Monday 15 November 2010

The thaw after a frost

I think the plants look so pretty after they thaw out from a frost.  They sparkle like they are covered in jewels as the droplets glisten in the sunshine.  I got caught out again by my neighbour who I'm sure thinks I'm quite dotty. I was in my PJ's with my wellies on, crouching down in the flower bed to get a good shot of the Delphinium that still refuses to wither and die.  It looked beautiful this morning with it's little water droplets glistening. I spotted it from the kitchen window and just had to grab my camera to try and capture it. I didn't get a good photo, somehow the camera just couldn't capture it well.

We spent a couple of hours at the allotment this afternoon, spreading the manure on the beds.  I put a good layer on the Rhubarb as it didn't do too well this year, so hopefully the extra manure will do the trick. I think another couple of  weeks tidying up and spreading manure then covering with black plastic should see the end of our visits for a couple of months. The purple sprouts 'Rubine' don't seem to be doing well and they are covered in white fly even though I have them in a cage of 'enviromesh'. I don't think the enviromesh is  keeping out the whitefly even though its so fine. I did notice that the sprouts in RHS Wisley were covered in them as well.






15 comments:

Mark Willis said...

Hi Maureen; I know what you mean about the neighbours... I have the same problem - I'm always dashing outside at odd moments, camera in hand. Tried to capture afternoon sunlight on my Dogwood bushes yesterday. Looked fantastic to the eye, but the photos I took didn't do it justice for some reason.

Kath said...

Some lovely colours there Maureen.

Anonymous said...

What stunning photographs Maureen. Have you tried covering the rhubarb with an upturned black bin from around the end of December? We do that and the think the heat really helps it to grow. And it makes the rhubarb the moist delicious shade of pink.
P x

Prospero said...

Great shots, Doc .. a photographer has gotta do what a photographer has gotta do... but careful not to get arrested.

Damo said...

Agree on the mesh/whitefly problem although not my sprouts but kale. I will have to get the milk spray out again!

Sue Garrett said...

't worry my neighbours on the plot and at home think I'm odd too when I am laying flat on the floor witha camera.

Our sprouts too are an absolute disaster - loads of whitefly too and not really any sprouts

Matron said...

Your rhubarb will benefit from a good few inches of manure for sure. But have you divided the crowns recently? This can give them a real boost every few years.

maureen said...

Thank YOU ALL for the comments and some good advice there from MATRON, I will try and divide the crowns next year as they are only 3 years old.
PAM, I have a rhubarb forcer which I haven't used yet, but since the break in I don't think I want to leave such a lovely terracotta forcer up there, so I will get a black plastic bin instead.
It's interesting that DAMO & GREEN LANE have both got the whitefly as well, it seems quite widespread this year.

Pam's English Garden said...

Dear Maureen. I think your photographs are quite lovely ... if they don't do the blooms justice, as you say, then the flowers must be truly stunning. I just returned from England and find my garden is in a sad state. I have to get up the energy to clean it up ... well, maybe I will check out a few more blogs first. Pam x

Maureen said...

Hi PAM, ah thanks for the lovely comment. but truly the camera just didn't catch the beauty of those little dew drops.
I hope you and your mum enjoyed each others company (need I ask !)and that your journey home was good. You will soon catch up with your gardening, that's the only snag when we gardeners go away for a while. take care.

sunny smiles said...

Hi, am visiting and now following from so. California. We both have photography fever. Lol!We'll get along well..Nice photos!

Maureen said...

Hello SUNNYCALGIRL, thanks for visiting my blog and commenting. I had a quick peek at your blog and will return there when I have some free time.

Jo said...

I hope you managed to get your jobs at the allotment done before the snow arrived. I think flowers look lovely when they're covered in raindrops or dew, it freshens them up and they look so pretty.

Maureen said...

Hi Jo, No I didn't get all the jobs done in time. We haven't had any snow YET, but it's freezing and the ground is solid, so I can't even get my parsnips dug up.
I hope you are keeping warm.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

The thought of you out taking photos in your pjs brings a smile to my face. I think the photos turned out great! It's nice to see the colors, as ours are pretty much finished.