What are we doing in the garden 2024

I understand the issue with fortnightly collections - the conifer I'm taking down will fill it twice over, and that's without the 7ft stump. That I can saw up and add to the wood pile for wildlife.

Referring to another posting elsewhere, I could put the smaller pieces on the lawn, and mow them, to add to the compost bins. However, they are almost full anyway.

 

Did a bit of watering, tied up some of the glads and picked some more fruit.

 

All my other geraniums do fine! The soil is lovely once you sieve out the giant stones ... and I always do, adding some compost and an annual slow-release feed for good measure. I've tried it in morning sun ... and then in afternoon. Fairly shady and less shady. I'm conscientious about watering. I just don't get what its problem is! A mystery.

 

Sometimes a plant just doesn't read the info @ViewAhead , and doesn't want to do what we want!
There's certainly some differences with varieties of geranium though, even when they tend to be pretty straightforward.
I always grow some white ones, and many of those don't tend to flower very abundantly, but this year, one has gone bonkers [G. sanguineum Album] and I can only put it down to the non winter, and the very mild spring we had here. It's been in situ for several years, and I've grown that type before, and it's always behaved the same way.
It's never that consistently mild through April, which is why many plants here don't start growing well until May, but this was growing and flowering like mad, and has also had a 2nd flush after a short flowering period in May - something else we rarely get [with lots of plants] because of those longer winters, and slower starts to the season. It's still flowering now.

 

I resisted the option to pay for a second bin for a few years but did so last year. It makes it much easier to plan and finish jobs without piling up waste in the garage for the next collection. The second bin doesn't get used over winter but for the equivalent of the price of two good bottles of wine it's worth it !

 

First nibbling of hosta this yr! The culprit was silly enough to hang around ... and has now been lobbed over the fence into a wild patch.

 

My problem is I have so many trees it's difficult to find an area with clear space for a bonfire these days, even in winter.

 

What are you going to plant in its place, @shiney. My lonicera has grown like mad in the last couple of months! A prune is defo on the cards when the blackbirds have vacated.

 

I wonder what sieve you have @ViewAhead

 

Before and after.






And knackered!!

 

Well, it goes like this, @simone_in_wiltshire. I winkle out the really giant ones with various implements plus a lot of huffing and puffing. Then the medium ones and all the soil goes through a sieve. Then, if some gravelly bits have got through, it goes through a smaller one. I am left with a pile of big stones, a bucket full of medium and diddy ones, and half a bucket of the loveliest soil, all soft and silky. This I mix with some MPC and I'm ready to plant. It ain't quick, that's for sure.

 

Speaking of plants that only like certain gardens….I bought these staychs hummelo from waitrose garden about 8 years ago and they never flowered. Just moved them to my new garden and get these…