What are we doing in the garden 2025

Replacing 3 old redcurrant bushes with new ones. Just cut the old ones down and started digging them up.

 

Those books are/were excellent starters for anybody starting out.
Would definitely recommend.
There are copies available from World of Books online:
https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/...MInoPjhvvjiwMVNolQBh2muDp8EAQYASABEgIOK_D_BwE

 

The biggest problem with the ferric phosphate ones is that they are less tasty to slugs than the plants we wish to grow. I have found slugs which ,when dispatched by scissors ,appear to contain a blue pellet; however they were still mobile and hungry looking.
The toxicity(mg/kg) of the ferric phosphate in garden pellets is less than those used agriculturally and even these are not proved 'deadly'/effective for the purpose. Here application is 5Kg/Hectare-(0.5gm/sq mtr)-c10 pellets- or 300mm apart
Further experimentation is required and one aspect is to grow plants bred to be slug resistant. A trial of modified wheat cereal is in progress but genetic modified crops are not allowed for UK use at present.

 

That's a good point @infradig - I'd pay good money for slug resistant delphiniums!

 

Me too! And lupins.

And while they are at it, maybe they could get the delphinium flowering season to be a bit longer.

 

And given the process, maybe in pink, yellow and dark purple to boot !

 

Today I topped up the bark mulch on the main border in my front garden, making two journeys to the garden centre as I underestimated the amount needed . I then did a few jobs in the back garden, refilling the bird bath, getting more moss out of the lawn, turning the soil in one of the beds and potting some small Heucheras into larger pots before they go into the ground when the weather gets warmer. The temperature is forecast to drop to minus 2 C overnight so I also put some fleece in the crown of the tree fern.

 

And a blue pelargonium wouldn’t go amiss either.

You sure do get a lot done, @Plantminded … which is probably why your garden looks so lovely.

 

Why? When you can get a wide range of blue hardy geraniums.

 

Went out and started clearing a somewhat neglected bed, it can be quite difficult to tell the difference between some bulb foliage and some invasive grasses.

 

I cut down two largish Gaura plants in the back garden. I leave the canes to stand all winter as they dry to a very attractive tan shade with twisted stems about a metre high. Once cut, I bunched them into two lots, tied twine around the bases, then stood them in front of a rather ugly breeze block wall on our boundary and behind a short row of old cherry trees. I think they look attractive, last year's ones lasted all winter, despite the storms.

 

OH gave the back garden lawn its first cut of the year today. It was a little damp but cut reasonably well. What a difference it makes to the garden. He cut round the edges too and turned the soil. It certainly feels as though Spring is on its way now.
I’ve dug out my box of seeds and have kept out 8-10 packets of flower seeds that I may start sowing just now. Trouble is, the greenhouse is full of overwintering pits etc so there’s no room! Kitchen windowsill methinks!
OH didn’t cut front lawn as we’ve made the big decision to get rid of it this year. Full of long standing weeds and in parts it’s beginning to get springy from the amounts of moss that seem to plague it. We have a couple of folks coming round over the weekend to give us a quote. ( I await with bated breath). We will then level it, cover with membrane and top fill with gravel. Will save OH a lot of work and make life easier.
@lizzy27, I love gaura plants but can’t seem to grow them here. We had some lovely white ones in our old house which were lovely.

 

Thank you @ViewAhead, it’s that time of year when you realise that if you don’t take control, those pesky weeds, slugs and other uninvited guests will .

 

At last, I got into the greenhouse to sow some veg. Broad beans, peas and mangetout all into root trainers, lettuce and rocket into 1/2 depth pots. Not much but it's a start.

 

Beautiful, warm sunny day here. Popped into local garden centre, stuck head around coffee shop door first, spotted lots of babies and toddlers and withdrew very quickly! Bought 3 pots of Daffodils and a pot of Feather Grass. After coffee at home I planted the Daffodils and broke the Feather grass into 3 pieces and planted those. Need to get some kind of flower to grow in between them that has shallow roots and pollinator friendly.

Then added more soil and compost to one of the borders I'm creating. Removed several bags of old compost from the unplanned wooden planter and bagged up ready for recycling trip. The planter seems to be filled with pebbles and gravel at lower levels, but there's still plenty of growing space. Put in a bag of soil and half a bag compost mix and some veggie scraps. Have to buy more soil.

Put 1st coat of fence preserver onto planter that has the Hebe and 2nd coats onto the side gate and outhouse door.

Had a quick sweep around and put tools away and called it a day. Spent about 2 1/2 - 3 hours in garden today.