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

[Barbara]

I've lost beans to the darn things Tig, and sunflowers are nibbled, pain in the backside they are.

[Tig]

I found a giant slug and a giant snail in the WIG today, both have been evicted. Thankfully the only damage appears to be to leaves on the tomatoes but if either of the b@ggars had found my squash they would have been devoured too. At least I have the cucumbers I bought from the GG, one of them has been munched a bit but once the stem gets tougher and hairier it should be OK. With all this rain we've had they are very abundant & big! It is so frustrating when you've got things growing just for them to disappear. Only pulled a few weeds today, it hasn't been warm. I'm going to get the rest of the bedding plants in and the perennials still sat on the picnic table in over the weekend, even if it rains. I have one gap in one of the borders, I don't know what the problems with it is but everything I've put in there has died. I'm thinking I might try digging out the soil and renewing it with compost. Everything else is growing fine in that border, it is just this one spot, it's weird. Latest thing to die was a primula, but I've tried several things and nothing survives in it.

[Dutchy]

Girls the stuff is said to be in every moisturizing cream these days as it works.
Mind you the slugs probably would not recognize it. It is broken down to just one bit of chemical compound.
And it is man made.

I do wonder if my paths get proper moisturizing now as I flattened 8 more this morning.

Other than that I am looking around my garden and my fingers are itching to get lovely new plants. Blame Chelsea Flower Show.
Where I can shoehorn them in I don't know though. Ah that graving........

[Dutchy]

Weird Tig. Just the one spot makes you think it is in the soil and not something else.
You haven't got an electricity cable running there that is going threadbare have you? Those low volt things don't switch all off but can leak voltages into the soil and plants don't like that.

[Barbara]

We have been pruning the plum tree, it looks terrible now as it's only half done, it got much to tall, we are going to have to try to get ladders up against it to do the rest.

[Tig]

May 25, 2024 10:51:30 GMT Dutchy said:

Weird Tig. Just the one spot makes you think it is in the soil and not something else.
You haven't got an electricity cable running there that is going threadbare have you? Those low volt things don't switch all off but can leak voltages into the soil and plants don't like that.

There are no underground electric cables in our garden Dutchy, I can deffo rule that out as the problem. It is quite baffling why nothing grows there, but everything around it is growing fine and it is only about a 20cm diameter area that is always vacant, perhaps just waiting for me to find the perfect plant. I'm thinking a plant in a pot may be the best solution. 

I started by pruning the apple tree, it shoots like mad at this time of year and I want it so I can reach everything. Then pruned back the choisya aztec pearl, it flowered wonderfully this year but as the flowers have almost gone it was a good time to hack it back, the spirea bridal wreath next to it got a good haircut too. Decided the rhododendron Norfolk Candy needed to go in the ground as it was getting to big for its container so got the big spade out and after cutting lots of roots from the magnolia Susan I managed to dig a hole large enough to get it in by the back fence. It won't mind being in there, shady in summer but plenty of light over winter and spring. On to finding suitable spaces for the remaining perennials, phlox palmyra has gone in where a white gaura had died over winter, the sedum orange xenox has gone in the front in the raised bed by the side of the drive. Hosta sun mouse is under the acer closest to the house at the back. I removed and replanted a peony from a tall container and have put the asclepias tuberosa in it at the bottom of the path. It gets full sun most of the day and I can keep it watered, hoping this time I get some flowers. I've planted out all the rest of the summer bedding (40 plants), mainly in the borders some in pots if I could find a suitable space.  The table just has some heucheras I'm growing on and coleus plugs that need to get a bit bigger before I plant them. I have 6 shrubs growning on in pots on the metal bench but I think they will go in containers for a while until established. It can rain all it wants now, I'm done for a bit.

[Dutchy]

By now I would love to see a picture of your garden Tig.

[Tig]

I'm always taking photos of individual plants and flowers Dutchy, I will try and take some showing more of the 'jungle' it has become with all the rain we've had.

Today I've only managed to pull a few more weeds, remove stems from spent aquilegias before they set seeds everywhere & took a broken branch off the fatsia. I did remember to feed the toms and remaining cucumbers in the WIG & check for lurking s & s, only one tiny snail found.

[Jasmine]

You'll have the best moisturised paths in Holland Dutchy!

I'd love to see a drone's eye view garden of your Tig, I have no idea how you fit everything in!

This morning I took the long handled shears and a brollie round to the playing field side of our fence. The weeds were atrocious as I couldn't get over there last year because of the digging work that was done to improve the road drains. It's interesting - since they dug down 6ft and turned the soil over there are less brambles, the same amount of nettles and thistles and masses of sticky weed and ox-eye daisies.

