Weather

WOW !! has spring finally arrived ?  Maybe….  It’s been warm to hot in the polytunnel.  Hottest day of the year today.  However, care is still needed.  Overnight temps for the weekend are close to freezing ….  Get those fleeces ready, and trim those wicks …….

Fuchsias – In the garden borders.

At last, more signs of spring.  Just a curserry glance at the hardy plants and there they were…  shoots !!!!  Oh yes……  See the picture below.  Cultivars spotted so far (and I have not scraped any covering off)  In no particular order.  Celia Smedley, Herald, Genii, Reading Show, Nicola Jane, Army Nurse, Bernisser Hardy.

Wildlife

Yet another sign of spring, I have bought a few plugs of Trailing Lobelia, watered in OK, and who comes along ?  Mr Toad.  Don’t you just love them ?  Of course.  But not in my plants please.  A gentle move needed here.  He’s (or she) is happily living in the greenhouse.

Weather

Spring has sprung as they say.  It has gone very quickly from “protect from frost at night” to “shade from the scorching sun” during the day.  At least that applies to my propergators.  They are just about full still, but will be tailing off soon, as time to form a good plant from a cutting is starting to run out.

Fuchsias

A very busy few days.  I have spent some considerable time, tending to frost damaged plants from  a few weeks ago.  It’s surprising how long it takes fro a plant to show the true extent of the frost damage.  Having said that, it was pleasing to see that all was not lost.  My 3 whips certainly suffered badly, but the plants themselves are still alive.  They might make a small piller.  Other bush plants suffered better, just  case of cutting out the growing tips, and they are growing strongly again.

In the polytunnel, I have removed the extra “tunnel” I built, as the risk of frost recedes.  I have also cleared out more growing space on the staging, and started to use space under the staging too.  Plants are coming along nicely. I bought some trailing Lobelia plugs last week, and they are growing very well, now that it’s getting warmer.  Another week or so, and it will be tie to start potting up a few baskets.

 Tomatoes.

They are coming on too, although a bit slower than I would have liked.  I planted a 2nd batch last week, and they have started to sprout already.  Time to buy the grow bags next week I think.

Weather

What a difference a few days makes.  The weather is finally improving.  I choose my words carefully.  The day time temeratures have improved, even if the wind continues from the East.  In the shelter of the greenhouse and polytunnel, it has been pleasant, but still cold at night.  Up to the past couple of days, it has been HOT in the polytunnel during the day, but still sub zero for a few hours every night.

Fuchsias.

A very busy week, plants are growing well, now the warmer weather has settled. But I’m afraid I have suffered a small disaster.  Saturday night, I forgot to close one of the greenhouse windows, and to make matters worse, I forgot to turn up the fan heater.  The result ?  Jack Frost called, and did some damage, not least to the standard whips I have been growing.  Sadly they had their growing tips badly burned, and they will not become the standards I had hoped.  In fact they wont be a standard full stop.  Pictures of the damage can be sen  here   I’m hoping that I can recover something from them, but I will have to wait a week or so, to see the full extent of the damage.
We are at that time of the year, when it can be quite hot during the day, but very cold overnight.  It only takes one slip up, and the penalties quite severe.

Weather

If you live in the UK, there is little to say, other than we have had snow for the past few days.  In fact I’ve been sledging with my granddaughter this morning, and made a snowman this afternoon !!

I have 2 small oil heaters, which are now installed in the polytunnel, on low, 24hrs a day at present.  Forecast for the coming week is nothing over 4C and -2 to -3C overnight.  That’s not frost, that’s COLD !!

Talk Night

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure, of co hosting a talk, with the Beds & Herts Chairman at the Totternhoe Garden Club.  Sadly, there was far too little time to cover everything we wanted to.  Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, as did our audience.  We look forward to a return visit.

Fuchsias.

A fairly quiet week.  A few cuttings taken from the propagator and re filled the spaces made.  All 3 propagators are crammed, and doing well, the cold weather has little effect on them, but  a little more “sunlight” would not go amiss.

Some of the overwintered plants are showing good signs of growth, and I have done the first season pinch on “Gillian Althea” and “Checkerboard” (lots of cutting material there)

Fuchsia Standards – Ongoing.

The 3 whips which are part of my little “experiment” have started to shown some good growth. The full story and updates can be viewed   here   As you can see, one is starting to get ahead.  Time to start removing some of the side shoots, to allow for upward growth.

Weather

It seems that we are in for a “cold” spring.  The week has been changeable to say the least.  Snow flurries continue, in between the sunny periods, and rain showers.  Temperatures in the polytunnel have risen above 20C when the sun is out.  The forecast for the coming week is still unsettled, some rain, some cold nights, we might see some sunshine.  I will keep the heating turned up overnight !!

Fuchsias.

