General Chat

Morning all.... it is beautiful here at the moment... the sun is shining, although there are a few clouds dotted around, they seem to feel the need to skirt around us, rather than come charging in!!

Jac, that is brilliant!!! I am going to nick some of my mum's forget me nots... I love them... she also had a cutting of my lungwort a few years ago when we lived in Gloucester, so I am going to have a piece of that back, too!! You deserved a song and a dance and a BBQ after all that hard work.

Ann, hope you both have a wonderful time... probably left by now... I have slept in again!

Maz, if you put your sunglasses on when indoors, you won't see the dust ;¬)))) That's a problem, isn't it? The sunshine makes you want to drop everything and go out and laze, and then shows up all the jobs indoors that are designed to stop you having a good time!!

Morning Jude.... I could hold a couple of car boots with all the stuff I need to offload, lol!! Hope you had a good time and got some bargains.

~~~~~~~~ to BC xx

Morning Huia.... we must have been typing at the same time! Hope all is well with you?

This sounds a couple of interesting plants... will go off to google in a mo!

Love

Daff xxxx

SEE! I just knew someone would come up trumps!

Yes Huia, it is a Kowhai Sophora Microphyllus! Apparently it goes to about 15 ft. which is not too bad, as I dont suppose it will be at that height whilst I'm still about))))

Googled it, and there are some lovely piccies showing the tree but I was a little worried as it says all parts are poisonous! still, what isn't toxic nowadays? - I plan on looking at it, not eating it!

It cant be that poisonous though, as one photograph showed the tree in full blossom, and the tree was planted in a school! unless it was a "school" of correction - lol

Off now to find a home for lovely little tree! If it survives my ministrations and flowers, apparently it will send out seeds that can be potted on - so fingers crossed that we can all have one in a year or two's time!

Bi for now all - dont work too hard


Jac xxx

mOrning everyone! its lovely here....and I am stuck on the computer writing a report! nevermind.....O is in big boy pants, and has done wee's in his potty! so he's a bit chuffed with himself! his big boy pants have Mr Bump (his favourite Mr Man) on them, so he's making a real effort to keep em dry! times like this, I really don't like carpet! OH is in the garden unbloking a drain - so the kids have to stay in out the way! anyway.....back to the report....catch you all later...hope you all have a lovely day! xxx

I have just looked up the Kowhai in my book of Native Edible Plants (it has a section on poisonous ones too). The poison in Kowhai is cytisine (whatever that might be) in all parts, particularly the seeds. Causes diarrhoea and abdominal pains.

I have in the past tried to grow them from seed but havent succeeded. I gather the seeds are tough and need to be nicked and soaked overnight, although they dont get that in the wild, unless the birds do the nicking and the rain the soaking. Good luck anyway. The tree we bought about 4 or 5 yrs ago has not had many flowers yet, but it is a bit overshadowed by other trees, so we will have to clear a space around it.

Huia.

UnBLOKING the drain, Mamiddau, ;¬))) WMSL at that one... well, I had visions of reflux, and all sorts... anyone remember Norman Wisdom films????? And bless little O...... If I had known he likes Mr Man, I could have brought you loads of little trainers.... *ponders..... maybe they were for little girls, or are they unisex?*

Huia... I do wish you and Jac would stop talking all foreign!!! Do these plants have nicknames a pleb like me could remember???

Love

Daff with the mucky fingernails from being in the garden all day, lol!! xxxxxx

Daff, Sophora is the Latin name, Kowhai is the Maori name by which it is commonly known. I dont think it has a common English name, although its cousin Clianthus (Kowhai ngutu kaka) is commonly called Kaka beak.

Some of the common names of our natives are misleading, e.g. the cabbage tree is not a cabbage, it is a lily or agave. Hence my preference for giving Latin names!
But for you I include any other names by which they are known. The Fuchsia procumbens which I mentioned in an earlier posting is a Fuchsia, but it is a creeping one with small but interesting flowers which it holds upright, unlike the common-or-garden variety (and our tree fuchsia) which have drooping flowers.

Huia.

Morning Daff,
Well son had his "new" used car on friday, and very nice it is to!(not that I,ve had an invitation to sit in it yet!). The suns shining at the moment, but the forcast is for heavy rain?
I just checked the pics I sent you Daff, and No, I didnt send you Jens, as she hadnt sent them to me by then!!LOL. I couldnt send Mamiddau any either? So I dont know whos puter wasnt playing, more like this operator was doing something wrong!!
You conservatory sounds great! just what you need on a nice day, or even not so nice day! (I love the sound of rain on windows).
Love as always
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morning Daff and all:-) Weather is cloudy and very muggy. I fully expected more thunder last night and was prepared for dog to piddle everywhere again, but was spared! lol Wonder what I can do to make her less nervous? The weekend just flew by and here we are...Monday morning again. Hope you all have a pleasant day whatever you are doing and well done Jac for raising such a large amount:-) BC XXX

Morning Daff, lovely morning here,but forecast not good, we are off to the hospital for Js follow up. bet it pours down just as we come out lol,
still the plants will enjoy it.... have a nice day...

well done jac raising all that money....


Love Jean xx

Morning girlies all!

Sun shining here and quite fresh - although I understand some rain on the way.

