Several wheelbarrow loads later 🌿

 

In case you were wondering where I'd gone , I had a bit of a nasty old migraine and had to take a break from moving plants , embroidery or even looking at the computer screen .

I'm ok. again now and have pretty much filled the left-hand side of the new greenhouse .

I remembered that I'd left this big Agave utahensis (the truly evil one !😱) outside .

Until the old greenhouse was pulled down , it was kept in the furthest corner under the greenhouse bench , only getting the odd drops of water from when I watered the cacti above . In fact  I don't think I 've actually gone to specifically water it for a couple of years and it looks as though it has really enjoyed the rain and puffed itself up with renewed vigour .

 Into the corner it goes with all the other dangerous beauties !

 I grew this from seed that I bought from the British Cactus and Succulent Society many years ago .

The thing with an Agave is that no matter how big the pot is that you put it in , it will quickly grow into it and then stop . If you don't re-pot it then it will make off-shoots ,which I noticed this one has . I decided that this one was big enough and so I have put it into this pot and there it must stay forever more now as it would be far too dangerous to set it free in my garden .  I already have three or four less dangerous ones in the garden .

Tomorrow I will take a closer look to see if I can separate the off-shoot  . ...and send it to some other botanically insane person to love .

Here we have from left to right Epiphyllum var "Curt Backeberg " A couple of Epie cuttings , a beautiful Aloe that my brother gave me , somewhere in there is a plant label , unfortunately at this time it is swathed in cobwebs and I don't want to put my hand in !  I have already had a few nasty surprises whilst moving all my plants , I had to try and not look as I moved them for fear I'd drop or throw the pot !  

The plant behind the Aloe was sold to me as being Rhipsalis elliptica , although I'm thinking now that it might be Rhipsalis pachyptera .    Can anyone out there identify it for me please ? 

It was looking very sad after having been in the shed over winter and while the new greenhouse was being built .

I re-potted it into a hanging basket and stood it in the lovely terracotta pot ,where it can stay and recover until I fix up another hook to hang it from . It has lovely red phylloclades .... (leaves ) .

 I also need to put a big hook up in the beam from which to hang my lovely old Chinese lantern . 

         Some of the less dangerous Agaves..like Agave americana , Agave salmiana ferox , Agave medio-picta alba . Some of which I have grown from seed , some which were off-shoots .

                   Less dangerous but they still bite !

I brought in some of the Agave pups (offsoots ) and that has made room for my new season vegetable seedlings . The tomatoes are already doing well in their 3"pots and now there will be space to bring down the Sweet Pepper seedlings from my bedroom windowsill .

The sun shone all day ! It was warm . So nice to be able to open the windows  , after all the rain .  

One more pic of the Albuca bracteata ,  more familiarly known as the Pregnant Onion . Here we have a pot full of fast growing babies !

          The rain returns next week  .... and the grass never stops growing in Cornwall .

                                                   🌿💚🌿

🌿Wheelbarrow load of Epies - no 1🌿

                                     So here come the Epies !

                               Wheelbarrow load number one .

I put them in , but I think there was another tray of them that should go in first . 

Stands thinking ...

    they all need repotting and where did I put the other tray of Epies ?  

I have to get all the Epiphyllums in , as they should all be beginning to show flower buds soon .  

I hope they haven't suffered too much from being moved about .  

Dreaming about beautiful Epie flowers , usually about the beginning of May .

                                        Epiphyllum "Marilyn Monroe"    

 Get called in for lunch .  

               🌿🌿💚 🌿🌿 See ya later !  🌿🌿💚🌿🌿

Cactus re-potting 🌵

 Today I took my dreaming Buddha from his temporary home in the porch and carried him up to his place in the new greenhouse .

Instantly the atmosphere became peaceful , warm and comforting  . 

                   I love this place so much 💗🙏🏻🕊️

So time to make a start bringing the plants back into the new greenhouse .

First to bring in the  biggest and most dangerous of my Cacti . These , for safety reasons , have go into the furthest corner of the greenhouse .

These haven't been re-potted for at least fifteen years . Now would be a good time to do it . 

I had to cut the plastic pots apart from these pot bound beasts !  

    Thankfully cactus roots don't have spines ! It would be impossible if they did !

  I managed to drop it into it's next size up pot and lashed it to a couple of canes .

                 This , the biggest , fiercest and oldest Opuntia was a bit more difficult .

I had to cut the pot and find a heavier pot that would not fall over with the weight of the Opuntia . It had grown out sideways ,meanwhile another Opuntia that was in another pot next to it had leant over and taken root in with it . It was the strong roothold from the invading smaller Opuntia that was keeping the big Opuntia from falling over . Are you still with me ?

 So I found this beautiful , really heavy terracotta pot and it was all going so well ......

                          ............ only it didn't fit !

So I ended up bunging it into a horrible ugly big plastic tub and it served it right for slapping me across my cheek in the process . I'm o.k. miraculously no spines got me . 

 So here they all are after hauling them into their corner at the back of the greenhouse . 

Everybody happy and peaceful again !

They all got some fresh compost and when the roots have had some time to settle  I'll water them with some good rain water .......that's when the water-butt is fixed up again . 

                                                 Happy and peaceful  .

  🌵   That is all I can handle today . 

