What are we doing in the garden 2025

Today we've finally had some proper rain, so I haven't done much outside. I've just spent a peaceful hour dead-heading and generally pottering in a lovely soft drizzle. No-one else was out in their garden, it was heaven.

 

I've had to re-arrange - again! all my pots and table and chairs in the courtyard ready for the builders visit. Realized I needed more space to stack all their stuff.
Found an old coffee jar, mixed up some weedkiller and stuffed the jar with a wayward bramble branch which is coming up in the middle of my lovely Stipa Gigantica. Hope it does the trick.

 

Got the grass cut yesterday and all the edges sorted, just in time for the rain to start, so that was ideal. Planted a clump of Hackonechloa at the front gate too, so that's been nicely watered in, and a bit of Jap. anemone that's been sitting in a bucket for while. Bit of deadheading done too.
Some more ground cover to put in there too, so may get that done later. Bird feeders need filled - again. It's to be wet on and off so I might be in and out, and possibly shaking it all about...

 

Used battery hedge trimmer to cut back big weeds encroaching from behind fence next to stream. It revealed where the badgers have been coming in from next door to knock over and gnaw at a 200l waterbutt. I'm going to try and put some mesh or blocks to persuade them that they should find a better route. I can't keep them out, but maybe they'll cause less trouble further away.

 

@CarolineL Just got back from a few days away in your area staying near the National Wool Museum - blessed respite from several consecutive days of +30C at home. Just thought the link might be useful regarding badgers , hopefully they are not eyeing your property for a new sett!
https://www.badgertrust.org.uk/living-with-badgers-guide

 

Waiting for rain here. Can't weed/hoe/plant anything till the soil is softer and damper. Can't even sow anything as it's too hot for anything desirable to germinate and grow well.

Set to be wet overnight this Sunday and Monday and then stay in the mid 20s which is much more comfortable for just about every activity, gardening or otherwise.

 

Forecast is for torrential rain overnight, so am pondering moving a few pots into the garage. Honestly ... heat, weeks of dryness, frequent strong winds, and now floods of rain! I'm not growing ideal plants for coping with these sort of things! Getting pretty fed up!

 

[QUOTE="shiney, post: 1570326,

We have a charity afternoon tea being held in our garden on Sunday so I thought I should get the lawns and edges done. I started the edges yesterday and finished the last 45 minutes from 5.30 this morning.
.[/QUOTE]
Blimey did it take you all night then?

I've been busy at plots, see veg thread. I agree too hot to work but I wanted to get the Charlotte spuds out before the rain comes in case the slugs start on them. The tops shrivelled up a while ago and once they stop growing they tend to be more vulnerable.

 

@shiney Thats a great tip. One to log for future reference. Would it work for moles too ? Lots of people have mole issues , i had them at my last house and the legimate deterrants were hopeless .

 

Thanks @Robert Bowen, @shiney - I'll definitely try the Jeyes fluid as a fairly gentle option.
There are a couple of badger sets in my woodland Robert - but it's well away from the garden so I don't mind. I'm not sure they could find room in the garden! It does annoy me though when they dig in borders and damage plants.

 

I have just cleaned the hosepipe and packed it away in the garage. Normally a Sept job. Felt very odd to be doing it so early. Mind, with the amount of rain forecast, I wouldn't have been needing it next week anyway.

 

I have used scraps of wood painted with creosote pushed in the ground to deter badgers.