It's supposed to be getting close to Spring - but what on earth is the matter with this weather? After the earthquake came the almost-hurricane thing that threatened to bend my garden in two last week!
That said, I've been out doing my bit - there's no shortage of jobs that need doing!
I've put in my carrots this weekend and even found time to pick a nice bunch of daffs for the Long Suffering - I've also got some crocus growing in the lawn and I'll wait until they produce some seed before cutting that area of grass. I also pruned the roses on Saturday so they're looking all spick and span -cutting out the old branches as close to ground level as possible.
Some of my fruit trees looked a bit hungry too - so I gave them a dash of high potash feed. Then I did a bit more work on the lawn and repaired a couple of damaged areas by loosening the soil and sowing some seed. I then covered the patch with a bit of polythene tapped down with a couple of pegs.
So, I suppose that they're all spring-ish jobs - but I want that sun on my back please!
Showing posts with label roses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roses. Show all posts
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Monday, 5 November 2007
What poppycock!!
Apparently the trendies that seem to dictate how us chaps spend our spare time have a new ruse.
Eating flowers.
I kid you not.
A range of edible plants has been tested by Gardening Which? and those in the know have selected the best for taste as well as beauty to add a splash of colour and new flavour to many dishes.
They reckon that there are more than a hundred plants that have edible flowers and they can be used as garnishes, dried to flavour tea, crystallised to decorate cakes, infused in jars of vinegar, added fresh to salads or made into sauces.
The magazine suggests that if we are bored with proper food we should look to our gardens for inspiration. Part of their hare-brained conclusions include adding roses to our cooking. They were used first in medicines and later as stomach-settlers, mouth-fresheners and various natural remedies. Napoleon is reputed to have given his officers bags of rose petals to boil in white wine as a cure for lead poisoning caused by bullet wounds.
Another nutter claims deep-fried marigold with marrow, plus rose petals in jelly and nasturtiums in salad should also be part of our diet.
Let me just fire this warning shot across your bows.
The first time anybody tries to fob me off with a bunch of flowers for my tea, they get a taste of a Size 9 Timpson up their backside.
What on earth is the world coming too?
Look - it ain't rocket science and it's quite simple really. Vegetables are for eating, fruit is for nibbling - and flowers are for giving to the Long Suffering.
End of story!
Eating flowers.
I kid you not.
A range of edible plants has been tested by Gardening Which? and those in the know have selected the best for taste as well as beauty to add a splash of colour and new flavour to many dishes.
They reckon that there are more than a hundred plants that have edible flowers and they can be used as garnishes, dried to flavour tea, crystallised to decorate cakes, infused in jars of vinegar, added fresh to salads or made into sauces.
The magazine suggests that if we are bored with proper food we should look to our gardens for inspiration. Part of their hare-brained conclusions include adding roses to our cooking. They were used first in medicines and later as stomach-settlers, mouth-fresheners and various natural remedies. Napoleon is reputed to have given his officers bags of rose petals to boil in white wine as a cure for lead poisoning caused by bullet wounds.
Another nutter claims deep-fried marigold with marrow, plus rose petals in jelly and nasturtiums in salad should also be part of our diet.
Let me just fire this warning shot across your bows.
The first time anybody tries to fob me off with a bunch of flowers for my tea, they get a taste of a Size 9 Timpson up their backside.
What on earth is the world coming too?
Look - it ain't rocket science and it's quite simple really. Vegetables are for eating, fruit is for nibbling - and flowers are for giving to the Long Suffering.
End of story!
Monday, 10 September 2007
A surprise in store
What a welcome sight it was this weekend. I'd always planned an early start in the garden but I hadn't planned to be welcomed by the old lightbulb in the sky. I don't know about you, but even the most tedious of garden chores seems to be so much more bearable when the sun is shining.
So, I set off with some gusto and boy did I get some work done.
I put out some spring-flowering forget-me-nots and wallflowers - doing it now gives them time to establish themselves before winter. I also planted some border perennials and, of course, the Rootgrow was put to good use. I sometimes look at my neighbour's garden and I can't help but have a little chuckle when I see his stuff barely three quarters the size of mine. I keep telling him it's the old Rootgrow that helps - but he's a Yorkshireman and not too good at opening his wallet. He keeps throwing manure on his garden but he just doesn't measure up to me in the size brigade I can tell you!
I also gave my hedges a final trim before winter - and that's a chore that I can well do without I can tell you. (And here's a free hint - keep your Rootgrow well clear of your hedges, you're just storing up some hard graft for yourself!!).
I also had a good harvest - a few remaining plums that went straight into the kitchen for a fine plum crumble. And I took a few good buckets of fine Kent apples and pears - they'll be put to good use as well I can tell you!
Then I did a bit of work on the long-suffering's roses, nipping off the faded blooms and pruning them back. Finally, I had a good go at the lawn, giving it a smart cut, tidying the edges and repairing a couiple of patches.
And that was my weekend in the garden. And as I sat down to a satisying bottle of my favourite brew late yesterday afternoon I confess to wondering just how many more opportunities I'd have to do that before next year!
So, I set off with some gusto and boy did I get some work done.
I put out some spring-flowering forget-me-nots and wallflowers - doing it now gives them time to establish themselves before winter. I also planted some border perennials and, of course, the Rootgrow was put to good use. I sometimes look at my neighbour's garden and I can't help but have a little chuckle when I see his stuff barely three quarters the size of mine. I keep telling him it's the old Rootgrow that helps - but he's a Yorkshireman and not too good at opening his wallet. He keeps throwing manure on his garden but he just doesn't measure up to me in the size brigade I can tell you!
I also gave my hedges a final trim before winter - and that's a chore that I can well do without I can tell you. (And here's a free hint - keep your Rootgrow well clear of your hedges, you're just storing up some hard graft for yourself!!).
I also had a good harvest - a few remaining plums that went straight into the kitchen for a fine plum crumble. And I took a few good buckets of fine Kent apples and pears - they'll be put to good use as well I can tell you!
Then I did a bit of work on the long-suffering's roses, nipping off the faded blooms and pruning them back. Finally, I had a good go at the lawn, giving it a smart cut, tidying the edges and repairing a couiple of patches.
And that was my weekend in the garden. And as I sat down to a satisying bottle of my favourite brew late yesterday afternoon I confess to wondering just how many more opportunities I'd have to do that before next year!
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