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The gardening thread

More preparation for the vegetable garden. I dug in a 25 KG sack of blood and bone pellets today. The beds are looking really good. Marked out a big semicircle on the lawn with a hose pipe and then glyphosated the grass within. This will be my bean frame spot this year. I'm gradually encroaching on the lawn from all sides.
As soon as the seed potato's show shoots, 2023 planting will begin.
 
I've got to keep Frankie in the garden. Cornish hedge (rocks up the outside, clay in the centre) all the way round up to 5 foot with loads of smallish trees/bushes but a couple of dozen gaps with lower hedge for him to clamber through. I've plugged most of them with a dead hedge after pruning a few bushes but he still burrows his way through.

I've bought 50 hedging posts on reflection I really don't like the idea of chicken wire all the way around. I'm thinking of buying 50 mixed hazel/wild cherry/beech/hornbeam bare rooted trees and dropping one into each post hole, perhaps in a piece of newspaper wrapping some compost. I've also got a lot of ash/oak that I can coppice to make bars to go across, not enough for all the way round though.

Ironic really I've been saving hawthorns and I've got a good 70 or 80 but I also really don't like the idea of Frankie injuring himself on thorns. I suppose I could put a tree guard round them - I'm thinking Frankie will stop jumping so high in a few years (he's 6).

Any suggestions/thoughts?
 
two sheds said:
I've got to keep Frankie in the garden. Cornish hedge (rocks up the outside, clay in the centre) all the way round up to 5 foot with loads of smallish trees/bushes but a couple of dozen gaps with lower hedge for him to clamber through. I've plugged most of them with a dead hedge after pruning a few bushes but he still burrows his way through.

I've bought 50 hedging posts on reflection I really don't like the idea of chicken wire all the way around. I'm thinking of buying 50 mixed hazel/wild cherry/beech/hornbeam bare rooted trees and dropping one into each post hole, perhaps in a piece of newspaper wrapping some compost. I've also got a lot of ash/oak that I can coppice to make bars to go across, not enough for all the way round though.

Ironic really I've been saving hawthorns and I've got a good 70 or 80 but I also really don't like the idea of Frankie injuring himself on thorns. I suppose I could put a tree guard round them - I'm thinking Frankie will stop jumping so high in a few years (he's 6).

Any suggestions/thoughts?
Click to expand...
Bosky is into hedges isn't he? Does he have any suggestions?

I'd be going with what you've done/are doing, also witch hazel is another tree that you can coppice I think?
 
cesare said:
Bosky is into hedges isn't he? Does he have any suggestions?

I'd be going with what you've done/are doing, also witch hazel is another tree that you can coppice I think?
Click to expand...
Yes, I've not talked to him for ages though, I'm not sure where he lives. Good point though there's bound to be something in the website he edited/built.

Nice, it's the top result for cornish hedges.

CORNISH HEDGES

Free information on all aspects of Cornish Hedges.
www.cornishhedges.co.uk www.cornishhedges.co.uk
 
cesare said:
Bosky is into hedges isn't he? Does he have any suggestions?

I'd be going with what you've done/are doing, also witch hazel is another tree that you can coppice I think?
Click to expand...
ta again for that :) I wouldn't have thought to have looked at it, and it is the proper reference work :oops:

I'm most of the way through relevant bits and realized that a lot of the hedges can be cut back on top - loads of ivy (has taken over much of the hedges but I can't cut them back too much because their roots are what are holding the hedge together) and lilac that I can use to block up the holes. I can use some of the poles I bought in the centre of the hedge to beef up some of the lower bits, but I'm sure I'll only need a few of them. I've also got some honeysuckle that I've brought on from cuttings, and wildflowers that the site lists as native to cornish hedges like celandine and campion that I can plug in there.

Am starting to look forward to this :)
 
Last edited:
two sheds said:
I've got to keep Frankie in the garden. Cornish hedge (rocks up the outside, clay in the centre) all the way round up to 5 foot with loads of smallish trees/bushes but a couple of dozen gaps with lower hedge for him to clamber through. I've plugged most of them with a dead hedge after pruning a few bushes but he still burrows his way through.

