What are we doing in the garden 2024

Glad you're feeling better @Busy-Lizzie !

 

Thank you @CarolineL.

Today I hope to plant some tulips but I need to clear some space first. I plant spring bulbs around late flowering perennials and snowdrops around hostas.

 

Sorry to hear you've not been well @Busy-Lizzie . Hope you're on the mend now.
I collected more leaves yesterday, but didn't shred them with the mower. Should have done the ones the other day as they were quite dry, but it isn't great when they're really wet, which most of them are. I've got a bit of room left in the cage, so I might get more today, but they'll be damp too as there's been some smirr overnight/this morning. I also collected some good branches from the nearby maples, which the farmer had conveniently chopped for me when cutting the roadside hedges. I used them to add to thread through the wire of the cage door and keep it firm.
Other than that, I couldn't really be bothered doing much as I was a bit weary after my late night the day before [daughter and myself went to see Mr Zimmerman in Edinburgh] but I'm beyond being out after 11pm these days!
I still have plants to put in - I'll get them done eventually - today might be the day!

 

Not sure where to post this but here goes. I have been away for a few days and got home yesterday to find that my unpaid for green bin (I share payment with my neighbour for one bin), which I have been filling up anyway on the principle that the space may as well be filled as it would rot down eventually, has been emptied.
I was intending to sneak it out amongst the paid for ones at some point and see what happened, but no need for that now.

 

We've got two chaps putting a new door on our outdoor storage "room"/cubbyhole (would have been for storing coal when the house was built but I use it for gardening stuff) so when they're finished I'll be outside painting it with wood preservative. I've got some colourless stuff that I'll put on first while we decide whether we want it a different colour.

 

Result @katecat58 ! Gift horses and all that...
I tackled the bed right down at the front of the front garden yesterday, to remove the rest if the r*ddy bio-kovo gernaium. Horrible invasive thing. Some bits were impossible to get out as they're right up against the kerbs that mark the boundary with the footpath. I'll probably have to tackle those next year with weedkiller, as cutting off new growth every time it appears doesn't work. It's a really persistent offender. The soil's in good nick though, and I might get the potentilla in the back garden lifted and put in there. I stuck a few heucheras in there that I had in pots, and I've got various other little bits and bobs that can be better behaved groundcover too, for that bit and teh bit on the inside of the fence. I have a young viburnum in a pot which will also go in there, but I'm enjoying it in the back garden just now.
That took quite a while, but I was glad to get it done. I collected more leaves, so the cage is now full. I could fill it ten times over with the amount that's sitting everywhere round here.
Today, I'm not sure what I'll do, but daughter is coming for dinner. Might be mainly non gardening things like washing the car, but probably just general tidying etc. I could do with painting the fence in the front garden, but it's to be wet tonight/tomorrow, so I might wait until during the week when it's meant to be more suitable - even some sun, which would be ideal.

 

Hi,

A bit of catching up to do.

Thank you @JennyJB for Bron's good wishes; two days to go until Tuesday for her assessment before the knee replacement which can't come soon enough.

If you manage to get through your list of to do jobs you'll need the same energy level as I have; good luck.

Thanks @fairygirl for your good wishes.

I couldn't agree more with you @Robert Bowen regarding Ivy & Holly both are best only on Christmas cards; last year I ran over 80 fully packed bin bags of ivy to our local tip also I think at last I'm on top of holly removal having cleared a mature holly and dozens of holly saplings. Brambles are still popping up all over the place and I've removed a bit of mile a minute vine; this vine was huge years ago invading the huge laurel hedge; it was like thick rope and grew at a fantastic pace; as soon as I see any appear it's doomed.

Good luck @JennyJB with your choice of painting the new door; over the years I've tried lots of assorted protective wood treatments from preservatives to paint and most lasted a year before needing redoing. For my fences I now use 50/50 mix of diesel & old engine oil; the garage who services my car is more than pleased to freely give me as much old oil as I want; just turn up with a big empty Adblue container and come away with it full of oil; I hand over a box of chocs as a token thank you.



For painted woodwork I use expensive Benjamin Moore water based paint; this is available in the UK from here;

Aura® Exterior

Our bungalow on a steep valley side suffers extremes of weather and I was fed up of constantly repainting all the exterior woodwork; in 2016 I was delighted when Shaw's Paints started selling American Benjamin Moore paint so in spite of the high cost I bought over 5 gallons and gave the exterior woodwork a birthday; I've not touched it since and it remains like new.


I made two of these garden huts from treated timber years ago here's one of them the other is up the garden; every year I was treating them but then decided to fully paint using Benjamin Moore paint; I used 3 gallons giving two coats to each hut and to other woodwork in the garden.

Here's a rough garden bench I gave a makeover using the same Benjamin Moore paint; the paint still looks new.


Two lots of fencing and handrails to the garden steps; here's one of them; the Benjamin Moore paint is by far the cheapest long term considering the many hours I've wasted over the years with preparation only to keep repeating the treatment. It works for me.

It usually rains after I was the car @fairygirl.

Kind regards, Col.

