winter greens autumn/winter 2014

[Maggi Young]

but suspect a motion-activated water jet or similar is more socially acceptable.

Not to mention legal!

[johnw]

Dogs don't run free here anymore except in designated areas yet cats are free to do these sorts of things.  How are they getting in Mark?  Is it time for a good heavy metal screen outer door?

johnw -  +12c with a bit of sun

[David Nicholson]

My sympathies folks my garden suffers similarly.

[mark smyth]

How are they getting in Mark?  Is it time for a good heavy metal screen outer door?

Through the door because its left wide open for lots of ventilation. Closed now. The door hasn't been closed for years. I suppose it just takes one to discover what's inside. Last time I trapped a cat in the green house it smashed a pane of glass trying to get out. I was shouting and chasing it ...

[brianw]

I have always used a section of plastic coated mesh across the bottom half of the door when I am not there. Just drops in the hole when the door is open. Learnt my lesson when I first had the old greenhouse and gravel under the benches. Now have pheasants wandering around. Not sure how bad they are going to be, and it will not stop the occasional robin nesting, from past experience.

[Maren]

Brian, me too. I put 1cm square netting around the vents after I had to chase out 3 pheasants and you can imagine what they did to my pleione pots, carnage everywhere.

[Tony Willis]

I got back from London on Friday to discover several lots of sh*t buried in my new peat area dedicated to my five year old shortias which I have raised from seed. The plants had been scooped out and tossed aside as the muck was being covered. The bed is now covered in unsightly netting.

Had them get into my greenhouses several times and use the sand plunge.

[johnw]

Why not go with hardware cloth on a secondary door and keep field mice out as well?

Never a good idea to alarm a cat unless it's pointed in the desired direction. 

johnw - +11c

[brianw]

Guess it depends on the greenhouse construction as to what is most convenient, or maybe the least inconvenient. Just remembered I have had blackbirds in a number of times. Bet it was for spaghnum moss now I think about it.

[Matt T]

Why not go with hardware cloth ...

I think folks in the UK would recognised this as welded wire mesh, such as Maren suggests.

[Neil]

Himantoglossum robertianum 2 months earlier than the previous 2 years.  And a lovely scent to go with it.

[SteveC2]

Himantoglossum robertianum 2 months earlier than the previous 2 years.  And a lovely scent to go with it.

Glad I am not alone.  One of mine has been open since late November, and thanks to the cold still looks fine.  And the scent is much appreciated.  Its two sisters, genetically identical, grown in the same conditions, are still some weeks away from flowering.  Very strange.

[Neil]

and thanks to the cold still looks fine. 

My concern is it has only been above ground since the end of October is that long enough to produce a decent tuber for next year.  And regarding the cold, what is that?  Only had 4 frosts this winter so far

[SteveC2]

Which would be two more than we had last year!  But what do you expect down on the riviera!

My experience, based on a whole three different clones, is that a flowering plant tends to make a smaller tuber for the next year, but a non-flowerer can double up, which is how I come to have a couple of clones that I have three of.  I really like Barlias, large, long flowering, scented, definitely worth growing.
And last year's seeds have germinated, and are doing well, so at some point down the toad I hope to have a few more!

[Steve Garvie]

My first Ophrys are now in flower:


Ophrys leochroma


Ophrys lutea


Ophrys ferrum-equinum


Ophrys sp. (I bought this as a lab-raised seedling of O. incubacea from a German supplier. It isn't O.incubacea but I'm not sure what it is.).


Ophrys bombyliflora