What are we doing in the garden 2024

Hi,

At last a dry day so far so I've cracked on repairing our neighbours fence completing it this morning.


The wind damaged fence having a broken post. Modern timber treatment is rubbish unlike the good old fashioned genuine creosote and the bought treated timber that lasted years. 6 years old; I erected this fence to help our former neighbour.

American farmers have been protecting their wooden posts for over 100 years by burning the section which goes into the ground. I burned the post with a very hot MAPP gas torch then wrapped it in heavy gauge polythene as seen; At the top of the polythene I tightly wrapped two turns of gaffer tape and secured the end with two clout nails

This was a temporary repair;two lengths of softwood secured with 50mm stainless screws.

New post now in and temporary repair treated with a mix of 50/50 old engine oil and diesel. The polythene wrapping extends to 6" above soil level. I won't be around in 50 years if it ever needs replacing. Cost to me 4 hours of my time and £9.50 for the new post; cost to neighbour a thank you many times and £0. Another job ticked off; the car now needs a good wash; however hard I work I can't get on top at all but I'm never bored. Tonight I might manage a violin practice if I'm lucky.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

That was good of you Colin.

 

Your neighbour would have been very pleased with the result of your work!

 

Hi,

For the last five years I've been rotavating in Autumn then again in March; raking then broadcasting new wildflower seed mix always bought from Meadowmania; the seeds once grown and in bloom look stunning; then comes the dire climate to flatten the lot; the seed mix grew to over a metre tall. The mix also included a selection of grasses; these grasses would take over and dominate at the end of the season.



Yesterday I decided to try a different flower mix this not including grasses; this mix is annual the previous mix was both annual and perennial; I never got to view the perennial flowers because of the grass. This mix now bought grows at a lower height.



Since removing our massive hedge of cherry laurels at the very top of our mountain of a garden walkers along the lane stop and stare in amazement at the spectacular panoramic view across the valley and when the meadows are in full bloom they are so breathtakingly beautiful many take images on their mobile phone; it's hard work rotavating and raking but I'm pleased to still be fit enough now aged 76 to do this kind of physical work. I hope the lower growing flowers are more resistant to the high winds.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

@Retired I think I would take a different approach and look to reduce the nutrient levels in the soil.
I would remove the turf, either from the whole area or maybe from strips or patches and stack the turves at the bottom edge of the plot. Cultivate and rake level the bare soil, sow a meadow mix leave to grow. In late spring maybe plant some more meadow plants as plugs. Mow any grass areas left and remove cuttings to compost heap. At mid to end of summer, when the meadow plants have flowered and set seed, cut down and leave laying there for a week or so then rake off; the idea being the seed will fall out of the seed heads, rakings to compost heap. Next year repeat process with any grass patches, strips left and then in summer repeat the cutting down and raking process.

 

Hi,

Many thanks @NigelJ for your informative and useful suggestion. Meadowmania state wildflowers grow best in poor soil suggesting all top soil be removed before broadcasting the seeds; they also state to mow at over 4" high in order to let the bi-annuals grow for next season. It would need an awful lot of plug plants on both meadow areas; the garden is so steep it's difficult to remain upright; I rotavate the grass in.

Our garden is very fertile indeed just the opposite needed for wildflowers but I have great success with my method of rotavating twice yearly; a number of walkers along the lane explained they'd tried growing wildflowers without success and their soil is very poor; the wildflowers seem to love our garden.

A close up of our top meadow; looking at the whole meadow is breathtaking whilst it's in full bloom.

I don't need to do anything other than I'm already doing to get the same result year on year but as said earlier the weather is my enemy; I'll try a different wildflower mix this year with lower growing flowers to see if it helps.

A Comprehensive Guide to Cultivating a British Wildflower Meadow or Garden

Thanks again @NigelJ for taking the time to reply; much appreciated.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Couldn't resist it any longer, got the mower out and cut the grass.
Quite surprised how thick it had grown at this time of the year.

 

Cut out some more of the blackberry canes and tied in the new, doing a bit at a time.

 

I didn't get to cutting grass yesterday, and it was too wet to do it today. Shame, mine is bushy in some areas too.
I managed to spend some time in garden yesterday and today. Cut the raspberries, picked up palm's leaves after that stormy weather. Weeded, pulled out unwanted plants. Did some additional roses shaping.

 

Hi,

Much too wet and windy to be outside all day yesterday; the wind was still howling up the valley during the night. I've just done the shopping and already there's drizzle on the car. Will I do anything useful in the garden today; I doubt it.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Got the lights and heated tray set up in the garage, checked the timers were working.
Prepared some pots for chilli seeds. Thought about sowing sweet pea seed and decided to start them on wet tissue inside, so that is for this evening and then they'll be ready for planting in Root Trainers next weekend.

 

Started to move a couple of trays of seedlings out into the greenhouse for the day when we have milder temps, it soon gets surprisingly warm in there. I do have light reflectors that I have used as an emergency backup indoors on window sills but you can't beat the quality of light that they get from being in the greenhouse.

 

Hi,

It's with thanks to @Logan for tipping me off regarding Yellow Rattle plants ages ago. Each year my meadows are taken over by grass at the end of the flowering season so I've just bought Yellow Rattle seeds from the same supplier as my wildflower seeds meadowmania.




When all the seeds arrive I'll mix the yellow Rattle with the windflower seeds before broadcasting to ensure a better spread.

I need about three days rain free then I can rotavate the meadows; being such a steep garden it dries very quickly but three days without rain is expecting a miracle.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

That's good @Retired
Nothing today it's too cold and windy.

 

I have made a bunch more soil blocks and started red cascading petunia seeds and regular assorted petunia seeds. Then I sowed more of the cascading ones into three hanging pots and also two more pots with lobelia. They have their caps on and are sitting in the living room. The reason I start those seeds in the pots is because I have a disc of metal cloth on the surface of each and I want the plants to grow up through those. The squirrels or anything else which decides to dig, will be frustrated to be thwarted.

I also filled a bunch of my new little coloured pots with wet soil to be ready for potting up my papaver somniferum seedlings tomorrow morning. The lights had already gone out in the grow area by the time I had the pots ready that is why I decided to wait.

I'm toying with the idea of bringing up and potting the begonias from last year. I've never overwintered them before and I'd like to see if I was successful. Still