How Does Your Garden Grow?

[jambutty]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

Hi Jambutty.

Never mind the critics, you should have seen our garden when we got it, we filled three 6 ton skips with rubbish before we could even start to grow any thing.

Just dig in plenty of compost in the flower beds before planting.
Poppies be careful they are very invasive and can soon take over.
Snow drops can be critical as to the depth they are planted.

Just remember plants like human beings require food. We have 3 big compost bins going full time.

Retlaw

I’m far too long in the tooth for puerile criticism to cause me any concern. There are people on here who respond to a post, not for its content, but who wrote it and in general I treat them with the contempt that they deserve. Although I have been known to respond in kind when my better nature deserts me.

As you can see from the photo below my back garden is raised above the building floor level and as near as I can gather half the depth is a mixture of rubble and what laughingly passes for soil. The top half isn’t too bad though although it was ‘root bound’ with grass roots after lying fallow for at least 6 years that I know of.

I’m looking for a controlled wilderness instead of a lawn because it would need mowing, so the whole garden is a flowerbed as I have already described.

Come March some time, whatever grasses are showing will be nuked with Weedol, and a week or so later my personal slave will spread a few hundred litres of general compost around so that the seeds will have a good start. After that it is up to nature to do its stuff, although I will help out with anti-slug stuff and a general fertiliser.

By Veterans Day on the 27th June 2008 the poppies should be in bloom so my personal Remembrance Garden will become a symbol for those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could live in a free world. Not just the armed forces but also the hundreds of thousands of civilians.

The flowers in the centre will have died back by then and they will represent the fallen.
The red poppies will be symbolic of remembering the fallen of the European war and the yellow poppies for the Far East war.
The wild meadow flowers will be symbolic of the aftermath as life sprung from the ruins of war.
The cultivated flowers will represent progress since then.

It would be a nice gesture if other people set aside a small patch to grow the red poppy. Just a yard square would be enough.

[Retlaw]

The greenhouse is not wasted, she keeps one area free of tools and such
for her more exotic plants which won't suvirve a British winter.
Retlaw.

Originally Posted by glasgow guy

still a waste of a greenhouse..

[andrewb]

Nice to see another side of you Jambutty


I don't have the luxury of a garden at University, however I have just got some Lithops aka 'living stones'. They're small right now but by May they should have grown a new shell I believe.



I've also got some carnivore plants on the way! Various types, but the most obvious being venus fly trap.

[jambutty]

Originally Posted by Cyfr

Nice to see another side of you Jambutty


I don't have the luxury of a garden at University, however I have just got some Lithops aka 'living stones'. They're small right now but by May they should have grown a new shell I believe.



I've also got some carnivore plants on the way! Various types, but the most obvious being venus fly trap.

Living stones? Never heard of them but I know a man who has. They used to call him Jeeves and he came up with http://seedrack.com/06.html

“Living stone plants (Lithops species) are native to South Africa, where they grow among rocks or soil the same color as their two succulent leaves. Lithops are succulents (meaning they store water in their fleshy leaves) but are not related to cacti. Living stones are small plants, often only 1/2" to 1" in diameter. From Fall to Spring, the plants need NO WATER at all. And very little water is needed in the Summer. Too much water can kill the plants. Yellow or white flowers appear towards the end of the growing season. Generally grown as houseplants. The tiny seeds usually germinate in just 3 to 14 days.”

At $3.84 for a packet of 100 seeds it seems like good value.

I notice that you appear to be growing candles. Very exotic!

Donkeys years ago I had what I knew as the “Humble Tumble Plant”. If you touched a leaf near the top it would fold and sag and in doing so would touch another leaf which in turn it would ……. much to the amusement of the kids.

After a few hours it would recover ready to tumble again.

[derekgas]

Well I am sure I have posted about it before, but my garden is still a mess! a mate brought his mini digger last august, and we cleared the front down to 12 inches, it has rained since then every week, (last august), the first rain, immediately after digging, was for about 5 weeks, I am going to have a block paved driveway to the front and side eventually, in the meantime I will put up with the paddling pool, or mud (dependent on last rainfall), then I can start the back garden. I too think Aleks was a bit harsh, mostly because it was jambutty's grandson who did the hard work, we know your love for jb Aleks, but you shouldn't take it out on kids, that's just not nice.

