What Did You Do In The Garden Today...?

[Tig]

My crab net caught two more lily beetles this aft.

[Jasmine]

I like the sound of your new lily beetle catching gadget Tig!

I potted up with SR order and watered the pots.

[Ladygardener]

You've found yourself a good deal there with that crab net Tig.

It was lovely to be able to do some jobs in the garden late this afternoon. I've cut back some of the cowslip as we have loads of them now. Dug out some Teasel as we have enough of it as well and as for the Dandelions......

[Barbara]

I planted out lots of stuff yesterday afternoon, peas, beans, cucumbers, sunflowers, sowed beetroots and netted everything to keep the pigeons off. killed two lily beetles, one kept dropping but I waited, and waited and eventually I won.

[Tig]

I've done more weeding and found clumps of rosette fungi growing round the base of the compost dalek. I had a bit of a job getting it out from behind the bin as it is close to the fence. More watering and pulling up hazel saplings that are now sprouting all over the place, dratted squirrels. I've also pruned the clematis montana mayleen as it has gone into triffid mode, and the spirea down by the WIG as it was too far over the path. Had to tie up a couple of peonies that are getting top heavy with buds.

[Tig]

Mega planting out day. I've managed to get 8 summer planters filled with impatiens, annual begonias, petunias, calibrachoas, verbenas, french marigolds, nemesias, osteospermums and lobelias. Over 120 plugs in and about another 40 still to plant, but that seems less daunting now. The dahlias are all in their containers too, just hope we don't have too cold nights. I had a weigela all summer peach in a pot by the kitchen door but it is a horizontal grower and was becoming a trip hazard on the step so I got that out of the pot and put it in a bigger one where it can spread all it wants to. Red devil hunt yielded none today, but I did find some grubs at the base of one plant so got those off. Only one vine weevil last night too.

[Barbara]

3 Lily beetles made it up here, but got no further, Planted the rest of my teddy bear sunflowers and cosmos out and weeded more ground elder from under next doors fence.

[Dutchy]

Waiting for my bin to be emptied I had energy to spare and helped out at the plots.
Still pleased I am no longer there, things are not nice. Some can deal with it others are really down.
I fear I would have been amongst the down group.

[Tig]

Parkers order planted, 3 helenium Moorheim Beauty, excellent sized plants for the cost. 10 5cm plugs of red monarda, a bit weak but hopefully they'll grow well now they are in the ground. I also found space to plant the 3 large pots of rescued alstroemerias I bought last year. They are the lower growing varieties & I think less hardy but they may do OK. 2 echinacea papillon also planted out. Pruned the rosemary as it was getting too tall & floppy, and pruned a penstemon that looks a bit sick. Two old woody salvias have also been hacked back, I've taken some cuttings which hopefully will root is the old wood doesn't sprout new growth. Weeds have shot up with the rain so loads of those got pulled and yet more hazel saplings. I lily beetle dealt with.

[Tig]

Found 3 more lily beetles after tea yesterday, they think they can outsmart me by appearing later, wrong! I've pulled more hazel saplings they are popping up all over the place. Tied up the stipa giganteas and the miscanthus so they don't flop over the neighbouring plants. I bought cucumber telegraph improved from the GG and have put it in a pot in the WIG. The patty pan are germinating as are the zinnia & white cosmos psyche, no sign of the other cosmos.

[Dutchy]

Killed loads of slugs.... I feel I need comfort plant shopping after all this.

[Barbara]

I've planted out my leeks on the top plot, more to do on the bottom one on Saturday, sown sprouts, carrots and turnips, the weeds are coming thick and fast in this warm wet as well as the calendula I left last year that went to seed, it is popping up all over the beds, sunflowers are out and tomatoes in the big pots are staked and watered.

[Tig]

I managed to do some weeding and removed loads of grasses that were seeding on the front. Noticed ivy growing up one of the fence posts that will need to come off before the trellis gets replaced but it is on the neighbours side so will tell him when I see him. The rain started and it hasn't stopped since. The water butts are all full again.

[maggy]

1m going to have to get cracking with my bedding planting! I haven't even bought any yet or cleared my pots. This morning aft3r taking Toby for his walk I tackled the long block paved drive, I had bought 4 bottles of thick bleach but only used 1 and a half , I had a bucket of water sqirted a small area at a time then dipped brush in and spread it, I'm leaving it to dry and hopefully if it rains it will reactivate, my elder Sis told me that's how she does it, but she has a partner to open her bottles (rofl it took me ages to open 1 ) and I've used the 1 out of my kitchen. I have to do loads down the other side and back yet but a bit at a time.

[Tig]

I just mix 50/50 thick bleach and water and use a watering can maggy. I do it when it is dry and it seems to work on any algae. I sometimes have to give it a second 'watering' if it has gone very green under the picnic table on the patio.

I've caught 5 more lily beetles with my crab net today, I may look silly but it works a treat. Potted on 5 coleus plugs which arrived from Parkers, they weren't as big as advertised though, slightly disappointed for the price but hopefully they will soon get growing.

[Jasmine]

I wouldn't worry what you look like Tig!  If it's ok to garden in your nightwear it's ok to wave a fishing net around!!!

I cleared the daff foliage from round the pond and disturbed a poor little toad who looked very unimpressed. The tadpoles are doing well, won't be long til they start growing their legs. I've also made a start on my summer pots.

