The gardening thread

[iona]

It's cold and damp enough here that hoeing off weeds as they geminate is pointless - they just lie on the soil not dying and eventually grow new roots - so I'm having to weed miles of the bastards by hand instead

 

[Elpenor]

I think you're going to need to lower the fence side of that one square that's bottom left in the second pic Elpenor because otherwise it'll either stick up loads or you'll have gravel constantly rolling down onto the paved steps if you add enough to fully cover the grid. But it looks great otherwise

Just done this taking advantage of good weather here. 100% the right thing to do and now ready for filling. Thanks for mentioning!

Good fun - stress relief - to use the pickaxe too

 

[quimcunx]

So what's with roses? The ones here seem to flower randomly whenever the fancy takes them with scant regard to seasons.

 

[story]

Hello Gardeners.

I’ve got a woodland patch in my garden and I’d like to add some plants that will grow under trees, especially spring flowers. I’m thinking of British woodland plants like native bluebells, snowdrops, primula, wood anemone, lesser celandine, maybe some cyclamen and so forth.

I‘ve already got Lords and Ladies, lily of the valley, lesser periwinkle and stinking iris growing there.

I‘d love some more suggestions.

But mainly I’m hoping that someone can point me towards a good place to buy such plants. So many big brash providers out there and I know when I buy from them I’m financing their advertising and marketing, and all the other bullshit I’d rather not plough money into.



The area has an ash tree that’s about 30 years old and appears to be free of ash die back, so far *. A couple of lilac trees, a forsythia that really needs to be moved, and a magnolia. I’ve recently built a retaining wall around the area and built up the soil level. It’s bordered to the back and one side with a wooden fence, and a brick wall on the other side. Dappled sunshine during the day, or proper shade, late evening sunshine towards the end of the summer, when one corner catches the sunset as it pushes in at an angle.



I‘m considering the addition of something white or blue to climb up the rear fence, to extend and gladden the eye, but what would grow up that back wall? I wondered about a climbing hydrangea. Plenty of ivy there at the moment but meh. Happy to keep some of course (home for spiders and other beasties, and food for bees in the winter), but it can be gloomy.




*if /when the ash tree succumbs to ash die back. I’ll probably put in some rowan , maybe a linden tree. In the meantime I just need to take care of it and keep an eye on it. This fence is against the street so whatever is growing above the fence line benefits the streetscape.

 

[story]

I‘m also thinking about ferns.

 

[iona]

story I'll write more later but Gedney bulb wholesalers for bulbs in the green (snowdrops, bluebells, wood anemone, wild garlic etc). Perfect time to start ordering them too. I've been using them since campanula recommended them on here and always been really happy with both the quality and customer service.

Wholesale Spring Flowering Bulbs - Gedney Bulb

www.gedneybulb.co.uk

Sure you know what most stuff looks like but I have one of their paper catalogues here if it would help to see pictures of anything, e.g. different snowdrop varieties.

 

[iona]

Photo would be helpful for climber suggestions if that's something you're ok with doing

 

[two sheds]

Heard a crack in the garden last week and when I wandered out I've got a tentacled triffid invasion

A furry tentacled triffid invasion

 

[iona]

Heard a crack in the garden last week and when I wandered out I've got a tentacled triffid invasion
View attachment 409341
A furry tentacled triffid invasion

View attachment 409342

We get lichen like that here, means the air is nice and clean

 

[two sheds]

yep, a good sign

 

[RubyToogood]

So what's with roses? The ones here seem to flower randomly whenever the fancy takes them with scant regard to seasons.

They do do that. I mean, there's a dash of climate change too I expect but as far as I can remember they have always done this a bit.

 

[RubyToogood]

I really need to get out there and prune the grape vine and fruit trees. Sigh.

 

[iona]

I really need to get out there and prune the grape vine and fruit trees. Sigh.

Shit weather sigh or do you just not like pruning?

 

[two sheds]

Done mine

/he said smugly

 

[iona]

Done mine

/he said smugly

Three small fields' worth of hedges (mix of mostly elder, some willow and hebe and other random stuff, and long rows of blackcurrants alongside them) plus the long hedge between the polytunnel field and the farm track, a big garden full of trees and some stuff around the campsite to do here. Luckily I really enjoy pruning

I got a volunteer to cut all the deadwood out from the blackcurrants a while back when it was easier to tell apart from the stems still in leaf, so I get to feel smug about that now. Not even going near the fruit trees that were planted really badly and in the wrong place before I got here last winter. The elder makes great kindling though if you're not superstitious, and I've been taking loads of cuttings and started building up a huge pile of branches to run through the chipper we're planning to hire for a day or two. I want to bury some bigger logs in a hugelkultur mound along the bottom of the polytunnel field to act as an additional layer of windbreak besides planting on and around it, and some stuff like big willow branches with lots of young shoots will probably just happily regrow themselves where they're buried.

There's a mini chainsaw here that I'm looking forward to trying out when it's less windy.