I've bought 50 hedging posts on reflection I really don't like the idea of chicken wire all the way around. I'm thinking of buying 50 mixed hazel/wild cherry/beech/hornbeam bare rooted trees and dropping one into each post hole, perhaps in a piece of newspaper wrapping some compost. I've also got a lot of ash/oak that I can coppice to make bars to go across, not enough for all the way round though.

Ironic really I've been saving hawthorns and I've got a good 70 or 80 but I also really don't like the idea of Frankie injuring himself on thorns. I suppose I could put a tree guard round them - I'm thinking Frankie will stop jumping so high in a few years (he's 6).

Any suggestions/thoughts?
Click to expand...
I put so many replacements in the gaps here, over the years, the rabbits ate most of them. The things that have done the best are hydrangea and buddleia cuttings I took off plants up the lane in passing. You def shouldn’t waste those hawthorn though. They don’t grow that well here, 50 odd, 20 years and never much blossom or berries. Whereas my friends down the lane have loads all round their garden and kept me in syrup since October 21.
 
Saunders said:
I put so many replacements in the gaps here, over the years, the rabbits ate most of them. The things that have done the best are hydrangea and buddleia cuttings I took off plants up the lane in passing. You def shouldn’t waste those hawthorn though. They don’t grow that well here, 50 odd, 20 years and never much blossom or berries. Whereas my friends down the lane have loads all round their garden and kept me in syrup since October 21.
Click to expand...
I do have a buddleia that I can use thank you I'd forgotten about that too :) I've got a white buddleia that I got from a cutting out of the valley that I should have used as cuttings and are a proper butterfly magnet but didn't think of them :mad: (perhaps next year).

There used to be masses of rabbits round here but far fewer of recent years, not sure why. I'm ordering a few tree protectors just to be sure though. And yes will add to the number of tree protectors for the hawthorn that will actually be Frankie protectors, hawthorns are all over the place here.

I've saved the hawthorns mainly to replace some of the ones in local hedges a farmer grubbed out a few years ago. Fucking criminal really, there was several hundred metres of cornish hedges in the fields by the valley as you walked down had a stunning white hawthorn blossom all through May. It's Lord Falmouth land and someone is negotiating with them to put mine back there.
 
Piece of work isn't it, with all the reference material. Robin Meneer is (was?) top cornish hedger, Bosky did a superb job of getting it all up there - I've worked with perfectionists and it's like pulling teeth.
 
Hello gardening folk, I'm after some advice and encouragement please :) Our garden is in sore need of an overhaul, following some work last winter when we replaced the left side fence and had a new shed put in.

Sorry for crap pics:

20230226_104450.jpg
20230226_104458.jpg
Neither of us is particularly skilled, enthusiastic or time-rich when it comes to horticulture but I would like to make it a nice space to be in, so any thoughts on what you'd do with it would be welcome.

The left hand side gets sun most of the day (when it's out). Soil is London clay.

I'd like to plant some nice flowering climbers along the fence, and also grow some veg - have had success with tomatoes, peppers, chillies, courgettes in the past, when I can be bothered :facepalm:
 
May Kasahara said:
Hello gardening folk, I'm after some advice and encouragement please :) Our garden is in sore need of an overhaul, following some work last winter when we replaced the left side fence and had a new shed put in.

Sorry for crap pics:

View attachment 364668
View attachment 364669
Neither of us is particularly skilled, enthusiastic or time-rich when it comes to horticulture but I would like to make it a nice space to be in, so any thoughts on what you'd do with it would be welcome.

The left hand side gets sun most of the day (when it's out). Soil is London clay.

I'd like to plant some nice flowering climbers along the fence, and also grow some veg - have had success with tomatoes, peppers, chillies, courgettes in the past, when I can be bothered :facepalm:
Click to expand...
How much of an overhaul are you thinking about? I'm guessing you've got somewhere to sit out from where you've taken the photos. Is it big enough or would you like to extend it into the garden more or move it? Do you want to keep the lawn (the size it is) for the kids to play on? Basically, think about what you want to use it for and focus on the layout first.
 
