Lucky Marthe... here in the balmy south of England it's downright brass monkeys at present, it really is.
But the sumac (an American import) is spectacular.
But the sumac (an American import) is spectacular.
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Last night was the second in a row that our Council have been out gritting. Very nice to know they wish to wrap us in a layer of grit to justify the council tax but totally unnecessary for this time of year
I have bought myself some houseplants to cheer the place up, a lovely pure white cyclamen, a gothic black calla lily and a rather wicked orchid which is magenta with white dots.Comment
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My spider plants have been reproducing like mad this year - horny so-and-sos! Dunno what to do with all the new shoots!
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A Red Squirrel came for nuts today - but there were none left. I refilled, and... a Grey Squirrel came to eat them. Why can't those sensitive plants of Red Squirrels smarten up a bit and lose their nerves? It's like Song Thrushes v Blackbirds again.Comment
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A windy day here, with winds from the north-west. Greenilex,The temps are still well above brass-monkey level but it's now a matter of time before we get the first frost. I've started bringing the houseplants inside because the night time temps are a bit stiff. Anna, your houseplant collection sounds opulent. I'm a great fan of pure white cyclamen and have two, one of which is quite fragrant. I love the idea of the black calla and the magenta orchid. S_A, don't be afraid to take a pair of pruning scissors or shears to those spider plants and trim off the excess shoots. Pot up some to give away and bin or compost the rest. After many years in the hort industry, I've learned to harden my heart (just about) towards plants that don't earn their keep. That, of course, didn't stop me from bringing inside my rather sad looking avocado last November and giving it a reprieve for another year. I don't think I'll be so kind this year. Jayne we only have grey squirrels here. The two that scamper around in the tree outside my office window are funny as anything. We put out crusts of bread for the birds, but it's the squirrels who get bread most of the time. They're quite territorial about their respective tree branches too!Comment
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i have a stinking cold and the hip is not working at the moment so the gorgeous autumn outside is going to a complete waste for me .... i do feel rather sorry for myself, pathetic innit ... practically every geezer on the block walks with the hip roll and a pained expression ... and who has not got a cold eh ....According to the best estimates of astronomers there are at least one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe.Comment
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When I was on holiday in France I saw black squirrels for the first time - very engaging lively little critters and great gymnasts. Isn't diversity wonderful?Originally posted by jayne lee wilson View Post
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S-A, I have been searching for a spider plant for ages, no-one seems to sell them anymore. Evidently they have the ability to clean the air, taking in and metabolising pollutants and using them as food, especially carbon monoxide! Hence recommended for near fires and in the kitchen.
marthe, I bought my cyclamen from the weekly market. He tells me next week he'll have frilly ones, they are only £2 and very large so it seems daft not to buy, especially if he has white ones and indoor blooms certainly lift the spirits on dull days. This is now my second orchid, always been a bit wary of them before thinking they're difficult. I had squirrels in the loft, had to get pest control in. They are cute but I wish they wouldn't steal the birds' food.Comment
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Originally posted by amateur51 View PostWhen I was on holiday in France I saw black squirrels for the first time - very engaging lively little critters and great gymnasts. Isn't diversity wonderful?
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How very pretty a black squirrel is! We had a melanistic red here once, with a black tail and ear-tufts, just gorgeous, but I haven't seen it for 2 years now. Our current main attraction is a family of Pheasants, mum dad and 5 kids - all male. They've grown up here since August, their parents refugees from the gamekeeper's woods and the guns. We get through sackfuls of seed...Originally posted by vinteuil View PostComment
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A red Squirrel?? In Liverpool??? Do you live in the zoo, jayne?Originally posted by jayne lee wilson View PostComment
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As to spiderplants, my neighbour says that they are so 70s, like Yuccas and African Violets. He says houseplants are subject to fashions and you'd be lucky to see a Swiss Cheese Plant this side of the Alps.Comment
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My sister in Yonkers, NY (just north of NYC) reports black squirrels in her area. Interesting that black squirrels are the mascot of sports teams at Haverford College near Philadelphia, which is the only college/unversity in the US to have cricket as a varsity sport! When we were involved with the local cricket club, we had a young man from Haverford join the team for a season. A black squirrel embroidered on a white cricket shirt would have been quite striking.
Anna, cyclamen is one of my favorite Christmas plants (rather than poinsettia), also Christmas Cactus (schlumbergera) of which I have a large collection. My Christmas Cacti are all in bud right now but will be finished blooming at least a month before Christmas itself.
A chilly wind is blowing from the NE this evening but that isn't stopping my intrepid husband from throwing a steak on the barbecue!Comment
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Ha! Take it easy, S-A, some think I belong in the zoo anyway...
I don't think they have any Reds in the zoo, they'd probably be prosecuted for it...
I live about 8 miles North of the City Centre (and Philharmonic Hall), on the edge of the countryside, we have a small population of Red Squirrels locally, more Grey of course, but they've co-existed for many years. 5 miles north of us is the Freshfield nature reserve which is an important colony for Reds, based in the pine woods. There you can feed the Reds by hand.Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View PostComment
Maybe that'll help. 
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