Moan, Moan, Moan - 2012

[Anthony Darby]

Anthony - I have a nice set of spammers but since I stopped work I don't use them any more.

Are they ShIfTinG sPamMeRs Ian?

[Lesley Cox]

I am absolutely gutted, after a quick look at troughs this morning, to find that one of the two good pods on Gentiana depressa has been eaten out over night. Ive been able to shake out 3 seeds from the shell. The other pod is untouched and very fat and full but still a little green. However I have picked it rather than risk its contents. It should brown off in a saucer inside. I should still be able to send some seed to the 3 promised, but not as much. As recently as yesterday I had told myself, "must pick that tomorrow." Should have done it right then.

[Anthony Darby]

What do we want? Procrastination! When do we want it? Tomorrow! I know the feeling Lesley. I tipped out my pot of Pancratium illyricum earlier this week to find both bulbs with a fat narcissus bulb fly grub in each! Feeding them to the goldfish was too good for them! I had put them into a netting cage but only after I'd seen flies in the garden and not when the thought had first crossed my mind. I'll never learn!

[Darren]

I am absolutely gutted, after a quick look at troughs this morning, to find that one of the two good pods on Gentiana depressa has been eaten out over night. Ive been able to shake out 3 seeds from the shell. The other pod is untouched and very fat and full but still a little green. However I have picked it rather than risk its contents. It should brown off in a saucer inside. I should still be able to send some seed to the 3 promised, but not as much. As recently as yesterday I had told myself, "must pick that tomorrow." Should have done it right then.

How do grazers know which plants are the most precious??

This winter the only mouse damage was to an irreplaceable pot of Corybas diemenicus. Thankfully they didn't munch everything and it should bulk up again. I had great seed capsules developing on Gladiolus maculatus (which rarely sets good seed) and saw them slowly eaten over several nights until I caught the caterpillar responsible - I did still harvest some decent looking seed in the end.

This weekend I noticed first ever seed capsules on my Corydalis integra. It is a single clone so chances are it has crossed with something else, I'm curious to see what so am attempting to preserve the seed by wrapping the pods in fleece tied with thread - what a fiddly job!

[Anthony Darby]

Have you noticed that spammers misspell key words in their emails to try and bypass the spam filters.

Here are two examples in my spam (lovely spam) filter today: "High-qulaity phrarameutics in our onine liecsed pharamay"; "OOrdr alll yourr prresrspitioon meddciatin onilne".

[angie]

I am absolutely gutted, after a quick look at troughs this morning, to find that one of the two good pods on Gentiana depressa has been eaten out over night. Ive been able to shake out 3 seeds from the shell. The other pod is untouched and very fat and full but still a little green. However I have picked it rather than risk its contents. It should brown off in a saucer inside. I should still be able to send some seed to the 3 promised, but not as much. As recently as yesterday I had told myself, "must pick that tomorrow." Should have done it right then.

I am really getting fed up with the damage caused to my trees and shrubs. I have a forrest behind me, why do who or what decide to take chunks out of my plants. I have had to put tree protectors on my Acer trees, it isn't nice to look at but I am not sure what else I can do.

Angie 

[Lesley Cox]

What is chomping on those trunks Angie? Is it squirrels or maybe deer? Doesn't look nice, does it?

[Maren]

Oh Angie,

that looks like deer damage to me. We've had similar chunks taken out and we saw the dreaded Muntjak having a go.

It's bad enough on the allotments where they habitually trash all the sweet corn. They trample on the stalks to knock them over and, when the cobs are lying on the ground, they eat just the bits that are showing. I am then left with the other half, full of mud.

[angie]

Oh Angie,

that looks like deer damage to me. We've had similar chunks taken out and we saw the dreaded Muntjak having a go.

It's bad enough on the allotments where they habitually trash all the sweet corn. They trample on the stalks to knock them over and, when the cobs are lying on the ground, they eat just the bits that are showing. I am then left with the other half, full of mud.

I have had this kind of damage for years now. My Acer's are really damaged. I first thought it was a squirrel, then deer but I think it is just done by the woodpeckers. There are no marks in the grass or droppings and I would expect that from deer. But saying this that is a large peace of bark that has been removed in one chunk. If I get damage on this tree again I think I will set up the little bird camera that I have. Get them caught in the act. It is so annoying seeing all the damage that they do. There is a huge forrest behind me, why can't they do their damage there.

Angie 

[Paul T]

Angie,

     That is getting very close to ring barking, isn't it.  I'd get them protected somehow and hope that the bark recovers, or you may lose the tree.  The stuff on the left looks intact, but I can see that there is more taken off the back as well by the look of it?

[Anthony Darby]

It's almost as if a couple of mountain bikers have hit it on their way past?

[Brian Ellis]

Well I'm blowed, I was just using my besom to clear up magnolia petals from the lawn and it broke in half, the handle had got woodworm

[Anthony Darby]

Well I never.

[Paul T]

Brian,

You're clearing up petals, and I'm dreading cleaning up the Magnolia leaves that are presently dropping.  I use the leaf blower thingy to suck them up and mulch them as it goes, but you always end up reeking of fuel etc and I always put it off as long as possible.  With a 40 foot high Magnolia dropping it's leaves in the back yard, there are a LOT of leaves.    Not to mention the other dozen that I've planted in the garden over the last few years, which are only going to add more leaves in the future.    And it ALWAYS rains a little at least drop time, so that they get wet and the pots underneath them get no benefit from the rain.    No woodworm in the leaf blower though, I hope. 

Can you get another handle for your Besom?  I just had to go and look up what it was, because I'd never heard of it before.

[Anthony Darby]

Besom is also used as a derogatory term for a women you are not happy with.