I've been working in the front garden over the last two or three weekends and the last year's odd weather has had a big impact on it. Some of the shrubs are looking very shabby if not dead. I don't think the hebes have survived and I've definitely lost one of the pittosporums. Another pittosporum has lost most of its leaves but seems to have retained some lower down. I have a large arching cotoneaster (don't know the variety) which again has lost all its leaves. I'm hoping it will spring into life as otherwise it'll leave a huge hole in the planting. Even the various euonymus have died back. They are all still seem to be alive but will need some pruning back to the live bits. All the lavenders are still with me but don't look very healthy.

I'm guessing all of the bulbs had done their thing before the weather went mad so there are plenty of daffs and crocuses and most of the tulips have emerged from the ground. All except one hellebore (Ice Queen?) seem to be doing well. I'm surprised to be honest, I thought they'd suffer in my very free draining soil and the extreme heat.

The Mexican fleabane growing between the flagstones on the terrace directly in front of the house loved the weather last year and as a consequence I've been weeding out the excess this morning before it all starts to grow properly. It's a big terrace so I've got more to do this afternoon although the weather is looking a little iffy so I'm not sure I fancy doing it if it's raining. All of the cordylines have died back but I'm hoping they'll sprout from the ground.

Another thing that seemed to like the odd weather was hairy bittercress. It's growing everywhere! I've got to tackle that properly before it starts seeding and getting totally out of hand. Not many other weeds though (yet).
 
two sheds said:
ta again for that :) I wouldn't have thought to have looked at it, and it is the proper reference work :oops:

I'm most of the way through relevant bits and realized that a lot of the hedges can be cut back on top - loads of ivy (has taken over much of the hedges but I can't cut them back too much because their roots are what are holding the hedge together) and lilac that I can use to block up the holes. I can use some of the poles I bought in the centre of the hedge to beef up some of the lower bits, but I'm sure I'll only need a few of them. I've also got some honeysuckle that I've brought on from cuttings, and wildflowers that the site lists as native to cornish hedges like celandine and campion that I can plug in there.

Am starting to look forward to this :)
Click to expand...
Will you be doing some before during and after pics?
 
I did go round taking some before pics which I'd intended would help me with where to put the fence posts so yes quite possibly :)
 
May Kasahara said:
Hello gardening folk, I'm after some advice and encouragement please :) Our garden is in sore need of an overhaul, following some work last winter when we replaced the left side fence and had a new shed put in.

Sorry for crap pics:

View attachment 364668
View attachment 364669
Neither of us is particularly skilled, enthusiastic or time-rich when it comes to horticulture but I would like to make it a nice space to be in, so any thoughts on what you'd do with it would be welcome.

The left hand side gets sun most of the day (when it's out). Soil is London clay.

I'd like to plant some nice flowering climbers along the fence, and also grow some veg - have had success with tomatoes, peppers, chillies, courgettes in the past, when I can be bothered :facepalm:
Click to expand...
Following with interest. Similar issues and that's what ours looks like on a good day :oops:
 
This must be close to a drought given the lack of winter rain.

I had the hose going for most of the night on my vegetable beds. Slurped the water up like a sponge.
 
two sheds said:
Turned over the veg patch to turnips?
Click to expand...
I do like a turnip, especially the purple and white ones.

Turnip greens (Nab Grelos) are very popular here

Nabo.png
 
Potted up more chilli's, the basket of fire seeds (that were hard to germinate) have come up. Thanks iona for the advice.

I planted Aubergine seeds in an incubator.

Looking at tomato growing. I had good sucess growing Lidl speciality tom,atoes last season. They are pricey and are grown by Lidl's contractor under glass (sunlight and LED lighting) and do much better outside in the hot sun.

I have bought these two types. Will separate and wash off the seeds after lunch. #

Now heading outside to plant broad beans.

Got to chit my spuds and plant shallots. A nice rest day.F33F5F99-FF79-48BB-8D46-FC5CE625F3F7.jpeg
 
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