What are we doing in the garden 2024

No gardening here today - wet and blowing a gale. Might have a look at the odd online plant catalogue...

I think it's very likely to be chiggers (harvest mites) attacking you, @CostasK . We get them too, and they love ankles, waists, and hidden-away places, but not faces, so different from the normal midges. They seem to live in my hedge, which makes blackberry picking a nightmare; a couple of years ago we had ticks as well, in the meadow area, so drastic action had to be taken. I reluctantly used a permethrin spray on my gardening clothes, renewing the spray every summer. It kills chiggers and ticks on contact. I'm not thrilled with the idea of clothing dosed in insecticide, but it was either that, or stop gardening for 4 months.

 

We learnt all this at college @katecat58 The Latin species has a capital letter but the name for a (naturally occurring) variety doesn’t e.g. Choisya ternata, Aster frikartii etc. A “man-made” bred variety of a plant is technically called a cultivar and they will usually have a capital just as your or my names would, they would be written in inverted commas e.g. Chiosya ternata “Sundance” Aster frikartii “Monch”
However in the everyday speak the word variety tends to get used for both natural and bred ones and the inverted commas are often forgotten and the use of a capital for the Latin species name varies

 

Thank you @Butterfly6 for a very comprehensive answer.

 

Didn't do a huge amount yesterday as I went out another walk in the afternoon with older daughter. Put most of the wooden trim on the concrete edging at the shed, and a bit more pot painting, tomato picking etc. Potted on some V. bonariensis cuttings, and also a young clematis which was a bit tricky, but necessary. Watched the birds enjoying the facilities - the sparrows are very entertaining just now.
Will finish the timber edging today, and I don't know what else as it's to be wet later on. Not much needs doing, but there's a couple of shrubs I'd like to shift. Don't think my body will cope just now though as it's falling apart.

 

@shiney That is very impressive with the lemon verbena , it must be a substantial grarled old plant by now. I have a couple myself which are about 5 years old now and potted up . I just put the pots in a sheltered spot in one of the borders - slow to rejuvenate each spring but once they get going they produce loads of leafy growth. I just grow them for the scent of the leaves and put the pots close to a seated area . They seem to me to be the best lemon fragrance of any plant.
The only culinary use we have made was when Mrs B infused some in white wine vinegar for vinaigrette which we liked. Does anyone have any “ must try” ideas for use?
Shiney , what is your secret for keeping lemon verbena going for 45 years?!

 

@fairygirl . Such a great plant , v .bonariensis. I have one at the back of the front borderwhich goes really well with a big abundant pink japanese anemone I havent tried taking cuttings but i have found they self seed well. Mind you this one hasnt yielded any seedlings in the bed thus far but yesterday when i was checking over the veg plot i came across a handsone bonariensis seedling about 6” tall which has benefitted from the shelter of a double row of climbing borlotti beans. I shall be moving this one to new quarters later in the week.

 

They don't really self seed successfully/reliably, here @Robert Bowen, due to the climate, and I can lose the main plants too in an average winter, hence the cuttings. I had a couple from last year which had coped well enough, as they're right up against the house wall, tucked in behind other planting, and we had no winter to speak of compared to normal. It's the long term, wet cold they can't manage.
I took some cuttings from those plants earlier in the year, and they've done well, so I'll keep them protected over winter to give me a back up for next year

 

It’s been raining nonstop here all day. There was a brief interlude when the heavy rain lightened to drizzle at about 4 o’clock. An ideal opportunity to wheel the garden waste bin out for collection tomorrow, the only useful gardening activity today. The blackbirds seem to like it though, making worms easier to detect and demolish .

 

All I've done in the garden today, is prune a rose bush because the wind was causing parts of it to constantly tap on the plastic guttering, which would disturb tonight, if not dealt with.
It has meant that we now have a vase with beautiful roses in it.

 

@ArmyAirForce On first sight i thought this was a scruffy robin !

 

I found 3 apples had fallen off the tree today and were in good heart so i picked this little lot . Its Xmas Pippin which i have grown as a cordon - best yield so far , good size and should store until March , but they wont last as long as that !

 

My favourite apple with some crumbly white cheese "Yum, Yum.