FUN and GAMES at the GARDEN CENTRE

Conker and Truffle should definitely be on the telly!!

He's so lovely bless him xxx

the garden centre looks a good one, I could spend some money there, the Heuchera looks a nice one but in all the photo's your boys the star!

Thanks Lulu and Pam ...
very easy to spend money at garden centres ! ;o)

What a very orderly and comprehensive garden centre - where is it, TT? What lovely dogs, and so intelligent, too. I think I'll swap from cats - too independent and not very bright, I think.

Lovely TT. Just love that dog to bits. Nice photos.

Great pics,Terra..I love the one in the flower pot..:o)Glad Truffle kept an eye on your lovely plants..what a lovely day out for you all..:o)

Brilliant blog TT! COnker is wonderful (and Truffles too) Love the pic with the church spire..very funny.
So good! :)

Class Terra - love the garden centre :)))))) I would love that big mushroom!!!!! Lovely choices of plants too :)))))))))))) your dog is so sweet, also would love to have those sloping paving circles :)))))))))))))))))))

Thanks folks ..
Bloomer ... Conker really liked being in the flower pot ..
.. he was rather reluctant to leave it ... Lol.

The mushroom is nice isn't it Paul ...
Thought you'd like the Ilex too ;o)
Conker looks tiny by those lovely big paving circles ...

Lol.

Conker is a very well trained dog isn't he and the tricks with the pots is very clever. How on earth do you get him to pose for all these photos.Truffles is lovely too but who is in charge! lol.

Hi Rose ... Thanks.
Truffle hasn't quite got the idea of guarding anything. Lol.
At home, Truffle likes to pose for photos, but when we are out he is distracted easily by anything and everything !

Given the choice, Conker would enjoy every day being photographed at the Garden Centre... but I would spend far too much money on plants ;o)

haha yes Terra :)))))))))) she looks so colourful next to the grey ornaments too

lovely Trip out Terra and conker was so good, and truffle to of course guarding the goodies, bet shoppers loved the pot stacking by conker, did you have your cap out ready Terra, would help with the new purchaces hahaha
great pic to :o))) x

Did you have the whole GC to yourselves TT? Not many customers there Lol!! I adore your doggies so photogenic! x Great blog. x

Hi Sandra ...
Truffle was very excited at the responsibility of watching over the new plants...Lol.

That's a good idea ... Conker should have collected cash from the audience and then he could buy those two lions. ;o) xxx

Hello Grandmage.
The garden centre wasn't all that busy, but I try not to include people in the photos, just in case there are any objections.

In the first photo of Conker's pots tricks, you can see the feet of some customers. Glad you like the blog. xxx

I think I would bring Conker & Trufle home :o)) but I loved the blog especially sitting between the two lions hehe, lovely choice of plants your have chosen :o))

Hi Sixpence.
I'm pleased you like the choice of plants ...
.. Conker helped me to choose ;o) x

I cetainly do Terratoonie that Heuchera Electra is a gorgeous colour and I know the other two are beauties as I have both hehe.

Conker is not a dog........he is really a human, although rather small!! love the blog loved the pics and loved the GC.....and of course loved the dog/small person!! lol

Sixpence... Interesting to know you have the two Skimmias.
Do you grow them in full shade or part shade ?

Thanks Dotty ..
Conker has just finished practising some tricks. Today he was not a dog, but he was a nanny, a cleaner, and a train driver. Lol.
The garden centre is lovely. :o)

Well TT....I think Conker looks as if he had a great time running about while Trufle took his responsibility very seriously.

Full shade Terratoonie down the side of the house by the very large Bayleaf tree and Fatsia so semi shade would be ok too, I would think as the Bayleaf was nt as big when I planted the left one on your photo it should come out in pinky cream flowers very pretty too.

Thanks Sixpence for the extra information.
I placed them in the shade this afternoon :o)

Yes tis best some one said the other day that now they ve moved theirs to more shade its done far better. :o))

My Skimmia Magic Marlot did much better when I moved it to the shade, so it is good to know the same applies to the others. :o) Thanks again... xxx

Yes mine is doing well since i had it moved further back last year to where it was at the front in full sun perhaps thats what makes plant s magic hehe :o))))

It's nice to go to a garden centre. It's our favourite place to visit :o)
I see Conker enjoyed his trip. I can imagine everyone applauding him :o) And you could be sure all your plants were safe with Truffle looking after them :o)
I'm glad you all had a pleasant day ...

Thanks Hywel ...
Yes. I agree about a favourite place to visit.

Not too sure about how safe the plants were, though ... ... Truffle's attention span isn't one of his strong points. Lol.

that's brilliant Terra, and Conker so clever...

Thank you, Surreylad ...
I had a great time looking around the garden centre, and Conker really enjoyed himself :o)))

that heuchera is very pretty.