 

[RubyToogood]

Shit weather sigh or do you just not like pruning?

Cold weather, lack of daylight during non-working hours, queue of other stuff waiting to be done.

It won't really take long once I've started. I will need to look up the technique again though.

 

[iona]

My pruning technique for when there's just a few trees I'm happy to take my time with involves a large flask of cannabis-infused mocha with a good nip of brandy to keep out the cold

 

[RubyToogood]

I've barely set foot in the garden since autumn

 

[BoatieBird]

We actually got out and did a bit of gardening at the weekend.
The wisteria over the deck has been in dire need of a good prune for the last couple of years, but we've previously left it too late and by the time we'd thought about it the blackbirds had already started building a nest in it.
Managed to get to it before the blackbirds this year!

 

[Boudicca]

OK, so here's the garden in my new house. It's the best bit about the house, manageable size and plenty of sun. I've been busy redoing inside so all I did last year was get the lawn returfed and started cutting down the overgrown shrubs. There are lots of different textures and colours but it's sadly lacking in flowers. I did plant a Mexican salvia which I missed from my last garden and it is doing well here.

First question: I've just looked up the pampas grass thingy and it seem I should have cut it right down in the autumn but now need to wait until the frost is over?

 

[BoatieBird]

We've got a pampas grass Boudicca, but we only planted it a year or so ago, so no flowers yet to cut back.

A house down the road has a magnificent specimen in the front garden, and they haven't chopped it back yet, iirc they usually do it in the spring

 

[dessiato]

I’m taking cutting from our many roses. The idea is that when we move we can take these with us to have mementos of this house.

 

[StoneRoad]

Had a quick look around outside - some spring bulbs just coming up, with a few snowdrops actually flowering [55degress North and over 800ft up !]
Plenty of small twigs and a few bigger branches, mainly thanks to Isha. One of which is still caught up and need pulling down. Don't want it landing somewhere annoying or doing more damage.

However, most of the ground is still absolutely sodden after the wettest winter I can remember.
Grass verge has been damaged by some hunt followers, annoying barstewards did it deliberately after being told to get lost [they're not allowed on my land, under any circumstances, and I think they wanted to block up the entrances to the refuge I built a few years ago in the "wildwood"].
Far too wet to do anything [yet] although if the wind drops as forecast, I might get some of the bigger sticks moved this afternoon.

 

[dessiato]

Had a quick look around outside - some spring bulbs just coming up, with a few snowdrops actually flowering [55degress North and over 800ft up !]
Plenty of small twigs and a few bigger branches, mainly thanks to Isha. One of which is still caught up and need pulling down. Don't want it landing somewhere annoying or doing more damage.

However, most of the ground is still absolutely sodden after the wettest winter I can remember.
Grass verge has been damaged by some hunt followers, annoying barstewards did it deliberately after being told to get lost [they're not allowed on my land, under any circumstances, and I think they wanted to block up the entrances to the refuge I built a few years ago in the "wildwood"].
Far too wet to do anything [yet] although if the wind drops as forecast, I might get some of the bigger sticks moved this afternoon.

I really think a lot of these new money hunters are just arrogant pricks with no respect for anything other than their own selfish pleasure.

 

[newme]

My pruning technique for when there's just a few trees I'm happy to take my time with involves a large flask of cannabis-infused mocha with a good nip of brandy to keep out the cold

I just have a big spliff and some diazepam (prescribed), pulled out 3 wheelbarrows of brambles today squashed flat, basically all gone now. I am building up the hedges with dead material ran through the cylinder mulching mower. It has gained about a foot this year along 80ft (ish) then I have loads more wood to lay in it for longer term and privacy reasons. Was mildly annoyed someone recycled all the old toilet roll holders I had, they thought it was a job to do I thought it was 30 new seedling planters. Ah well plenty of time to throw more compost around lol.

 

[two sheds]

My dead hedge is doing well the dog hasn't escaped for several days ( ) after I blocked up the last hole he was burrowing through. I've added some branches from the triffid today to bulk it out a bit.

 

[cesare]

We've got loads of pots of bulbs all coming through! I grew a small pot full last year which I enjoyed doing. Then my neighbour gave me loads of bulbs this Autumn - she'd ordered too many - and I just bunged them all in pots with compost. I'll be well pleased if I have a massive display of tulips and narcissus as a result. So fingers crossed at my first major foray into spring bulbs . . .

 

[two sheds]

I put loads of snowdrops and crocuses in last year but not all of them seem to have come up I think I may have not put them deep enough so they've come up blind. If I remember I'll take the camera out tomorrow and photograph the areas so I know where to plant this year (half tempted to get some in the green).

 

[Calamity1971]

First question: I've just looked up the pampas grass thingy and it seem I should have cut it right down in the autumn but now need to wait until the frost is over?

My neighbour leaves theirs and the birds go nuts when it's nesting season.

 

[two sheds]

Talking of which I just read my notes for February and they say "watch out for birds nesting February to September" so I'll take it easy with the hedge trimming.