SCOTTISH THISTLE

‘Everything comes to he who waits’ and so it has.  After weeks of waiting, the cardoon has finally bloomed and it’s every bit as spectacular as I hoped it would be. 

Cardoons (Cynara cardunculus) are known by many names but I think artichoke thistle probably best describes this majestic plant.  At a glance, it's plump thistle heads could easily be mistaken for artichokes.

Artichoke Thistle

These tall, prickly characters make great architectural plants and ours is thriving in this glorious summer heat.

Is now taller than the garden wall

There are at least 5 thistle heads on the plant

I first discovered cardoons on a trip to Edinburgh a few summers back.  Being the embodiment of the Scottish national emblem (the thistle), cardoons are a staple part of the city's horticultural planting plan and can be found in almost every Scottish nook and cranny.

The Scottish Thistle

Not only are they a big hit with the Scots but bumble bee gangs are loving the pollen rich, purple thistle heads.  

Last week before fully blooming

This afternoon there were at least 5 bees on the one thistle head, all foraging amongst the tiny flower stalks busily hoovering up the pollen.

Bee movie

Busy hoovering up the pollen

Believe it or not, these photos were taken from the top of a step ladder where I was precariously perched with my camera angled on top of the flower.  You can just about make out the pollen dust stuck to the bee's furry body.

Tiny pollen grains

All pigged out

HIGH RISE STRAWBERRIES

The best ideas are always someone else’s and now we’re experimenting with a little project based on a picture I’d cut out of one of those glossy Sunday supplements.  This picture was part of an article on the art of making the most of space available on patios, a kind of IKEA for gardeners and explained how strawberries could be grown up a wall instead of in conventional flower beds or pots.  Genius!

The idea is simplicity itself.  Take a length of sturdy guttering, bolt it onto a sunny wall using special brackets and hey presto, you have a high rise strawberry bed.

2014 has been a ‘berry’ good year.  All our fruit plants are busy cropping for England but the toughest part has been grabbing the ripened berries before all the slugs, snails and cheesy-bugs do.  I’m hoping this high rise strawberry idea might help reduce garden pests snacking on our delicious berries.

Building high rise strawberry beds has not proven difficult or expensive.  You can pick up some nice sturdy square shaped guttering from B&Q in short lengths of about 2 M which can then be cut to size using a hand saw.

Square guttering from B&Q comes in brown, black or white

Can be easily cut to size to fit your wall

We’ve gone for a double decker approach using 2 x 2M lengths of guttering (£11.58), 6 x brackets (£6.24) and 4 x square stop ends (£7.96).  Total project cost £25.78 (excluding screws).  A gap of about 13 inches has been left between each length of guttering to allow for plant growth and holes drilled along the bottom for drainage. 

Screw brackets onto wall at a suitable height

Put stops on each end of guttering and clip onto brackets

You can have as many rows up the wall as you like

As you can see from our photos, it is a neat space saving idea and a good way of making use of an otherwise unused area.  Our strawberry plants are already putting out runners so it’s just a case of transplanting a few baby plants into their new high rise home and hoping they like it.  

PAPA'S GOT A BRAND NEW LAP TOP

I’d never thought I’d see the day when my father would express the desire to join the technical revolution but he has and that day is now.  Yes it’s true.  Papa’s got a brand new lap top!   The Ancient Mariner is about to become a silver surfer (wetsuit optional).

Thanks to Bill Gates and his amazing app based Windows 8, teaching an 80 year old about PC’s is not the impossible task I thought it might be.  He only wants a laptop to use as an SD card reader when he goes to Spain so everything else is either a bonus (for Papa) or a simple case of ‘you don’t really need to know that’.  First lesson consisted of showing him how to click here, click there, scroll down a bit and imparting that super important piece of PC wisdom "whatever you do, don’t touch that button".  I only lost my temper about 3 times which is not bad going for me. 

To help him practice internet surfing, I’ve bookmarked a few interesting web sites for him to view – Poole tide times and Golf Today.  I expect my phone to be ringing off the hook over the next few weeks with technical support related queries such as ‘I touched that button you told me not to and now I can’t see my photos’ or ‘my dongle’s not working properly’ which I believe is quite common for men his age.  

You're never too old to learn!

C.B.A

Woke up this morning and frankly, just couldn’t be arsed to go to work.  Decided instead to lie in bed till 10.30 am and spend the day gardening.  Lord Heseltine was right when he said British workers don’t get up early enough or work hard enough.  Tell me about it!  Every day, I get in way before any of my team mates and procrastinate less than most of them but do my efforts go recognised and rewarded?  England might win the World Cup before they do. Today’s private protest is against the capitalist oppressor.  Today is for all duvet day revolutionaries out there.  Solidarity brothers and sisters!

Rumour on the Street is we’re being sold if the price is right and we’ve been told that the purchaser may not be your usual type of financial institution.  I hear Durex may be looking to get into banking.  They’ve been in the withdrawal business so long they now want to start taking deposits.  Staff uniform will be replaced with one made of pink latex and rubber swim hats will be deemed compulsory headgear on dress down Friday’s.  From now on, annual bonuses will be paid in stock, staff to indicate size and flavour when the flexibility window opens each year.  He, he, he – can’t be any worse than it is now can it?

No sign of cardoon flowers yet but fruits are starting to come through thick and fast.  Picked a whole punnet of cherries from our patio tree and there’s a bumper crop of blackcurrants also in the making.  

Getting ready to ripen

Delicious cherries 

This Tupperware tub was just today’s harvest but there’s plenty more where these came from.

Our first blackcurrant harvest

MORE ABOUT:

Lord Heseltine - http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/07/01/lord-heseltine-work-get-up-_n_5546616.html

Duvet Days - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duvet_day