What are we doing in the garden 2025

I've certainly found it to be @AuntyRach. But I've been shredding down whole branches so lots of brown as well as green.

 

I just use compost/potting soil similar to miracle gro . I buy another less "gnatty" and twiggy brand. Blocks are so extremely efficient. I bought my makers many years ago and have never regretted that decision.

Once you get the soil/water mix right, you'll find you can make several trays in minutes. I line my trays with paper towel to aid water distribution after the original make. The paper simply disintegrates at just the right time.

Use your favourite mix and have fun. You'll be potting up in no time because the blocks erase the tedious pricking out exercise.

Please keep us in the loop about how you do with them

 

Hello all, quick question, I want to start tidying my garden but I don’t want to destroy habitats of insects overwintering in plants. With the frosts it’s obviously a bit too soon to start yet but when can I start? Is it a question of temperature or is there a date?

 

Hi @Debs64 I also delay tidying for the same reasons but usually start early to mid March. I started tidying at the weekend despite the frosts for the pragmatic reasons that the daytime weather forecast was good for a run of days and work is fairly quiet.

The frosts did give me pause for thought, but I don’t tend to remove a lot of stuff completely so hope that any insects still have shelter. Also given the daytime temperatures I’m assuming most are beginning to stir

I do a lot of cut and drop and most other stuff goes into my various brash piles at the back of borders so hopefully some insects are simply relocated. We’re lucky in having deep borders and mature shrubs so lots of hiding places (once everything gets into leaf). Plus I don’t do a very tidy “tidy”. My main focus is cutting back my grasses, crocosmia and ferns. I’ve left some of my evening primrose stems untouched, it will be interesting to see how long they last as they are still really firm and robust. This year my tidy is a lighter touch than last year, I’ve tidied very little of the old foliage on plants like Alchemilla mollis, only where it really annoys me.

I think it’s all a bit of an experiment really. I’m trying to tidy less and less, if it doesn’t affect the new growth and is visually acceptable (to me and OH) then nature can do its own thing. I do get itchy gardening fingers so sometimes there is a tension between leaving things be and wanting something to do.

I’m about to reread Dave Goulson’s Urban Jungle and search out some similar books as I want to see what else I can do or do better/differently to support as wide a range of wildlife as possible. I have a niggle at the moment that I may be doing some things which help at one stage of a life cycle but don’t support the whole life cycle. An obvious one would be providing food for adult pollinators but not the food/habitat needed for their young. Whether now is the best time to start tidying is obviously one of those questions

Sorry for such a long post but it’s lovely to hear that someone else delays tidying their garden for the same reason

 

@Debs64 Despite my long post I forgot to say that I have read that you should wait for a consistent daytime temperature of 10 degrees. What is defined as consistent, no idea!?

 

I always wait until it has been consistently warm and been dry for a few days so that what I remove is totally dried out.

I'm jealous of you @Debs64 because I can't even think about starting because there is still at least a foot of snow everywhere here!

 

A lovely sunny warm morning, spring says hello.

 

I have re-potted the water lily from the old pond and put it in the new pond. Then carried on defoliating Open Arms. Then came in because my hands were freezing.

 

Well I have been out and done a bit but left plenty of stems intact and have made a few small piles of the bits I cut down to hopefully give the insects some time to wake up.

 

Planted my new Clematis montana 'Freda' after first clearing Ivy, woody Jasmine branches and much dead wood from the site. Then I cut back all my Miscanthus grasses and tidied up Achillea.

 

Finished digging up the currant bushes and replaced with new. 3 bushes for £11.99 the one is only 1 stick but it's good for the price. Going to put some spring bulbs in the front of them.

 

I got the lawnmower out for its first use of the year. I even used it to cut the grass (can't call it a lawn - but there again, not much is grass)!!
I've mown the moss!!

Scooped up a good proportion of the worm casts.

 

You've been a busy bee! Looks wonderful .

 

A dreaded shopping trip today, which included B and Q. I went for more soil and when I got to the till I found a young Hydrangea Unique had fallen into the trolley The lady on the till had already put it through before I realised. So, as I've now acquired it my question is i will it be happy with a large pot?? I know can be grown in pots, although I've never attempted it. Does it need anything specific ?? I was going to plant it tomorrow in a smaller pot to bring it on a bit first ??