What are we doing in the garden 2024

@Plantminded Thats a shame. I raised my miscanthus sinensis new hybrids from seed several years ago. Mine were horizontal under snow but Mrs B went out with a sweeping brush and cleared the snow off and coaxed them to stand upright and now this morning they look sturdy as before and the sun is showing them off. Maybe an idea not to give up on them just yet?

 

Thank you @Robert Bowen, you’re right, it’s really just one of my Miscanthus varieties that has suffered, the others are fine. The M. Zebrinus had grown to its best height ever and is in rather an exposed location. It’s got lots of new shoots at the base so it’s showing willing and may deserve a second chance . You may have saved it!

 

@Plantminded I have been toying with buying a B.globosa for a new south facing bed in 2025 , i have never been a fan of buddleja but this is supposedly not invasive. Have you grown globosa before?

 

Yes, I have. It is more floriferous than B. davidii varieties and flowers on old wood, so a different pruning regime. I didn’t find it invasive. Also, it was a real magnet for bees! I’m having difficulty sourcing a reasonably sized one at the moment so will look again in spring. Hope this helps .

 

Need to prune a couple of roses to prevent wind rock in Storm Bert tomorrow. Maybe take Salvia Amistad into the greenhouse as this weeks cold has finished the flowers off. Prune Buddleja davidii.

 

Can’t do a thing as do not possess a pneumatic drill. Everything is like concrete and we might get that damned white stuff tomorrow. Had intended to lift some leeks, fat chance they are stuck solid so off the menu for the time being.Wall to wall blue skies and sun, so all appears delightful if you are inside parked by the wood burning stove!

 

@Plantminded Yes , it does help , thanks very much , its useful to get feedback from someone who has grown it. I am now keen to get one in the new year for spring planting but am undecided about also getting a B. Weyeriana Sungold too. This seems to be a davidii/globosa cross , the flowers look like typical davidii shape but has it lost the invasive gene through the cross , that is the question ! Sungold has the advantage of being quite cheap ( £15 for 3 pot grown plants mail order) slightly more expensive pro rata to buy singly.

 

Hi,

Snow forecast for us from 3:00pm yesterday so where is it? Well done again Met Office,

Kind regards, Col.

 

@Retired Unusually , Col , i would be grateful for the forecasters to have got it wrong. Storm Bert suggests nearly everyone will get wind , heavy rain or snow or substantial permutations of all 3. We are yet again on the edge of the very heavy rain forecast for Saturday - we have already had need of an ark a couple of times this autumn so i really hope they have got that wrong. If anyone gets any outdoor gardening done this weekend across the UK then they will have been very lucky.

 

Nothing today it's raining and all day.

 

Despite the bleak forecast of rain all day, it cleared mid afternoon. I managed to get a short walk then blasted a lot of wet leaves into a corner and topped up my bin. If I leave them they stain the paving for a short while, but I’m fussy .

 

I actually, got to the plots for a quick check mid morning. The rain even held off for most of it. Cut a cabbage, only 2 more left now, but the sprouts are forming nicely. Picked the last two snackbite peppers from the greenhouse, and picked the very Last of the Chrysanthemums.
The fruit and brassica cages are still intact but tbh the storm hasn't really hit us yet. I put some heavy boards on top of the cold frame to keep it in place. Just have to go check again on Monday hopefully it will all be OK.

 

I looked out the window , closed the blinds , try again tomorrow.