Gone potty? Plants gardens and lawns .

[Auriel]

STINGS HARPY STINGS!!! (be careful, no pun intended) get a beekeepers outfit (you could make nice honey)

 

[Harpy]

Lol oh No Auriel , these native bees arnt supposed to lol they’re good for backyards with kids. Then can safely take a little honey.

 

[Auriel]

Wow bees that don't sting!! (I'd like those kinda bees)

 

[JayCS]

Wow bees that don't sting!! (I'd like those kinda bees)

Mine are all friendly, cos I talk with them and watch out for them.
And ogle their bee-hinds....

 

[JayCS]

And ogle their bee-hinds....

Our big ones, the bum-ble ones still all have a white bee-hind, but now all the phacelia / fiddle neck / bee food have come that I've sown, there's different types now, bumbly, but half as big, and they have a ginger bee-hind.

I have to admit there's so many flowers in our garden I'm now discovering and finding beautiful that I'd never been able to appreciate before. I didn't know much more than roses, poppies and rhododendrons about a year ago. Now I've found out the names of more than 150 in our garden, and more to come when the blossoms allow me to identify them, 14 on the balcony, 9 in the flat, and I can remember around 100 of them I'd think, still practicing. Newest surprises were all the evening primroses and (despite having sown them myself...) Californian poppies. The last one might be the next big surprise - enormous, look like they might turn out to be sunflowers, about 20, but the online tool hasn't a clue what it might be. #2 is viper's bugloss, #3 the tool doesn't really know either, but I'm pretty sure it's an "orange lily" - but in pink. #4 cornflower #5 Californian poppy #6 evening primrose, #7 hydrangea #8 ?? - praps a "rough oxeye" = "false sunflower", whilst "golden crownbeard" = "wild sunflower" doesn't seem to occur in Europe/gardens. Or is it a real sunflower after all? There are some coming up, still very small, but with more even leaves.

 

[Auriel]

Ginger bee bums we'll make a horticulturist of you yet jaycs ps @harpy where are you! Come see jay's pretty flowers!

 

[Harpy]

Oh JayCs those flowers are just getting better.
My girls fruit trees are abundant with fruit, the mandarins and lemons are delicious .
I used to have the blue hydrangea.
It’s a horrible day here today. It’s been raining most of the night and it’s pretty heavy now.
Though we need it , I have been busy with drs and haven’t had a chance to water all my pots for a couple of weeks.

 

[JayCS]

It’s been raining most of the night and it’s pretty heavy now. --- Though we need it , I have been busy with drs and haven’t had a chance to water all my pots for a couple of weeks.

All my 600L of rain water was long gone, and things drying up, so I did (with bad conscience) resort to tap water every few days. Tuesday I got 80L of rain back in. This evening and tonight it was raining a lot too, and heavy too. I'd emptied the one 200L barrel connected to a roof into the other one unconnected. Then I emptied it again, distributing it into the garden, cos I thought we were gonna get 10L/hour in one hour alone. That would have filled everything. But then the forecast changed to a third of that for a few hours. So disappointed that I'd "wasted" that 2nd emptying, I just got up in the middle of the night, had a headache anyway, so went down and found the barrel full again, and have now emptied all of it into all the buckets and what not I've placed everywhere, which didn't have much in them. If I'm lucky the barrel will be filled again. If not, I've learnt my lesson.... But I'm slowly getting the hang of how it works best. Ooh, the first blackbird is singing. Back to bed quick. Let's see what mix that, my increased energy yesterday and the tooth filling is gonna bring me today...
And first thing, before any baby bird falls into a container again, I'll be putting some kind of lid on everything, hope I find enough.

 

[Harpy]

All my 600L of rain water was long gone, and things drying up, so I did (with bad conscience) resort to tap water every few days. Tuesday I got 80L of rain back in. This evening and tonight it was raining a lot too, and heavy too. I'd emptied the one 200L barrel connected to a roof into the other one unconnected. Then I emptied it again, distributing it into the garden, cos I thought we were gonna get 10L/hour in one hour alone. That would have filled everything. But then the forecast changed to a third of that for a few hours. So disappointed that I'd "wasted" that 2nd emptying, I just got up in the middle of the night, had a headache anyway, so went down and found the barrel full again, and have now emptied all of it into all the buckets and what not I've placed everywhere, which didn't have much in them. If I'm lucky the barrel will be filled again. If not,

Oh cool, I do almost the exact same, I hate seeing water running on the ground. I have big plastic garbage bins everywhere. All our water tanks are full. So I now have more bins under the overflow of them, I often check them as we have so many frogs here , I just love froggies.
I have even been moving a lot of my pots into new pots with the water saver bottoms as the frogs love them. We have a heap of old iron bath tubs that were used for the horses down the back paddocks, but I leave good branches in them so the birds can get out.

