My Garden

Baked lamb with Peppers and Herbs

EvaInNL — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:42:02 GMT

This is one of the easiest and fool-proof recipes for autumn lamb I've ever tasted, and hardly any washing up! It's from an episode of Saturday Kitchen and by Mike Robinson.

Ingredients

1 lamb shoulder, boned and butterflied (ask your butcher)
bunch of rosemary, oregano, thyme and if you have it marjoram
4 fat bulbs of garlic
1 tablespoons olive oil
coarse salt, freshly ground pepper
2 big peppers, any colour, sliced lenghtwise
tin/aluminum foil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220C / 425F / Gas7
2. Pound all the herbs, garlic, salt and pepper in mortar until you have a coarse paste.
3. Lay the lamb skin-side down and slash deeply with a sharp knife. Rub the paste into the cuts and then layer the peppers on top.
4. Roll the lamb up tightly with some kitchen string, rub any remaining paste over the outside. Roll the lamb into 3 or 4 layers of the foil, make sure it is sealed well so the juices don't escape.
5. Bake for 2 hours. Take out of oven , rest the meat inthe foil for about 10 minutes.

If you want some gravy, then pour the juices of the lamb into a pan, add some flour (no more than a tablespoon though), a knob butter, a glass of red wine and of half a glass of red port and whisk on high heat so the flour cooks through. Taste, add salt/pepper/chile flakes if necessary.

I usually serve this with a rustic salad and some bread but it's also great with a tray of roast root vegetables. Because of the strong flavours it's also nice cold on a sandwhich.

Idle chat

miranda — Mon, 21 Nov 2005 09:18:00 GMT

I thought we could have an idle chat thread, for the quiet moments on the board when no one is thinking about gardening. Tell us a bit about yourself, say what you did at the weekend, what you ''do'', or admit that you spend w*rk time surfing, rather than what ever it is you're supposed to be doing. I'll start - live in a village in north Lincolnshire where nothing ever happens. It's quite nice, there are woods directly over the road that catch the morning sun, and this morning there are seven pigeons sitting high in a tree warming themselves in the weak sunlight. The garden is small, but a nice size for one person to do plenty of pottering about in. For the last week, it's been covered in frost, some of which never thaws, so I haven't done any more than go outside to look at the patterns on foliage. There are shrubs flowering - Mahonia, some Viburnums, Elaeagnus and Jasmine nudiflorum - which is pretty. The weekend was taken up with a Big Tidy Up, as the house has been a complete tip for weeks. That and sitting in front of an open fire, watching the flames and feeling drowsy. For work, I run a small mail order business with my partner which takes up nearly all our time. It's tiring but we enjoy it. How about you?

Physan - or Physan20 as a greenhouse (orchid house) prophylactic

Burton Green — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:08:53 GMT

I've used it for 20 years - spray all plants once a month with weak solution ( 1:1000 or as little as 1:5000) to eliminate bacterial rots, black spots, sooty mould etc ; marvellous in a warm humid greenhouse ( orchid hot house, for example).

Also used 1:1000 in stored rain water to prevent algae and keep it sweet - which means that it gets into all water used on the plants and perhaps explains my absence of root rots and similar problems..

But the sale has been banned in UK ( EU Rules). I need a gallon a year - can't afford to go to New York just to get it...

Any suggestions foe a substitute ?

Geoff

Jacaranda seeds available

Arrem — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:21:33 GMT

Further to my recent post asking for help to name this rather beautiful (Jacaranda) tree.

I now have loads of Jacaranda seeds available and if anyone would like some please get in touch. I planted a few seeds a couple of weeks ago and they have all taken so the seeds are viable.

Flag Irises - help with removal please.

Park Pharmacy Trust — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:34:22 GMT

The Park Pharmacy Trust owns and manages a preserved Victorian pharmacy which is held at The Merchant’s House, in Plymouth. At our headquarters in Thorn Park Lodge we also have a pharmaceutical library, collection of materia medica, and a flourishing pharmaceutical garden.

The pond in our garden is absolutely overrun with pond flags, Iris pseudocorus, and we are now at our wit's end. How in the world can we remove it? At the very least we want to take them back so that some pond remains for other plants and creatures to thrive. In summer they take up all the water so that nothing else can survive; in Devon's winter rain, they sit in a foot of water and resist all attack. The danger of damaging the pond liner is high but is there anything else for it but a night of the long knives (wearing waders)?

Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you.

parkpharmacytrust.blogspot.com

Does type of bubblewrap make much difference

seedsgrowing — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:44:25 GMT

I wondered if anyone could advise on whether having the thinner/small bubbles or thicker/larger bubbles type of wrap makes much difference when insulating a greenhouse? We have got some of the thinner stuff, that we used last year. This is where the bubbles are just under a centimetre. But I've seen the much thicker stuff, where the bubbles look to be about an inch across, in my local garden centre. It looks as though there might be more light let through with the bigger bubbles.

I'm just not sure whether it's worth getting the thicker stuff - any thoughts, anyone? I have got a fan heater for very cold times but obviously I'd like to use as little electricity as possible.

Removal of bamboo

jabaroo — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:41:20 GMT

We have just discovered bamboo roots that have pierced our pond liner. So we need to remove the bamboo once we have drained the pond. How easy is it going to be to completely remove the bamboo's roots? Any tips? They must have travelled 3 - 4 feet from the main area of plants, which are about 15 - 20 feet high.

pond plants

teri — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:29:13 GMT

please can someone advise me on, say, 5 basic plants that a pond definately needs? It is about 2m diameter, 50 cm deep and I have no idea where to begin (other than thinking water lilly wud look nice and I know oxygenators are important). Help! thanks.

Beautiful flower in Jamaica - photo now available

Ocimum — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:01:55 GMT

Beautiful shrub in Jamaica

Ocimum — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:08:16 GMT

I saw this beautiful flower (small shrub) growing in the garden of a hotel in Kingston, Jamaica during a recent business trip. Can anyone help identify it?

Propagating Heliotrope

CLH — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:31:48 GMT

Does anyone have any advice on propagating heliotrope (cherry pie)? I'm about to throw this year's plants out (sad - they're still flowering well and smell lovely, but they have to move over for the bulbs). Could I take cuttings and over-winter in a cold frame? If it is too late for that now, could I have taken them in late summer?

Disintegrating fleece.

waxwing — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:02:17 GMT

Hello. This year, I've had two batches of fleece that have disintegrated before the end of the season. In the past, fleece has gone through 2 or 3 seasons before having to be discarded because of wind damage. The current fleece seems to have suffered from UV damage and turned to powder. The garden centre could give no advice and there was no indication on the product as to how long it should last.

Has anyone else encountered this problem and found out how to get hold of decent fleece that will last? I suspect that the manufacturers see more profit if we have to replace the product within months but it's not good enough. Am I being cynical or was it a dud batch of fleece?

Fungus?

Greenfingers — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:12:27 GMT

A white "cobweb-like" mat has formed on the soil in a 3meter long container I have in my garden. Would anybody know if this is a fungus of some type and will it damage the plants? Should I remove it?

Banana Skins

Fushia — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 15:39:59 GMT

I have been putting Banana skins under my roses for years also in the compost bin.( On the Gardeners World programme many years ago this was recommended) If this is folk lore then it works because I have had great sucess with my Roses and have even won ''Best Roses'' for the past 3 years Banana skins have Potassium(sp?) which is good for the roses.Fushia

How to Identify a cherry tree

Richardv — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:09:43 GMT

I have recently moved into a new house and there is a small cherry tree in the garden , I was wondering if there is anyway to identify what type of tree it is and what the best way to prune it would be . Thanks Richard

Birds Nest Fungus

coatgal — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:38:39 GMT

I have a Veronica Spicata that is looking worse for wear - black leaves - and underneath there is a cluster of birds nest fungus. Am I right in thinking that the fungus is the result of the dying plant and not vice versa? And is it likely that the Veronica is suffering from too much water given the recent rain?

forcing crocus in vases

Julie — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:26:55 GMT

Has anyone actually seen a crocus successfully forced in a vase with the roots descending into the water?

I have not and yet I see these vases on sale every year and I think it's such a con as I don't believe it works but if someone can show me a successful example I would be very happy to revise my opinion and keen to learn the secret of doing it.

I love forcing hyacinth bulbs in vases (you can see my web site at www.hyacinthvases.org.uk) and I have successfully forced crocus in pots but my attempts with crocus in vases were total failures. Has anyone had success with this?

thanks, Julie

Chillie pepper

Bill Spud — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:05:59 GMT

I wonder if anyone has try to immerse chillie peppers in olive oil to get a spiced taste in cooking. I tried and have enjoyed using the oil in cooking as the aroma and taste did really come through. In has been soaking in the oil in less than a week, only that I now found it fermanting! The oil is bubbling well in the bottle! I did put a lot of chillie in it, sliced and with seeds. I grew the chillie in the green house myself! Can anyone advise of what is going on with my oil? Would be much appreciated.

