The gardening thread

[Calamity1971]

This is what gardening is all about. Plus it's bloody freezing

 

[bimble]

Something has wreaked a trail of violent destruction through the plants that i had in pots on the ground.
Whatever it is dug up some stuff and ate the rest, ate all the ranunculi and flung bits of most everything else around. I don't know if deer or fox or badger or what

eta must have been deer, my little beautiful apple tree is destroyed too, apart from the very top where a few buds are still there. Am pretty heartbroken.

 

[two sheds]

that's terrible is there a fence round?

 

[bimble]

that's terrible is there a fence round?

Round my garden? Well sort of, but the kind of fence that would keep deer out would be like being in a prison yard.

 

[bimble]

Am really sad, but I should have put wire around the tree, i half thought this might happen at some point.

 

[TopCat]

Are you allowed to shoot deer if they come in the garden?

 

[TopCat]

Hoping it will rain today. I can’t be arsed.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Confident enough in the weather to plant out some pea seedlings, I should of course have out these in larger pots fucking ages ago first as some lost a wee bit of roots coming out of the seedling tray.

I also lifted the lid on a compost bin that's been full for about 6-8 months and I'm fascinated by just how much life is in there. The worms are going crazy. Few hopeful squash seeds attempting to claw their way out to so I saved a couple and bunged em elsewhere.

 

[Tankus]

Garden triffid has all gone pink.... This is all off one root

 

[Calamity1971]

Montana? I've got that up my pergola. Not even in bud yet. Bloody north. That must smell gorgeous

 

[Tankus]

nice spot , yep Montana , its holding up the fence, which is next doors , be a sad day if they replace it

It's been left to grow unchecked for 15 years

 

[two sheds]

I'll swear I've got one of them, looks nothing like though

 

[Tankus]

One of my near neighbours has got a bigger one, not that we're in a competition or anything. They do well down on the southern coast

 

[two sheds]

Something has wreaked a trail of violent destruction through the plants that i had in pots on the ground.
Whatever it is dug up some stuff and ate the rest, ate all the ranunculi and flung bits of most everything else around. I don't know if deer or fox or badger or what

eta must have been deer, my little beautiful apple tree is destroyed too, apart from the very top where a few buds are still there. Am pretty heartbroken.

Read something today and thought of this - writer said to put rags soaked in vinegar around the garden to discourage animals like deer. Did seem to believe vinegar was the solution to all garden ills though

This says it too. Other article says you need to replace after it rains but this one says it discourages animals even after it's dried so worth trying to cover it to keep it dry? Assuming of course it's not just some random hippy

 

[two sheds]

One of my near neighbours has got a bigger one, not that we're in a competition or anything. They do well down on the southern coast

full sun?

 

[Tankus]

full sun?

About 3/4 day
My cuttings from last year are giving it a go in a planter on my other fence , these get more sun too

Not bad for one years growth, although quite a few died in winter on the right hand side, no idea what has taken over in that right pot. Green spiny leaves thing, I'm going to pull them out and retry some more cuttings , its not as if I'm short of them

 

[two sheds]

Just remembered that mine is growing up through another smallish tree - lots of flowers spread through the tree but I'll swear they're bigger than that. Time now to take cuttings I see.

ta for this

I've got a jasmine in the conservatory at the moment which is going mental with loads of little white flowers which smell lovely I ought to try cuttings from that too.

 

[iona]

Currently in the process of evicting EVERYTHING because aphids somehow got to some indoor seedlings (not overreacting - a full on infestation would be a nightmare with a hundred-odd houseplants). Lucky it's to warm up next week and I should be able to move some stuff out of the greenhouse to make space.

 

[two sheds]

I had some aphids which I've (hopefully) got rid of with neem oil & washing up liquid & water mix.

 

[iona]

I'm not too bothered about aphids outside, been dunking stuff in a bowl of soapy water as I was pricking out/potting on but they shouldn't do that much damage before it warms up and then I'll just buy some lacewing larvae if they're getting to be a problem.

 

[two sheds]

yes mine were in conservatory they do seem to have buggered off/died now though.

 

[Calamity1971]

no idea what has taken over in that right pot.

Looks like rosebay willow herb. Can't zoom in enough to see the leaves close up tho?

 

[bimble]

Read something today and thought of this - writer said to put rags soaked in vinegar around the garden to discourage animals like deer. Did seem to believe vinegar was the solution to all garden ills though

This says it too. Other article says you need to replace after it rains but this one says it discourages animals even after it's dried so worth trying to cover it to keep it dry? Assuming of course it's not just some random hippy

I have done what I can to learn about deer deterrents and in the end what I have is a book called ‘deer resistant design', which is basically about plants that they might not choose eat, if they have other options. Its part of living here, am trying to just sort of accept that they were here before me but yeah, not great.

 

[campanula]

Fraid so, Bimble. It took me years to get my head around the whole tree guard thing (cos I am a bit once they are 'in the wild' they are on their own). Attrition is a massive part of my gardening life, tbh. It used to upset me more than it does now cos enough plants survive to make me keep doing it. I spent 300quid in a demented allium frenzy, one year in the woods. Every one got ate. Like wise all the camassias (500)...but, Otoh, leucojums and primrose are colonising everywhere.This is in the wood...which is menaced by wildlife Deer, rabbits, squirrels, mice, voles...We get smarter (and more hard-nosed. I once destroyed more than half of my own garden with a spray disaster. Onwards and upwards (sew some zinnias - cheap,cheerful and my saviour during the awful spray year.

 

[two sheds]

I've bought three or four packets of 'native woodland seeds' over the last two years and planted them out and was hoping for wood anemones and things but just got ... grass. I said that to a neighbour who said 'ah yes but there's really nice woodland grass', but when I look at them I just see ... grass.

Is this normal?

 

[TopCat]

I have bind weed coming up in my raised beds. Glyphosate mixed with a bit of cornflower and painted on will do it but it’s sad.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Frosty mornings are over, so going to plant my beans out before they try to strangle me in the night.

 

[TopCat]

It’s pissing down. I’m going on a snail hunt.

 

[campanula]

Back when we got the wood, two sheds, I bought a kilo of native wildflowers and grass, and duly scattered it around. 8 years or so later, I am seeing stray bluebells, anemones, betony,and even martagon lilies, popping up around the place. It takes 5 years for a bluebell to reach flowering size, even in the most favourable conditions (7 years for mertensia, trilliums, aconites). 2 years is nothing. I am on the 4th year of my meadow...and finally expecting to see meadow rue, sanguisorba, centaury. So don't give up heart. Seeds can sit in the soil for years. Add a few more every year. Life is very tenacious...but will only evolve at it's own pace...which is invariably much slower than we impatient human gardeners might wish.

 

[TopCat]

I had nothing turn up in my pond. Even the cats were not drinking from it. I tasted the water. Salty. Ok. Empty water, wash gravel, refill.