Hope everyone had a good Sunday? I decided to put lovely little tree in larger pot until I am decided where to place it. Daff, I only knew the name because the donor of the tree had very kindly placed a plant label in the pot - lol lol. Other than that, I would have called it Ethel - cos it reminds me of me auntie! Whilst transplanting it, I came across a number of empty sort of seed pods in the surrounding compost, so I guess this tree must have seeded itself (rather than being set purposely). I'm quite excited about Ethel, cos it's such a pretty foliage.

Well, washing calls.....................take care everyone.

Bi for now


Jac xxx

Morning all.... Huia, thank you for that.... I love fushcia. I have a couple which are hardy, old fashioned types, and one which is supposed to be delicate... it is a real character, is this one... it has blossomed every year at Christmas, and because it is big, fat and jolly in it's red and white, I call it Santa, lol.... I have managed a couple of cuttings.... and then I have another ballerina of one (Margot, lol) ina lovely lilac and deep pink, all frills and tutu!! That is supposed to be delicate, too... but I have had the parent plants since 2003!! I don't bring them in, either, and still they flourish.

Jac, I love the sound of Ethel!! And what a clever girlie she was, seeding herself!!

My next job is to buy more muck and stuff to break down my clay soil... the little side bed took two bags of manure, all the old soil from half a dozen plant pots, and the remains of two bags of compost... they were bought last year, and I just couldn't build up the oomph to do the baskets and pots.... they got very waterlogged, so most of the goodness has leached out... but they will help the drainage and soil texture.

Jean, I hope all goes well at the hospital today...... thoughts and prayers go with you.

BC, what about those trainer sheets? would she lie on one of those, do you think? It will save you having to get down and do the sniff test every time it thunders...poor little thing. I don't like thunder and lightening... we were hit twice in 6 months many years ago... we had moved house in that time, but only four doors away!! I am surprised my boys aren't petrified of it, they were about 9 or 10 at the time...... fortunately we were in Germany, and the houses had sommat or other that protected the circuits from damage....... just blasted everything and killed the circuit boxes!!

Taff... I wouldn't have that... insist he drives you around the block, at least... or threaten to starve him!! ;¬))

Well, I must go and see whether Teddy Welsh Girl's grandchild has made his or her entry into the world... I do love babies, lol!!

Love

Daff xxxxx

morning all! that was a good typo by me! ah well, glad i made you chuckle Daff!

O has cars on today.....so far so good!

Jac that shrub looks lovely - I googled (of course) it to have a nose. looks very attractive! I like easy nicknames too Daff....the easier the better! lol!

right....gonna bribe O to sit on potty, he had a big drink a while ago, so must need to go by now!

xxxx

Great news Daff, J s polyps wasnt cancerous.consultant was very pleased how things are going, thanks for you love and concern.... still no rain....



love Jean xx

Afternoon Daff and all and am really pleased Jean's OH has had some good results...will dash over to Chat to see if Judie has a granchild yet!

I fell totally in love with this gorgeous plant today,it sat in a Florist and said 'Buy Me'...and it was cheap as well! It is called Sundaville Moulin Rouge and I poked everyones eye out on the Tube carrying it home. It has stunning scarlet flowers and I hope it will like my patio. The guy in Florist didnt understand the word 'climber' so I couldnt ask him about what the plant would like...lol...

Daff, my tinker pees wherever she wishes and also sleeps in various places so is hard to track down. My nose, however, sniffs it out!

Very warm here at the moment, am off to put my new plant in a position where I can see it when I look out the window....

Hope everyone is enjoying the day. BC XX

I have no wish to be a party pooper but it took me ages to find your thread Daff, it was shunted out of the way by jokes.....

>>>>>>>. dashes in >>>>..baby's born!! :O))

Hello gang,

I am feeling sorry for myself at the mo so am going to slope back off to bed for a couple of days. I wish I could have the injections before the 24th but not possible :-((

I am going to be really good and read a book on London slums which Susan TOLD me to buy which will arrive tomorrow and do stuff on my trees.

I spent two hours this morning completing a medical questionnaire and it's now in the post. (I hate forms)...lol

Love to everyone who is feeling under the weather.

Sue (grumpy wotsit)

xx

Sue,hope you feel better soon. Always a good idea to snuggle up in bed with a book
Take care
Mau (xxx)

Evening Daff & Mr Daff

Well, our weather has been blinky horrid today, (it was fine upuntil about 1pm ish) we had a full on thunder storm, my washing got soaked and stretched the line about 2 " and the dog did'nt know what to do with himself, bless him:o((

Hope you're feeling ok today Daffers??

Its my Zoo Keepers day on Wednesday, ooo can't wait:o))

jude :o) x

PS....SueM hope you feel better soon!! xx

BC, I looked up my Readers Digest encyclopedia of plants and flowers and couldnt find a Sundeville. I suspect it might be Mandevilla which has spectacular trumpet shaped flowers. It is a climber, half hardy to frost tender, likes well drained soil with light shade in summer (the book is for Oz & NZ gardens). Water freely when in full growth, sparingly at other times. Provide support and thin out and spur back (whatever that means) congested growth in early spring. Does all that agree with whatever label it has? Hope it is a help.

Huia (who has a large library of books on plants, mainly but not only our native ones).

Have to add it is not a New Zealand plant.