Sunday 27 May 2018

Sunday morning early

My visitors went yesterday after taking me out for lunch and calling at The Garden Centre for us both to buy a few plants.   It was lovely having them stay and very little work.   I cooked for the first evening for friend W and the three of us - Butternut squash soup, Sausage, New potato, Chantenay carrot and Asparagus roast and Strawberries and Cream.   Friday the four of us went to lunch at W and I's usual Friday lunch spot
and yesterday my friends took me out for lunch before they set off for home.   Today is our four friends lunch - the usual Sunday fare, so you will see that there has been minimal effort on my part.
The friends are the friends who W and I often meet in Kirby Lonsdale and friend P has been a friend since he was in his early twenties and he is now getting near to seventy - and has always seemed like my second son - so no hassle really.

After they had gone I stripped the beds, washed the sheets , dried them on the clothes line, brought them in and ironed them - now they are aired and sometime today I can make up the beds again.

Mare's Tail is growing well.   I have decided it is best to ignore it, try to lighten the soil where it is growing worst, plant up as close as possible with plants which grow higher than it does and enjoy my garden.   To that end I bought three plants, all of which are quite tall - a thistle, a euphorbia and one other which I can#t remember the name of (and as I am sitting here in my nightie typing this I shall not go outside to look).   It is alright for Cro lolling about there in France and for those of you who live in the South of England where the weather is balmy - but I can assure you that here in North Yorkshire the sun may be out but the wind is mighty chilly.

I am enjoying the gardening bug and now never travel without my plastic bag in case I see a handy shrub (I like trying cuttings!).   Have a nice week-end.

17 comments:

Dc said...

We too have mare’s tail. About 3 times a year, we pull the top bits up, otherwise it is left as at least it is green! I believe its roots go down about 150’ and it is resistant to all herbicides and other such thimgs.

Rachel Phillips said...

It is not balmy in Norfolk. I went out in my winter coat yesterday. But it is sunny, What are you doing buying a thistle?

Sue in Suffolk said...

I have a feeling that Mares Tails don't do well in rich soil so you could try adding lots of compost to a patch to see what happens

Eleanor said...

It's always nice to have good friends come to stay. Weather has been lovely here in Dumfriesshire, but hope it gets better for you in Yorkshire, especially as I will be in Wharfdale in a couple of weeks time!

Heather said...

We have had a thunderstorm this morning with very heavy rain. Not very warm but beginning to get a little brighter. So pleased your friends' visit was such a good one and that you are enjoying your garden so much. I loved the Yorkshire Garden from Chelsea and was delighted when it won a Gold Medal and then the peoples' vote as well. It looked so natural and as if it had been there for years, rather than just two weeks.

thelma said...

I have used that black mulching sheet on my vegetable bit, bliss when rolled back and the weeds have disappeared. Pick the slugs up and dispose of the humanely in the church yard ;) and then the beans go in. Read yesterday that we should try and save the eggs of the orange-tip butterfly by clipping the plants of the garlic mustard plants which the butterfly relies on and put them in a vase, as the road side verge cutters destroy the plants.

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

I looked up images of mare's tail thinking maybe it went by another name, but I don't recognize it as something we have here. I have all kinds of weeds that I fight. Does it spread easily? I'd pay someone to dig out every single lily of the valley, here! -Jenn

jinxxxygirl said...

I'm so glad you had a wonderful visit with friends Pat.. I'm going to have to look up Mare's Tail as i just can't place it.. I really don't get to garden here as the deer are voracious eaters... and what can i say i love to see them so i encourage them to come into my yard...lol
But i read up on deer resistant plants all the time and eventually i hope to try a few out. The Elderberries i planted this year they leave alone mostly ...maybe a nibble here and there but they are still growing.. Oh what i wouldn't give for a little cool weather.. 92F here to day...uuughh... Hugs! deb

Joanne Noragon said...

Visits with friends are the best for the heart. So glad it was that for you.

donna baker said...

Ironed sheets, dried on a clothesline? Sounds heavenly. Honeysuckle has started growing in abundance in my garden. I don't know where it came from or how I can pull it all up.

Granny Sue said...

Reading your post is like a nice chat with a friend. I'd like to try making that soup. When we were in Ireland last year a young woman made it and it was so delicious. It was the day of our arrival; we'd flown all night, drove across Ireland to our b&b--where they greeted us with hot tea and biscuits and invited us to have supper. Homemade soup and brown bread--who could refuse? It is one of my fondest memories of our trip.

My weed from Hades is gill-over-the-ground, apparently brought here by early settlers and now thriving. Also Dock, which roots so deeply that getting it out is next to impossible. Oh, and bindweed, a vine that is true to its name. It would be pretty if it didn't try to choke out everything else.

Bonnie said...

It sounds like you had a lovely visit with your friends. You are truly blessed with many friends.

Kathy said...

Thought of you earlier today when I was reading an article about Mare's tail. Advice was to keep cutting it back as low as you can and keep the area as dry as possible as it thrives on very moist soil. Hope this helps your problem.

So glad you had a lovely time with your special friends, where would be without such people. Love your blog, keep gardening, I find it very therapeutic.

Cro Magnon said...

Actually, it was stormy here yesterday, with some very LOUD bangs. But all was well later, and the pool was well used.

Librarian said...

Sounds like a lovley time with your friends, and more lunches out for you - keeping the local eateries going while at the same time enjoying excellent nosh without having to do all the work!
The meal you cooked for them the first night sounds very, very nice.
I did not do much cooking last weekend, as O.K. and I were at my parents' for Saturday dinner, but I made us a nice cooked breakfast on Sunday morning upon our return from an 8,5 km run, the full works with baked beans, strips of crispy bacon, toast and eggs sunny side up.
Thistles are great for wildlife, I think, both birds and insects love them at different stages.

Gwil W said...


Re Rachel's comment. It won't be just any old thistle as we all well know! But it's a good question and deserves a good answer!





Cherie said...

Mare's tail weed is edible. I have no idea what it tastes like but I bet you could add it to soups/stews and get some goodness out of the pesky weed.