What are we doing in the garden 2024

I have passed on the name to my daughter as she has to choose what she likes the look of. It is a height thing as well as she is looking for a shorter growing one to go with what she already has. Have come across the Firecracker range, bicolours which she may try. It is up to her.

 

I reclaimed a plastic manhole cover thingy. 2ftX3ft by 9ins deep. I bought it originally to create a mini pond on my patio. No plants, just a small fountain.
It now makes a de luxe litter tray for my aging cat. I had to empty it and scrub it out before putting soil topped with cat litter in it. Poppy christened it within an hour of me putting it in the conservatory. A bit cheeky as it was meant for night time. She is almost 18 years old so I have to concede that she now needs a little bit of spoiling.

 

Thanks. Good to know.

 

@He who dares - summer pruning is especially good for trained apple or pear trees such as cordons or fans, but it's also good for free standing trees which are getting too big, and to increase sunlight getting to the fruit to ripen it. In addition, it can stimulate pruned shoots to produce more fruit buds.

It's important not to prune too early, or the tree will respond by producing more vegetative growth. You need to wait until the side shoots which you want to prune have ripened and become "woody" for the bottom third of their growth. That'll happen at different times in different years, depending on the weather.

 

Thanks for this comprehensive reply and guidance. I'm very grateful.

 

Excitement...we found one pea seedling in the row that had loads of seeds sown!
Then we cleared another area that was supposed to have dwarf french beans (none germinated or the mice got the lot) ready for some more beans sown in pots indoors that this time have germinated. Will get some harvest at some time.
Mowed the paths in the orchard. Amazing how quick the grass grows out there.

 

Pruned my first apple tree and counted 8 apples. My other tree is another matter as I will need to use a step ladder.
Trimmed my potted olive tree as it had a lot of die back from the wet winter, also tidied up a couple of roses with die back. Trimmed my neighbours jasmine back to its own garden, it is hell bent on invading my side of the wall, also trimmed dead stems from a tracleospermum . Cut the spent flower stems from my Lucifer Crocosmia to dry and spray as Christmas garlands, arrangements etc.

 

I didn't do very much yesterday after my morning walk, but got a bit more 'shed' work done. It'll have to wait now until a drier day for completion, as I was otherwise engaged in the afternoon. Needed a break from it all anyway.
Won't be doing anything outside today due to the weather.

Many people hate conifers @shiney, which I understand, and they're a very common feature in Scottish gardens as they're suited to our conditions, but the birds all make very good use of the one in my garden too, as it's near the feeders, so they're an excellent place for them to scurry into for cover. I did curse the amount of stuff that comes off onto my car, and blocked all the vents, but now that daughter has moved out, I've been able it keep it on the other side of the drive!

 

Weeded around the polyanthus along the path. Deadheaded the roses and some watering.

 

Been cutting back shrubs that were seriously overhanging a gravel path. Then I cleared the path (almost) of weeds and debris.
I can actually walk right round our area set aside for fruit trees and bushes.

 

Bit of weeding, bit of watering, bit of thinking about what needs doing. Too humid for energetic activity.

 

Thanks for that , its hard to fight back the urge to prune earlier.

 

Hopefully I'll get some planting done today, and maybe finish off the bit of the raised bed round the other side of the shed. Haven't looked at it since I did the concreting on Sunday afternoon, so hopefully it's fine.
I have compost from one bin to bring round for topping up the various areas I've been amending, and other than that it'll be a mix of bits and pieces depending on whether it stays dry. I have another corner near the shed, under the conifer, which I'm going to fix up properly for a storage box I have, so I might take a look at that and see if I have material I can re use to make it level. It's currently just a mix of planting, and a bare bit where I had the daily compost bin [now re sited] and the 'bee/wasp nesting box'.