What are we doing in the garden 2025

This morning waiting for things to dry up so I can get on the garden, I no feeble excuse for skivving, but there you go.

 

It's damp/smirry here, but I'll get my walk and then see what's what. I love the fact they're giving us a yellow warning for rain today [and yesterday] despite the fact their own table just shows fairly standard rainfall - and nothing like we had last Tuesday. I might have to do some indoor stuff instead- maybe in the shed. Shelves to put up etc.
I got some plants put in yesterday and all the paving shifted - just need to work out what I'll use that for! Pruned back the Weigela- think I'll take it out though. It doesn't work hard enough for me - too much greenery and not enough flower.
Hacked back next door's r*ddy shrubs that grow across my front path and one of them regulalry blocks the steps. Don't mention all the weeds she allows to grow across that too. Sigh....

 

At last some rain. Water butts are about a quarter full and the parched garden has lost the shrivelled look. The bees arent happy , they have had almost 2 months on the lavender and the rain has damped their enthusiasm. I have a row of lavender against a south facing wall and another in an open spot east/west facing ; the south facing flowers first and the e/w takes over . Last night there must have been 100 bees of several different varieties in the lavender as active as they were on day 1 of flowering. Its been a good year for lavender but an even better year for apples , my cordons are weighing heavily already and at least 2 months before harvest yet.

 

Hardly any rain but the ground is sort of damp!
Worked in the tunnel. Weeded out the bolted veg (too hot for some of them) and harvested some spring onions and strawberries.
Outside cut back the suckers from the cork screw hazel. Amazing how quickly they appear and we don't see them.

 

I was finally able to plant out my seed-sown Erigeron Karvinskianus this morning. I've been waiting weeks for a decent spell of rain, and two or three of them perished in their pots, but I had 7 nice little plants to put out today, all flowering. That's reduced the patio clutter too. I also planted out the little sedum "spot on" I bought yesterday, and it looks lovely.

 

I have been putting off getting rid of some mature plants that are too big or don't contribute enough. I hate killing them after they've grown so well! But today I took out crinodendron patagua, azara microphylla (variegated), holly Handsworth New Silver. I couldn't dig them out without disrupting other plants, so chopped down low and treated with SBK. Also removed a non flowering old fashioned rose from a shady border to a sunny pot to try and encourage flower, and dug out all crocosmia Lucifer for a friend. (It'll probably come back, it did before).

 

Mostly sitting around wating for the rain to stop, now waiting for things to dry up a bit, by then it will be dark so we can do it all again tomorrow.

 

After yesterday's very welcome rain I decided to get out the spreader and treat the lawn. Unfortunately the box had been opened before and in spite of all the dry and heat the granules were damp so just stuck. I had to scrape them back out put them in a watering can and try to water it in. Even vigorous stirring and a coarse rose on the can kept blocking up. Eventually got most of it on but had to do some more water today to try and get it sorted out.
This pm went to the plots to sow some Rocket raddish, and a late, short, row of dwarf French beans. In spite of all the rain there were still patches that were barely damp.
Harvested beans, broccoli, a yellow courgette and blackberries. I have mixed feelings about the blackberry being so early, they used to come at the end of August, nowadays they are up to 6 weeks earlier. The last hot summer they all "cooked " on the plant and were inedible. Short of giving them a sunshade not sure what the long term future will be.

 

It has been very hot and humid day, thunderstorms are circling around us.

Instead of doing like everyone else around here when it's hot on a Sunday, I didn't go to the beach.

I made one



The edges are starting to take shapen now with copious amonts of stones and gravel.

A yellow Wagtail inspected the area and declared it OK (even though the water could perhaps move a bit faster) so I'm happy.

A lot more to do but already I'm seeing a lot of small creepies and the plants are growing.

Weeded (a challenge as I like natural type plants which, when young, look very much like weeds ) and harvested a boxful of toys on courtecy of next door child who plays tennis with their dog and clearly needs some practise before aspiring to be signed up for Wimbledon.

I don't return the toys one by one when they fly over the fence, but once a week put the harvest on the bin lid in the faint hope the parents will tell the child to focus more on closer to ground sports. The kid is lovely though.

Harvested a bit for supper, and remembered that it's a good idea to take a very good look under the lowermost leaves of a cucumber plant before it's too late.

"Piccolo di Parigi" (?)... I shudder to think what his frère aîné looks like

 

We were out most of the day on a jolly but when we got back about 3 ish decided we ought to do at least a bit in the garden.
OH dug up 2 yew saplings which I'd planted in the lawn at the top of our garage steps. I'd collected them a couple of years ago from the cemetery where my mum's ashes are buried. Unfortunately, they turned out to be completely different yews and grew much faster than I had anticipated so they had to go and I binned them much to my regret, I hate throwing any plants away but they wouldn't have been suitable for any gardens round here with either young children or dogs as the berries are highly toxic.

 

Nothing today it's been raining on and off all day but yesterday picked a lot of white currants.

 

@Logan You always seem to be picking stuff , sounds like a very productive garden.
The rain yesterday was wonderful steady stuff , water butts are 3/4 full and the big eccles cake that used to be the lawn has actually got a hint of green developing. Time to empty and clean out the potting shed today , its upside down with stuff dumped all over and dead flies in every nook and cranny, after that i shall just see what wants doing , no plan.

 

Looking really good now @Selleri. You'll get such a lot of enjoyment from it, and watching everything using it.
I was working around my pond yesterday too- relocated the Solomon's Seal down to the other end of the pond, as I want to put one of my Acers where it's been. It was a bit awkward, but I got there. I'd moved a Caltha the previous day, and got another plant in it's place, so the pond edges are now recovering. I also took out some stuff from the newest bed beside the shed, and put a new honeysuckle in that I've grown from a cutting. Filled the bird feeders - again. Just as well I got a new delivery of food the other day - the birds are eating non stop! Lots of deadheading done too, and just got finished at half 4 as the rain came back on properly.
Not sure much will get done today, although it's meant to dry up later for a while. If it does, I might get some more groundcover plants put in at the front. If it doesn't, I may have to go in the shed....

 

@Robert Bowen yes I've got 7 redcurrant bushes and 7 white currants, it's surprising how much fruit from 1 bush i can get.

 

Hedge-cutting day today. Managed to do the tall Laurels at the back this morning using the long-reach trimmer. Shredded it all down and added it to the compost heap. Only managed to do about 24' of the 30' Lonicera nitida hedge at the front this afternoon before a serious thunder storm took hold. Another hour and I could have finished the lot