Delphiniums

[andrewo]

I went out this morning and I have hood daffodils (a variety of large daf) and it was only budding, this afternoon they started to open

[nick the grief]

Don;t grow the big ones any more, we stick to the mini ones like Jack Snipe & the like. They seem to stand up to the vaguaries of the weather better in our garden.

[Jaxom]

Noted today that my delphiniums are now coming back! They are under netting and it has created a mini climate of warmth.

I hate to tell you this but my delphiniums are six inches high. I had leaves all through the winter and it even flowered in November.
Jax

[nick the grief]

Is it fairly sheltered in Cardiff Jax, I know my wifes cousin has stuff growing in his garden In Swansea (ar is it Abertawe?) that I have to over winter in the greenhouse. We once had a white pelagonium flowering in a pot out the front at Christmas! Very bizarre

[Jaxom]

According to national statistics Cardiff hasn't gone bellow 5 degrees in the last 20 years. These figures are a load of codswallop, as I know for a fact the water but have frozen over with three inchs of ice and snow has fallen. Milk froze in the bottles as a child and we drew pictures on the frozen windows.
It turns out that they measure the temperature at five foot above ground level. Who ever heard of such rubbish. Having said that if they measure at five foot above ground level here in Cardiff then they do the same all over the UK. It makes you wonder how cold the ground really is in places like the north of England and Scotland.
When I lived up the Valleys we used to get four to six foot of snow most years. I remember one year we were walking through corridors of snow and ice cut through the side roads of weeks until it melted. That year we had to dig our way out of the front and back doors by filling tubs, coal scuttles etc and taking them up stairs and throwing the snow out of the bedroom windows.
Having said that Cardiff is more sheltered than most places in Wales.
Jax

[nick the grief]

Hmm, we don't get it that bad here Jax, but it does get cold. I assume there is a reason for taking the temperature 5' up in the air, but I can't think what it would be apart from the chap was too lazy to bend over

[andrewo]

I hate to tell you this but my delphiniums are six inches high. I had leaves all through the winter and it even flowered in November.
Jax

I have delphinium envy, now we are getting into inches....

[nick the grief]

My Hollihocks are fighting there way through the weeds as well!

[andrewo]

My hollyhocks always have leaves on throughout the snow, hardy bugger

[nick the grief]

Yes I've had leaves on mine, it's just that the bit of ground where I gro these is infested with buttercup & they have to fight their way through these first! One problem is all the bulbs in here so I have to wait till I can get in & hand weed in the summer as there is usually something in there thats growing.

[andrewo]

Be wary, they don't like competing, planted mine behind campions and they died because they couldn't get to the light fast enough.

[nick the grief]

mine have beenthere for about 6 years now Andrew. When I do get to weed I have to bin loads of seedlings

[andrewo]

We should rename you nick 'two greenhouses' grief

[Elmo]

Thanks for all the advice people my delphiniums are up this morning