Daisy in the Garden

Tuesday, 10 February 2026

Meanwhile in the Greenhouse 🌧️⛈️⚓

I haven't been in the greenhouse for quite a while , beginning of September I think . After my back injury it was as much as I could do to throw this fleece over everything .

The garden table and chairs were brought inside or they might have blown away in the storms . We are still getting frequent yellow weather warnings for rain .

The brand new greenhouse is flooded ....and it seems that I will just have to live with it ....sigh ....

I made a start by taking out the table and chairs , it's not so windy now . I need to get to the plants at the end under the bench .

I have not watered anything in the greenhouse , mostly the cacti and succulents are dormant over the winter months .

I thought the ferns might have suffered .....

...but of course the prefer the damp shade ...

..and look just fine .

The Tarantula and Elkhorn Ferns look great ....also surprisingly the Brahma Kamala Epiphyllum oxypetalum is looking especially lush ! I am looking forward to seeing that bloom again .

The Epies on top of the bench look a bit sad , but now I've removed the fleece the light levels will be better for them ...although they prefer not too much . They can easily get scorched by bright sunlight .

Hylocereus undatus however seems to prefer more sunlight ....

It has once again pushed through the shade net to get more sunshine ..... well maybe it has been a little disappointed for not finding much sunshine , but certainly a bit more light anyway .

I very cruelly left some Hylocereus undatus outside over the winter as an experiment . It has survived ! I also have a broken piece hanging on hooks in the front porch . It has put out ariel roots and is also still alive ! Hylocereus undatus is a tough guy !

I would dearly love to see it in flower , alas I have only seen pictures of it on the internet .

It is my cactus collection that I am most worried about with the greenhouse leaking , I have now lost some of my most precious and rare ones . 😞

I use polystryrene from packaging to stand pots on and as you can see along the sides of the windows , to keep them cosy . This is an unheated greenhouse .

I haven't had to use the candle lantern or my stone hot water bottles this winter .....but we could still get a cold snap . The sheets of newspaper and fleece wrap are waiting in the wings .

It is the rain coming in that is really worrying me .

This Lophophora williamsii , I have had for about thirty years and it blooms every year . I think it wants to go home to Mexico ! Crassula Buddha's Temple , is very small ...very precious to me !

Opuntia ..has a new friend , nasty bramble branch which has found it's way through under the window !

They have something in common . They both bite !!

The nasty bramble's days are numbered ! 😡 Where are my loppers ? !

I have had these Opuntias also for about thirty years . This one is Opuntia violacea , next to it Agave utahensis (notice how I put these dangerous ones in to the furthest corner at the back )

And that's the fast growing Dog tail cactus in the green hanging pot ... er ..Echinocereus testudo I think 🤔

Anyway I must get on and figure out a way to get all the water out . My friend recommended using a dustpan to sort of shovel it out with .

I'm also trying to keep out of the way of the good gentlemen who are doing some handsome new fencing for us .

One last thing ..

I promised to show you all the "hagstones " that I collected from Charmouth beach 😃

😃 Ta-daah !

I have been known to find the occasional awesome fossil .....

I found this along Black Ven ..... had it identified in the Natural History Museum in London .

🦖🦈🦕 Very happy me ! 🦕🦈🦖

Love Debbie x

P.S . Tomorrow I will show you my amazing driftwood ! I know you can't wait !! 🤣

Love and Peace 🤍

Sunday, 8 February 2026

The one where I sow my Tomato Seeds 🌱

🌧️We got away for a few days .🌧️

🌧️ Fossil hunting in Charmouth . It rained ....we don't care ! 🌧️

He found ammonites .....

I gathered beautiful driftwood and .......

.............and quite a few "hagstones " ....I'll show you them tomorrow ! ( if you're interested ! 🤣)

We visited Montecute House , Lyme Regis , Symondsbury Hill , Chesil Beach 💚 West Bay , Burton Bradstock , Glastonbury , the wonderful Groves Nursery .....where we had coffee and chai and shared a huge cinnamon bun ....and yes 🌿 I spent ages walking around and around the glasshouse with all the lovely indoor plants 😃 and bought a couple of ferns before being dragged out of there ... 🌿 .....but mostly we were fossil hunting on Charmouth Beach .🦕🦖🦈

Spring is well on the way , we saw lots of the sweetest little lambs , golden catkins and snowdrops in the hedgerows . I was surprised to see Mistletoe growing up in the trees . I don't think I have ever seen Mistletoe growing in the wild before . So beautiful .

And all the pretty country cottages ! So lovely !

The Somerset cottage we stayed at was probably a little too far inland from Charmouth in Dorset for us , but it was on at a good price and it was nice to see a little of the beautiful Somerset countryside .

🌧️Huge puddles , roads and fields flooded and teeth jarring potholes ...🤣 same everywhere really isn't it ? ! 🌧️

The country roads , unfamiliar to us along with the driving rain , we made sure to be back before dark .

Evenings were spent sitting at a beautiful Georgian table in the small dining room ......

............sketching and doing my embroidery to just the sound of the rain on the window .

no internet , no radio, no telephone

Very peaceful 🌧️

Husband sat watching his American football on the tv in the other room 🙄 🤣

The cliffs are constantly slumping and slipping , we keep well away from them and gather our fossils from lower down towards the shore .We don't smash rocks , there is no need . We didn't find much this time , but have over the years had some great finds . Ichthyosaur , Plesiosaur vertebrae and bones , teeth , garpike scales , as well as ammonites , belemnites and lovely crinoid sea lilies ..all without the use of a geological hammer .

Enjoyed fish'n'chips in Morrisons Bridport .