Tomorrow I'l begin bringing in the Epies .  🌿🌿🌿

                                             🌿💚🌿  

I sow the seeds of faith . The good actions that I perform are the rain that waters the seeds . Buddha 🌿

A Quick Greenhouse Update - Mothering Sunday

 

🌿This little update is mainly for my dad and my botanically insane brother !🌿

 The right hand side is for the sun loving cacti , although they will all be shoved up to the far end whilst the tomatoes are in action , growing up through the bench and trained up strings to the roof .

 Trip to B&Q Penryn , where we got a good deal on three and one split bag of Verve multi-purpose compost , thanks Phil ....and thanks to big strong man who helped us get it all into the back of our car .

It nearly killed me getting it out of the car and flipping it over and over and over and into the greenhouse , but there , tis done !  It can warm up in the warmth of the greenhouse ready for my Tomato and Sweet Pepper babies . 

 Outside I must remember to put a couple of large tubs to prevent the door swinging open and smashing the glass window . Although this shouldn't happen , as the gentlemen from Truro Portable Buildings very cleverly fixed a block of wood at the bottom behind the door to prevent this from happening . 

So I got the hooks and shade netting up . With care to remember to fix up the storm netting across the door so I can close the door and refasten it before actually stepping into the greenhouse .

This was a tip I learned from my brother ......I think I've done it correctly ?

The left hand side is for all my Epiphyllums and the shade loving plants .

The trellis , I found washed up on a local beach years ago ,it is perfect for tying in and supporting  the scrabbling Epies . Behind it I have put one of those foil car windscreen sheilds to keep the warmth in just  for a few more weeks . 

I haven't needed the candle lantern much this winter but it stays under the bench in readiness for the odd cold spell .

And a couple of hooks for scissors and string ( lovely tarred string , because it smells so nice 🥰 !! )

And dust pan and brush .

That heap behind , is the old greenhouse ! 

I have a roll of bubbly foil insulation stuff that I unroll out along the rafters , but hopefully I won't need that now ; but it is waiting in the wings just in case ! I fixed up two more hooks for that .You should be proud of me dad !  

Tomorrow I will make a start bringing back all the plants .

 I had a lovely Mothering Sunday with flowers and chocolates and hugs from the grandchildren . 

I hope mum liked the pretty blouse I bought for her and that she had a lovely day too .Give her a hug from me 💗x

So I'm spending the rest of the day stitching , tell mum I'm stitching another Angel  , it's a Seraphim .

                    All my love Deborah x   🌿🕊️🌿

So much to do !!

 

So much to do and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed  right now . I have to get all the plants back into the new greenhouse , but can't do that until the benches are put in the right places and the trellis and the shade netting put up on the north facing window . I am trying to gather everything I need to get this done ..I need to buy brass hooks and a sharp pointy thing (bradawl ? ) A big hook and an S - hook to hang the lantern on . I need to buy more hooks for the windbreak netting over the door . Shelf things...brackets ?..to hold my lovely long piece of drift wood . One of the side windows is in a different place to where it was before , right where the driftwood used to be , but it's o.k. I just need to reconsider , review the situation .... change things around , work it out again .

              I am so in love with my new greenhouse and feeling so grateful !

 

                                       🌿💚🌿  New greenhouse 🌿💚🌿

The tomato seedlings need potting up into next size pots . The tomato plant bag/pots need to be filled with compost and put onto their trays in the greenhouse , for the compost to warm up .

Need to buy compost .

🌿🌵💚🌵🌿And then all my Epies and all the cacti will be brought back in . And they all need refreshing in various ways , fresh compost , re-labelling ,  pruning , tying in , talking to etc 🌵🌿🌵🌿💚

Anyway .........

I still need to clear away the woodchip pile....and I am slowly but surely getting there with that . 

I spent the morning weeding out Ivy and stinging nettles from our little bit by the side gate . The Ivy was growing in a heap over that gate post . I pulled it all carefully away . I say carefully because underneath was the most beautiful moss .

 I then shovelled woodchips from the pile for about half an hour and wheeled it down from the veg garden to spread in between the primroses and lovely ferns .

                  The ferns are still sleeping , I tidied away their dead leaves .

Look at the beautiful orange moss on the fence . We have had so much rain and the lichens and mosses are looking so vibrant for it .

                                Beautiful moss on the wall and teeny tiny ferns .

It is a beautiful time right now as one season slips into the next .

Little flashes of summer....

Yet still today the cold wind is blowing from the East .... but dry enough to cut the grass . I wrapped up warm and kicked the lawn-mower into action . 

I managed to cut the labyrinth pathways and it is beginning to look in better shape .

New shoots and buds are coming on my roses . I need to cut away the Winter hips .

The Gunnera manicata is stirring from it's Winter slumber .

Hands stinging from bramble scratches and nettle stings ..........

                             aaaaaah ..............time for a nice cuppatea !

                                                                🌿💚🌿

🌿 New Greenhouse 🌿

 

🌿 Big thanks to the two guys from Truro Portable Buildings who took advantage of the nice weather this morning and built my lovely new greenhouse .

                                                  Very happy me !

Also big thankyou to our friend who demolished and cleared away the old one .

                                                 🌿💗🌿