Category Archives: Lost label roses

chillies, Experimental Chillies and be;;s, grapevine, Lost label roses, overwintering alliums, roses, Soft fruit

The journey of June: fruitful

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Hello, everyone, happy Sunday; I do hope that you have had a nice weekend.

Firstly, an apology. For not having updated properly, the plot is kicking off now and that means watering and harvesting. I have made two batches of ice cream in the last two weeks, with the strawberries from the plot. I have even harvested some tonight. The ice cream was fabulous, the ice cream maker, a good investment and highly recommended. I have been harvesting strawberries daily, and I don’t particularly have a preference for them.

As you can see from the gallery, the plot is coming into it’s own. There is nothing to report yet, as far as squashes and things go. They are just forming large leaves as of yet. In the poly though, the tomatoes are getting leafier, taller, and sending out yellow flowers. I have had to stake them into sentry like positions to prevent them all falling over.

cream sausage tomatos
cream sausage tomatos

The stars for the moment, are the chillies.

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These are currently sat on a warm window sill. There are also a few more cayennes on the plant. Whilst walking through the poly tunnel with the watering can, I saw the rather chunky, lime green form of the hungarian hot wax. There are about five fruit, I shall leave them there for now.

Soft fruit is coming quick, with the strawberries especially. I have been watching the raspberries carefully. Especially as half canes don’t look to be doing an awful lot. These were canes planted last autumn, all thirty of them in the full season collection. There were an additional 10 yellow ones, The raspberries you see above, all three of them are the harvest of tonight. That yellow one, didn’t make it home, I ate it on the spot.

It was delicious. Get some. These are a variety called Fall Gold.I suspect they are a bit confused, as they are meant to be autumn ones.

I will continue to monitor the growth of the raspberries, to see if any more of them come to life. Also last year, I sank gooseberries and currants. The gooseberries have already yielded one small harvest, the next one, is most likely to be a pickle of some kind. The currants, are still babies, so there is not an awful lot expected.

But they do taste good. I swear, that the berries that I have collected were ready to burst. Beautifully red, they have given the strawberries a good run for their colour money. Not as tart as I would have expected, but a little full of seeds.

I had one black currant berry. May be next year, we can cordial or cassis. Yet to see if I have any white currants, if I can work out whether or not they are ripe. The two blueberry bushes are also laden with fruit, and again, ripeness check needed.

Last but not least, William Shakespeare 2000

william shakespeare 2000
william shakespeare 2000

Big, beautiful blooms, this rose bush sits in the middle of the plot. A sprawling mess, we like this sprawling mess, with green foliage and red blooms that burst in a matter of days in the shape of a fuzzy pom pom. This is the rose that I have been waiting for, as the other roses heralded the start of summer.

Lost label roses, project othello

Roses on the plot

The roses have somewhat caught me off guard, in being early. Perhaps I had forgotten that we were in June already. In 21 days, I have harvested about three bouquets of blooms, and there may still be more all being well. There a few roses bushes that don’t seem to be doing anything, but the large proportion of them are burgeoning with blooms.

I have deliberately put up a picture of the arch. I was at Gardener’s world live last week, and over heard Joe Swift talking about garden planning. He was saying that people put these features in their gardens, but then don’t even walk through them. I definitely walk through mine! The arch is the gateway from one part of the plot to the other.

In the middle is william shakespeare 2000, leading away from the falstaff apple tree, something of a theme! The second half of the plot is called project othello. Either side of the arch are two climbing roses. These are golden showers and danse de feu. One yellow and one red.

The avenue of roses-and fruit trees-was a deliberate design. This year it has paid dividends. Walking passed the blooms, I am convinced that I was smelling lovely zingy lemons. Shakespeare definitely smells of lemons!

Lost label roses, project othello

First flush: Roses 2015

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There are lots of roses on the plot. Over twenty at the last count. On the first half, we have the roses that we have labels for, we know vaguely what they are. On the second half however, contains roses that are lost label roses. I have no idea what their names are, or even what variety they are. What I do know, is that they are pretty. From what I remember, they are pretty in pink, but there are a few yellow ones in there.

These have now been on the plot for three years, so they are getting more established. In essence, the second half the plot, Project othello, has an avenue of roses and fruit trees that line the central path.

I am going to take it as good omen, that the roses are kicking off the growing season. Can’t eat them, no, but they do look pretty and add a spot of ambience to the plot.

Lost label roses

Blossoming Blooms: Roses

roses

I have no idea what this rose is called. Only that is nearly as tall as me-I barely scrape five foot- has two limbs as it were, it’s a mystery lost label rose and there are lots of buds waiting to burst open. As we approach the end of the May, more and more of the plot roses are starting to bud up to blossom. Half of the plot, has mystery lost label roses. The aim of this was to form an avenue of roses, that were interspersed with fruit trees Most of these are pink, I think. The top half is something of a fruit orchard, with the raspberry canes, fruit trees and strawberries The other half has the posh roses, and I even know some of their names.  There are roses such as Harry Wheatcroft, blue moon, Christian Dior, the peace rose and Lovers meeting. Lovers meeting is the bright orange bloom that you see in the images below.

