Martyns so I took them all to the allotment and put them on the compost heap. After that I had just time to start cutting down the dahlias. Some had been blackened but some hadn't.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 9, 2017 22:08:32 GMT
No gardening for me today except for school but Rosemary has been removing bedding plants from the front garden. On Thursdays I am at Blackleach till 3.00 then straight to school.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 10, 2017 20:11:40 GMT
It was raining till mid morning so I went in the greenhouse and potted 18 hyacinths into three and a half inch pots. I start them in pots then I can match them up when I transfer them to bulb bowls. I put them under the greenhouse staging. When it stopped raining, the sun came out and I went to the allotment and finished cutting down the dahlias on the main bed. Started putting them on the compost but didn't have time to do them all. Chopped them up as I put them on. It speeds up the rotting process and also they don't take up as much room when chopped up. Rosemary wanted the car this afternoon so I stayed at home. Emptied the rest of the hanging baskets and the window box and a trough and potted up some plants from them that I want to keep. Planted some pansies in the window box and trough and some tulips in two tubs. I will be re-planting the hanging baskets soon but I don't do as many as in the summer-just 5 for the front of the house and two for Heather. Decided which ones to do and checked the liners to see if I need to get any from the hut tomorrow but they were all O.K. I was short of plants for the centre of the baskets so I went to our local garden centre. I usually use some small conifers but thy hadn't any so I got some heathers . Also got some more pansies and ivy.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 11, 2017 20:43:08 GMT
Not much time today as we have been out till mid afternoon. I have pulled the remaining bedding plants from the front garden (Rosemary had done some before).I have emptied some more containers and got them ready for re-planting. I have planted some more daffodils, tulips and crocuses in some of them.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 12, 2017 19:14:40 GMT
This afternoon it was a toss up between going on the allotment and planting the hanging baskets but I decided to do the baskets. Five for myself and two for Heather. Also planted the rest of the plants that I had got for my baskets and tubs into some of the tubs but I was some short so I will have to go to the garden centre again. Forgot to mention last night that I sent 100 pictures to the publisher for my new book.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 12, 2017 20:15:14 GMT
Seven hanging baskets planted this afternoon
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 14, 2017 22:45:11 GMT
I wanted a morning on the allotment but it was drizzling first thing. I had to go to the garden centre sometime because I told you I was short of plants for some of my tubs. I decided to go there first and see if the weather dried up later. I also owed them some money from when I went last week because I overspent with the plants I got. Also when I went last week I saw some secateurs which I thought were a good price and I need some new ones. I told the lady who owns the garden centre that I could do with some and that I would come back for some. She told me to take some so I have paid for those today and what I owed for plants from last week. It's nice that they trust me, isn't it?. I also got the plants I needed for my tubs and planted them when I got home. It did stop raining so I went on the allotment after and finished putting the dahlias that I cut down last week onto the compost . After shopping this afternoon I went to the allotment again and cut down the dahlias on the smaller dahlia bed and put them on the compost as well. So all the dahlias on the allotment are ready for digging up which is the next big job. I still have a few in my back garden which I will probably cut down tomorrow. A bulk order of seeds arrived from Dobies for 4 other people as well as my own so I have been sorting these out this evening.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 15, 2017 19:46:47 GMT
This morning I forked over and weeded the border round the front lawn but there weren't many weeds, just some small ones. Then I cut down the dahlias which are on the border round the back lawn. I only grow 12 at home, all the rest being on the allotment. This afternoon I went to my son, Martyn's and pruned his roses and finished weeding and forking over his border that I started last time I went. I prune roses any time between now and next March provided the weather is mild as it is now. When I got home I didn't think there was time to go to the allotment so I dug up the 12 dahlias . I'm sure I have told you this before about dahlias but I don't wash the tubers. I just scrape off surplus soil, cut the stems down to about 3 inches the knock a screwdriver down the hollow stem and out at the bottom. This helps to drain off surplus water and speeds up the drying. I then stand them upside down in boxes and put them under the greenhouse staging.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 18, 2017 20:48:59 GMT
This morning was our last Saturday at the horticultural supply hut till next February . When we finished at 12.00 we had the A.G.M. There were only 7 of us which are the committee. We have about 260 members but none of them ever come to the A.G.M. even though it is on the membership card. We have booked a room for this meeting before but we don't think it is necessary now which is why we decided to have it at the hut. I borrowed some chairs from Blackleach for it which I will take back next time I go which is Tuesday. This afternoon I have been digging up my dahlias on the allotment but only had time to do about a third of them. I will carry on with them tomorrow afternoon and Monday ,weather permitting.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 19, 2017 21:55:12 GMT
Carried on digging up the dahlias this afternoon but still haven't finished them. Hoping to finish them tomorrow weather permitting.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 20, 2017 23:00:18 GMT
I intended having a full day on the allotment. It was drizzling till about 10.00 though. I had to go to the re-cycling centre sometime with some rubbish. When it stopped raining I decided to go there first and then to the allotment on the way home. However, it started drizzling again so I came home and went in the greenhouse. I told you a week or two ago that a man called John had asked me for some dahlia tubers , nine altogether. When digging the tubers up yesterday and the day before I concentrated on the varieties that he wanted so this morning I sorted out which he could have and put them to one side. I will let them dry for a few days before sending them to him. It was fine this afternoon so I did go to the allotment and managed to finish digging them up. They are now all in boxes upside down under the greenhouse staging to dry. We have just come home from having a very enjoyable time at the Christmas social evening of Salford and Bolton fuchsia society. We had a very nice buffet meal , a bingo game , a raffle and two quizzes. One of the quiz questions was "Which is Britain's favourite carol" and someone said Carol Kirkwood.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 21, 2017 23:19:03 GMT
No gardening today. My two grandsons from Wales arrived this afternoon and we took them out for a meal at tea time. They are going home again tomorrow.
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