Well, the plugs arrived on Wednesday.  I was very disappointed with their condition.  Just about rooted (that’s not a problem in itself) but they were just potted up in their “plug” consequently, the courier handling was less than perfect, as a result, they were tipped out everywhere.  Several hours of “jigsaw puzzling what plants were what, all is now recovered.  I have spent the past few days, potting up several hundred plants, as well as watering more established ones.  I have also started to bring back to life, overwintered plants in 2 litre pots.  For most, this means taking out the old plant, cutting off the bottom 1″ of soil, putting 1″ of fresh soil into the pot, then returning the rootball to the pot, and water lightly.  Trim up any old dead wood.

Fuchsia Standards – Ongoing.

The whips are doing well.  I have now potted up 16 in total.  The full story and updates can be viewed here  here   Given the poor weather, they have grown quite well (about an inch).  Fingers crossed for better weather, I’m hoping for 2″ at least.

Weather

Will spring ever come ? The week started off so well, I even went fishing for a few hours (and caught a fish) but, once again, it closed in again, only today, snow has fallen. Forecast for the coming week says cold and getting colder for the next couple of days (climbing to 6C by Thursday, but some cold nights, down to -2C, which is bad, it only takes ONE bad night to spoil a years worth of effort)

Fuchsias.

Time waits for no man they say, and neither do fuchisas. Along with a friend (Richard) it was a small “Cooks tour of the midlands” this past week) First up, was a new nursery (not named) not visited before ( cash and carry type) I was after small plugs (X20) I spoke on the ‘phone before travelling, to be told “we have everything in 20′s” to only find this not to be true on arrival. Not happy !! However, not all is lost. The owner explained the situation, and even showed us around the greenhouses (quite impressed) she took my order and I’m expecting a delivery later this week (update to come). Next up was “Rosebank” at Measham. I’ve been here for a few years, highly recommended, bought a few plants (nothing out of the ordinary) except, I got a few “Whips” all the same (Jennifer Anne) only small, but of very good stature see here for the full story.  I’ll post a few updates here, but the link should be used for the full, ongoing story.

Fuchsia Standards.

As mentioned last week, I am growing a half standard of “Breeders Delight”.  I am now also growing a few of “Jennifer Anne” (bought this week).  There is not enough space here (or format) to present to you what I want to show, so. please go here, for a better and detailed description of what is happening.

Tomatoes.

They are finally starting to show (planted 2 weeks ago today)  The only problem is, one variety, Red Alert, has failed to show (so far)  All I can think is, the seed is last years, so may be past it (but some of my other seed is old too) never mind it’s early days yet,  If the seed has failed, it’s not to loate to sow a second batch.  Watch this space.

Chickens.

While it’s still cold, it is drying out a bit, so, time to let the chickens roam a bit (not to far, foxes are very active this time of year) I set up  a small area, surrounded by plastic fencing.  It worked great yesterday.  Today ?  “Chicken Run” springs to mind !!  they escaped, and not only that, into my hardy fuchsia bed !!  see picture.  (Back inside my girls !!  until I can set up something more permanent)

General Update.

Spring is coming, and so do the rooted cuttings.  I’m starting to clean up the polytunnel, in readiness for plants moving out of the greenhouses.  The problem being, the cold (especially at night).  Having said that, I have a delivery in the middle of next week, and after that, I will have no choice, but to start to “populate” the polytunnel

Weather

Once again, spring seems to be knocking on the door. The past couple of days have seen the sun out, and as a result, the temperature in the greenhouse (and polytunnel) have risen (mid teens) overnight has still been cold, but the forcast for the coming week is looking very good, 9-13C during the day and 4-8 overnight (very balmy)

Fuchsias.
A very busy week. First up we had our monthly meeting, with guest speaker Brian Greaves who used to be a guide at Bletchley Park, giving us a very interesting talking, entitled “The Germans had Radar too”.
We were also invited to purchase the annual “competition plant” (75p) We pay 75p, pick out a raffle number (1-50) and take the corresponding plant home, (Lucky 31 for me, thanks for picking my number Gordon) and bring it back each month for judging, until the annual display, when final judging takes place. The cultivar is unkown (to us, but not the chairman) so this in itself presents a challenge.
Meanwhile, back in the greenhouse, cuttings are flying out of the propergators, but little being potted up, due to lack of space.
Having said that, overwintered plants are coming back to life, where warmth and light are available. Much time spent, either re potting older plants, or, cutting off the bottom inch or so, and replacing with fresh compost.
Plants in the polytunnel are starting to show more signs of life. They all got a small drop of water, to start to wake them up.
I purchased a “Whip” on Saturday, with aview to growing a standard, for full details, and ongoing updates, please see making_a_fuchsia_standard__week1a.htm

Competition Plant No 31

Tomatoes.
No sign of any growth yet, It schould be some time this week. Hopefully pictures next week.

Weather :-
It continues to not be what I would like it to be. Over the past few days, it’s kept above freezing, during the day, with the odd frost overnight, but little sign of the sun. Daylight hours are climbing fast, 10hrs 33mins today. The problem is though, without some warmth from the sun, my fuchsias are not growing a lot, and the leaf nodes are very short still. We need some sun!! Little sign of that over the coming days, daytime temps are predicted to be between 5-8C while overnight temps dropping to between 1-3C, and it’s March at the end of the week.

