Rhubarb Appreciation Society

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Going with Rhihaf's thread name suggestion, following on from the first rule of gardening club is thread.

Pull up your kneeling pads, crack open the elderberry wine and the blackberry gin and come and join us. No real experience or gardening know-how needed.

[MousyMouse]

rhihaf my father only has 4 hives but they are very productive. in good years he can get up to a hundred jars of honey from each hive!
wrt varroa, he keeps his bees organically, so hygiene is very important. the hives are scrubbed and disinfected twice a year (he has a sort of styrofoam module system). as he sells his honey, the bees are inspected by the vet once a year and a few times a year the mites are collected and counted (my job to earn some extra pocket money).
he is in forrinland, so I don't know how it is handled here.

[MousyMouse]

dc has renamed the boxwood ball 'wee tree' :o
because that is were hang up clothes to dry and not stink the house out after they have nearly made it to the loo.

[redadmiralsinthegarden]

hi gardeners!
I planted some black-eyed susans three weeks ago come Sunday. absolutely NOTHING has come up yet! Am I being too impatient, or are they duds?
I'm in glorious Devon, and i thought that over the bank holiday the heat would have coaxed them out!

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Hi, redadmirals. I'd wait a week or two before you give up on the Black Eyed Susan, as everything seems to be taking ages to germinate this year.

[Blackpuddingbertha]

The rabbits have taken the tops off two cosmos so far. I have kept some in reserve to grow taller in the conservatory so if I need replacements they we be too tall for the rabbits to reach.

I did black eyed Susan last year and they took forever to germinate then didn't grow taller than two feet because it was such an appalling year

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

My Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate has declined to germinate - I may sling it out at the weekend. Boo.

[Rhubarbgarden]

I just belted round with the lawn mower in a howling gale to give it a last minute cut before we go away for a fortnight. It is when I mow that I look around and see just how much needs doing urgently in this garden. It is starting to scare me. Snatched hours here and there are just not cutting it. Literally.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Are you near a horticultural college, Rhubarb? Might you be able to get some help from students at affordable rates? Enjoy your holiday!

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Rhubarb - would a list help? I love a list, it calms me even if I don't get through anything on it, at least I know what needs doing and I stop worrying about trying to remember what needs doing...

We're going to need another new thread soon fellow potting shed occupants. Anyone got any ideas for a new thread name again?

[Dawnywoo]

Thanks for the tulip tips guys.

rhihaf the Varroa virus escalated to scary levels a few years back but thanks to recent publicity / education and good beekeeping, I think the situation is improving. My Dad has about 40 hives and focuses on breeding each year to further eradicate the problem. He's also involved with education and research at Newcastle University, mainly regarding the effects of pesticides which has had some major publicity lately. He's travelled to South Africa and the USA recently to attend seminars so he's fairly committed to the cause.

We do still have major issues with harsh winters, so we do all we can to provide food for them and as Mousey says, thoroughly checking / regular cleaning of the hives helps. And we also have yearly inspections here too. He's away at the minute, but I will ask him for links to the latest info and post next week in case anyone is interested. It's a fascinating subject, but not one I can profess to be an expert on. I'm just the beekeepers daughter who sometimes helps out!

[Dawnywoo]

bertha I second your idea of a list. My life revolves around them.

Thread name wise, what about 'May our Gardens now bloom into Flaming June'

But then again, I'm sure someone else can come up with something less naff!

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

I like that title, Dawnywoo.

Flaming June

[HumphreyCobbler]

I like that name. We have certainly filled this thread up quickly.

We are trying to persuade someone to keep bees in our orchard, it would be brilliant.

So windy here today. Luckily the blossom seems to be sticking on. The crab apples are starting to come out. I LOVE these trees. Such a vivid colour and all the forget-me-nots and primroses underneath look fabulous.

Much discussion here about what goes in the new pots. We have some smallish box balls that would be nice but they are starting to grow so couldn't do them barerooted - or is it not too late?

We have lists. Long term and short term. Ticking items off is very satisfying.

[funnyperson]

Every time I go away you lot have a potting shed party! Welcome to the beekeepers' daughters and the newcomers. Those violas are lovely. Is it too late to sow viola seeds? I sow night scented stock every year but they never germinate. The echinacea isn't germinating this year.
I did a garden budget and a list at the beginning of the year. Lots of the stuff came as cuttings or seeds or poundland and lidl so I saved loads that way. Postage has gone up so much that online plant sites aren't as good value as they once were in the sales.
Flaming June. Pre-Raphaelite. Also the colours of the Venetian border nearly.

