Friday Fern #22

I have discovered two things in the space of about five minutes today. Firstly, that while Squires stop doing breakfasts at 11.30am, they do damn good bacon paninis all day. Secondly, that they're pretty advanced as far as garden centres go and have a wi-fi connection. So here I am, posting my Friday Fern from Squires in Twickenham, with a Very Large Latte beside me. I'm proving to be something of a novelty to the usual crowd, as I have a new laptop smaller than their pacemakers, it has no wires at all (I love having a decent battery again!), and I'm at least 50 years younger than most of them.

You'll be frustrated to know that today's Fern is another revisiting. Because I saw loads of Dryopteris erythrosora (which I talked about way back in June used effectively as autumn bedding in the US. The photo below is of the sculpture garden at MOMA (which is well worth a visit - don't bother with the Guggenheim, because it's shite and full of people talking about zeitgeist and conceptualisation).


And you might not be able to see it too well, but there are some lovely reds in there. As you might expect, since as well as being called a Buckler fern, D. erythrosora is also known as the autumn fern.

But my fern is particularly verdant. And will stay that way until spring, at which time it will flush with beautiful bronze fronds. My question is, is my fern a freak (entirely possible), or have these ferns been forced in order to get that nice "autumn" colour in the season for which they were named?

Teaser

I'm back, I have lots of photos, and a few things to talk about. There were a couple of casualties in the garden while I was away - the Blechnum spicant does not seem happy at all, so I have some TLC to send its way. The hardy geranium a friend gave me has been uprooted, and all the nuts off my witch hazel have been nicked by Bubba (I'll probably find seedlings growing up in the geranium pot, knowing my luck). But considering half the indoor plants were relegated to the growhouse, watered profusely and then shut in for the duration, the other half of the indoor plants had an upturned tube of 30-day watering gel, and the outdoor plants were left entirely to their own devices, the garden looks amazing. More than amazing in fact. Better than if I'd been here nurturing them all the time. Bastards.

So here's something to whet your appetites for the sights of New England. Proof that we here in Blighty do not by any means have the monopoly on hideous spray-painting of plants...


Yes, this vision of hideousness greeted me when I accidentally (honest!) found myself in New York's flower district. More later...

Holiday

Sorry everyone, having too much fun on holiday to blog and have run out of pre-written posts.

I have seen some cool plants (black Colocasia esculenta as ornamental centres in front garden displays anyone?), and a trip to the New York Botanical Gardens beckons in the next couple of days, but you are just going to have to wait until I'm back and not jetlagged for all the photos.

No Friday Fern last week or this week, but there is much ferny goodness to come. And the odd Gondwanan gymnosperm too...

Produce In The Garden

This has been the first and last year I anticipate growing fruit and veg. I have one surviving strawberry plant, and maybe if it makes it through winter in one piece I'll try to get some fruit off it. But it doesn't stop me from wanting to make use of this year's crops.

I got some beautiful tomatoes courtesy of my friend Eva donating half a dozen plants to me. But the buggers never ripened.


But not to worry - I have Great Grannie's green tomato chutney recipe, so all is not lost! I also harvested all the apples below about 15ft high (only photographed half of them here):


And it just so happens that the green tomato chutney requires as much in the way of chopped apples as it does chopped tomatoes. I think I will make a few jars for my neighbours though.

I have a few tomatilloes growing - they have a much later season than tomatoes, so I'm only just getting most of the fruit forming now. I have had to leave them while I'm away and hope they don't over-ripen while I'm gone.


They will be gorgeous in green New Mexican chili...

Water Feature

I'd love to have a water feature. I think that, in a rented garden, would be quite something. And on an earlier visit to Squires, I think I found a water feature that would actually look suitably Jurassic.


I'd put it in the back middle, where the Miscanthus is at the moment (I'm sure I can find somewhere else for that big boy). It would be under the tripping spout, so would collect the odd bit of extra water. I gather the pump and so on are all sold separately, so I'll be looking for a solar powered one.

I've already said to Hubster that I would like NGS vouchers for Christmas, so with any luck I'll have enough to buy myself this fountain thingy (or similar) and a pump!

Although, for pure awesome hideousness (it's a bit too green, and perhaps a bit big...), this one wins.


It has LEDs and everything.

Friday Fern #21

I'm revisiting one of my ferns this week, as I'm away on holiday. But I had to share, because really this has been this year's success story. It was a tiny little thing when I bought it,and even two months later it was healthy but hadn't really taken off.

But now look at my Blechnum tabulare!!


It's a freakin' monster! It's taking over the path, and probably making my neighbours limbo underneath its fronds. I'm astounded. It's had the same treatment as the Dicksonia antarctica - a good long sluice of water in the crown, plenty of sunlight, and a nice big pot to grow into. It's just going for it!

I'm Going To Be A Grandmother!

One of my leaf babies is having seeds of their own...


This is my very "pregnant" Canna brasiliensis. It flowered all too briefly a month ago.


Now, from what I gather, I need to wait until the seed pod hardens off, goes black and splits before I harvest the seeds, otherwise I will lose the lot. Anyone know how long it'll take from this point?

Should I put a plastic bag over them before I go away, to catch any that "escape" while I'm gone?

Crimes Against Good Taste

I love shopping in garden centres, really I do. My favourite local one is Squires. While I've been off work it's been a delight to tootle down the A316, wander around, see what pots are on BOGOF (I adore buying my pots from Squires), and then lower the average age of the other customers in the café by at least 50 years by treating myself to a large latte.

And I know that garden centres have to cater to what people want to buy. It's simple supply and demand. If the customers buy it, the garden centres will stock more of it. If no one buys it, the garden centres won't order another batch of it. But please, can I smack one group of garden centre customers soundly round the head with a rotten Zantedeschia stem?

Yes, I'm talking to you, buyers of spray-painted heather:


This garish display awaited me when I stepped out into the plant area. As Hubster would say (showing his nationality good and proper) it gied ye the dry boak just looking at it. And it wasn't just the heather!


This was all waiting to be put out on display. I couldn't work out what it was, but it appeared to be a load of spray-painted twigs shoved in compost. It might have been a conifer at one point.

I think these are the very WORST things sold in garden centres. Even the tweeting robins on big silver balls aren't that bad. And I can't imagine any situation where any gardener would want to buy them. Not in purple, yellow and blue anyway. Sure, it's great to have colour in a winter garden, but do it with foliage, bright pots, dogwood and winter-flowering plants!

Gaaaah!! I will take back my words if, and only if, one of you can show me a photographic example of these things not looking absolutely hideously vile. There's your Saturday night challenge.

Friday Fern #20

Sometimes you're the pigeon. Sometimes you're the statue. This week has been a statue week. So it's a short Friday Fern, just to show you a couple of pictures of Dryopteris wallichiana, looking good in the late afternoon sunlight.


I've been doing a little garden maintenance. The succulents are now in a proper container with several inches of gravel at the bottom (which I nearly put my back out lugging up onto the fire escape). I'm going on a much-needed holiday next week, so being in USDA Zone 9a here in Isleworth, I'm not planning to wrap or dig up anything until the end of the month.


I'll set up some automated posts for while I'm away, and you never know - I might even upload some holiday photos. I've managed to persuade Hubster that he'll enjoy a trip to the New York Botanical Garden while we're over in the US...