🌿In My Happy Place ! 🌿

 

                                   🌿 Me in my happy place 🌿

So the first thing I had to do was fix up the rigging to support the tomato vines , which are now fast coming up through the greenhouse bench . 

I must give credit to YouTuber -Tony C Smith on his garden channel for the idea of using paracord for this job . It doesn't biodegrade and is easy to wind up on to it's reel at the end of the season . Nice and neat , ready to re-use next year .  This is the second time I've used it . Much better than the string I used to do it with .

So with that job done, on to the next thing .

Repotting this Davallia tyermanii/Humata tyermanii 

Also known as  The Tarantula Fern .....

              ....... because of those aerial rhizomes , which resemble the legs of a Tarantula Spider !

            It has been outside hanging from a bough of an Apple tree , enjoying the rain .

I thought this old hanging basket would be nice .

A quick trip to B&Q  to get a couple of basket liners , because I remembered I have another little fern that also needs repotting . 

Also came home with a tray of six dying Pelargonium plug plants that had been reduced to half price .

Here's the little fern that I bought on our last trip . " Mixed Ferns" it says on the label . Not very helpful really is it ? ! 

But I think it might be either a Staghorn Fern or an Elkhorn Fern . I'm pretty sure it's one of those 🤔

Anyway he was all on his own , and now he's mine !

I already had a basket for this one , I just needed a liner for it . The liner is a bit small but it'll do .

I started with the Spider Fern. 

I tend to move this fern around to different places as we go through the different seasons of the year .

Bathroom , front porch , in the shade outside in the garden during the hot summer months , and if it's warm rain or our Cornish mizzle , he is very happy hanging up in the apple tree by the back door . 

So when I give it water indoors , it needs to drain into a saucer . It took me ages to find the right size for it .

Then I had to be very careful not to break any of it as I took it out of the old hanging pot .

Then I tried to film myself putting it into the new basket and putting the compost in . This was not a good idea .

I am not happy with it ......sigh ...it is ridiculously heavy now  !

I potted up the other little fern and dunked them both in the pool under the water-butt tap .

I'm happy with the little one . I think as it grows bigger , it will grow out it's adult leaves which will help me to identify  it .

Maybe someone out there can tell me what it is ?  I'd love to hear !

It would really help me if I could know for sure as the Staghorn fern is epiphytic and the Elkhorn fern is terrestrial . I might need to change how I am growing it . 

Then  into the greenhouse to keep them warm and settle them in for the night .

 I quickly potted up the dying Pelargoniums and I am keeping my fingers crossed for them .

                           That's all for today folks ! Love Debbie x 

The Bean Frame

Yep , in case you were wondering ....I did get the other bean frame fixed up yesterday !

 I did it quite early in the morning .  Then I got all over excited talking about my new toy in the shed and completely forgot about it !

It's not quite as neat as the one I did last year . It's an x-frame one , so the beans hanging down are easy to see and pick . It worked very well for me last year .

                   A little bit wonky. Just needs a little fine tuning ! 

                        Fine tuning and tie in the canes .

I've sown the first lot of my Climbing French Beans "slenderette " and "cobra " in the shed .

I'm just waiting on the postman to bring me two more propagation boxes with the long root training pots , then I will get some Dwarf French Beans , maybe some Runner-beans and maybe some Sweetcorn on the go . 

I usually sow more seeds direct as I plant out the young bean plants .

Meanwhile up in the greenhouse ....

The Tomatoes are almost up to the bench and I really need to get the strings fixed up , from the bench up to the rafters .

Those tatty looking things in front are some spares I potted up . No idea what to do with them .I am not good at growing Tomatoes outside .Maybe I'll squeeze them in somewhere .... 🤔🌿🍅

Epiphyllum update -  🥰😍💗

                                           The buds are fattening up !

                                                So exciting !

Next post - I'll be showing you this  ......  🤩 .......

