Mr Grinch's Garden

Wow! Your garden has come on really well Mr. Grinch, it's matured fairly quickly and is looking good.

 

Looks very inviting Mr G. A glass of chilled Pinot Grigio on that lounger sounds ACE,
Jenny

 

I just want the trees to get bigger and the hedge to mature. Give it 5 years and i will be happy i think.
Still area that need work.

G

 

Indeed like those ilex crenata that just look ill. They have until next spring otherise out and replaced with Box.

G

 

For the first time in 12 years, i have Blue Tits nesting in our nest box. This box has been in two gardens. It is always been shown interest buy Tits but never actually rearing anything in them. This year i decides to move it to a more secluded spot, out the way in the shade and guess what, we have babies squeaking in the box.
Really chuffed.
Im hoping as the garden matures, the tree's and plants will provide the cover needed for garden birds.

G

 

My garden is funny you know, cold wet clay, very wet in winter. Do you think Dahlia would survive in the ground during the winter ? No chance................... until them both poking through today.
G

 

Gorgeous day today.
Tip - Sedums like dry sun baked soil, often lacking nutrients. In these soils they grow strong and do not flop. If you have a nutrient rich heavy clay soil like mine, they grow and grow fast but flop as the flowers heads get too big and heavy. In these soils, chop back each stem in May. The flowers will be smaller but you get more of them and the plants do not flop to expose the crown in September.

G

 

My soil is also sandy and Sedums love it!

 

Without doubt a sandy dry soil is best for them, unfortunately mine is the opposite, so a chop in May is a must.
Showers forecast for later but again a warm day with sunny spells. I raked the grass today and cut it, always looks better when you rake first. Makes all the grass "stand up" if you know what i mean. Its time for my May weed and feed. My grass is rubbish and with my clay subsoil, its very difficult to get a green healthy lawn. I've tried everything, forking, air-rating, sharp sand, top soil dressing and re seeding but nothing has long term benefits. The only real way to cure it would be to dig it up, new turf on a decent free draining sub soil but costs mean i wont do that. The only thing that makes it look good is a weed and feed, this greens it up within days but only usually lasts a month before the grass starts to look a bit unhealthy again.

G

 

Oh wow you have a nice garden. Lots of potential in it. Are you going to install a gazebo? I can see some places where one would look lovely!

 

Unless you have weeds "all over" I'd skip the "Weed" part of "Weed & Feed" and stick to just "Feed" Weed & Feed is a lot more expensive than just a lawn fertiliser, and you can spot-weed with some spray herbicide, or hand weed if very few weeds.

Maybe splash out on some Sulphate of Iron if you want to green it up nicely for a special occasion - need to do that 10 days before the Event Main job of Iron Sulphate is to kill moss ... so it will do that too.

 

Ive tried to spot weed things and all it does it make a brown mark in the lawn where the weed killer has done its bit BUT also kills a bit of grass around it, then i have to re seed these areas. Ive also tried digging them up, i can never get the whole root out and it grows back, so i agree it is dear but i feel the weed part just keeps on top of any that are trying to grow. Will look into the sulphate though

I cut back the last remaining lupins. Such a shame, they are one of my favs but the greenfly has reached plague proportions. Ive sprayed and nothing works. Really i should have spotted this earlier and kept on top of it. The three plants were just a sticky heaving mess so had to go. Hopefully i will get new growth and next year, i will pay special attention to them.

G

 

Sounds like you are using a general purpose weedkiller, rather than a selective weedkiller for lawns? (E.G. Verdone Extra or LawnClear - and I think Resolva do one now too, not tried that)