I've learnt my lesson.... But I'm slowly getting the hang of how it works best. Ooh, the first blackbird is singing. Back to bed quick. Let's see what mix that, my increased energy yesterday and the tooth filling is gonna bring me today...
And first thing, before any baby bird falls into a container again, I'll be putting some kind of lid on everything, hope I find enough.

One of the tubs have a wire mush over them , the birds like that tub the best. I’ve got more water plants and Lillie’s in some plastic wine barrels were we have gutter drips. They have lots of tadpoles in them.

 

[Harpy]

All my 600L of rain water was long gone, and things drying up, so I did (with bad conscience) resort to tap water every few days. Tuesday I got 80L of rain back in. This evening and tonight it was raining a lot too, and heavy too. I'd emptied the one 200L barrel connected to a roof into the other one unconnected. Then I emptied it again, distributing it into the garden, cos I thought we were gonna get 10L/hour in one hour alone. That would have filled everything. But then the forecast changed to a third of that for a few hours. So disappointed that I'd "wasted" that 2nd emptying, I just got up in the middle of the night, had a headache anyway, so went down and found the barrel full again, and have now emptied all of it into all the buckets and what not I've placed everywhere, which didn't have much in them. If I'm lucky the barrel will be filled again. If not,

Oh cool, I do almost the exact same, I hate seeing water running on the ground. I have big plastic garbage bins everywhere. All our water tanks are full. So I now have more bins under the overflow of them, I often check them as we have so many frogs here , I just love froggies.
I have even been moving a lot of my pots into new pots with the water saver bottoms as the frogs love them. We have a heap of old iron bath tubs that were used for the horses down the back paddocks, but I leave good branches in them so the birds can get out.

I've learnt my lesson.... But I'm slowly getting the hang of how it works best. Ooh, the first blackbird is singing. Back to bed quick. Let's see what mix that, my increased energy yesterday and the tooth filling is gonna bring me today...
And first thing, before any baby bird falls into a container again, I'll be putting some kind of lid on everything, hope I find enough.

One of the tubs have a wire mush over them , the birds like that tub the best. I’ve got more water plants and Lillie’s in some plastic wine barrels were we have gutter drips. They have lots of tadpoles in them.


View attachment 4546

 

[JayCS]

We have a heap of old iron bath tubs that were used for the horses down the back paddocks, but I leave good branches in them so the birds can get out.

A, brilliant, the only iron bath tub I had I've used for the sandarium / hopefully bee hotel, in the meantime mouse hotel.
But whole load of buckets with lids I got off the web were used for milk. I've used them for quite a few things, but good for storing rain in the cellar too.
Yeah, I did put branches, twigs and stones/bricks everywhere. Maybe it wasn't "my fault". This time some kind of lid for everything that hasn't got a lid. I'm wondering if cardboard and paper will do for the time being. Praps less messy than plastic bags.

 

[Auriel]

I like those pretty dragonfly grips harpy! Are the tadpoles the black blobs on the leaves?

 

[Harpy]

I like those pretty dragonfly grips harpy! Are the tadpoles the black blobs on the leaves?

Hi Auriel, some of them are tadpoles. Not many left they hoping away.
I managed to get myself outside today.
I potted lots of hanging baskets and pots. Then I checked my cuttings of weeping Lilly Pilly.
You little rippa. All 26 have taken and have started filling with new buds. I am chuffed. My first attempt at striking cuttings like this.

These baskets will be moved to a new chain
And left to settle in and grow lots before summer.


The smaller plants have to get growing too.


The plants I’ve repotted put on an amazing show. I will find one flowering and post pic .

 

[Harpy]

These are the flowers, they put on a stunning show. Now they just got to thrive in their pots and baskets.

 

[Auriel]

Sooooo pretty