WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2021

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by ARMANDII, Jan 1, 2021.

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  1. Sheal

    Sheal Total Gardener

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    The weather has been good here this summer but wasted. For three months I've hardly been near the garden due to arm muscle injuries. Nature is gradually taking over, even though I've temporarily employed someone to take over strimming and mowing. It's going to be a busy year next year getting it back into shape and carrying on with the plans I had for this year. :doh:
     
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    • Nikolaos

      Nikolaos Total Gardener

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      Planted two Centaurea nigra in my new border yesterday and today two Lythrum salicaria plus an Alcea rosea 'Nigra'. Hardly anything's in its final position yet but at least it will look full of plants for Autumn and there are loads of late flowerers in there, I can shift everything based on colour and its eventual height next year, I'm happy enough with it and just loving the huge diversity of insect life I'm seeing on all the flowers ATM. :)

      Edit: Oh wow, so glad I planted that Salvia 'Icing Sugar'! (the one with pink flowers in the second photo) A Hummingbird Hawk-moth came and drank from it this evening, spent about a quarter of an hour in the border! :yes:

      Nick

      DSCN2682.JPG DSCN2683.JPG
       
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      • NigelJ

        NigelJ Total Gardener

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        Cut the grass patch at the front, it was plenty long enough and I thought I better cut the yarrow down a bit, the daisies had stopped flowering. The moss always makes it hard work pushing the mower. I must have been a bit under the weather as I heard myself telling a neighbour I might give it another go Saturday. Even though there have been a couple of dry days it was still damp at the bottom. Anyway that was about a third of the grass cut before I got bored and wandered off up to the greenhouse for watering and a chat with the plants.
        At the greenhouse I put out the red spider mite predators I've bought, just got the sticky traps to hang up. RSM has been bad this year so I thought I would give the bio controls a go.
         
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        • Upsydaisy

          Upsydaisy Total Gardener

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          Planning on a border revamp at the moment..still only at the' in my head + in my notebook stage'.
          Like you @Sheal I have been (and still am ) incapacitated by my spine, leg and knee issues for the past 18months and this year the garden has been left to, somewhat, it's own devices , with just a tidy up to keep it from looking unloved.

          If this is going to be how my health is from now on then things need to be scaled down to easy management. Thats the plan ;) :dbgrtmb:.
           
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          • Sheal

            Sheal Total Gardener

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            Looking forward to seeing the border revamp @Upsydaisy. My gardening is always at the 'in my head' stage. I don't plan but make a start and see where it leads me. :)

            Also like you my body is decrepit, to which my arm problem was added back in April. We mustn't let it get the better of us though. ;) I've got nothing here to down scale but have been/will be planting shrubs and perennials to make upkeep a little easier....well apart from the lawns.
             
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            • shiney

              shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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              Apart from filling five wheelie bins with weeds and other nasties in the last few days we have filled four ton bags with hedge cuttings. The bins emptied by the council yesterday (my allowed amount of two and those from neighbours who are on holiday) and the ton bags off to the nursery to be chomped down and composted. I'm still waiting to burn my giant bonfire but still waiting for the farmer to harvest the crops.

              So apart from all the weeding, 150ft of privet neatly cut (not by me :old:), A very large Viburnum chainsawed to the ground (couldn't dig out as it had also grown through the edge of the driveway and around the curbing), more pressure washing (week 6 of doing it :phew:), harvesting and selling.

              Mrs Shiney has spent about ten hours in the last few days deadheading and many hours propagating plants. She has also just grown 20 runnerbean plants for a friend whose beans in her allotment have been killed by floods causing a sewer to burst and the muck run through the flooded allotment on its way to the river 10ft from the allotments. Six days from sowing the beans and they're already 4" high.
               
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              • Upsydaisy

                Upsydaisy Total Gardener

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                Your garden definitely sounds like hard work @shiney!!:yikes: So glad you don't live near us with your huge bonfires! :campfire: ;)

                Hubs has just done all our hedging and finished putting it through the shredder yesterday.. I have made a start on brutally discarding non performers and drastically cutting back plants that have very much outgrown their allocated spaces. This is all new to me as I don't like taking such drastic action, not even sure if I'm doing things correctly or at the right time of year. Have been taking lots of cuttings as a back up measure.:dbgrtmb:
                 
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                • Loofah

                  Loofah Admin Staff Member

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                  How come you have to wait until the harvest to have the bonfire?
                   
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                  • shiney

                    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                    Don't want to set the crops on fire. Our bonfire heap is ten foot from the field :rolleyespink:
                     
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                    • Upsydaisy

                      Upsydaisy Total Gardener

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                      In case a spark flies off and ignited it I presume @Loofah
                       
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                      • Upsydaisy

                        Upsydaisy Total Gardener

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                        • shiney

                          shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                          We don't live near anyone :roflol: - we have just a few neighbours. Our fires don't produce much, if any, smoke and are over in an extremely short time. They are 'light blue touchpaper and stand back' fires. When this one is able to be lit it will be over in 15 minutes although it's 8ft high and at least 10ft wide. I tell my immediate neighbours when I'm going to do it and they bring round their stuff to go on it. :blue thumb: Actually, they chuck it over the fence and I put it on the fire. :heehee: All nearby trees and vegetation are hosed down first and hose is to hand all the time.

                          Sarafi the cat usually comes to watch :scratch: and I have more trouble seeing that he's safe than I do looking after the trees!
                           
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                          • Loofah

                            Loofah Admin Staff Member

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                            Seems a fair reason lol
                             
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                            • Logan

                              Logan Total Gardener

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                              Yesterday picked some chillies and the first blackberries, then did some watering, the polyanthus needed it.

                              Today just watering, had to do other things today.
                               
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                              • Loofah

                                Loofah Admin Staff Member

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                                Binning some blighted tomatoes, bit of feeding of pots and potting on. Not a busy day!
                                 
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