Yes. My shopping list said two Skimmias and a bright Heuchera ! :o)

you were very good to stick to the list!!

Excellent blog TT - and I think Conker is much more handsome than those two lions!! lol ... and that trick with the coloured pots ... what a dog eh??

Thank you Sheilar...
I really appreciate your comments ...

Conker loves doing tricks ...
... doesn't do them for treats rewards ...
... just for the fun of it :o)))

That's the best reason to do them then! We had a border collie who used to love his frisbee. He would leap in the air with all four paws airborne, catch it, bring it back to you and do it all again and again and again and ... :-)))

Lol. I can imagine the frisbee game ...
...Collies and Shelties just love joining in with everything, don't they :o)))

What a very clever dog Conker is Terra do you get him helping you with the housework and gardening? Great blog and it's wonderful to see him enjoying life and such continued good health....surely he's a one in ten dog?

I think you should buy the lions for conker terra he`s earned them.

Thanks Lily ...
Conker has his own toy brooms, vacuum cleaners etc.... he does far more housework than I do. Lol.

In the summer he'll be out in the garden with his own toy mower, and little garden tools... it is such fun :o)

This April will be 3 years since Conker first became ill with the cancer ... the "durable remission" following his months of chemotherapy is certainly lasting well. Yes, I pray he is the "one in ten dog" where the cancer doesn't return... xxx

Hi Kev ... Thanks for commenting ...
Yes, I think you're are right. Conker deserves those lions. :o)))

Terratoonie,Yet again what a wonderful blog, PLEASE PLEASE could you send me a Flower pot dog, preferrabley exactly like yours hehe :)

Hi Sue ... Thank you ..
Those flower pot dogs are very rare Lol.. :o) x

Terra - "surely everybody has room for just one more Ilex ?"

You know me so well, I looked at lots of nice ones today but actually realised I can't best mine at the moment without simply replicating. That doesn't mean never though ;)

But on a visit to Westonbirt Arboretum also today I saw two Ilex aquifolium argentea* marginata pendula that were exquisite. Full, round and flowing. Like fat mushrooms, about 7' x 7'

* or aurea, I'm useless not only forgot that but didn't take pictures!

Conker is so so sweet :) Loved reading this :)))

Wonderful blog Tt...Conker sure is a clever boy and sooo handsome, wouldnt mind an hour in that Gc....:>)

Another wonderful blog featuring the very clever and handsome Conker and his chum Truffle. Love the trip to the garden centre and all those lovely plants , Heuchera is on the top of my list to buy this year I havent any and have admired all the ones shown on Goy, so will be my first buy of the New Year . Just wish I could have been there to watch Conker performing his tricks, it so obvious he loves doing them. I would love one of those mushrooms!

Sadly its been a very wet and gloomy week upto now not ventured out, but have just finished another painting, this time its a scene of Castle Coombe, very challenging with all the houses and different angles but I am quite pleased with it ;0)

What a super blog and photos TT, aww lovely Conker winning more hearts at the GC, he is so gorgeous - as of course is Truffle guardian of the plants - adorable!

Now ... where can I buy a pot of dog?

ThePotteries,or ( Bark)shire ? sorry Nariz ! :o)

Lol. Nariz and Bloomer ...
.... or the town of Barking in Essex ? ;o)

Thanks Neena ...
Truffle had a very important job ... watching over two Skimmias and a Heuchera is a big responsibility ;o)

Carole ... I'm sure you'll find some lovely Heucheras ... these days they come in so many wonderful shapes and colours !
In the summer I'll try to take more photos of Conker doing his tricks in the garden.
Well done on challenging yourself with a different type of painting with lots of awkward shape buildings. You are very talented with your artwork :o)

Thank you Moti ... yes, I could [and do] spend hours in that garden centre ! ... xxx for Remi :o)

Severnside ... Those Ilex at the Arboretum sound wonderful.... I had just a short shopping list for the garden centre, and was keeping to the list because of my budget. However, it did include yet one more Ilex for which I have a space ready. But, although I was tempted by some lovely hollies, I felt the same as you, in that I would be replicating, so I decided ... reluctantly .. to wait a while to be sure I pick the right Ilex for that vacant position...

Yes.. "everybody has room for just one more Ilex" ;o)

:)))))))))

Great blog TT, glad you and doggies had a nice day out. It was lovely yesterday wasnt it, very spring like... :)

Thanks Holly...
Yes, it was very mild yesterday ... the nice weather made the visit even more enjoyable :o)

So pleased you all had a lovely day out at the GC.

Hello Clarice ..
Thank you. We had a wonderful time :o)))

Glad you enjoyed your day out. Conker certainly seems happy there. I was interested to see the stone circles as I have been thinking of incorporating one in my back garden - looking at the price I will think again :(

Hi Gee. Thanks ..

