What are we doing in the garden 2025

Today I’ve finished the replanting of the sunniest section of the border at the top of the bank in my garden. The planning started last year when several of my large ornamental grasses got trashed by the constant wind and rain. They are now gone, replaced by three Buddleias, Heleniums, Geums, Nepetas, orange leaved Berberis and hardy geraniums, plus a medium sized grass, Calamagrostis brachytricha. Today I’ve moved some of the Geums elsewhere to make room for three Verbenas. I’ve used V. bonariensis “Lollipop” as it won’t need staking. The aim is to attract more bees and other pollinators. Time will tell .

 

I finally got around to spreading the wildflower seed mix in one of the two areas designated. I added some seeds collected from poppies last year, so am hoping for a reasonable show later in the year. Photos, if decent, will be provided, later in the year.

 

As I'm still struggling with a heavy cold, I've only had energy to water all the pots, today in the back garden ( I did the front garden ones yesterday). OH watered his potato bed and the broad bean seeds. I also tied in three clematis which were growing rapidly. That's probably going to be a daily job for the next few days.

I don't blame you at all @KT53, I've done the same to try to keep on top of the bindweed which is our major weed problem here. I might be even more naughty and non pc and ask my daughter to bring me up two bags of proper Irish peat compost from her local nursery when she comes for Easter. I'm totally fed up with the quality of the peat free stuff I get round here.

 

I am so pleased with myself today, I've just solved a problem that's been going for some years.
I had a big old hammock frame in the garden, one of those free standing ones made of steel tubes. A good 8 feet or more between the two ends you hang the hammock from, and very heavy.
It had sat in the top part of my garden for years, but unused due to too much noise from the neighbour's garden to be worth going out there (they kept parakeets in a shed and they shrieked all day).

Then when next door changed hands and I started using the garden again, I slid it all the way down the slope to the bottom as it was taking up too much room. I thought I'd use it at the bottom. But when I tried it out last summer, it wasn't very comfortable and I felt I was going to risk putting my back out getting out of it. I couldn't dismantle it, and there was no way I could get it back out of the garden in one piece. So I was stuck with it, and it was always in the way.

I'd come to the conclusion that the only answer was to cut it up, and I was researching metal saws on Amazon when I remembered I already owned a reciprocating saw with a blade for metal - bought originally for cutting branches so it hadn't immediately come to mind. With that tool I managed to cut the two long ends off no problem - well apart from dropping a heavy bit of hammock onto my foot. Nothing broken but I expect to have some impressive colours appearing later.

Then I was left with a very heavy base - a sort of wide H shape - and it occurred to me it would work perfectly for propping up the neighbour's rotten wooden fence which keeps threatening to fall into my side. I might even wire up the "legs" of the H and make it into a trellis.

 

I can sympathise @KT53 as I've been restricted by my knees for some time including the period of deterioration before the 2 new knees. Hoping they'll befit for more active gardening this year and yes, I too will resort to weedkiller is selected spots but not systemic ones. They've been banned here for gardeners and use by farmers is controlled - in theory.

@noisette47 - no but that Erythrina crista-gallii does look interesting. I'll keep an eye out next time I'm in a proper nursery.

 

Ground is very dry so a good time to thin out some of my rampant carex grasses, as the dry soil brushes off the roots easily and then they can go in the green bin. Got my trowel, but decided to see if they could be yanked free without it. Just as well … as out leapt my frog! It was not best pleased to have lost a teeny spot of habitat, but getting stabbed by a prong would have been far worse …

 

Today I did lots of watering, a bit of weeding and then went to a garden centre.

Before leaving, I noticed that a bee had drowned in an small container pond I have (that only had water in it, no plants). When I came back, another one was drowning and I got it out carefully but sadly it was too late. After thinking about it, I cut bamboo canes into small pieces and put them in the pond. They obviously float and I used a lot of them, so this will hopefully help to avoid further accidents, until I can fill it with plants.

 

Do you have anywhere else in the garden for the bees to drink safely? If there is a better source of shallow water maybe they'll stay away from your pond.

 

That is a good idea, thank you!

 

Prepared the second area (smaller but in a sunnier position than the first), and spread more wildflower seed.
Also planted more seeds in trays - cosmos, zinnia, and nicotiana.
Wife has ordered 72 plug plants, so I need to make space for those.

 

Hi all ,

I done as little as possible and we all need those days

Spruce

 

Bits and bobs, bramble culling and weeding mostly. Mixed compost bin over - felt warm in there.

 

Watered the polyanthus and tubs in the front. Watered the newly planted currant bushes out the back and pots of gladioli.

 

Checked my babies, watered the nursery of pots of various ages and sizes the retired indoors as it was wet and I had jobs to do.

@CostasK I have a couple of watering cans I keep filled in my polytunnel so the water is at ambient temperature for watering. A week or two ago i found a wasp drowning and rescued it. Now I keep a cane in their so they can climb out.

I also have tubs of water in the veg plot and nursery that I use for dunking plants I'm about to pot on. Each of these has a stone in so critters can climb out, dry out and fly off.

 

Things have recently been happening in sequences.

I have for a while been wanting to buy a tool I possibly can't name in any language, but could draw a picture of. We popped into The Range after yesterday's walk and the first thing I saw in the gardening ("outdoor leisure" ) section was exactly that tool. £1.99.

Apparently it's called "patio weeder" and now I'm a proud owner of one. Live and learn!

I have also always wanted creeping Thyme here and there, in particular between patio slabs. Two minutes after bagging the tool I found a large, healthy pot of Thyme. Today I brutally broke it in six and potted them up, with any luck the rippings will survive and will colonize the crevices cleared by The Child using our magnificent new Patio Weeder.

Then we filled the makeshift raised bed with a bit more of the nice clay topsoil, MPC and loads of sand.

I found something that looks like fishing equipment in the shed and as the previous owner hasn't claimed it I cut it up to get the metal frames.

I found some leftover fleece too and pegged that over the thingy to see how things go.

In general, the soil is now lovely and crumbly and smells good. And in case of a horticultural disaster, the metal hoops will serve as a miniature gym for very small people.

Ta-dah: