General Chat

We have harvested new pots and carrots, as well as baby leeks. Runner beans have flowers on broad beans are producing beans, french beans finally growing. Tomatoes have flowers.Harvested onions, ready and drying in greenhouse. Also got crop of garlic. So not too bad. Rest of garden is going mad.!!!

what could be eating the leaves of one of my rose bushes - something with teeth like incisors nipping away at the edges of every leaf?

Could well be saw Fly ,or Leaf Cutter Bee ,spray your Roses with a systemic insecticide,as soon as possible,Fred

thanks Fred, much appreciated

only planted my apple trees last year in a pots on the decking
and one has 4 tiny apples on it and the other about 20
my broard beens are three feet high and all in floor
and six out of seven rubber plants have taken

and ANN
Stary was telling me how well her tomatoes were doing
only when i looked they where the beans i sneaked in her pots haha ;-) ;-)

Lol Joy!!!

Our apple tree which is quite old and fairly large had 3 apples on it this year, don't know why. After the high winds we've been having it now has two. Last year it was loaded, the year before no apples, wonder if it is on its way out?

Some apple trees are prone to producing biennially. They will have a heavy crop one year, which prevents the plants from bearing much fruit the next year. However this year I think it is also the weather. We have very little tree fruit including pears, damsons, cherries, plums, peaches and apples.

We have the water to grow rice in a paddy field, but also need some sun!

My Young apple tree ,after giving tons of apples last year lost all it's flowers this ,so either as someone says ,the weather is the culprit ,or it dosn't bear fruit every year.
My plum is doing well,but the pear is in it's second year and is flower free,AND i lost my Rhubarb Crown over the winter,and have replaced it with two crowns brought from my local market garden ,one of those years i think :-( Fred.

Good to know we are not alone. But ours should produce every year. We didn't plant it but have lived here for 20 years and until the year before last it bore masses of apples every year. So I guess it was the weather. We were away when it blossomed but I believe it was extremely windy here at the time.

You may have been victim of the dreaded June Bud drop ,happens to us all from time to time,we just have to hope it dosn't happen again next year,i have been hit with it twice in four years ,probably due to cold winds and late frosts :-(. Fred

Badger - HELP- I planted two Lupins in a border this year. Both flowered, a creamy yellow and a red. When down there looking the other day, I noticed that the stem on the red one had had everything eaten off it, particularly the seed pods. What is feasting on it. I thin k possibly mice.
Never had this happen before.

Thanks
Julia in Derbyshire

For some reason we can never keep lupins in this garden, tried several different places but they flower, then disappear. Sorry can't help you Julia.

Ann, they are one of my favourites, and I am trying to grow 'taller' things for abit of height, in a particular border. Never had this happen to me before, but we back onto fields, so I suspect some sort of wild-life is to blame.
Have some lovely tubs of Poppies with the heads just about to blossom forth. I live in hope that nothing goes near them. I have never had much success with the various stages of growing these. I bought a new one this year called Royal Wedding, white petals with a purple middle. It is growing but I don't think I will see flowers on it this year.
However, just found a pattern for a throw to crochet
, and each square is a different coloured Poppy head. I must have a go at this. LOLOL
A combined gardening and craft item on this thread.

Julia in Derbyshire

Oh I wish I could crochet!!!

Poppies, something else that doesn't thrive in this garden. (No fields here either although we do have field mice). I scattered a packet of wild flower seeds and a packet of poppies as directed on the packet and nothing has come up.!! :-)

Because the meecies have eaten them likely as not :-D i have to start my broad beans in cups to prevent the little darlings from eating them all us gardeners have a hard life ,lol. ;-)

had so many apples last year - both trees plastered - far too many to deal with - this year - not one, never even saw any blossom - next door's Bramley which is very productive every year has no blossom either

thanks fred, again lovely weather then horrible weather its still alive so fingers crossed.my apple trees are covered and my berry bushes were untill specky sprayed weed killer on my berry bushes instaead of just cutting tham back, i could have done that myself arghh and my other pear tree is behind them, hoping it wont be affected.

my pear tree flowered for the first time in 3 years and was covered but noooo fruit is appearing any ideas, will add if i find out too xxlupins are slugs favourite meal, so next year im making a pub under planks just for slugs with best bitter.

Depends on which weedkiller Specky used ,but if it's of the glysophate sort ,i wouldn't hope too much if the Pear is only a couple of feet behind the area sprayed ,that Specky is a walking disaster ,lol,tie his hands behind his back when he goes out back and get a lock on the greenhouse ,and keep the key in a safe place he he.Fred. :-D

Do you remember not so long agao when theyw ere telling us we should all be buying mediterranean type plants that could survive hot dry condition????? I am glad I ignored them, even the petunias are fretting about the rain.

Talking about the mediterraean Ann have you or has anyone read about the giant Spanish slug we have invading the UK. :-|