 

Grey day again but did some weeding near the bog garden with the insectivorous plants. Just wish that "Mind Your Own Business" would do that and stop spreading everywhere. Removed seedlings of alkanet and hypericum growing in the cracks between paving slabs. Cut up branches from 2 years ago to use as kindling.

 

@Retired Hi Col are you saying those haven't been repainted since 2016?
If so, that's amazing! I use ronseal ducks back on my fence which claims 5 years, but needs doing every year

 

Hi,

Thanks for asking Caroline. I think I painted the huts and seat etc about 6 years ago.



However though it was 2016 when I gave the bungalow exterior woodwork a comprehensive makeover using the BM paint; out of interest the two colours are Baja Dunes & Taos Taupe. Bron and I spent quite a while browsing American homes on the web looking for ideas as to colours to use; we found what we liked and sent a copy to Shaw's who had just started selling BM paint and these were the colours they suggested.

I made the new rear door as first job when we moved here 37 years ago and it's still like new.

This picture was taken immediately after the repaint. I made all the cladding and both side hung doors; I disliked the up and over garage door. The large panel is a full sheet of WBP 18mm thick plywood; everywhere on the web it's stated plywood is no good for this kind of use; I ensured it received a lot of paint to the back side and especially all edges. The paint looks the same so no point in taking more pictures.

I designed and made the new front porch too in 2016. The porch is excellent for parcel deliveries and makes a massive difference to keeping our usual bad weather out.

Front room; lower panels also plywood routed by me to resemble cladding. The wooden frames are original at 60 years old and still like new.

As I say this Benjamin Moore paint initially appears very expensive but it goes a long way and lasts. This is Exterior Aura Satin applied by 4" roller and brush; it goes on like a dream and five minutes after applied rain doesn't bother it unlike oil based gloss paint I used to use which took forever to dry and rain often ruined it.

I've rambled on enough but this being a gardening forum members have homes as well as garden buildings which require maintenance; just passing on my experiences.

I've used Ronseal wood preservatives and even Creoseal creosote replacement; waste of time; money and effort hence I use the diesel/old oil mix now which lasts around four years but only costs a gallon of diesel the oil is free and plentiful.

Kind regards, Col.

 

Hi,

Ive just popped out and taken two pictures for interest; can you see any difference regarding paint BM paint being exposed to extremes of weather for the last 8 years?


It's a typical miserable dark Yorkshire afternoon.

The same bench 8 years later.

It's a good job there isn't a DIY section on this forum or I'd be busy.

Kind regards, Col.

 

Yesterday I cut down most of the dead box hedge in the front garden; the green bin is now full ready for collection in the week. Then I started removing a portion of the lawn to create a new flower bed - a quarter circle shape in the corner. All the removed turf was carried laboriously down to the bottom of the back garden and piled up to compost away. I was amazed how much there was for one small patch (1.5m radius).

Today I switched to back garden work. First I had the last of the turfs to carry down, and then leaves to collect. The birch and rowan are already bare, but the snakebark maple still has half its leaves left and the hazel and wild cherry are only just changing colour. I have a big cage at the bottom of the garden to put the leaves in. Haven't taken any finished leafmould out yet as this is only the second autumn I've been using it. I collected some in sacks the year before, but tipped those into the cage when I installed it.

After than I went to plant out my new Drimys shrub; dug the hole then turned around and couldn't find it. Scanned the whole area several times before I realised I had put it down next to the Myrtle and the two had just blended together visually.

I planted out the rest of my Camassia bulbs, and removed some weeds on the slope before putting in some Cyclamen Hederifolia. Some of the Camassia bulbs were huge; the size of onions and I'm not talking pickled ones!

Tomorrow planning to finish the new bed in the front and get some plants in. I've just realised there are several potted things on my back patio that would likely be happier planted out in the sunnier front garden, including lavender and rosemary and a couple of salvia cuttings. So they will help fill it out. I've also received my tulip bulb order so I'll try and get some of those in.

 

I've been in Scotland for three weeks (storm Ashley was interesting, in a cottage 25m from the sea...), and returned late on Tuesday with a cold. Head is full of concrete, so I've managed very little in the garden - tied up the climbing rose, done a bit of weeding, and assessed what needs doing once I can bend down without falling over!

I'd never heard of Benjamin Moore paint, @Retired . Thanks for the heads-up - it looks a lot more durable than the other brands I've tried in the past.

 

I hadn't heard of that paint either @Retired, so may look into that. Your handiwork around your property is seriously impressive. Fantastic job you've done.
Glad you're ok @Liriodendron . The storm wasn't too bad here where I am, thankfully - not any worse than the usual sort of stuff we often get.
I have quite a few Camassias @Escarpment - great plants, but the foliage takes up a lot of room, and ages to die back. The bulbs are certainly large! They spread when happy too.

I didn't do anything much yesterday, garden wise. Daughter came over a bit earlier so I didn't have time after car washing. Might make the effort today as it's to clear up later. It'll be putting those potted plants in and maybe digging up the potentilla and replanting in the front garden.

 

@Retired
Best there seems to be for a DIY Discussion is Garden Projects and DIY