What are we doing in the garden 2025

I spent nearly 2 hours this afternoon pruning the choisya, dead heading and tidying up.

I filled the new waterbutt with tap water as OH has to put guttering on the back of the summerhouse and the fence needs replacing and access is difficult. Handyman man is busy at the moment.

 

Glad you got a wee bit of the wet stuff @Allotment Boy
We're hopefully getting our first totally dry day for a while, but I don't know what I'll do out there. I need to finish emptying one compost bin and turn the other one into that one. Deadheading will be done, and watching the birds with a cuppa until it's too hot for me. Probably get the grass cut, as it's rather long due to all the rain and warmth. Walk first, before it's too warm as well.
I can never remember from one day to the next what I've done! I know I got some plants shifted and replanted yesterday, and did some weeding in the front garden, but it was showery in the afternoon, so I chucked it at that point. I'd been awake since half 5, so I was tired anyway.

 

Didn't do much today, had to iron hubby's 6 shirts, but i picked some gooseberries and a lot of watering.

 

Another hot day, netted the brassicas as the pigeons are causing problems, harvested the elephant garlic as it had finished flowering, picked some peas and a couple of cucumbers from the greenhouse.
Watered the veg that needed it, then the greenhouse, topped up a couple of containers for the birds, then moved on and watered the pots at the front of the house.

 

Picked a few first raspberries - and ate them! Also yet more blackberries for the freezer, we'll be running out of room soon.
Deadheaded a big Claire Austin rose and cut back some wisteria shoots aiming for the moon.
Watered, with OH's help everything that was wilting, the veggies and all the pots.

 

Re-potted my young Crinodendron plants into some decent compost that contains peat. Perhaps they'll produce some decent roots and stronger growth now. Then weeded a border again that I only cleared six weeks ago.

 

I watered the newly planted Birch and ferns on that corner as well as the most important plants (Heleniums and others) in a two meter stretch which is covered in the afternoon from the Lilac tree's shade.
I started already to sort out what has to survive without watering. I gave up the vegtrog and Scabiosa. The last remaining 3 pots will be given up.
I realised over the weekend that we live in a micro climate. The rain doesn't come to us.

 

lots of moths enjoying the sweet spire. really big ones too. can anyone id?

they are so pretty upclose with a red light


theydidnt like my flash camera though

 

They're familiar to me @Adam I but I can't remember the name -sorry! Put the pic on the 'what's flying' thread and someone will help. Nice pix though
Got the grass cut late afternoon, before the rain came on, so that was handy. Other than that, deadheading, dug out a fern [one of the ones that spreads everywhere here] and planted out an Actea that's been in a pot having been lifted from elsewhere.
I also emptied one compost bin, so I might get the other one shifted into that today. I think the 'daily' one needs emptied too, so will do that. Not sure what else I'll do, but I've started sorting another little bird feeding cage, so might get on with that too.

 

Off to the GC this morning, I need another watering can. My two biggest are now kept by the kitchen door for collecting the washing-up water, so want a “clean” one by the water butts to use for my herb pots. I may be tempted by other things, hoping for a good rummage in their lost-cause corner.

We ended up with nearly an inch of rain the other day so the garden has perked up again. I don’t think we have lost anything but some are flowering early and are shorter than usual such as my (annual) rudbeckia and wood asters. We had a few raspberries on our new plants but they have shrivelled in the heat, the plants themselves are fine so not too bothered. The bed they are in seems to be especially dry so will boost it with homemade compost and a cardboard mulch in the Autumn. It’s a space between the GH and the rear fence which has been a dumping ground until this year but am now trialling as a growing space for fruit and veg. It’s slightly higher than the neighbours behind so I suspect it also drains very quickly like a raised bed would.

Our old bird bath is leaking again. It been fixed lots of times but I think it’s now beyond saving. It’s a stone composite and is beginning to de-composite around the various cracks. It was my mum’s so has sentimental value, I think I’ll plant it up with some sempervivum and look for anew bird bath to take it’s place.

 

@Adam I Dont know the moth but the plant could be reseda aka mignonette.

New regime started today , up at 6 , crack on with what needs doing , finish around 9 for breakfast and try to stay cool. Today was watering , painting and light gardening , barbecue prepared for this evening. Works well so far , maybe even earlier start Fri/Sat/Sun. Listening to Test Match Special earlier this week even the Indian cricketers are suffering from the heat over here - different type of heat in India but even so , no wonder we are fighting a battle to keep our gardens in good fettle.

 

Mostly cloudy yesterday but quite warm. I was out in garden at 6.30 am for 2nd coffee of the day. Then moved patio pots and water feature around on the patio. Some deadheading/ tidying around and watering. Finished with making a mini log pile in my permanently shady corner using the bits of twigs/ branches collected on my forest walks.,Still have some space to add more. I saw a YouTube video on how to make insect winter hotels from plastic pots, so thinking I might make up a couple and add them to the log pile. They will be filled with straw, so cosy. Video doesn't explain how to keep water out, so have to think about that.

 

Lucky you to have moths!! Don't seem to be any in my garden. I sit there at dusk and when full darkness, but no moths. I have scented nightstock planted and it's beautiful fragrance at night. I have few solar lights but they don't attract moths either. It's a ruralish area here, there should be loads of moths.

 

maybe northern ireland is later? these moths werent here a few weeks ago but also the itea wasnt blooming then. I also saw them on a leek but nothing else

 

The usual watering, weeding and dead heading. Also felled the last echium, 14 ft plus tall. Noticed that I have 10 long shoots on the Dahlia imperialis growing away, it has crossed my mind how big the tubers are and how deep down they are. Tropaelum speciosum is not doing well, but there was a really good flush of growth o9n the Phyllostachys nigra, it hasn't flowered this year maybe next year will be the year unfortunately.