Apple Trees

Banana girl — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 23:16:19 GMT

I am an apple lover and sorry to say this but love to eat pink ladies, jazz and braeburn. i know that they are all foreign varieties... but could anyone suggest a small tree which i could grow which will emulate the sweet and crunchy dessert apple taste? any aspect possible

Thanks for taking the time to read my post

Insects on a chilli plant? aphids?

Amanda_Cumbria — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:55:02 GMT

i brought a chilli plant in from the greenhouse last week without realising it had small insects on it. i put it in my window sill which contained other plants and herbs. as you can imagine, now everything is covered in them, including an artificial flower arrangement!! how do i get rid of them, and are they aphids? ive thrown out the herbs as they were almost done anyways. am i right in thinking if they aren't on a plant, they have no food and will die, or is my house now likely to be overun with them. WHAT DO I DO? help!!!

Acer tree seedling

NickR — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:53:49 GMT

Hello,

I've got a beautiful Acer tree in my garden, its been there for about 35 years I think, so it's quite a bit older than me! Last year, for the first time ever, we discovered a tiny Acer seedling underneath the tree, so I dug it out and planted into a pot so that I could look after it in our greenhouse. Sadly this plant's leaves went crispy and fell off, and it never recovered :(

But this year I found another seedling, its lost its 2 leaves now, but they didn't go crispy, I think it's just due to the time of year. I really want to help this little seedling to grow into a healthy little tree.

Does anyone have any advice on how I could do this? Shall I keep it inside the greenhouse for winter, or place it outside? Would it be a good idea to pot it up in some ericaceous compost?, as I just discovered Acers like acidity.

Any advice would be much appreciated,

Many thanks,

Nick

A Fun Christmas Idea

Noniepony — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:07:50 GMT

Hi all, I spent last Saturday at Fanshawe Gate Hall - a gorgeous little slice of gardening heaven on the edge of the Peak District National Park.
The property is truly stunning and while meandering around the grounds, I came across a fantastic Christmas Feature easily doable in your own garden.
The owner of the hall, Cynthia, had found a box of discarded chandelier pieces leftover from a car boot sale find. Having no use for them and needing to tidy up the attic, she had the idea to hang them off the focal topiary tree residing at the front of the hall. The idea is simple but quite effective in that the crystal pieces catch the sun’s rays and cast rainbows across the garden all day.
The Hall has a long history and I encourage you to visit the website to view this little slice of gardening heaven: http://www.fanshawegate.com/index.html
In September of this year, Cynthia published her second book, Garden Tales, which chronicles the pleasures – and a few hiccups – of opening a garden to the public. The book is a delightful afternoon read and makes a great Christmas gift for those in the family with a green thumb http://www.grafikashop.com/garden-tales.html

Cheers,
Nonie

When to plant fruit trees?

EvaInNL — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:01:40 GMT

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this community and to gardening as well. Hopefully I can benefit from your experience and in turn I will share my gardening bloopers (and hopefully some successes as well).

I'm wating for my alotment to be cleared and cultivated, should be ready in about 2 weeks. I was wondering if I could already plant a couple of fruit trees (all half stems) and some soft fruit shrubs. I'm thinking of:

- apple tree (jona gold) - pear tree (giesser wildeman) - hazelnut tree (not sure which one yet) - plum (reine victoria)

- blackberries - raspberries - red currants

Unfortunately, I haven't a clue to when is the best time of year to plant them. Can anyone give some advice?

Eva

Small Water Lily

Hosta — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:29:09 GMT

This is the first time I have had a water lily and am not sure what am doing with it.

Its a Nymphaea Pygmaea Rubra and its in small tub in a small pond and I was very pleased that it flowered this year.

I am not sure what to do with it now - the leaves have gone brown and its looking a bit sad, do I cut it back ?

It looks like there is another flower about to appear, but its November and didnt think it would still flower at this time of year.

VITEX SHRUB

woodys — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:27:58 GMT

CAN ANYONE GIVE US ADVICE ON MAKING SURE THE FLOWER BUDS ON OUR VITEX OPEN. WE HAVE HAD 2 YEARS OF BUDS BUT THE FLOWERS NEVER COME OUT.WE ARE WONDERING IF WE SHALL EVER HAVE ANY FLOWERS EVEN THOUGH THE BUSH IS GROWING VERY WELL.

HOPE SOMEONE KNOWS THANKS THE WOODYS