[Dutchy]

I am doing the neighbors paths too, they are on a cruise.
She did put pellets in the pots with annuals but way too many and now things have gone fungal. I will leave that to her to sort.

[Barbara]

I found one lily beetle last evening, I was sowing some cosmos seeds in the now empty tulip pot and just spotted it by chance, the wet here is just terrible, not much to do in all this rain.

[Tig]

I don't think a drones eye view of our garden would show much Jasmine, just a lot of green with a few bits of the walkways visible from above

The weeds should stop anyone trying to get into your garden over the fence Jasmine, brambles are a very good deterrent for opportunists!

I'm not finding as many adult lily beetles at the moment but have spotted some pooey grubs on lower leaves from ones I obviously didn't catch before they mated!. Only found one vine weevil yesterday evening and now I've put new batteries in my torch I can search better.

Few more hazel saplings and weeds removed between showers today, but it is too wet to do much.

[Barbara]

I was moving a lily at 8am and found a lily beetle I didn't know they got up so early, anyway it's flat now.

[Tig]

Only one vine weevil found on last nights torch lit vigil! I am hoping I made a good dent in the population after last years epic battle where I was finding up to 30 in one evening. No red devils today, nor did I spot any grubs on the lower leaves. I've cut back some wallflowers that had stopped flowering and were sprawling over other plants, cleared loads more moss, with all the rain it has been able to take hold wherever there is some shade. Deadheaded roses and a few more weeds & hazel saplings are out. Planted the 6 mixed nicotianas I somehow managed to buy from the GG yesterday. Cleared moss off the top of a pot that had a few chrysanths in and managed to squeeze another one a gap in it. Removed some grass seedheads from the front borders but I need to have another good session out there to tidy it up as best I can. It's not warm out, I needed my fleece jacket on, but at least it didn't rain on me.

[Ladygardener]

I've added some bagged manure and home made compost to some of the Roses. Cleared the grass back from some of the big beds and borders and emptied out containers that were growing nothing but weeds. I've sown a couple of half rows of carrots into one of the raised beds and some salad leaves into the tall trough near the back door. No sign of the french beans germinating yet but I need to get some more peas out of pots and into the ground this weekend.

[Barbara]

Did a few jobs on the plots this morning and dug out some sidalcia home for sandwiches and coffee then Derek went bowling and I went into the garden, I dug out a day lily that didn't flower last year and I can't find any buds for this year, I took me almost an hour to get out using two forks and a spade, planted the sidalcia in the gap and put supports round it, it doesn't half flop about, I have to get soil off the roots of the day lily when I get my strength back, but happy with getting it done.

[Tig]

Yesterdays evening hunt only yielded one more vine weevil, I did find one lily beetle today. I've deadheaded roses & peonies again and found more hazel saplings. Climbed into the long, wide back border to cut back the geranium phaeums, they were all setting seed and had barely any flowers left on the tops but the smaller bumblebees love them, I felt guilty as they were flying up and down searching for them when I'd finished. I have left one patch where the arch is on that side, there are more hardy geraniums in there but they must not taste as good. I now have some gaps to fill with whatever still needs planting out as I dug up a few of the geraniums as they self seed & get too overcrowded. I also dug out a dark leaved geranium which was sprawling across the path. I've tamped down the brown bin with a large log, but there isn't much room left in it to do much more until it gets emptied next Tuesday.

[Tig]

2 vine weevils last night, 2 less to find tonight! No lily beetles today but spotted some almost fully grown grubs on a very impoverished looking lily in the middle of the border, and a few smaller ones on two other healthier lilies, all squashed.

More deadheading of roses and peonies, and more hazel saplings found. Pruned back the halesia carolina where it was getting in the way of the paths. Potted on the 4 cosmos seedlings in the hope they will start to bush up, pathetic looking things at the moment. Potted on the six patty pan squash too as it is still going cold overnight and they are quite tender at the moment, they are all back in the WIG for now. While I was in there I removed some of the lower tomato leaves as they are very bushy plants, and the first vine of moneymaker are doing well, just need some sun and warmth to ripen them up!


Spotted a yellow marsh salsify in the middle of a clump of alstroemerias, they come out easily when the soil is still damp thankfully.

The agave american variegata family are out of the growhouse and on the big picnic bench for the 'summer' - Mum and 3 toddlers and there are two more babies shooting in her pot.

[Tig]

Only one vine weevil yesterday evening, one lily beetle today and a clutch of pooey grubs spotted on another very weak lily. Continued deadheading, bit of weeding, watered dry pots & fed the toms & cucumbers.

