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. Logan

    Logan Total Gardener

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    @CanadianLori yes sometimes the revamping has to be done, but it's fun doing it in the winter months.:biggrin:
     
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    • Loofah

      Loofah Admin Staff Member

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      Tackled the lawns yesterday which were well overdue and took a couple of hours with edging.
      Turning compost and trimming hedges today, maybe I'll get to planting out a few Cannas or potting on a couple of things
       
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      • alana

        alana Super Gardener

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        Down in the new bit at the bottom of the garden I've been deadheading the dahlias and cosmos on a daily basis but it's been worth it for the great show they've put on this year and continue to do so.
        The sunflowers are gigantic against the new fence and a real talking point for passers by. Each of my family members have one and they have been in a race to see whose is the tallest and whose flowered first (not the same). Still lots to come.
        The rest of the garden continues to go it's own way with little intervention apart from enjoying the show as each plant has its time in the spotlight. The weeding has been minimal due to the lushness and height of the planting and the lack of bare earth. When the plants die down it will be a different story:sad:
        The myrtle is looking good and has lots of lovely flowers. I was concerned earlier in the year that it has been too frost bitten to recover. I read that myrtle berries are edible so I will try them later in the year. Maybe I'll have a go at making myrtle gin because the taste of the berries is similar to juniper berries. :)
         
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        • Selleri

          Selleri Koala

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          Herb revamp!:paladin: I have a large perennial herb container that is now due some serious rejuvenating. This year the Marjoram and Thyme gave a very brief harvesting season and focused on flowering, which is nice as the flowers are pretty and attract a lot of bees. However, I'd like to have some for cooking too please.

          Those ones will be renewed completely, I'll start again from seeds next spring. As a precaution, I dug out a handful of Thyme, cut it down and planted in a pot. It's a good, hardy variety so hopefully will rejuvenate itself. Chives will need splitting and quite possibly I'll try something new if there is space next spring. Sage perhaps, that's rather nice with pork.

          The very old, leggy Lavender will have to go in the spring, I have made a start by cutting some branches off, saving the flowers for drying vase and chucking the fresh bits in pots to root. My approach is "quantity over quality", some of the cuttings will be at the right state of ripeness and some will not- I'll see in the spring what has taken. I don't really need replacements as there is enough Lavender already but it's impossible to bin anything that begs to be propagated :redface:

          Ditto Rosemary, took some absolutely unnecessary cuttings to grow as houseplant. We are not exactly short of the stuff, but it's a good plant. Picture from last summer

          upload_2021-8-29_12-52-46.jpeg

          A seriously overdue round of grass cutting and deadheading, plus snipping off black spotted leaves from the roses. It's a bit late in the year for spraying so hopefully it'll be ok just to remove the spotty leaves. There's plenty of healthy growth going on so I'm not worried.

          Unfortunately my neighbours' Verbena is not that spectacular this year so I have a gap over the fence. I wonder if I should creep out and lug some fertiliser over the fence tonight? I have never succeeded with Verbena so am grateful for my neighbours' efforts. They get Climbing Iceberg in exchange. :biggrin:
           
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          • NigelJ

            NigelJ Total Gardener

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            Not had a good morning, walked down to the compost heap and on the way noticed a fresh hole next to a raised bed, then realised it was full of angry wasps. A local badger had decided to have wasp larvae for breakfast. Result very painful sting on the inside of the wrist. I'll give it a week of so and then fill the hole in.
             
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            • Loofah

              Loofah Admin Staff Member

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              Oh that's rubbish. I hate wasp nests and the ground ones are awful as you can accidentally step in them. Can you chuck a handful of ant powder at the entrance?
               
            • NigelJ

              NigelJ Total Gardener

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              I normally live and let live with wasps; only seem to have problems when badgers open them up.
              I'm hoping the badger comes back tonight and finishes the job off; as I got another couple of stings, this afternoon although well away from the nest, the worst was the one in the armpit.
              Did get the compost heap turned over and damped down though.
               
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              • noisette47

                noisette47 Total Gardener

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                I've just come in from tackling a few paper-wasp nests. Anything metallic left lying around, like JCBs and spare cars (:wallbanging:) are a magnet for them, as are tiled rooves, hedges, hollow satellite dishes, agaves...the list is endless. I've learnt to leave some strategic ones near aphid-prone plants, but the rest have to go. Luckily, French wasps don't seem inclined to use holes in the ground!
                 
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                • NigelJ

                  NigelJ Total Gardener

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                  Right off to the greenhouse with a mug of tea, got some cuttings to take and seed to sow.
                  Once the neighbours show signs of life get the shredder out.
                   
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                  • Logan

                    Logan Total Gardener

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                    Pinched out the tops of the wallflowers, cleared the pots that the chillies were in and put the compost in bags to use for the polyanthus when they come in October. going to enrich the soil before i plant them.
                     
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                    • shiney

                      shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                      They can be used in cooking as well and were traditionally used for headaches - probably after drink too much Myrto (liqueur made form myrtle berries). :heehee:
                       
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                      • NigelJ

                        NigelJ Total Gardener

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                        Change of plan, not in the mood for shredding so back to weeding and deadheading.
                         
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                        • Perki

                          Perki Total Gardener

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                          Nothing done today but I probably will prune the wisteria a job I keep saying that needs doing but never gets done.

                          Yesterday I were making plant supports :) I got Twelve 6m lengths of 6mm steel rod / bar , I needed mainly large supports so I got 13 large supports - 12 medium - 6 small with a cost of £78 my mum were after some so just over half are mine .

                          They are not as perfectly bent as some already made I've bought in the past but the idea is not to see them so I am not fussed .
                          DSC_0536.JPG

                          6 metre lengths were much bigger than I thought :heehee: they were 20ft lengths after measuring them , it were a job just moving them around.
                          DSC_0537.JPG
                           
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                          • shiney

                            shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                            A friend makes ours for us :blue thumb:. I think he uses 10mm rebar. He has something to bend it with.
                             
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                            • Loofah

                              Loofah Admin Staff Member

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                              Blimey that's a solid support Shiney! The 6 and 8mm work well and you can bend it around a gas canister. Then lay it on the floor and place a board over the curved bit, then bend the legs up.
                               
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