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

[maggy]

I've done 4 hours today 1 this morning and 3 after lunch , I've cleared the small edge beside greenhouse , actually I haven't I need to fork it over now to find my hyacinths but had no energy so left for Sunday. I'm going to put a bit of membrane and incorporate it with the main area, I've soaked and used a chizel to make a narrow trench and put some edging level with front of greenhouse as I still want to plant around bottom of wisteria I transplanted a foxglove seedling there. I will see if I can get some plastic pegs to put in the membrane from B&M tomorrow . I will see what Ron says about pulling the stones right back and removing the edging so I can overlap the membrane , the couch grass loves that area I've pulled long roots out all along there it's even got under the greenhouse and through the floor! I've bought 2 bottles of white vinegar to do the greenhouse floor, I will sort all that out on a cool day.

[Tig]

Weeding, watering, deadheading are the daily jobs at the moment. Still finding a few vine weevils on my nightly hunts, not many but more than I'd like to find!

[maggy]

I thought I would have a lazy day reading a book in the garden ! But my eyes kept going to the big pot with the hydrangea in it, so decided I would tackle it I have been waiting for someone to do it but you know what they say? If you want .... .... .. ..........! I got a big sheet of polythene , sat on my stool and emptied bit by bit into a bag , tipped out the plant when I got most of it out, moved the pot over near the fence then dragged the plant on polythene reported it I was jiggered but very satisfied I had at last got it moved from beside my barrel to the side fence.

[Jasmine]

Well done maggy, that was a big job for one person on their own. I have no idea why we can't sit and enjoy our gardens and we always spot a job that needs doing!

I just watered the pots yesterday and this morning I am going to do a bit of dead-heading before I go swimming.

[Tig]

I've done a bit more this morning. Pulled all the old dutch iris stems out, cut back a rampant viticella clematis, deadheaded dahlias, and phlox that aren't coping with the heat & pruned a couple of shrubs that were growing over the paths. Spotted two lilies with lily beetle poopy grubs so dealt with those. OH had the hose out for me yesterday evening but everywhere is dry again already. Some wilted things have perked up a bit though. 1 vine weevil found last night. I've forgot to deadhead angelface but I'm too hot & sticky to bother now.

[Ladygardener]

maggy it's a beautiful Hydrangea and your garden is looking great, well done. It was a lot of work for you but I know that feeling when you've done something like that and it's a good one.

I've rehomed Heuchera, Pulmonaria and a lovely Dianthus, did some dead heading, took out some of the Ajuga to keep it in check and watered some of the containers. Tipped out another bag with potatoes (charlotte) this has been a great year for them.

[maggy]

I need to dig up a big clump of Dutch iris Tig, I'm dreading it! I was hoping the ground would get drenched first! And knipofia but I've done them before I don't think they will be as bad to lift.

[Dutchy]

Ooh Maggy I to dug something huge out of a pot this weekend. Took me hours as it had lived in the pot for almost 30 years and was a Canadian Maple tree.
Mind they stay small in pots.... sort of anyhow.
I had to take rest in between sawing and pulling and what have you. Pain of course but such satisfaction that it is done and a free pot.....

[Tig]

I've not found kniphofia easy to dig up maggy , there is some still growing after I removed it twice! The dutch iris aren't any bother, but the clumps of iris germanica can be tough.

I found 4 more hazel saplings today and got them all out, pulled some spent linarias before seed drops everywhere & will water the WIG later.

Now, years ago, RF sent me some seeds of sinocalycanthus chinensis.... I did plant some but nothing germinated. I found some in spring still in the bag while checking through my seed box and bunged them in a pot, well you never know how long things remain viable do you? Anyway, this has appeared, I've no idea if it is what RF sent me or something that has blown in, but I don't recognise it - what you you think Rosefriend

[Jasmine]

I emptied the cosmos from the pots out front - it was past its best. I think it needs so much water to keep the foliage fresh looking that it's better in the ground rather than pots. Anyway, that freed up some room for some dahlias and my bargain £1 fuchsia from the GC.