[Missredhead]

Deadheaded Angelface as the wind and rain stripped the flowers but lots of new buds on her.
Helped GD no.3 plant out some of her marigold seedlings into pots.
I've removed a few large snails and rehomed them into the green bin so they have a good feed before they go to their maker 😄
Have watered the baskets and pots and the beds as it was so dry out there..I was surprised at how dry considering we've had a lot of rain lately.

[Missredhead]

I've staked up the 'gift' from the birds...I hope it doesn't get any taller 😁

[Ladygardener]

Aoife and I planted peas and she did some watering of the containers for me. We've also planted out some Sunflowers we'd grown, fingers crossed the S&S don't get them. We have more to do but after walking around the garden with the pots in our hands, we know where they're going which is often half the battle.

[maggy]

By 9am yesterday morning I had removed all the old soil from my stone sink, I had removed all the old plants on Sunday, I found a family of slugs in the waste hole under the brig covering it for drainage, I've done away with that and used smaller crocks as I don't think the big one was doing its job, ther was a complete mat of roots that resembled a hanging basket liner! It is now looking much better with new plants , I didn't through all the old soil away I mixed it with new compost and sharp sand as there were plenty of small pebbles etc, I threw all the old plants that had spread and choked everything else.

That foxglove is tall Missredhead, I thought mine were big ! But that is a wopper..

I planted up the 3 pots at the front door with geraniums and begonias.

[Tig]

I've cut back the erysimum paintbox, it was almost a metre over the edge of the bed but it did flower beautifully. I've taken a few cuttings but I think it will regrow, it did last time I hacked it back. A dark leaved geranium had also self sown on the edge of the path so I removed that too as it was blocking my way. Found more hazel saplings, including a 2 year old one in the middle of the chocolate akebia. Watered pots, deadheaded again and weeded whatever I spotted. A few red devil grubs were squished, no adults spotted. Vine weevil hunts, have only found 4 in the past 3 searches, although a spider was attacking one last night and I'm not sure who won.

[Barbara]

I took a clump of iris out of a large pot and spread some around the flower beds, the bees love it so extra for them next spring, fed all the day lilies as they are in bud and planted out a few more cosmos seedlings, On the allotment this morning I sowed some sunflower seeds and planted out more leeks, watered the tomato's and made more nettle tea, fingers are still stinging and I had thick gloves on, lots of stuff is being nibbled slugs have multiplied in all the wet.

[Tig]

I found an enormous snail in the WIG today, it was evicted before it started munching any of the seedlings and plants in there. I've only done more watering and deadheading. It kept drizzling on and off until late afternoon, when the sun finally shone as it was time to make tea.
2 VWs yesterday evening.

[Tig]

Had a go at weeding the two island beds on the front, full of that spreading grass which is nigh on impossible to dig out without taking everything else out too. I've done the best I can with them and then sprinkled the poppy applegreen seeds in the gaps, it is hot & dry so they should grow. Deadheaded the libertia grandifloras that I grew from seeds years ago, they are huge clumps now so I don't want them seeding anywhere else. Deadheaded iris germanica and some poppies and tidied up the pots on the front & watered them. Pruned the angelface I grew from a cutting as it is too tall, cut back some of the fronds on osmunda regalis which were over the steps at the back, don't want to trip myself up on it. Sowed some dwarf scabious seeds in cells and put them in the WIG, it is a bit late but if they get going I may get some flowers later on. Watered the dahlias in containers and the sweetpeas, plus some of the summer bedding pots & hydrangeas, all bone dry despite the showery weather we've been having.

[Ladygardener]

Between the 2 of us, Jenny and I did quite a bit of watering. I've been pulling out grass from beds and borders before it goes to seed and doing some more planting too. Aoife and I will try to get the Cosmos into the ground this week and Jenny is planting the Hydrangea Petiolaris by the fence.

[Barbara]

We spent a few hours on the plots this morning, it was surprisingly warm there, we got some weeding done, planted some broccoli out and watered the stuff in the GH, rescued a bee while in there and picked some strawberries, The beans have been chewed and the cabbages are just stalks now, I sowed more but it's probably a bit late now to get anything from those.

[Tig]

Deadheading again today, roses, peonies and all the iris hollandica that have gone over. They seemed to flower better this year for being deadheaded last year, I haven't really bothered before, just let them die back. I climbed in and got the last of the geranium phaeums cut back in the arch border, there is just one patch I can't reach at the moment behind some tall martagon lilies. I've cut back anything that was blocking the paths, even stuff in flower, but it makes it easier to get round without getting tangled up. I had to remove some of the leaves on the fatsia japonica which had hit the side fence, almost need a machete to get down that path. That wind is still cold though. Watered the toms & cucs in the WIG, and the things I'm growing on in there. Despite the rain we've had some pots were dry so they have had a dowsing too.