                                                 🕸️🕷️🕸️  

                                    ⛅  Have a really nice day ! ⛅

Davallia humata tyermannii 🌿 The Tarantula Fern 🌿

 

Another plant that has been enjoying all this rain is my Tarantula Fern .

I took it outside to catch some rain just before the cold spell of weather started and forgot about it .

We've had a couple of days of torrential rain now and I remembered that I'd left it outside , but it looks quite happy .

                        It's  rhizomes look not unlike a Tarantula Spider's legs .

                         Hopefully I can get a couple of cuttings off it . 🌿

The offshoots will be in amongst the leaves at the top of those trailing furry rhizomes  . 

I have brought it back indoors again , so it can enjoy the warmth of the porch .

                          

                                                          

 

🌿🌿🌿 

        Today's weather .......  ( on the Lizard Cornwall )

 

                             

                                           🌧️ .....but feeling a bit warmer  🌧️

Sweet Peas and Tarantulas !

 Such a beautiful morning of sunshine and showers . We decided it was a walk across the cliffs kind of a morning .

There's the Marconi Monument and you can  just see St Michael's Mount in the distance .

Other side of the rainbow ...I couldn't get it all in !

There were a few spit spots of rain , but fortunately for us , those black clouds were blowing the other way .

However we made our walk a brisk one today as there were more squalls coming in . 

This one was fast approaching !

We had our waterproofs on . We'd have been o.k. We don't mind a bit of rain .

We saw the Kestrel again , but no Choughs today .

When we got back home the sun was shining and it felt quite warm . I decided to give my Tarantula Fern a drink . It had become a bit dry hanging in the porch. The porch faces South and it can get quite hot in there . This birdbath is the perfect place for it to revive .

           It's proper name is Davallia tyermannii /Humata tyamannii 

It has these long furry rhizome's that creep and hang over the edge of the pot  looking for all the world like the legs of a Tarantula or Bird Eating Spider waiting to pounce from out of the undergrowth .

                                           Eeek !

   Robin is not happy about it !

 Hey ! It's time to sow Sweet Peas ! ( note - we are in Cornwall as far South as you can be in England .It works for me here ! I did once grow some fabulous Sweet Peas through a Privet Hedge in Kent , where it does get considerably colder , but I have no guarantees . ) 

Anyway .Yes ! What I wanted to say was , that it is time to sow some Sweet Pea seeds .

If you have never done it this way , get yourself a little packet of Sweet Pea seeds , just a cheap little packet of seeds and have a go ! 

 I like to make a note of when I do this and which variety . 

There are some really beautiful varieties to choose from . This is what I am growing this time .

The "Spencer Mix " should be a good fragrant one and the "Royal Family Mix " I think are a good colourful mix .

I pulled out the African Marigolds which were still flowering and a couple of Dahlias from this tub .

The African Marigolds I have potted up and are in the greenhouse to enjoy them for a bit longer .

 The Dahlias have gone into their undercover storage place for the Winter 

 I put a layer of spent compost (from the tomatoes) over the top , sprinkled over the Sweet Pea seeds and another layer of compost . 

I used six of my now very tatty bamboo canes to make a wigwam .

Watered them in , although there is more rain coming too .

Found a piece of fleece to wrap around it all and lashed it all around with string . 

When the Sweet Peas come up they are in more danger of the wind snapping them than of the cold , so I make sure that the fleece is really well tied on and I will keep checking on that as we go through the Winter .

I do this every year . It works for me . 

Hopefully they will be germinating by Christmas .

A few inches tall by the middle of January .

By next April I will be thinking of taking off the fleece .

It is just so nice to have Sweet Peas growing away over the Winter . I think they grow stronger when grown this way .

It is something joyful and fragrant to look forward to . 

We'll sow another lot in the Spring , but I don't think they are quite so good as the Autumn sown ones and ....

 I'll be busy sowing vegetables by then .