Starting to tackle the garden.

The willow tree has had to be chopped down :( After a good look at the bottom of it I discovered a crack in the trunk right down almost at soil level - that would be why it blew like it did I assume. I'm even less clued up on trees than anything else. Anyways no point being too sad - I've got to drop the level right down now as it's sat at about 5' high. Got OH to do most of the sawing (started it myself but being male and it involving a saw he had to take over, lol)

I've left the hebes in for the time being, they're gonna need a really really hard prune though. I've planted some hardy geraniums - dug them out of my mums garden yesterday. I've put 3 or 4 small clumps into the small patch and a couple of large clumps over near where the tree was.

My garden is starting to look a little better (pity about the driveway as thats where all the branches from the willow have been put ready for recycling). It looks a lot bigger now the tree doesn't dominte it, and I can actually get around the akward part now. I've taken out more of the grass, nettles and anything else thats grown around that area so I've found the soil.

Now for some questions - does anyone know when I should prune my mock orange? Its leggy, but I've found differing advice on how and when.
Lollipop when do I prune my roses? I had to cut my deep red one back when the tree was going to come down as I didn't want to crush it from the branches coming down as I knew they'd catch it (luckily they missed but if I hadn't cut it back then they'd have hit and broken it). I left quite a few of the 'buds' on each branch and cut off at a 45 deg angle, I just hope I've not killed it now.

 

Hiya Katherna, what a shame-to lose a tree is awful but you are right-if it has to go then it has to go.

Cutting the roses to prevent damage is wise at any time of year-a controlled break usually meaning far less damage then any other. Well done for remembering about the angle-for years I consistently forgot. The very best time to prune back roses is in winter whilst it`s dormant-I am torn in two this year as I have had slightly differing advice from two excellent sources-Wiseoldowl says very late Winter, and Christopher Lloyd says anytime in winter. I am going to be a bit experimental this year-I have three of the same roses and will cut them one at the beginning, another middle, and another end to compare how they do next year.

The mock orange should eb pruned after flowering before the end of August, but we are having milder winters, so I personally might be tempted to have a go as soon as-but I am a butcher when it comes to my garden as I much prefer younger delicate growth, I would take it down to about a foot lower than you even want it to be down to the nearest dormant bud to that. But I will have a quick look at another book as soon as I find it to double check and I will get back to you with what it says later today.

 

Sorry to hear about the tree. Its such a shame. I think most roses are quite hard as I've hacked mine about and they are still alive.

I look forward to seeing what happens in your experiment Claire. And its a good job you're not a hairdresser cause no one would have any hair lol

 

Little Miss-I did dabble a bit too frequently with my own as a youngster-even at one point shaved the sides and dyed it purple!

Ah, the good old days. LOL

 

I'd love purple hair it would match my flowers in the garden

 

If I ever get my hands on a scanner I will post a pic of me in my ahem wilder days.

 

:thmb: I'd like to see that Lollipop.

If it stays dry then I'll go out tomorow and do a little more hack and slash gardening, :lollol: Ill check where the buds are on the plant. Might take me a while, I remember when my mum gave it to me it was about 2' tall, bare sticks, then it grew, lol, and grew and grew, it's about 6' tall now but the tree had been blocking quite a lot of light from it so it's become leggy.

 

Managed to mow the grass, lol, but looking at it theres probably more moss now than grass on half of the front. Broke a spade and fork digging round the tree to see where the roots are (it's okay they were cheapy cheapy ones so not too much value lost, didn't use my good spade thank goodness). Dug out, uprooted loads of grass from my clay flower bed, tried to hoe managed to get about 2 sq feet done. Hoed the side border and planted some hardy geraniums with roots, lol.
Got a nice comment from the neighbour about how nice the garden looked - it doesn't look that good atm, but at least I've managed to get rid of a load of litter from the bottom end now and it looks sort of tidy.
Hope the dry weather continues as I'm going to get OH to take me to a nursery to get some plants :D