On Thursday, as compensation for all the bad weather that we have suffered recently, (and could suffered again as we still aren't out of the woods), we decided to treat ourselves to a garden centre visit. This wasn't just a local visit as the garden centre that we had in mind is on the far side of York so wasn't just a quick trip.
One reason for choosing this garden centre was that it had a very good restaurant. Testament to this was the long queue of people waiting for a table. Queuing for food is too much like queuing for school dinners and so we decided to have a look around and then go home for a sandwich.
Our first stop was the outdoor area where we were tempted by the display of herbs. It will be some time before our perennial herbs burst into action or the yearly sown ones produce usable leaves and so we decided to buy a mint, a parsley and a coriander plant.
These will be potted into larger pots and should provide some early fresh herbs,
Next stop the houseplant section where my eye was drawn to a clivia. I knew clivias came in colours other than the more common orange, but had never seen any other colour for sale, so of course this plant just had to come home with us.
You may have read in an earlier post that I gathered and planted seed from my orange clivia. Just as a quick update this is how things are progressing. The two seeds that had already produced roots are growing well but the third isn't doing anything at all.
There are more pods ripening on the plant and I also had a go at pollinating the flowers on the new plant.
Maybe if at some time both plants flower together I could try my hand at cross pollination.
Still with the houseplants, I bought a Bird's Nest Fern to add to the group of ferns that we have in the bathroom.
Next stop was the dahlia stand. We wanted a few more to pad out the perennial bed on the allotment as no doubt this winter will have claimed some victims. After much deliberation and tuber inspection we ended up with five. Martyn is convinced that we will have room for them - I'm not sure.
The varieties are Babette, Sylvia, Paso Doble, Zingaro and Trebbiano. Last year our choices turned out not to match the photos on the packet so we will see what we end up with this year.
Last stop was to find some small gardening gloves for me. It's surprisingly difficult to find small sized gloves. No doubt they think hands need to be a given size to garden. I ended up with two pairs.
When we passed the restaurant we noticed that the queue had disappeared so we paid for our purchases and loaded them into the car before heading back for a late lunch of salmon fillet in a creamy sauce with seasonal vegetables.
After that wallets empty and tummies full we headed home.
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Love that last line! 😄
ReplyDeleteIt seemed very apt, Belinda
DeleteI have the opposite problem and usually end up buying men's gloves. The clivia is a lovely color.
ReplyDeleteIt is a lovely colour , tpals I was really pleased to find it.
DeleteSounds like a wonderful day! I usually get my gardening gloves at discount stores but not in the gardening section - I use "work gloves" that you find in the hardware section where the fingers and palm are dipped in nitrile. These are the only kind that seem to fit me properly and also allow for an excellent grip. The funny thing is, the same type of gloves are available as "gardening gloves" in the gardening section, but at almost twice the cost (of course!)
ReplyDeleteI guess I'd have even less chance of finding a small pair of work gloves, Margaret. :-)
DeleteYou guys sure know how to enjoy yourself! I wonder which garden centre you visited.
ReplyDeleteFirst saw that yellow clivia twenty years ago and have coveted it ever since
Congratulations on those lovely little seedling clivias
It’s Deans in Stockton on Forest, Roger.
DeleteI would have prefered to buy a plant in bud rather than in full flower but the description on the plants was just Mixed and the plants in bud didn’t show their colour.
Your plant is the grandfather and grandmother of those seedlings.
By the way I noticed the use of white space
DeleteAwesome update Sue thank you for sharing have a blessed Sunday both of you
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. Have a good week.
DeleteWe are fortunate to have a GC with a good restaurant near to us, the only problem is the temptation to visit to early. Have you tried Showa gardening gloves Sue? They do small sizes, that suit the female gardeners here. You can buy them on line.
ReplyDeleteWe did have the intention of looking for some dahlias and gloves, Brian but the clivia was an impulse buy that I couldn’t resist. Thanks for the glove info - I’ll look for them
DeleteOh that sounds and looks like a most productive excursion Sue. I hope that your plant purchases thrive and that the new gloves are a snug fit. We've still to make our first trip of the year to a garden centre. Himself suggested a trip today but the weather was too nice and then I imagine the garden centres will be heaving next weekend. Soon though I hope ... :)
ReplyDeleteIt was busy when we went on Thursday, Anna.
DeleteThat was a lovely treat of a day. What healthy looking herbs and the Clivia is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteIt was, Michelle. I couldn’t leave the clivia just sitting there.
DeleteThose are great looking herbs. And that is a lovely clivia too. I've not seen the yellow ones before, except in a catalog.
ReplyDeleteIt’s the first time that I had seen a yellow clivia in ‘real life’, Dave which is why I had to have it.
DeleteI have never seen anything other than an orange clivia. That one is lovely! I do love clivias.
ReplyDeleteI'd only seen them in books before Ali. They had a sort of bicoloured one too but not as pretty. Who knows if I every manage to cross pollinate I may end up with something similar, I don't know how true to seed they turn out. I guess it will take a while for my seedlings to flower.
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