A variety of things have been going on in the lotties these past few days. I am posting some fotos of this and that tonight--a sort of potpourri of subjects, if you will. First of all a foto of a couple of the Philadelphus and roses that are blooming at the moment. it is not an excellent picture, but it gives an idea.--Oh, if you could only smell that Philadelphus! Do you recall about two weeks ago, I posted that there was a mother coot that made a nest and had laid some eggs in a short stretch of canal just behind the gooseberries? Then: Now -- empty: ...and off to the side over on the bank, what is left of the eggs. I do not know what happened, but there is no sign of the mother or the chicks. The slender male paddles up and down the canal peeping. He comes alongside the edge of canal wall to visit me and we chat. he is as much at a loss as to the whereabouts of his mate and family, as am I. I did not see any feathers, though. Odd, the disappearance of the female, though. I wonder what happened there. I am guessing it was the work of a stoat or something like that. While on an unhappy topic-- I discovered that my onions were sick. You can see the yellowness of the leaves in the foto. I lifted a few and they all had the white fungus on the roots...so they ALL had to go. You can see that they were sandwiched in-between the neighbour guy's onions and my bed of red onions (which were not sick). Two days ago, I had a nice strawberry harvest. I am going to have to make some jam soon. I am thinking about making some popsicles too. I was thinking about making a sugar solution then pureeing the strawbs and mixing them together. After that, pouring the mixture in a form (perhaps a plastic coffee cup), then when it's stiffening in the freezer, try standing a wooden stick up in it and letting it freeze further. Can you imagine how tasty that would be on one of those ridiculously hot and humid summer days? Well, I still have to work out the details, but it's an idea. Look at these boxes full of the little red jewels. That was two days ago. yesterday, Netty came by and had a cuppa. She was moaning about how poor her strawbs were this year, so I offered to let her pick what she wanted and then she would have enough to eat fresh, can jam and make a sort of juice to pour over ice cream or custard or the like. This is what she picked: That ought to keep her in stock for awhile, don't you think. Poor Netty's soil is a bit depleted after a numbers of years of intensive gardening. She doesn't do anything to enrich or protect her soil. I have tried gently, to influence her to put some compost or manure on it and work it in once and a while, but she doesn't want to hear of it. One can't garden here without coming into contact with the big, fleshy slugs that rampage through the plots. They are hardy and can level a shocking degree of damage in a "mum of time", as we say. I have aquired two slug traps to try out. The "trap" has a top which is made in a way where the only way for them to enter is through the space on the underside of the top. Once in, they cannot get back out. If you look at the inside of the "trap", you can see that there is bait (orange segments and banana chunks) in the center of the bottom. Outside the very center is a well in which goes salt. We all know that slugs do not like salt and so they will not go onto it. That means when I check the traps in the morning I can just pluck them off the "island" of bait and flip them away. Here you can see the trap with the top on it...guarding the lettuce. It is a very tidy and easy to use system. I hope that it will work well...should it ever rain again. No visit to the lotties is without contact with bees. Here is a bumble bee on a Nepeta plant. Those bees are very busy this year and there are always at east nine bees on this plant at any given time. I do not see many honeybees though this year. I am worried. Next, it was time to check the spuds to see how they were coming along. My neighbour, Willem has harvested some spuds already and Netty before him. I planted mine 2-3 weeks after them and judging from the size of the tubers, it will be another week or four before these can be harvested. The spud sort is, "Roseval". Finally, I wanted to show you these two adult swans that come right up to me these days with their signets. Why, it's almost like we've become friends. hahaha. It's hard to imagine that one could make friends with a swan. They are notoriously bad tempered here and are not welcome on the plots because they ruin the soil with their poop, feathers and feet...not to mention the consuming of the leafy plants surrounding their resting place.
Your lotties are a "happening" place. always something interesting going on. Sorry to see the Coot eggs were destroyed and your onions had to be pulled. Looks like you have a bumper crop of strawberries and how nice of you to share. The strawberry popsicles sound yummy and refreshing...we have had temps in the 90s for over a month! I hope your slug trap works...they certainly can do a lot of damage.
You have good things happening in your Lottie Sjoerd. I'm very interested to see how well your snail traps work.
Thanks so much, GAIL--Yees, it was a pity about those coot eggs and onions...but all part of a gardening year, I guess. I made some popsicles today. They were yummy, indeed. Thanks KK--I find it an interesting place too. It's good that other things happen besides just plain gardening, although that is fun too. The harvests were delish! Thank you NETTY-- I will let you know how well they work or do not work. We need some humidity for the slimey guys to really get crawling.
