Welcome or not?

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John J

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #30 on: January 05, 2019, 02:05:19 PM »
Just spotted this on the wall outside our front door. Don't recall having seen one like it before. Anyone put a name to it?
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #31 on: March 09, 2019, 02:04:20 PM »
Spring is on the way, the dinosaurs are on the move.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

David Dickinson

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #32 on: April 20, 2019, 10:49:19 AM »
Ever had the feeling you are being watched and on looking up discover that your instincts are right?
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

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John J

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #33 on: September 06, 2019, 05:09:52 PM »
In April 2018 I posted a photo of a lizard who had caught a praying mantis. On that occasion the insect escaped but I doubt if the one below will be so lucky.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #34 on: September 07, 2019, 06:16:18 AM »
As my wife was taking her car out of the garage this morning she called me to see this newly 'hatched' Swallowtail.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

Hilary

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #35 on: October 31, 2019, 06:52:55 AM »
Felis catus and Plumbago auriculata

Cat and Plumbago

An alert cat in the garden of a friend in September 2018

There is hardly a journal without a mention of a cat; In fact I think there is even an article all about cats, but where?
Read
 GARDENING IN THE SHADE OF THE PYRAMID by Duncan Thomas in
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number  49, July 2007.
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

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John J

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #36 on: November 12, 2019, 10:14:55 AM »
Not something you particularly want to walk into first thing in the morning. Possible excuse for the rather blurred image.  :-\
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #37 on: November 16, 2019, 10:12:45 AM »
This little chap has appeared over the last few weeks, gives his position away by calling very loudly for such a small guy.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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Alisdair

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #38 on: November 16, 2019, 03:13:40 PM »
What a little sweetie!
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

David Dickinson

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #39 on: December 09, 2019, 12:03:30 AM »
The "welcome or not" here really refers to the plant rather than the robin which was eagerly awaiting any little "snack" that crawled/ran/flew its way. I grew Helianthus tuberosus this year thinking I would get masses of cheerful yellow flowers. Not one. So I decided to dig it out and put a Salvia desoleana  in its place. I did get lots of Topinambur though - even though I find them pretty tasteless, to be honest. The robin was much more interesting :-)
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

David Dickinson

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #40 on: February 18, 2020, 11:06:31 AM »
This post is definitely a welcome, albeit to two incompatible creatures. I have long had bird nesting boxes stored away in a cupboard, frightened to use them as we have a few cats around. Then I hit on the idea of attaching one to an old metal lamp stand that I also had stashed away for later use. As always, though, things are not as easy as they seem. Now I can't find a position in my small garden which is far enough away from a tree, bush, wall or roof to be safely out of the reach of cats :-(
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

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Charithea

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #41 on: February 18, 2020, 12:50:45 PM »
David, both the tubers and the robin would have been welcomed in our garden.  My uncle used to grow Helianthus  for cooking. I loved visiting him in the nearby village to get a bucketful of the tubers. We used to wash them, hit them with a small stone to crack them, rinse them and fry them in a big pot with some olive oil.  When they were almost soft we used to add a cup of dry wine, crushed coriander seeds and a bit of salt. The pot would be covered and the tubers  cooked a bit more on gentle heat until the wine was absorbed/evaporated . Very tasty.  I have tried growing them but not much success . I can only buy them around the 18th October, when the village festival is on and villagers come down with their 'goods'.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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JTh

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #42 on: February 18, 2020, 01:38:57 PM »
David, maybe we could swap Heliathhus tubers? Mine are not  red, but yellowish. I grow them here in my garden in Norway, where they are doing very well, maybe more so than we really need.

I never thought about trying them in Greece, maybe I should? I never watered them here; actually, the only work I do with these is to dig them out when they spread too much, and harvest them, either in the autumn or in spring. This year I could probably harvest them now  in February as well, since we have had no winter yet, no snow and hardly any frost. If the climate change continues in this direction, Norway will soon have a Mediterranean climate as well.
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

David Dickinson

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #43 on: February 19, 2020, 12:15:52 AM »
I'd be happy to send you both what is left of the tubers. My neighbours took some and those which are left are dried up, But I imagine that they would rehydrate easily like other tubers do. I have Charithea's address so will pop some in the post asap.  If, Jth, you send me an address  at daviddickinson101@gmail.com I will do likewise. I really wouldn't want to swap as I don't intend to grow them again. Thanks for the offer though :-)
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

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Fermi

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Re: Welcome or not?
« Reply #44 on: February 19, 2020, 03:16:20 AM »
... I grew Helianthus tuberosus this year thinking I would get masses of cheerful yellow flowers...
In Australia they are called Jerusalem artichokes, I think in reference to the Italian name Girasol.
My partner's family have always called them fartichokes for some reason  ::)
cheers
fermi
Mr F de Sousa, Central Victoria, Australia
member of AGS, SRGC, NARGS
working as a physio to support my gardening habit!