[West Ender]

Just an observation, JB. If there's going to be no lawn it might be an idea to put a couple of pathways across (paving stones, gravel or even bark chippings) so you can get to different parts without treading on plants. You may want to pull out things like thistles and nettles which may come up with the other stuff. On the other hand - if you don't mind them - thistles get lovely purple flowers and nettles attract butterflies (don't ask me which ones).

[david1]

Originally Posted by jambutty

Living stones? Never heard of them but I know a man who has. They used to call him Jeeves and he came up with http://seedrack.com/06.html

“Living stone plants (Lithops species) are native to South Africa, where they grow among rocks or soil the same color as their two succulent leaves. Lithops are succulents (meaning they store water in their fleshy leaves) but are not related to cacti. Living stones are small plants, often only 1/2" to 1" in diameter. From Fall to Spring, the plants need NO WATER at all. And very little water is needed in the Summer. Too much water can kill the plants. Yellow or white flowers appear towards the end of the growing season. Generally grown as houseplants. The tiny seeds usually germinate in just 3 to 14 days.”

At $3.84 for a packet of 100 seeds it seems like good value.

I notice that you appear to be growing candles. Very exotic!

Donkeys years ago I had what I knew as the “Humble Tumble Plant”. If you touched a leaf near the top it would fold and sag and in doing so would touch another leaf which in turn it would ……. much to the amusement of the kids.

After a few hours it would recover ready to tumble again.

jambutty , you are talking about the sensitive plant ( mimosa ) It folds and drops its leaves to stop small animals from eating it , the animals and insects simply fall off it .

[Retlaw]

These are some of the wifes clutter on the window sill.

Retlaw.
[quote=jambutty;535993]Living stones? Never heard of them but I know a man who has. They used to call him Jeeves and he came up with http://seedrack.com/06.html

[andrewb]

Originally Posted by jambutty

Living stones? Never heard of them but I know a man who has. They used to call him Jeeves and he came up with http://seedrack.com/06.html

“Living stone plants (Lithops species) are native to South Africa, where they grow among rocks or soil the same color as their two succulent leaves. Lithops are succulents (meaning they store water in their fleshy leaves) but are not related to cacti. Living stones are small plants, often only 1/2" to 1" in diameter. From Fall to Spring, the plants need NO WATER at all. And very little water is needed in the Summer. Too much water can kill the plants. Yellow or white flowers appear towards the end of the growing season. Generally grown as houseplants. The tiny seeds usually germinate in just 3 to 14 days.”

At $3.84 for a packet of 100 seeds it seems like good value.

I notice that you appear to be growing candles. Very exotic!

Donkeys years ago I had what I knew as the “Humble Tumble Plant”. If you touched a leaf near the top it would fold and sag and in doing so would touch another leaf which in turn it would ……. much to the amusement of the kids.

After a few hours it would recover ready to tumble again.

Haha I hadn't noticed the labels look like candles.

I want one of the tumbler plants, but I think I'll have to wait until I get a house next year. The uni accommodation doesn't really have enough room near light to cope with more plants.

The little water thing is rather good, means I won't kill it if I forget to water it Apparently they're incredibly good at absorbing water, because of the hot African climate. This must be why they die if you water them too much!

[panther]

just like to ask, who was the one who gave me bad karma?????
what have i done to offend anyone?
looks like someone on here as read it WRONG!!!
can someone please explain why i should get a red box??.....maybe the person who gave it to me???.................

[Madhatter]

Originally Posted by jambutty

There are people on here who respond to a post, not for its content, but who wrote it a

You refuse to respond to a post, not for its content, but who wrote it

[MargaretR]

I think it is about time all this Jam Butty bashing stopped.
He may well have peculiar opinions on some things but
oldies are entitled to be eccentric and stubborn sometimes

[Madhatter]

Lol i'd never bash him for his opinions even if they are wrong.
I'm probably more eccentric and stubborn than him. I grow plants on a 6*6 roof 20ft up in the air that I have to climb out of a window to get to.

[derekgas]

Originally Posted by Madhatter

Lol i'd never bash him for his opinions even if they are wrong.
I'm probably more eccentric and stubborn than him. I grow plants on a 6*6 roof 20ft up in the air that I have to climb out of a window to get to.

explains the username then!!

[steeljack]

Originally Posted by [email protected]

oldies are entitled to be eccentric and stubborn sometimes

totally agree , but talking down to other thread users as if they are imbeciles and at other times being downright nasty doesnt cut it with me . Old age is no excuse for bad manners , the saying that "me me me" generation are the young is sometimes a bit wide of the mark