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Post by bouncy on May 11, 2021 16:37:15 GMT
For the last couple of years, my mum has been really good at letting me have cuttings of birch and bamboo from her garden. I sowed a load of wild flower seeds into one of my troughs last year, but none of them came up. Then, last autumn, my mum gave me all the leaves from her raspberries in a bag. Goo cannot live on raspberry alone, so they're still there. She's also not got her bamboo any more.
So, this year, mother's on her second year with the allotment, everything has been set up so she can focus on growing, AND she asked for a list of things goos can eat. She can only really focus on one thing at a time.
Mum: Ahh, cowslips are at the top of the list. I've got a bag of them for you from the garden and rambling.
Me: Thanks!
Mum: Did they eat them?
Me: Yes, some, the rest I've left to dry so perhaps I won't need to buy forage come winter.
Mum: Do they like willow?
Me: Yes, it's on the list I gave you.
Mum: Oh, didn't really look at that, and it's too long. Plus, I don't know what half that stuff is!
Me: Why don't you Google one each week on the Internet?
Mum: Nah, but I've got loads of willow for you that I took from the National Trust site!
So, along with my mum's random rambling, I've been walking my neighbour, picking stuff up along the way. Also, I got some more seeds from Bunny Bistro, which have started to come up, as well as some of the flowers I planted last year. I've also told mum I'm going to head over at the end of the summer to take the leaves from her fruit trees and other plants before they turn.
So far then, I have:
Raspberry leaves
Willow
Silver birch
Cowslips
Dandelion
A few bluebells
In my troughs, I appear to have:
Common wallcress
Ribwort
Mouse ear Chickweed
Dandelion
Parsley
Mint
Bay
I have Aloe in the house, but I don't think that's something that would work with them.
As I find/gather more, I'll post!
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Post by deguconvert on May 11, 2021 16:49:57 GMT
Very interesting, Bouncy!! Degus can eat bay leaves? Are these the same as the bay leaves we use in cooking?
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Post by bouncy on May 11, 2021 17:31:50 GMT
That's it. Yes, mine have had some before.
Any idea on purple trefoil (oxalis)? It's a kind of woodsorrel.
Edit: found it. Some are OK, some aren't, just got to find out which!
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Post by moletteuk on May 11, 2021 18:34:03 GMT
Sounds great!
Oxalises are very high in oxalates, so they would be very small amounts of young leaves only. Bay leaves should be small amounts too, I think they are hallucinogenic.
Are bluebells safe for degus?? They are toxic for other animals.
Smooth sow thistle would be great,totally unproblematic, easy to grow and widely liked.
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Post by bouncy on May 11, 2021 20:42:38 GMT
Mine have eaten one or two bluebells, and are still kicking. They only get a little bay, because I grow them for cooking. There are lots of young nettles around too, with little white flowers. I'll get my gardening gloves and pick a load. This should reveal some more dandelion (the best ones here grow within the nettles). Edit: just checked DIC - Fred had included some bluebells in his foraging. I've not been offering anything I either haven't seen others offer/collect or can't identify  |
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Post by bouncy on May 12, 2021 12:25:39 GMT
Forgot there is a lilac in the garden! Sausage was straight in there, but Spud tried to run off with it.  |
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Post by deguconvert on May 12, 2021 16:46:32 GMT
LILAC?!? I had no idea! I'd have been giving mine lilac blooms!
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Post by bouncy on May 12, 2021 19:47:56 GMT
I popped into the garden centre earlier to replace my lavender, and got that, chamomile, and something else I can't remember. All goo friendly! The woman there thought I was a bit mad, flicking between degupedia, Leo translator (because it does botanicals well), and Wikipedia to get common names instead of Latin.
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Post by deguconvert on May 13, 2021 2:17:06 GMT
ROFL!! I love it!!
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Post by Bexi87 on May 17, 2021 21:04:54 GMT
I popped into the garden centre earlier to replace my lavender, and got that, chamomile, and something else I can't remember. All goo friendly! The woman there thought I was a bit mad, flicking between degupedia, Leo translator (because it does botanicals well), and Wikipedia to get common names instead of Latin. I might have to take you shopping one day Bouncy! |
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Post by bouncy on May 17, 2021 21:51:33 GMT
Lol!
Sausage is still waiting to meet you in person!
He's had extra cuddles tonight, a bowl of cc with metacam, and I've had to keep the others off him to let him eat his nut. As soon as they came out, Sneaky got cocky again, and had a short FBOD with Sausage. Separated, but Sausage has a nasty bite on one of his front legs. They all had a Cyprus pecan tonight, but Sneaky kept snatching it from him. I had to crack the shell for him and send the bad boy out.
Oh, the other plant I couldn't remember was an Aster!
I've since also added a dwarf orange tree, and a spider plant. The last house plant will have to wait until I get back!
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Post by bouncy on May 20, 2021 11:47:49 GMT
Just did some harvesting from my neighbour's garden (with permission) and my boxes - a nice haul of dandelions, lilac, garlic mustard, nettles, plantain, shepherds purse, hairy bittercress, elderflower, and hawthorn! Just hope I can get it all dried before I go away!
The tree sections are just in the bottom of a large box, but I've so far put the smaller stuff in the paper bags you get in Lidl for the bakery. It'll all be mixed up eventually, but it helps me work out how many different varieties I've got!
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Post by bouncy on May 20, 2021 11:59:48 GMT
Oh, chickweed! Can't forget the chickweed! And the white deadnettle
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Post by bouncy on Jul 5, 2021 11:54:18 GMT
Mum came over yesterday to deliver roses, dwarf Sunflower plants, and silver birch cuttings for the boys, as well as some veg for me from her allotment. They had some petals fresh (a Sausage favourite), and the rest are drying. Today, I've raided my weed troughs! My elderly neighbour has been out watering them every day (instead of our daily walk), although he says he had to convince himself it was ok to water weeds.  Yesterday may be the last food order I'll make! |
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Post by winic1 on Jul 5, 2021 15:09:52 GMT
Tell him they're not weeds, they're wildflowers!
What an awesome haul. Your goos must be soooo happy.
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Post by bouncy on Jul 5, 2021 15:44:17 GMT
I do tell him a weed is only an unwanted plant, and I want mine  I let them each munch a fresh dandelion earlier, which made them happy. |
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Post by deguconvert on Jul 5, 2021 21:51:52 GMT
THOSE ARE AWESOME, Bouncy! WOW! Healthy and wonderful!! Well done!
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Post by moletteuk on Jul 6, 2021 15:18:00 GMT
Nice looking selection there Is that smooth hawksbeard with the many yellow petals? |
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Post by bouncy on Jul 6, 2021 16:35:37 GMT
It is indeed!
Bunny bistro were selling packages of mixed wild seeds for people to grow feed for their tortoises. Everything was compatible with degus, and it's all blooming!
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Post by moletteuk on Jul 6, 2021 19:14:04 GMT
Oh cool, I never had a great success rate growing mixes from seed.
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