Fuchsias.
Production of new cuttings is at maximum capacity. I have a couple of commercial “plastic” electric propergators, each hold about 84 cuttings. Both are currently full, along with my main homemade one, which holds about 250, so as you can imagine, space is very tight.

So much so, that I have started to utilise my polytunnel. I didn’t want to use this until mid March, when things get warmer (will that ever happen ?) But my overwintered plants are taking up valuable space for my more delicate rooted cuttings, so I had to find them space elsewhere. The answer ? A “wigwam” inside the polytunnel (thanks to an idea from Derek Baxter) see picture. A few spare bamboo canes, a layer of fleece and a layer of polythene, and hey presto, enough protection to keep out some of the colder weather.

Tomatoes
Yes, it’s that time of the year to start sowing seeds of those lovely red tomatoes. Last year, I grew “Sungold” for the first time. They are small in size, great in flavour, highly recommended. I am also growing, Cristal (first time, RHS recommended) Red Alert (thin skin, good flavour) and that old favorite, Gardeners Delight (very good flavour)

Weather :- Who said spring is on the way ? (me ?) Snow has once again visited us this week. Not as much as before, but is has stayed for a few days. Having said that, today has been quite mild, and when the sun was out, it reached 16C in the greenhouse, very pleasant indeed. The days are drawing noticeably longer now, I can stay in the greenhouse to 5-15pm at least, before having to turn the light on (I have a small 60W florescent tube) Daylight hours for today are :- 9hrs 46mins. The forecast for the next week is dry, with temp 7-8C during the day, but more importantly, above freezing overnight.

Fuchsias.
With the cuttings coming out of the propagator now, space is at a premium, so it’s time to make some more space. I have some shelving the length of my large greenhouse, the trouble is, it’s quite narrow, and full of things that should not be there. So, time to move it. I’ve taken it down, and moved it to the end, not so long, but wider. I can get 6 trays on it (that’s about 100 plants) see the attached pictures. I’m trying out a new (for me) method of pricking out my cuttings. I was at a car boot back in the autumn, and I picked up 1,000 small net pots for £5 (can’t resist a bargain), Along with a few plastic trays, and I can get 20 per tray. Watch this space, to see how the go.

Identify that Fuchsia.
Back in late summer, I was teaching my granddaughter to ride her bike (she’s 7) when we passed a bungalow, with a fabulous display of fuchsias in the border. Most of them I knew, but one caught my eye. So much so, that I had the cheek to knock on the door, to ask for a few cuttings, in the sure knowledge the owner would at least tell the variety. Sadly, he did not know its’ name, but gladly let take a few “sticks”. They have done well over winter, and I’m now taking cuttings but for the life of me, I have been unable to put a name to it (not for the want of trying, I have all of the usual reference books) But today, success !! I was looking through an old book ,and came across what I thought was a fairly accurate description, cross checked it against another book, and bingo, I am now the proud owner of “Countess of Albany” Quite rare, only 3 nurseries stock it. I shall be seeing my new friend in the spring, and give him the news (it might even jog his memory)

Weather :-   The weather continues to be kind to us.  By that, I mean, no rain, no frost, no snow.  It is still early February after all.  No, it’s been dry, but with a few strong winds, nothing to affect the greenhouse.  In fact the sun has shown its’ face for the odd hour or two, which has raised temperatures a little.  All in all nothing to worry about.  The days continue to lengthen.  Today, the day is 9hrs 4 mins long.  From now on, the day gets longer by at least 3mins per day, and sometimes by 4 mins per day, this is very good news for growers.

Fuchsias.

The job of potting on (rooted cuttings) has started in earnest.  Over the past few days, I have potted up 150 cuttings, and I’m starting to run out of space, as the overwintering plants are still in the greenhouse, prior to moving into the polytunnel (not until March) so, it’s time to make sure that plants don’t suffer at my hands, rather than the weather.

Rooted cuttings on the left, tip cuttings to the right.

Beds & Herts Fuchsia Society

We had our first meeting of the year this past week (very nice to meet up with old friends since Christmas).  We were entertained by Derek Baxter from the Woking Fuchsia Group.  Derek gave a very entertaining talk entitled “Showing Fuchsias”.  Derek knows his stuff, as he gave us many hints and tips on showing Fuchsias off at their best.  He also sold a few plants, and I am now the proud owner of a sport of London 2000 called “My Stacey”  a variegated leaf, named after his daughter.  If you get the chance to see Derek in action, you won’t be disappointed.  Thank you Derek, I look forward to meeting with you again.

Next talk (28^th February, see main website)  “The Germans had Radar Too”.  Sounds interesting ….

Geraniums.

With the weather being so good at present, they all got a bit of a drink (the first for some time)  I also potted up a few pots of a fairly new variety called “Abelina” red flower, with dark green leaf.  One to watch out for.