Gardening questions and chat!

We don’t have any in our garden at all but are surrounded by purply-pink ones of a sort of pyramid shape in the lanes. I’m not sure what they are as the wild-flower book I have seemed to give me several possible options…

Photo please. :slight_smile:

Our first Bee Orchid arrived last year… I’ve been hoping it will propogate… but we’ve just the one… looking lovely again this year.

We do have some other orchids pushing through the wild patch yet again … obviously last year was such fun that they’ve decided to delight us with a second visit … :wink: :wink:

Will try… (not good at photos!)

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Ok - here they are, such as they are. Partly the ragged appearance is down to me being no good at photos but actually the plants themselves are going over now…


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Thanks Angela, I’ve copied the image into Google Images and they say it’s Anacampsis Laxiflora - Lax-flowered Orchid.

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That’s very interesting Sue - thanks! I’ve looked up Anacampsis Laxiflora and see that it’s very common in Normandy, so that fits. Bit puzzled that it grows on alkaline soil though as ours is slightly acid, but perhaps it hasn’t read the books. :smiley:

Does it have a scent, I was leaning more towards Fragrant orchid Gymnadenia conopsea or borealis.


I think yours has more flowers down the stem than @AngelaR. Hers only has about 7. and the photos I’ve found have got that same sparseness.
image

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This time last year…

Sadly, this year’s offering is rather straggly, but I’m hoping it will “come good…” :crossed_fingers:

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We have something purple in the bit we’ve left wild, I’m curious now, will go do some pictures tomorrow xx

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I shall have a sniff when I go for my regulation walk today!

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So I looked and it seems we also have the gorgeous pyramid orchids in our wild area too :heart_eyes:

We are going to do what @SuePJ suggested and do some paths rather than cutting it all back. There are lots of lovely grasses coming up too! I thought I could also put some wild flower mixes in :heart_eyes:

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Had a sniff but nothing really noticeable. I went to see the other clusters further up the lane but it looks like they are now pretty well over. The ones I found had much more densely packed spikes (but not in pyramid form) and didn’t smell much either. I think ours much be a much earlier flowering form than e.e. @toryroo 's

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That’s just lovely Tory. You have MASSES of them. :grin:

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My potatoes are growing really well, I’ve started hilling up with grass clippings, thanks for the idea Sue!

I noticed one plant has brown bits, definitely not cold this time! Any ideas?

Also some have started to flower, is this OK or do they need removing? Ditto with some of my onions / shallots?

That’s v early for potatoes to flower - are they earlies?

Onions/Leeks etc shouldn’t flower as go woody. Get rid of the flowers, although may be too late.

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Hopefully somebody who grows potatoes will come along with a definite answer but in the meantime, I would suggest cutting the leaves out in case it’s early blight (seems a bit early in the season though?)

This is a good video on potato blight:

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Damn, I hope not! Will go and cut and dispose!

They are Agatha’s. Apparently ready as new pots on day 60 or day 90 as bigs. @Wozza told me what type they are but I’ve forgotten :see_no_evil: . I’m currently on day 50 so only 10 days out as new potatoes. Does that make a difference with the flowers?

Damn, will go now, just the flowers or the whole stem they are on?

This is the whole patch, as you can see only a few flowers on nearly 70 plants. To my untrained eye I was thinking they were looking healthy!

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