[Tig]

I have deadheaded roses, clematis and peonies. I'm hoping the clems that flowered early will put on another flush later. Deadheaded more rhododendrons & lots of hellebores I'd missed too. Managed to climb in and get all the seeding stems off the bluebells, that is always a relief as once everything else starts to grow in those borders it is like slashing your way through a jungle. Found loads more hazel saplings, the dratted squirrel has a terrible memory I had sown several umbilifers over the recent years and they were doing too well self seeding so I've pulled loads up as they were smothering everything else.
I'd rushed planting one of the dahlias and it was sitting too high in it's pot so I have rectified that and planted it deeper. Got all the tuberous begonias planted up in their pots for the summer and the remaining 30 french marigolds have gone in various pots to add some colour until other things flower. The 6 nemesias I got from the GG have also been planted out. I'm down to a couple of dozen summer bedding plants to find space for now.
All the patty pans & cucumbers have germinated, a one of the pink cosmos has appeared, not going to bother sowing any more as it is a bit late now.

[Barbara]

Killed five lily beetles and planted out lota of leeks on the bottom plot.

[Tig]

Forgot to mention the trellis arrived so we've managed to get the old out and the new panels in. They don't have capping tops on nowadays so OH is going to buy some as he reckons they will last longer with the tops on.

[Tig]

Removed the last of the seedheads off the the big rhododendron and found yet more hazel saplings. Fed the toms & cucs, and watered pots. 4 red devils captured & dispatched today. No vine weevils found on my nightly hunt!

[Dutchy]

Night crawling is for S&S Tig
( us humans should sleep )

[Tig]

S & s brigade are always on the rampage, if I spot them they also get squished!

I had a bit of space in the garden bin which gets emptied tomorrow so I have lopped another foot off the mahonia as I left some tall shoots growing until it resprouted after its earlier hard prune. Managed to shoehorn in another batch of bedding, just 9 left to find space for now. More hazel saplings found and removed, and four more lily beetles have departed. I've hoed all the seedlings of calendula & verbena bonariensis that were sprouting in the walkway down the bottom, just to keep enough clear to walk through without getting wet legs after it has rained.

[Tig]

1 vine weevil last night. All the effort I put in last year must have paid off a bit as I'm deffo seeing fewer so far this year, hope I haven't said that too soon. Bit of weeding and moss removal this morning, more hazel saplings found. No lily beetles so far. Bin is emptied ready for whatever I decide to prune next

[Dutchy]

You go girl Tig, When the numbers are dwindling one might expect that you are getting on top.
That or they have gone clever. OH says my slugs now not only know that the big pot is certain death, they also know when I am out on a flattening slugs round.

Other than that my discovery of the sides of my 3 black poly tubs for the Dahlia making things real hot when the sun is out had me skip diving yesterday.
There is this big tile company on the industrial estate near my house and they have a simple open skip.
They are happy for people to dig in as this saves them money.
I scrounged three big half tiles 30 by 60 cm precut but not used by the tile company. No damage other than being half tiles and a soft dark grey with marbling. They are perfect so I am well pleased despite the allotment look in my home garden.
Actually anyone who says hm will be told this is my plot bit of the garden and it should be hickledypickle

[Tig]

No gardening at all yesterday due to the weather, I didn't need to do any watering with all the rain but will have more weeding to do once it dries out a bit. It has battered the petals off lots of the peonies and several things have flopped with the weight of the water. I'm hoping any remaining vine weevil grubs will have drowned, the s & s brigade however loved it. I use large black containers for my dahlias too Dutchy, but have managed to site them so the pot is shaded by other pots or garden furniture. A garden is to make the grower happy, if it looks 'rustic' & they are happy it is perfectly fine.

[Tig]

OH has tidied both sides of the drive and scraped off the moss, cut back next doors shrubs that were hanging over our fence so it may not get as mossy. I deadheaded peonies, roses, iris germanica and weeded the front beds. Checked in the WIG as it was too wet to go in yesterday and a bruddy snail has eaten both cucumber seedlings and one pattypan squash is nibbled, I found it hiding behind one of the pots so it won't be munching anything else but it had to climb up to get to them, dratted things.

[Jasmine]

I cut back the akebia as it is a bit of a triffid and tries relentlessly to get in the house or bring down the internet cables! I've also started to get some dahlias planted out - they are not enjoying life in the shed anymore!

[Dutchy]

They are bad this year Tig. They even made our evening news. Due to a soft wet winter none died and we have a plague. Seems to be official now.
Mind you since I started S&S rounds and have used EscarGo I am now down to maybe 5 a day instead of 80 plus.
Vigilance seems to help....

And if that predicted bone dry summer does come most of the surviving S&S will have problems too.
We do need some though as "cleaning agents" for the garden.

And did you know that a lot of moisturizing creams have a component that is derived from "snail trail" because it works a treat against dry skin.
There are beauty parlors where you can have those big snails crawl over your skin as a beauty treatment.

( yuk )

[Ladygardener]

May 24, 2024 8:15:18 GMT Dutchy said:

And did you know that a lot of moisturizing creams have a component that is derived from "snail trail" because it works a treat against dry skin.
There are beauty parlors where you can have those big snails crawl over your skin as a beauty treatment.

Oh my goodness Dutchy, I would'nt fancy that at all. I love the idea of you getting those tiles for the garden 'tho.

Such a shame about your cucumber Tig.

[Jasmine]

Too many slugs and snails this year Tig, sad news about the cucumbers.

Don't put me down for any of that snail face cream Dutchy!

I've got lots of things planted this morning, not done yet though!