Farming Friends

Here is my beautiful Christmas cactus. A very fitting plant with only a few days to go until Christmas day.

This is the plant that I always remember from childhood. My birthday is in December and my mum and dad have had a Christmas cactus flowering in their house since I was born.

Which plant do you have first recollections of and earliest memories about?

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Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As The Garden Grows for more information.

I have just purchased the pyramid slug trap from TopVeg as a gift for a gardening friend.

Although I am yet to see the product in use, I would like to praise TopVeg for their speedy delivery of this item.

I look forward to reviewing this product when my gardening friend has the pyramid slug trap set up in their garden.

In the meantime, if you have any friends or family who are enthusiastic gardeners who are tired of seeing their beloved plants and vegetable crops being eaten by slugs, then why not get them this unusual gardening gift and help them make their garden a slug free place.

Visit TopVeg for more information about the pyramid slug trap.

Last Sunday I went on a Christmas flower arranging course with my mum and had a thoroughly enjoyable day.

We learnt how to make a Christmas wreath and garland for the home or door. Both items were made from scratch using wire, moss, branches of alpine spruce and Christmas decorations.

Do you have any Christmas decorations that you have made from natural materials that you are proud of?

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Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As The Garden Grows for more information.

At the moment I have these lovely Autumn flowering primroses blooming in my pots. They are near my backdoor so everytime I venture across the yard, which is quite frequent at the moment with the birth of the piglets, their vibrant colour adds a glow to the cold Autumnal day.

I believe that this variety of primrose is a Pacific Strain of the Primula variabilis.

What’s blooming in your pots or garden at the moment?

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Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As The Garden Grows for more information.

If you would like to grow primroses then Thompson and Morgan supply primroses.

What Type Of Flower Are You?

If you would like to find out what flower you are then visit This Garden Is Illegal and fill out a survey to discover which flower you are. It’s fun and interesting.

“Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh.”

As you can see I am the snapdragon, let me know which flower you are when you have completed the quiz.

My bay tree has not been looking very good recently and I wondered what I should do. Then I remembered that TopVeg was running a herb event, so as part of TopVeg’s herb day event last week, I contacted TopVeg via skype for an online consultation.

TopVeg listened to the problems I had with my bay tree;

• Some leaves are green and have black spots.
• Some leaves are yellowing with black spots.
• Some leaves are partially brown or completely brown.
• Some leaves are dropping off.

I have followed the advice given by TopVeg and hope to see a flourishing bay tree next year.

I was thrilled that TopVeg asked if they could record the online consultation so if you would like to hear the bay tree podcast then click on this link. Bay Tree Podcast.

If you have a vegetable or herb gardening question then contact TopVeg and if you’re feeling adventurous then you can book your online consultation and feature in a TopVeg podcast.

Join

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As The Garden Grows for more information.

I have a fuchsia planted in a pot near my back door and this week the blooms have started to open out. I particularly like this fuchsia as it has pinky red outer petals and then white petals forming the bell shape with pinky red stigma and stamen.

Do you have a favourite fuchsia?

Join

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As The Garden Grows for more information.

If you would like to grow fuchsia then Thompson and Morgan supply fuchsia.