Welp, that is all the gooseberries I'm getting from my gooseberry bushes this year. It belongs to the wasps now. They are fair swarming it, and I am not fighting those assholes for them.
#Gardening #GardeningClub #GardenersWorld

I have never grown Cenolophium before. It is a posh version of cow parsley. Pollinators should rave about it.

The first photo shows it planted. The second what it should grow into.
#gardening #gardeningclub #pollinators

14° outdoors but in the sun the wild marjoram is as warm as dog fur.

The rock is not accidental. Mostly, flies use it to perch. To us it is small but to them it is huge.

Its surfaces are variously dryer, wetter, colder and hotter than its surroundings. On top of that, the heat it captures from the sun warms the immediate area, well into the night.

For plants and insects those marginal differences may be just what they need to thrive.

#gardeningclub #microenvironment #ecology #wildlife

@jblue

Grass seems like a generous description :)

It seems extremely short. Scalped. Dog wee makes lawn yellow first, then brown. If it is sometimes wet, caddis fly larvae can munch away at grass roots. If you were going to retain, building up with sand and organic would be the way. But I am not going to advocate for lawn (=desert).

Yes, raised bed great. You can even create a wildflower meadow in it as I have done. Edit: prairie in your case!

#gardening #gardeningclub

Should be buzzing with pollinators but eerily deserted at the moment. Silent Spring was well named. Tidy gardens are likely to be a major culprit. I keep areas of mine messy and undisturbed. Dunnocks are the most common birds in the garden.

#gardening #gardeningclub

The pond is still quiet apart from the munching snails. Happily though it has stayed very clear. I am hoping frogs or toads will find it. The cocktail of smells from the native water plants should give them the signpost they need. I witnessed one visit by a dragonfly last year.

#gardening #gardeningclub #pond

The herb section of the raised bed is going absolutely crazy. The thyme and hyssop at the front are wonderfully vibrant and not yet untidy. At the back, coriander and sorrel have been growing vigorously.

Spring!

#gardening #gardeningclub

Interesting #allotment observation in this morning's email from John Harrison (and if you haven't signed up, you should) that deciding when to plant your #potatoes you should be guided by when your grass needs it's first cut.
Makes perfect sense to me.

#gardeningclub #growyourown

@LionelB It’s a wonderful plant. Phacelia is also much loved by bees. Photograph was taken last year. #GardeningClub #Allotment #Gardening #Bees

We've just been doing CPR on a couple of the #goldfish in the #garden pond!
A cracked pump connection had drained the #pond with the poor #fish struggling in a few cm of water.
Most were OK, but there's two in Intensive care.
I don't think we've lost any yet

#gardeningclub

Another sowing, this time Phacelia tanacetifolia.

Chosen because it will attract hoverflies. A hugely important part of the ecosystem. They sometimes hover just in front of my face. Saying hello perhaps?

#gardeningclub

Sowing a wildflower today.

Melilot officinalis.

#gardeningclub

Of last year's peppers, only Purple Tiger seems to have failed to come through the winter. So that is Sweetie Belle, a mini sweet pepper variety, kashmiri, and trinidad perfume. All in all, not a bad selection of plants for this year. #Gardening #GardenersWorld #GardeningClub #MastodonGardening

Just realised, second week of January. Time to start this year's chilli seeds. Going for Nosferatu, Chiletpin, and a jalapeno called "Farmers Market" which is supposed to be a larger jalapeno. How about you all? #Gardening #MastodonGardening #GardeningClub #GardenersWorld