Early January 2007

[Lesley Cox]

I'm off to Tasmania on April 12th to see Marcus Harvey and others. I'm told I'll need climbing boots and crampons for his garden.

[Anthony Darby]

Dandelions (Taraxacum spp.) Marjorie? The flower stalks don't look right?

[grannysmith]

Well, we call them dandelions here. They may be a different type to the ones you get.

[David Nicholson]

I seem to remember from the Old Forum that a certain Bulb Despot in Aberdeen keeps dandelions as pets

[Maggi Young]

He does indeed, and tends it lovingly : still won't let me get another dog, though, miserable despot.

[David Nicholson]

Oh!

[Anthony Darby]

Show's the importance of scientific names. e.g. what is 'Wake Robin' and have you ever eaten fried 'Plantain'?

[Joakim B]

Regading dandielions I must say they are enoying so we try to take them away, but my wife thinks they are pretty but has now learned they are bad so she can pic as many as she wants in the lawn. They do have a fantastic yellow I must say and I doubt there is anything that can make a lawn that colored yellow without painting the grass.

Here is a find I did when recycling newspapers.
It is growing in the gutter!
People tends to throw garden waste there as well and the water from the GNR (militars with police work) horses comes there so feeding they might get from the excess water.

We call it tagetes or velvet flower in Sweden I do not know the English or Portuguese names for it.
I think it was un unusually nice one but the pic is not great due to to many carrs close by for me to take more without getting runover.

Joakim

[Maggi Young]

Poor little flower! We call them Tagetes, or, as Ian's Grandad used to say "tagguttes"  or African marigolds.  They are used a lot for bedding plants in summer displays but are also useful for planting near plants you want to keep pests off of, since they are quite aromatic and the smell is said to deter aphids, and carrot fly, etc.

[Joakim B]

We tried to use them against nemathods on tomatoes and they seems to work  unless the slugs eat them. 
I now remeber the Enlish name I once knew  Thanks  Maggi
Joakim

[Anthony Darby]

Looks more French than African to me and is used to deter white fly?

[Maggi Young]

Are French marigolds the smaller and African the bigger ones, then?

[Joakim B]

I thought that white fly was detered by chrysanthemums and I have not heared anything about the Tagetes but maybe it works?

[Anthony Darby]

Wish something would deter 'king mice. This is what they have done to one of my Colchicum minutum plants!

[Anthony Darby]

Here is the other Colchicum minutum today.