LittleErnie's Blog

RedBud
Oct 27, 2007 | 3:31 PM PST
Tag: Red Bud
Many moons ago whilst travelling through Indiana in the spring there were trees in blossom that the locals called Red Bud. What are they ? Family, habitat etc. I would appreciate any information.

Autumn has really set in
Oct 26, 2007 | 12:57 PM PST
Tag: Autumn or Fall
The difference between autumn and fall is -I suppose - autumn is a really long process. Some trees are still green, others are a mix of green and gold whilst some are purple and bronze and a few are bare. The holly looks polished and sparkling with its red berries. The ivy has flowers and some berriesthat are turning black. The wild mistletoe seems to have white berries in profusion. The temperature dropped last week to 2 degs C (36 F) at night but has climbed to 8C 46.4F and it is slightly warmaer during the day. This is a confusion weekend because the clocks are put back one hour to GMT. In the garden all the container plants have been put in the greenhouse (glasshouse), the back hawthorn hedge severly cut back and the grass cut. If you have the nerve to wait all the spring bulbs in the garden centres will be reduced in price to make way for the Christmas gifts. The fish pond, pump, cacade and waterfall have all been serviced. The major task now is to clear up hedge trimmings. In my town we all have three wheelie bins (trash cans?). In the brown one garden rubbish is placed and the council turn it into compost using a shredding and sterilisation process, the green one takes paper, cans, plastic bottles, aerosoles (airosoles) and like products for recycling and the black bin takes non recyclable stuff. Other items are picked up by request. It is belived that the winter in the UK is going to be harsh because the Buick Swans have arrive two weeks early this year from Siberia. Where I live if the wind comes from the east in winter it can be very cold because the nearest mountains to the east are the Urals. This means that the air comes from them over the great european plain. We call this a lazy wind - it does not go round you but through you. On the bright side the winter jasmine gives a bold splash of bright yellow on these dull days. With life and gardening there is always hope around the corner

Back Again
Oct 17, 2007 | 1:54 AM PST
Tag: Back Again
From the cool north to Mallorca (Majorca) was quite a transformation from golden leaves to vivid Hibicus and Bouganvilla. The date palms were dropping their fruit - one of my favourites - and Lemon Groves made a splash of yellow. the nights were warm and the cicadas were still chirping their mating call - like a teenage disco on saturday night. We visited Europe's largest cactus garden - so they claimed - and saw also pomegranites, bottle brushes, flowering thorn trees and a host of other flowering shrubs from Africa. There were also cyclads from New Zealand and Wattle from Australia. All around the warmer spots of Europe including the UK you can find Eucalyiptus trees growing, few people who buy the attractive small plants from a garden centre realise that they can grow to 80 feet and above. Should plants carry a growth warning? Back home the cats were ecstatic with joy on our return. Being put in a catterie must be like servin a sentence. Much tidying up needs to be done, plants moved to the green house, hedges trimmed, grass cut and backs massaged after the event. The garden group met again on tuesday and various topics discussed including the spontanious heating of compost and its' use in growing Pineaples, the crossing of redcurrants with gooseberries and the number of crosses between North American and European species. The rain has stopped and the garden calls

Great Group
Oct 4, 2007 | 2:26 AM PST
Tag: Next chapter
Already this group has made me feel welcome and tips have been passed around. i will be off the 'air'for a week as we are going to Majorca. May pick up some seeds - this is Ok within Europe. I remember going to the Us once and seeing a citizen who had an apple in his pocket being treated by the customs as if it were a lethal weapon. The poor guy did not think and eat the evidence! In my small front garden I have a blue pine tree, bought several christmases ago that I light up with vivid blue leds. The garden centres are stocking up now for christmas so I will get more lights. In the winter and all the year uplighting plants creates wonderful effects and the lights are cheap including solar powered ones. With the climate change in my part of the world there is always something to do in the garden with very little frost and a heavy snow fall pehaps on ust one day would be one millimetre! We live some 40 miles from the Queen's estate at Sandringham and you can pick your own apples each late summer/autumn much better than supermarket produce. Thiskeeps us in fruit well into the new year

Another View Point
Oct 2, 2007 | 6:50 AM PST
Tag: Number 1
Today and every alternate Tuesday I lead a gardening group for the local U3A (University of the Third Age) where we discussed growing Cactus,Raspberries, Leeks and members of the cabbage family. The previous meeting dealt with poppies - Oriental, Icelandic, Himalayan, Welsh, Field and assorted cultivars.This week Ihave ben trimming a Hawthorn hedge at the bottom of my garden, that is a refuge for wild life. One member searched for a weed I found in my garden that I could not trace in an extensive library that I have collected over the years of British wild flowers. It was found to be North American Pig Weed. The debate is now how did it arrive in the UK. Reading up on it indicates that it is very unpleasant if eaten by animals. Autumn - Fall - is slowly occuring and if this year is like the last few with higher temperatures leaves will be on the trees until mid November when gales finish them off. The winter Jasmin is now coming into bloom with its bright yellow flowers and winter pansies are being set. My Primulas are now in bloom and should last in a sheltered spot and flower till the end of next spring. I have a well established scree garden with alpine plants and the late ones are still in flower whilst the rest are putting on late growth for spring. Every one is setting Tulips, Daffodils and Crocus. Must go, the garden calls more later. Ps The U3A Garden Group has a web site at http://web.mac.com/sliderule1/
iWeb/Base/U3A.html please view and comment.