What are we doing in the garden 2024

I raked, pulled and dug at a corner of the veg patch. Dug a shallow pit and filled it with all of the stinking kitchen waste I have been saving. Covered it with soil from dead containers and collected the equipment needed to plant the runner beans. Obelisk, poles, twine, scissors, trowel etc
Then I hid indoors to watch the tennis before going for a blood test.
This morning I took the dog for an early walk, 7.00am,. before going to plant the beans, at last. Poor things.

 

Yesterday evening planted out some salvias and knocked over a couple of echiums near the end of flowering, usually I have to cut them off at ground level.

 

Just strimmed the extended garden, I'm not using as much Glyphosate as I normally do as Ben seem to like chewing on grass, for some reason.

Trimmed a yew hedge over there and in the process of trying to straighten the apricot tree, its encroaching on the sweetcorn.

 

Not much done here today as it’s so hot. Did have an “aromatic” half hour pulling up some Woundwort. I was hoping my Woodland Sage, also said to be enthusiastic, would keep it in check but it’s obviously not enthusiastic enough

 

I had to look up your woundwort @Butterfly6. Looks like a good plant for a wild patch.

OH has scalped the large gravelled area behind the house (which sits sideways to the lane in the top end of our plot) so I can see where to mark out my new herbs and pongs garden more easily. I've "planted" an obelisk so I can establish the best place to plant a tree between th enew beds and the lane. I shall then also so have to decide which tree.......

Meanwhile, tweaking of existing herb bed is done apart from planting the new lemon thyme, oregano and a tarragon this evening when it's a bit cooler.

 

I picked a bowl of new Potatoes earlier on. Now the Sun has gone round I've giving the Potatoes in bags a good water with the hose.

 

Nothing much except watering going on. Water butts nearly empty. The water was warm tonight!

Loads of black fly on my Borage - is that common? They look very bedraggled after spraying them with the hose now.

 

At last my runner beans are planted out. Of course, now we are forecast strong winds to rip them to pieces.
I was lying in bed in the early hours cogitating, as one does, on how to protect the beans from the wind when I had an electric light bulb moment.
I remembered a windbreak, waiting to be taken to the tip. Just the job. I am going to put it around the beans hopefully to deflect the worse of the battering.

 

It is @Obelix-Vendée and in my experience you only get the scent if you actively touch it. It’s an odd scent, I don’t hate it but I wouldn’t recommend it.

I like the flowers and it’s very popular with pollinators. So far it’s not a complete thug, it tends to pop up amongst things rather than rampage over them. But I wouldn’t plant it with anything which likes its own space or can’t hold its own. It doesn’t bother my roses and looks very pretty popping up amongst them

 

Yesterday I mowed the lawn, and broke up an old concrete garden ornament with a sledgehammer. I'm thinking of using the bits to create a blockery! My wife is not so keen, but I think she'll warm to the idea if I plan it in detail.

 

Armed with hammer, dahlia stakes and windbreak I put the windbreak around the runner beans, re-inforced by the dahlia stakes. It is still standing so fingers crossed it is giving the beans some much needed protection. They are a jungle plant so very delicate and fragile. If I am lucky I will have a late season crop from them.
The Jazzee new potatoes I planted in pots a few weeks ago have come through and are looking very healthy. I have never heard of this variety, supermarket bought to eat, the flavour was good enough to tempt me to try growing some which had tiny shoots forming.

 

Nothing today it keeps on raining , mowed the lawn yesterday evening and it rained on me then . Just had a quick potter round now and again watering etc . I've ordered some more plants some arrived yesterday some due today and hopefully some next week . Some plants are starting to open the roses are looking marvellous

 

Just come in for a rest. Trimmed the hedge at the front, but only one side. I only use sharp shears - wife won't agree to me using power hedge trimmers. I might accidentally trim myself - or worse, overtrim the hedge!!



I can trim the road side of it another day. Anyhow, there's no space left in the garden waste bin, due for collection on Monday. Nor is there much room in the compost bins. Looks as though I'm going to need another one!

 

@RowlandsCastle, there is always the possibility of trimming oneself! OH once managed to cut through the lead, not once, but twice in the same hedge cutting session - good job we had a power breaker fitted!
We've just paid the £113.95 renewal fee for two council bins - ouch.

Still no rain for us and none forecast for another week. Might have to get the hosepipe out soon as water butts running low - and we have nine! OH cut the lawns early this morning before it got too hot, although it's cooler today than the last couple. I have deadheaded all the roses in the garden (will do the back garden ones tomorrow), cut down a Patty's Plum Poppy and gone over foxgloves. Will save the seed from the latter and scatter it in the Community Orchard later in the year. There's a limit to how many foxgloves I want in this garden next year.

 

@RowlandsCastle Many years ago we had some building work done which included knocking down an old coal bunker and the adjoining concrete walk way. The builders found an enormous amount of stone underneath. We kept it! We made a raised gravel bed next to the pond, stepping stones in our "Mediterranean" area and a tall water feature in the same area. So go for it!