That posting has a little bit of everything! That first photo is gorgeous... I WISH I could stand right there and inhale deeply... Sorry about the coot eggs... I feel sorry for the male. I wonder if they choose the same mate for life like ducks and geese? The swans are very lovely, too bad they are so grumpy. Maybe they would be nicer if you offered them some of your lovely strawberries, Sjoerd? (hee hee...) They do look yummy!!!
Hiyah Daisy-- Count on you to suggest giving those swans some of my prized strawbs. Gurrrrrrr. Whose side'er'yew on anyways? Oh, you would just love standing there and smelling those roses...and the Philadelphus which is blooming in close proximity. I do not know if coots mate for life, but I do not recall ever seeing any lone coots, come to think of it. I agree the swans are lovelyto see. Thery are not grumpy with me at all. I think that they sense that I will smack them if they attenpt any violence....or perhaps they have simply gotten used to me and realize that I pose no threat. I'm still cutting my eyes at you for that giveaway suggestion. What are you like! :-? Hahaha....
Great photos Sjoerd, especially that first one. Being a bird lover I was really sorry to hear about the coots, I wonder what happened....and those swans, how unusual to have them come right up to you, as you say they are usually quite bad tempered, especially when they have young.
Thank yoiu so much, GG--I amglad that you liked the pics. I like birtds too and am perplexed at the demise of the nest and the disappearance of the coots. It doesn't look good though. I haven't seen the swans and cygnets for a few days. I hope that something hasn't happened to THEM too.
I love your rose and wonder what did happen the coot and her eggs.Your strawberries look so yummy.I do love to see the graceful swans swim along.Thanks for the post.
Thank you forreading, Glenda. I am well pleased with how the flowers are doing this year...they are finally beginning to get into the swing of things. hahaha. I recko that I shall never know what happened to the coot and her eggs. The male coot no longer comes back either. it's sort of sad, really.
Lovely as usual Sjoerd. Philadelphus is a joy to the senses - I have a double and single in the garden, and another in the front garden as the scent is just heavenly. It takes easily from cuttings. Shame about the coots - after watching Springwatch, you realise how tough birdies have it with so many predators around, even the weather can do for them. My plot has onion white rot also - a real pain. I cannot grow garlic or maincrop onions on either of my plots. Leeks do okay, I think them and the Japanese overwintered onions do okay as they are in the ground during the winter when the rot is more dormant, but even they can suffer if I am not quick to lift. I have heard lots of possible remedies to eradicate the rot...one being to make a brew if garlic or onion - boil it up I guess, then in the springtime, water an area of your plot well with this water...this starts the fungus into action, but as there is nothing for it to attack, it completes it's life cycle and dies. I have no idea if this works and it seems like a faff. Fingers crossed you have better luck next year.
Ahhh--an Philadelphus owner. I do not know many folks that are. I have five different types that bloom in a somewhat staggered fashion. I am in love with their smell, they are really good and fill the garden. I have to say that while they smell terrific, they do not seem to be as strong ad ole Alan claims they do. I wonder--what type do you feel has the strongest scent? My bushes are young, but have flowered profusely, so I am chuffed. I may well try and taking some cuttings. I have a type with variegated leaves it blooms heavily and the foliage is nice to look at as well. Yeah...the coots. Tch! The birdies on Springwatch had it tough this year, didn't they. I think that I could have throttled that Jackdaw. hahaha. Garlic is out for me as well. That is an interesting story about how to "fool" the white rot spores. It may be worth a try sometime. I had a perfect crop last year almost no rot, but this year...mmmmm :s I don't think that I would do onions at all if I didn't use them so much in cooking. Thanks for the posting, Emma.
A lot of action covered in one post....great photos. I am very surprised to see such a trap for the slugs...here I have used some of my husbands beer in small dishes that are planted in the ground so the slugs can go over the side and drown in it. Not very pleasant to get rid of the stale beer or the dead slugs...it smells. I am not a beer drinker so it makes it doubly worse for me. I didn't know about food as bait. I have switched now to garden friendly bait for the slugs from a place called Gardens Alive and it seems to work pretty good. At least I don't have to get rid of stale beer...Ha,ha... Almost forgot...pass the strawberries please ! they look great.
Thank you Sherry--That slug trap works well for me--there are just simply too many slugs. hahaha. Your new bait will not be as yucky as stale beer; the main thing is that it's effective.