These are the pictures from last years rose harvests. As you can see, there was something of an abundance. Hopefully, there will a repeat performance this year.

Lost label roses, roses

Floral Frivolity on the Plot

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There are many folks who believe that there is no point having flowers on the plot if you cannot eat them. But I do rather like them. With the chillies and tomatos sown, the growing season seems  very far far away. If germination is successful, and the slug and snails don’t eat the babies, I would like to sow summer squashes. These like many other vegatables and fruit benefit from pollination. Pollination can happen by the wind and also by the bumble bees. Bumble bees require pretty flowers.

There are already dozens of rose bushes on the plot. William Shakespeare 2000 is slap bang in the middle of the plot beneath an arch around which two roses bushes are growing. As usual, I do plan to sow sunflowers and also gladiolus. Sunflowers as they are a burst of colour. Also bumble bees rather like them and appear to be quite doped and drunk having flown onto one. Gladiolus were a surprise success last year, these were not only pretty but the bumbles appeared to like them too.

This year mum has requested chrysthanamums.  These seeds are waiting to be sown. I doubt very much I will be sowing them yet, due to it still being  a little cold. Plus I will rapidly running out of window sill space. I am not very good at sowing flower seeds. I tend to lose them to slugs and snails as well in the four tier blowaway.

 

Dorset and Bengle Naga, Experimental Chillies and be;;s, Lost label roses, NaBloPoMo, Superhots 2014

#NaBloPoMo: Still there, still going strong

chilliesshakespeare

Ventured down to the plot today. It’s been damp and miserable all week, and with work I haven’t been able to get down to the plot. I wanted to double check the chillies, and was heartened to find that they are still there. All very bushy and green, I don’t have the heart to euthanise them. So much for entering the dorset naga challenge, I have not harvested one chilli from any of them. Seems cruel to let them continue, when there doesn’t seem to be any fruit forthcoming. They all look healthy, burgeoning with blooms. But still nothing. All very disappointing. Even now, we are half way through November. How long further will these things go? I doubt very much that I will get a chilli this Christmas! Not sure now, as to what chillies i will sow next year. Might go back to basic cayenne and see what happens.

At the centre of the plot is William Shakespeare 2000. A beautiful red rose, that when in full bloom, smells of lemons. That too is still going. In fact, I counted eleven blooming roses across the plot. Even the week before last,I had eleven roses that I harvested to fashion a bouquet from. I don’t recall roses being in bloom at this point in the year before. And there are quite a few bushes on the plot. I tinkered with the climbing roses, golden showers and i think the other one is called danse de Feu. These just needed tying in to the metal arch. Which reminded me to prune there roses on the plot. A task made somewhat easier, in having been deadheading blooms over the summer as I went along. The more established posh roses, such as christian dior, Lover’s meeting, silver jubilee, pascali, peace rose, harry wheatcroft, have grown upwards quite a bit. Less so with the width of these. The less established lost label roses are a mixed bag. Still quite small, a handful are quite tall, and still very leaf. No idea what they are, hence the name A lot pink ones, an odd orange one.Was looking at where I might squeeze in another couple of roses bushes. Given how we have Shakespeare all ready, Anne Boleyn might be one to window shop.

The autumn bliss raspberry will also need to be pruned. I’m not entirely sure what to do with those.

Lost label roses, roses, Sampling Shakespeare, The Big Sunflower Project 2013, The Big Sunflower project 2014

#NaBloPoMo: Blooms in the gloom

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It’s all very gloom and doom outside as the rain comes down in sheets. At this time of the year, the plot is probably at it’s greyest and gloomiest.The abundance of summer seems such a long time ago. As the plot rests, we can cast our mind back to the splashes of colour that have filled the plot.

There are lots of roses on the plot. some established others less so. The lost label roses were new last year, and need another year or so to get going. Previous to that there were the posher roses, and these have really come into their own this year. Newcomer William Shakespeare 2000 sits slap bang in the middle of the plot, a sprawling mess of fuzzy red roses with lots of petals.

With the Big Sunflower Project sunflowers are planted on the plot. Some do not survive the slimers, but those that do, are a beautiful drop of sunshine. Are huge great big hyrdas in some cases, and you always end up with slighty dopey bumble bees floating around.

 

Lost label roses

Lost label roses: first flush

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I had thought that the roses on the plot would be the first to bloom. However the one rose that a mama h filched and planted in the garden has bloomed. Lovely bright pink thing, that I actually missed and didn’t realise was there. No idea what it is called!

Lost label roses, project othello, roses

Blooming buds of May:roses

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There is something in the air; that is for sure. Whilst William Shakespeare 2000 grows into a what is five headed hydra, the other roses are starting to slowly bloom into life. The more established roses have grown leafy, waking from their winter and spring slumber to start throwing out buds.

Last autumn, seven mystery roses were sunk. Mystery in that they were not labeled, therefore these are the lost label roses. Compared to the more established roses, these are smaller; but have definitely started to settle down. One of the roses has got a single solitary bloom.

There are two climbing roses, one is called golden showers; I forget what the other is called. But these are now also starting to send out buds.