They way they have the pavement circles displayed on slopes is a good idea .. gives a clearer indication of the patterns. Yes, they are quite pricey.

Another excellent blog starring Conker and Truffle - are they charging Equity rates Terra?

Lol. Frybo ... Thank you so much ..

Good point about Equity rates ..

With this blog, I reckon Truffle would be paid only as an "extra" ...

... whereas Conker might even request more money for doing his own stunts ...

such as perching on the bench, and posing in the big flowerpot ... and acting alongside scratchy tortoises ...

... plus sitting bravely by those huge sloping pavings !

Smashing day out for Team TT!! You need to buy Conker a cap....he could do busking tricks and earn his pennies for his new buddies :)
If you ever do get them TT...we will all look forward to the tricks you will teach them :))))

Hi Scottish ...
Thanks. We really enjoyed ourselves.
Yes, I must ask Conker to earn pennies for more plants ... and maybe for those two large lions ...

... in the springtime he'll get out his toy mower and make some money cutting grass ;o)

Great fun and games TT. Conker looks very good in between those lions. I lost a lovely Ilex last year, must replace it.

Hi Bob...

Thanks ... Which Ilex did you lose ? Will you replace with the same variety ?

It was a Golden King TT, lovely bush, I had it for ten years, will replace with the same when I can get around to it. We are having a lot of dieback with canker on bay and hollies and similar shrubs due to large beetles which are a cross between vine weevil and another species, they have completely destroyed many large winter viburnum which has made some large gaps in some of our shrubberies which will be difficult to replace. When they are dying the whole area smells like rotten potatoes.

That's worrying news, Bob, about the large beetles. Are they one of these species which has arrived from mainland Europe and making their way northwards across the UK ?

I hope any new shrubs you buy are able to stay healthy. Are there any precautions you can take to prevent the beetles attacking ?

It is as the world is warming many insects have a longer living period through spring, summer and autumn. Aphids lay eggs at 40 F. but have living young at 60F. If you are getting any of your shrubs/bushes etc. eaten in early growth, an old way is to set traps of early leaves on a small branch of elders placed on the ground overnight. Early in the morning, pick one up, take it carefully to a paved area, shake it and the beetles will fall out, put your foot on them. Also a piece of kitchen towel in a small flower pot, beer cans with a small amount of beer left in them (what a waste) form traps other than toxic sprays.

Thanks Bob.
Glad your explanation is on my blog, as I'll be able to refer back to it easily. :o)

excellent photos, cheeky & cheerful !

Hi Bampy ...
Thank you. Conker loves exploring garden centres and posing for pictures ... Truffle was a bit more interested in looking to see what was happening on the horizon ;o)

Hi TT, Sorry I hadn't seen this blog before. I'm playing catch up today!

It's so enjoyable reading your blogs when the dogs do tricks. Like everybody else I adore Conker as well! :-)) He really is a most remarkable dog!

You are an excellent photographer as well. You also make a very good artistic director!

You got some nice plants as well, I sometimes wish I had a decent garden instead of just a balcony! But with the allotments I can enjoy some expansion from the confines of a balcony!

Thanks Balcony for your very kind comments.

I think you do extremely well with your fantastic plant-growing on the balcony and allotment, but it is understandable you sometimes long for a bit of a garden around your home.

Conker makes taking photos very easy. Usually done in "one take"... but I won't confess how many pics. I took of Truffle to get that one acceptable photo, where he is supposedly guarding the new plant purchases. Lol.

Thank you as well, for your kind compliments on the balcony! :-))

It must be so rewarding having a dog like Conker that will do tricks for you & enjoy doing them. I think most dogs would be more like Truffle, a right handful!

Terra, although I find the church steeple garden stake topper very decorative, I can't help but think the stake would cause less damage without it;-)
Lovely to see Conker showing how clever he is, I'd take a hat to pass around if he was mine lol;-) Have you had much success with training Truffle yet? Looking at that twinkle in his eye, he seems to be on the lookout for fun:-)

Balcony...
surprisingly, Truffle can do quite a lot of tricks ... but when we are out, he is distracted very easily, and usually he is too excited to concentrate for long. Lol.

Lol. Bornagain ...
"Church steeple garden stake topper" ... shall we go into business together making those ? Could make our fortune ;o)

Re. Truffle tricks ? ... improving ... please see comment above for Balcony... Lol...
... maybe Truffle could collect the money for Conker's trick displays.

Making our fortune sounds good to me Terra, but perhaps the Norman style would be safer;-)

... yes ...
The gnomes might complain ...
... about elf and safety ;o)

Lol:-)

Thanks, Homebird ..
Conker absolutely loves going around garden centres. He is very well-behaved, so the staff welcome him. :o)

Lol. ... but I'm better behaved than Truffle ... ;o)