WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2023

Swept up paths and decking ahead of visitor at the weekend, probably waste of time given Storm Agnes on Wednesday, but I'll know it was done. Also tied up a few plants ahead of the aforementioned storm. Tomorrow or first thing Wednesday I' ll lay down a couple of tall dahlias in pots so they don't get blown over, the last strong wind took out half the stems on the tall Dahlia imperialis.

 

@Retired you did well there, you should have a chance to do your violin practice soon perhaps.

 

Planted some more wallflowers along the path and some polyanthus, nearly finished just got about 8ft left of border.

 

Nothing, feeling a little rough after my Covid Jab on Monday.

 

Cleared one border of spent and floppy plants....can't abide floppy/ droopy plants.
Cut back hard and in a few cases dug up and ditched some thuggy perennials.

Picked some more Apples,Pears, Strawberries and Grapes.

Hubs began the attack on the area surrounding my sowing, potting on and 'everything else bench' round the back in the nursery area. It's amazing how many seeds escaped me and are now thriving in the ground and pathway ......even Lettuce!!!



Sorry to hear that you're feeling a bit off colour after your jab John ,hope you feel better real soon. Take care.

 

The seeds I sowed recently are all coming up but slugs have eaten the Lupins and there's only one left.

One of my cacti is totally infested with mealy bugs so I gave them a nice drink of meths, and I've put them and the cactus outside to enjoy some refreshing rain. It's coming tomorrow apparently.

A thick piece of wood which I should have moved a long time ago but didn't, has fallen on top of one of my cold frames, smashing one of the panes. Another two panes are missing from the back of it anyway so I'll have to get it mended soon. Luckily the glass broke into big sections and was easy to move, and no small shards have gone into the pots.

 

The mother Dragon tree in our living room has a heavy infestation of mealy bug as well. Two of the small plants I got from her were infested as well. I had sprayed them with Neem oil solution but [practically all the leaves fell of the 2 plants in the space of a week or two so I cut them half back & put the bare stems, still in their pots, out on the balcony in the hope they will recover & grow again Though I looked at them this morning & there is no sign of any growth at present. I may have lost them. Strangely enough another pot that also was infested & had 3 small Dragon tree plants in it has survived the spraying! It remains in the bathroom but I haven't checked it lately to see if there are any bugs still on the plants.

I have more plants in the 2nd bedroom & in the small window over the kitchen sink. None of these plants have been infected with mealy bug! I would hate to lose the mother tree even if I do have all her children around the house!

Since the plants that I first sprayed with neem oil solution I haven't done the mother tree. But I don't know what else I can do!

 

Would it be the neem oil that has killed them @Balc ? I was thinking of using it on my cacti but I won't if it has that effect on them.
I hope your dragon trees recover. Have you tried methylated spirit on them ?

 

No, I don't think so, it may have been the liquid soap I used to create the emulsion rather than the Neem oil. As the oil is very safe on most plants. I didn't realise till I read about it elsewhere that the liquid 'soap' is not really soap at all but a mixture of products with only a little soap in it. It does the job of creating an emulsion but it's the other ingredients that can cause a problem with the plants. I haven't used it anymore and for that reason the mother tree has an infestation of mealy bug.

The mother tree is too big to move around easily. I'm thinking of cutting it back. I've cut it back, & quite hard, several times, (the child trees came from the cutting over 3 years) , & it has always recovered very well. I've only done the pruning at the end of winter so I'm not sure how it will respond to cutting back at the end of summer.

 

Hi,

Many thanks Logan; I've not touched my violins for days due to so many demands upon my time but I think you're right in that soon I should be able to get into the studio once winter starts to bite.

I was on the keyboard all day yesterday until 8pm cancelling our Virgin Media contract which expires next month and setting up a new two year contract with BT from 12th Oct. I think it's now sorted but it was a tiring day.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

I shouldn't be posting, because I've done next to nothing other than watch the BH harvesting a bonkers crop of grapes. We've had to give most away to locals for winemaking and jelly. And yes, we get some wine in exchange in a year's time. It's been the weather this 'summer' rather than my viniculture. Well, I've always been stronger on the design and planning of gardening, and my BH the foot soldier! Playing to strengths and all that...!

 

Our lawn (located on a rare hill in this area) must have helped fill the Thames with the rainfall we had this summer, so I was very interested to read about your experience, @pete.

 

Seed harvesting is continuing. Some plants are being pulled up after enough seeds have been collected. Picked more Apples, Pears and Grapes, some were given to our neighbours.
Tidied up some of the older, bigger Wallflowers and noticed one coming out in bloom, but not for long I should imagine once the temps drop.

 

Last fall I planted two Witch Hazel plants because I love the smell of Witch Hazel and having medicinal plants just seemed interesting, and, they are supposed to flower in the winter. The plants did really well and the bugs, deer and rabbits avoid them, perfect for my property.
As the greenhouse is now empty I thought I would try to clone the Witch Hazel, I am not sure it will take but it is worth a try.

 

Finished planting the wallflowers and polyanthus along the path, still got a lot left of each, but will have to wait until the other plants are finished.