[Tig]

Deadheading, weeding and finding more hazel saplings today. Pruned the jasmine & clematis along the side of the garage again & a couple of rampant tendrils on the akebias. One red devil spotted and 2 more vine weevils last night.

[Barbara]

Weeding here too, I also dug out the lily from the pot in the front garden that had been covered in red devils, i have it soaking in a bucket hope to wash off any baby red devils, I'll pop it back into a pot tomorrow, collected seeds from Nigella and sprinkled them into the back border, got some home made compost and spread it round the dahlia at the back to try to keep some moisture back there, the trees next to us take it all, leaf mould my the truck load next spring might help, I have some day lilies to dig up and refresh tomorrow.

[Jasmine]

We found some yellow rattle seeds in the meadow at Batemans so I planted them. I don't seem to have any luck with yellow rattle, even spring's plug plants don't appear to have come to anything. Anyway, I have a plan for the meadow strip, I am going to clear it and make a new flower bed. I have 5 DA roses to find homes for. I say 'I' but I think I mean Alan as I don't think I could dig at the minute!!! I will find somewhere else for my little meadow...and my yellow rattle if my seeds grow.

[Tig]

Just a bit of pruning back things that were in my way. Tidied the toms and gave them their weekly feed, still cropping well, and the cucumbers & patty pan squash.

[Ladygardener]

I have read that yellow rattle is notoriously difficult to establish Jasmine but hopefully you'll have better luck sowing them in autumn.

I've been tidying and cutting back rosa rugosa, pyrecantha, roses, pulling up weeds and clearing debris here in my garden. I'm hoping to get some more done before I head back with Jenny tomorrow. I also picked a big vase of phlox and the scent is lovely.

[Barbara]

I have white phlox Ladygardener , the scent is lovely.

I've been thining stuff out, Lucifer has taken over some parts of the back garden, as has Hemerocallis so some had to go, chopped it all up with shears and put into bags, buckets and a trugg another one of ''those'' grasses had sprung up in the back border so that's compost now too, and all the bulbs are planted, think I need a lie down

[Dutchy]

Checked the rain barrels and they have filled up nicely so I could water the pots with rain water.
Harvested some beans and tomatoes. Shook some earwigs out of a Dahlia flower and smiled at my green world.

[Tig]

I've trimmed some of the tall sappy branches off the cotinus coggygria as the wind tends to bend them over and gales are forecast overnight. Also pruned more of the gigantic Japanese anemones down to a level they can cope with. Taken a few apples off the tree that were nibbled or marked and harvested the patty pan squash, more toms and cucumbers.

[Dutchy]

I was wondering how you hung those fruits and then realized they are lying down when I enlarged the pic.

Lovely harvest there Tig.

I harvested some toms this morning and gave them to my neighbor. I have enough for now and don't plan on making any chutney.
Can't bring myself to making jam either.
I love growing things but I sooooo dislike cooking.
Mind giving things to the neighbor will have me with home made cake someday in the future ( yes she is a kitchen Queen... nay Empress )

[Tig]

Pulled a load more rosebay willow herb out that I'd somehow missed. There was loads down the bit of ground behind the garage where OH stores his prunings to dry. I've got 5 new mozzie bites for my efforts though.

[Tig]

OH helped me tackle the front garden this aft. Things had grown so much it was impossible to walk round. The heather all got pruned back to the edgings, two rose suckers from rosa mundi got dug out, the double flowering cherry branches got cut back and the yellow buddleia. I tamed two unruly salvias and removed spent foxgloves, OH trimmed all the trailing aubretias on the drive wall and the silver leaved white flowering stuff whose name I've forgotten. Several large weeds were dug out and a couple of stipa tenuissimas that were self sown. The bin is full now.

[Tig]

Good gardening day. I managed to find spaces for 6 woody salvias I'd grown from cuttings, they were all peachy lemon colour which is odd as I'm sure I took cuttings from several different ones, perhaps they were the only survivors. I have weeded more rosebay willow herb that was setting seed & I'd somehow missed. Repotted 4 hydrangeas, 1 viburnum and the crinodendron hookerianum. Cleared 3 pots that had annuals in them and they'd gone over. Cut back two clematis that had gone brown through lack of watering. Sown viola hybrida rose shades & some antirrhinum magic carpet mix into containers they can stay in if they germinate. Watered quite a few pots which were bone dry again. Will do the WIG later.

[maggy]

I've pruned right back on my diamond wedding rose as it was looking very dried up and sickly, also topped up the soil, it is in John Innes no 3 if I remember rightly and I've fed it regularly , the soil had shrunk below the graft so I've covered it with a coupleb of inches . It took 3 watering cans of water to wet it through and lots of grass on the top so that's gone. Watered everything else, cut down the dahlias as they were dried up and withered.
I've pruned the magnolia stellata with hand shears, Phil will probably bring back my electric trimmer he can do where I couldn't reach.

Put the hose on the rest as everything looked droopy, and swept up loads of leaves from the corners and what had blown under the lean-to at the back of the garage, you would think Autumn had come.

[Tig]

I've pottered, deadheading, weeding and had the auriculas out of the growhouse for a tidy up and water. I've watered most of the containers and the WIG, there are still a few toms to ripen and at least one more cucumber that is nearly ready. The garden bin was emptied today so I can tackle some bigger pruning jobs in the coming days.

[Jasmine]

I've just been deadheading, watering and feeding.

[Tig]

I'm trying to avoid getting more bites, but OH has started chopping 8' off the contorted hazel, I'm staying out of the way as he is precariously balanced up the ladders again (I will check out of the window to make sure the tree is still moving as he hacks away at it).

[Dutchy]

I was at the plots yesterday. Decided that not going to my studio I needed a bit of distraction so I cut back some of the wild plot overgrowth on the pathway. Found that they are again doing things to the plots that are not nice. The ramp for easy acces was illegal and now they have removed it completely. Leaving two also illegal neck braking or widower making paths on that side. Glad it is not my problem I use the 3rd illegal path through the hedge of the motel. They seem not to mind.

Anyhow what I did do was ask one of the protest group people for his shovel to dig up a cutting from my old gate rose. Rosa Compassion is a strong and butch but very nice smelling half climber. He, being a man dug it up for me and it now sits happily in a pot at home.
The cutting came about in mysterious ways but it was there and I wanted her back as she was completely swamped at the old plot. It is her as she was in flower.
The flower now sits on a vase to help the rose recover from being dug up.

[Tig]

That was worth the effort Dutchy, hope it grows on well for you. There is one in SNs bungalow alongside our fence and it has got a lovely scent. One of the few the new occupants haven't dug up since living there.

My contorted hazel is now an ugly stump. OH just doesn't know when to stop once he gets going with the saw. I think I may abandon it and get him to finish the job off properly. It has been there 31 years so the trunk at the base if huge and so will the roots be. At least I won't be finding quite as many hazel saplings once it is gone, although the neighbour the other side has one and no doubt the squirrels will bury some of those in our side. The garden all around the tree is flattened so some other plants won't be happy

[Ladygardener]

Oh dear Tig but it might be best to just let it go. At least OH did'nt tumble off the ladder.

Dutchy, good save with the rose, very kind of the guy to dig it up for you. Fingers crossed it grows at home for you.

I've been cutting back some of the brambles and some of the nettles, we still have loads but these were blocking the view. Other than that, I've turned the compost heap and added more material, it's rotting down well and I added the remains of the comfrey stalks as an accelerator. I got 2 containers full of fertiliser. I save the old tomorite containers and add our own nettle and comfrey mix to the containers .

[Cheerypeabrain]

The rose sounds lovely Dutchy

OH has been pottering in the garden again..... last month he dug out all the pyracantha bushes (he planned to just reduce the height but then carried on)...and yesterday he pruned back the blueberry bushes. He's made a fruit cage for the three bushes because despite a bountiful year the birds got all the fruit. I don't mind but he was quite irate!. I came downstairs this morning to find that he had dug out my beautiful euphorbia purpurea, an arboreal heather and a polonium and shoved them in pots! It was because he wanted nothing in front of the fruit cage...goodness knows where I'm going to put them. He's very handy but he does get carried away...