What are we doing in the garden 2024

Well i think my body was empathising with yours. I have an 8’ conifer hedge about 150’ long on my south and east boundaries of my back garden and i did a light prune on the faces of the whole hedge - when i cut it back in February the gound was too wet for the ladder so the top had not been done at all so in addition to the light prune i did the top too by which time my big hedgecutter felt twice as big and 10x heavier than when i started. By the time i had cleared the debris and cleaned the trimmer i too was only fit for the knackers yard. But …..today is another day…..

 

I got my honeysuckle replanted yesterday in the bed beside the shed, and brought some compost round from the bin to add to the soil there. I have some other soil collected to add to it as well, but I might hold back with that until I decide what else is going in there. If the weather plays nicely today, I'll possibly get the wires in for it, and maybe get a couple of other things planted. Deadheading too, as I didn't quite get round to that yesterday. I finished the raised bed round the other side, which took ages [typical] and I might see what timber I have to do a finishing edge round it. Isn't vital, as it's only me that'll see it, but I like things looking decent.
I also did most of the corner where I'm going to move the storage box to, and that wasn't too difficult. I have a couple of slabs I can also add there to give a really solid base. Moving the box will be awkward though, especially as it's very heavy. That's for another day perhaps, to save my aching body!
Might be able to time it for daughter's day off though ....
I'm also making a nestbox with all the offcuts of wood I have, so I might get more of that done.

 

I tied in the tomato plants again. Removed the tarpaulin from over the greenhouse. I have decided we are not likely to have anymore blistering heat, if we do, the plants will have to fend for themselves. The cucumbers have miniscule cucumbers forming so I might have one or two to eat if they set and hold. This gardening lark is so stressful. I missed the second flowering on my Queen of the Night succulent. Maybe next year.
I watched enviously as my neighbour and her mother strimmed their grass bank. They didn't do the section between my garden and theirs so hopefully the chickens will not find their way over into my garden. They do love to scratch in the soil and have dust bathes. The kale I planted out is still with me and beginning to make a move, I have given them 6 ft canes in anticipation of things to come!

 

Haven't done much of late as it's been too hot and then sticky too so mostly a case of watering pots and curcubits. However, we're down below 30C by day and dry now so I've made a start on painting the front gates that OH has sanded down. More of that today.

My main afternoon task for the next few days is checking, weeding, pruning and re-potting all my treasures so I can gather up my "nursery" in one place for easy watering by OH while I'm away for 8 days on a road trip with Possum. I've had 2 new knees in the last 2 years and that has put a brake on weeding and planting existing beds and creating new but hasn't stopped me sowing seeds, taking cuttings, buying plants and accepting plants and swaps with gardening friends.......

@Goldenlily26 our hens are confined to the veg plot and have a fine time scraping and scratching so we do put nets up around vulnerable plants but otherwise let them roam as they're great cleaners.

@fairygirl I have a project which onvolves slab laying come September. It will involve reminding OH how a spirit level works as well as the difference between cement for setting posts and mortar for setting slabs.........

 

I'm planning on buying new furniture. Thinking of rattan. Is it a good choice? Found some on https://www.gardencentreshopping.co.uk/, it looks pretty good for this price.

 

Tough going yesterday , spent all day part dismantling a large wooden framed structure on the back of the house with a corrugated pvc roof which had been erected by the previous occupant. The structure was useful but an eyesore so it finally had to go. Problem was, all the screws had weathered badly and were very hard going to remove with a screwdriver, my trusty Dewalt stubbornly couldnt deal with them but i got there in the end. Then the wooden structure; it had been put together using the advanced Heath Robinson method so extreme care was needed to ensure that parts of the structure didnt collapse and take out some of the house windows. The Dewalt helped this time but the “*#@*%£#” thing was put together like a house of cards with fixings concealed. I gave up around 630 pm and now , this morning , its raining , hopefully better luck this afternoon and i can finish without too big a headache. Wheres Alan Titchmarsh when you need him!?!

 

@waylannder2002 I wouldn't leave rattan furniture outside in the wet. It's better suited to conservatories. You need the modern resin versions that come in a variety of shapes and sizes now tho all seem to be uniformly grey or greige.

Go carefully @Robert Bowen and have fun. Lots of mess I expect.

 

Merci Obelix , hopefully those high temperatures will drop to more manageable proportions . The ‘canicules’ in your part of the world are very oppressive. Stay cool.

 

Tough day, eh? Weathered screws and a Heath Robinson-esque structure - no wonder your Dewalt struggled! Hope the rain clears up and you can finish the job without more headaches.

 

Man (son) at work, before the brambles swallow us up

 

Nothing so far today, been out for lunch.

Yesterday, I whacked in a short post to fix the end of the bamboo screening by my new 'secret' hideaway. In front of it, there's a narrow flower bed where I had previously hoicked out a dwarf box hedge and Solomon's Seal behind that - both got decimated by insects so I'd had enough.
I dug in some manure and then planted a small potted rose I'd been nurturing. I've got one more hole to dig there for a potted euronymus 'Emerald Gaiety'. The digging's a bit problematic as the flower bed strip is on top of a 4ft wall and there's not enough room to stand at the top and dig safely.

You've been very industrious @fairygirl, I do like those kind of projects but sadly am finding them more and more of a problem. The area's going to look good when it's all finished.

 

Cut out a honeysuckle from a large shrub, can't get to the roots because it's in the middle of the shrub and it's a thorny one, so just keep cutting it back and watered the hanging baskets.

 

@Bluejayway Glad that you have someone to do it. I told both my neighbours on the left that they have to take care of their weeds that are taking over my garden. I even offered my help to get the bindweed out.

I picked the last blueberries yesterday. I have to replace the upper metal wire this year, I don't want to lose the harvest because rust has broken it.
I will have a week off next week. I will then take out the beans and one of the tomato plant as well as the wildflower bed.
OH agreed no more such veggies next year, it's not worth growing them. We have now so many tomatoes at once. I will give some of them to my neighbour.

 

Thank you @lizzie27. It's doing 'stuff' that interests me more than actual gardening. I've always been like that. Nature of my condition I suppose. I know what you mean about it getting too much though, and I'm not looking forward to that point.
I presume you mean concrete rather than just cement for the posts @Obelix-Vendée- if you want them to stay in place
I have one that needs looking at near the house. Existing boundary, and right at the house, and it won't be straightforward. It'll just be a lousy chore rather than a nice project though!
Hopefully will get a couple of bits and pieces done today before the rain comes back in later.
I got the nest box done, so I'll look at the proposed site for that and see if I can get it fixed up, and I need to do the wires for the honeysuckle. I've got loads of small plants that need potting on or planting out too. I always get sidetracked into doing something else though. I managed to get some more of the hedging removed and into the 'cooncil bin' for collecting tomorrow, and moved a few pots/containers around. Some more thoughts about moving/replacing things too. Always something to change...

 

Hello waylannder , yes the rain relented and i managed to finally take down my oversized jenga problem. We did have an interesting couple of minutes though where my wife , stepladder and wheelbarrow were all supporting the structure at different points while i was stood on one leg , on tiptoe , on a rickety second ladder and this time my Dewalt speedily came to the rescue. ( Dont tell Ealth and Safety! ) . I expect @fairygirl or @lizzie27 would have made light work of this . After tidying up i then spent some time dealing with my left hand which was like a pin cushion full of assorted sized splinters , after which time i spent some quality time with a well deserved Irish beverage together with a fruit based drink for my wife who was a great help with this endeavour.