[Rhubarbgarden]

I like that thread title suggestion too.

I'm rubbish at lists. I make them all the time, then lose them or forget to look at them. I must try harder.

I have thought about getting in a student. But we're trying to spend as little as possible at the moment and I also feel that I want to do it all myself; not just out of pride (though that is part of it) but also because I need to really get to know this garden. Plus, after all my insisting that I needed a big garden and that I could handle it, when we were house shopping, I fear dh would have apoplexy If I was to now confess I needed to get some help. BUT it might come to that.

I'm enjoying the bee chat. There have been a few programmes on Radio 4 this week about them. All very fascinating. I'd love to keep bees.

[funnyperson]

Ah yes...getting in a student....This may in fact be more practical these days. However it reminds me of a time when a friend suggested we 'got in a student' to look after the children of an evening. Naturally I looked up colleges where childcare and suchlike were taught, and this resulted in DH and I taking a trip to Norland on an open day, to check out if the students might be suitable and reliable. How innocent we were! In the end of course, a postcard on the notice board of the nearest medical school resulted in a very nice and reliable student at a fraction of the cost!

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

A friend as been keeping bees fora couple of years but they didn't make it through this winter, must ask her if the Bee Man got to the bottom of it. I think we have half our local bee population in our garden and sometimes get them in our roof.

I too am a viola fan but dislike pansies. Situation with Mum still going on.SW says too early for a home and is increasing car package. Hope she hurried up as I'm totally exhausted. Her cleaner couldn't cone yesterday so I had to do it and found huge quantities of decomposing spuds. Looked at another place which has a few self contained flats as well as the main home. It's in 7 acres of lovely gardens which residents are able to wander in freely. There were a pair of sprightly 90 year olds off for a morning stroll. The gardens are just starting to flower but you can tell they will be spectacular in a couple of months.

It made me laugh when we were asking about something technical and she said if you find the gardener when you explore the gardens ask him, he is he font of all knowledge.

[Dawnywoo]

Well I never knew that the painter of Flaming June, Frederic Leighton was born in Scarborough! Useless piece of knowledge for a Friday morning.

Humph your crab apple / forget-me-not / primrose combo sounds positively wonderful.

GW back tonight. Hurrah!

[Dawnywoo]

Wynken bees simply die of cold over the winter. Despite everything my father does, he often find whole hives dead huddled together. Poor things. It's amazing what they do and the things they have to overcome.

Hope you get your Mum sorted somewhere nice. The 7 acres sounds like a wonderful place to live.

[MousyMouse]

yes bees die of cold or they starve if the winter is exeptionally long (like this one) especially when there is a 'false start' like there was before easter. my father tends to his garden so that there is lots of food in early spring, I vividly remember planting a thousand bulbs of crocus, tulips, snowdrops etc. also the time before they hibernate after the last harvest is crucial. I have a pack of bee friendly seeds to sow in june.

I wouldn't keep bees myself, it's hard work and you need a lot of space to store the equipment. + holidays in summer are difficult because of the swarming and harvest. I love to help my dad though when visiting and to steal some honey to take home

[MousyMouse]

wynken a home like that seems ideal.
I think I would like it. living independently if I want to, but to be able to access care and eqipment if it is needed. good luck.

[echt]

The new thread title sounds lovely. Amazing how the spring thread fills up so quickly, and with so many new posters, too.

It's rather warm here, which is lovely on the one hand, but provoking masses of weeds. Still, the soil is warm for more planting. I'm trying to restrain myself and get on with painting the fence/wall exposed by the removal of the shed before planting more climbers.

[funnyperson]

St Martin on the Hill in Scarborough has William Morris and other gems. I dont know why I know this.
mouseymouse I see your family planting snowdrops and crocuses for the bees in my mind's eye.
wynken Sometimes I dont know whether to think of it as a lingering death or a comfortable old age. Probably the latter.

[cantspel]

I have just done the morning battle against lily beetles as the little red bastards are having breakfast in my lily bed. Think i am going to have to blitz them with bug killer or stand guard over the lilies to protect them from the evil things.

[RunDougalRunQuiteFast]

I've got lots of lily beetles here too - got 7 off my lilies this morning, after clearing about 10 two days ago. Is there anything systemic you can use on the lilies without harming other bugs?