What are we doing in the garden 2025

We haven't really started on spiders' webs here as it's still quite warm - high 20s - and dry so not yet mellow and misty enough I think. I try not to disturb them as I find them beautiful.

12 new strawberries now planted in the new bed and all the others dotted about the place have been watered to prepare them for easy lifting and transplanting when things are a bit cooler and damper.

The dahlias are loving this late heat now we've had the odd shower but their flowers are all on short stems, probably due to excess heat and drought as they've been better for cutting in previous years.

Who's the culprit @Escarpment ?

 

Not many spiders this year and none last year, the year before was terrible, they were everywhere.

I wonder if they have good years and bad years as I didn't see many of those tiny little spiders in a webs back in the spring, like you sometimes see.

Probably based on what happened the year before.

 

Must be slugs - that plant was perfect until the rain returned! I shall pull it out tomorrow and put in some wallflower bedding I bought at Morrisons yesterday. I guess the slugs might go for those too; my existing erysimums are fine but then they are quite old and woody.

 

So my garden now is basically the community garden I volunteer in. We were given some bits and bobs of exterior ply and made a few animal silhouettes a while ago , this week we've added a few more, just need a bit of tidying up and painting.

 

I love seeing spiders. The large house spiders are always entertaining at night when they jiggle across my hardwood floors. Clickety click...
They were talking about them on our R. Scotland prog this morning [Out of Doors] which is a great programme covering all sorts of stuff. Clue's in the title.
I like Violas @Plantminded ...but I prefer Smarties
Unfortunately, the slugs like Violas a bit too much, but they're great fo rthis time of year for colour in pots
Yesterday I finally got round to sorting out my hosereel, as it's been sitting on the ground rather than being attached to a wall/fence at a good height for using. I also set up another one, because I'm using that main one for the water scarecrow. I also got my young Philadelphus moved in the fornt bed, after adding some soil/compost as the level needs raised a bit. When I moved some of the shrub pieces I'd put down to keep certain 'pets' from cr*pping there, I disturbed a little frog who was hiding there. Nothing worse than a disturbed frog. Nice and damp and shady there for him. He tootled round to another little bit after I apologised for disturbing him...
Other than that - making sure Mum woodie had enough food for Bob, the young 'un [full time job] and he can now fly a little bit, which is reassuring, as he won't be quite so vulnerable. Hopefully he'll be even better at that in another week or so. I also sowed some Sweet peas, so part of me hopes the spring will be mild enough for them to grow well at that point, but part of me also wants a more normal winter and spring! I had to laugh at that wumman the other night on Beechgrove doing them. She was putting them in at 5cm depth, unless I misheard. That seems far too deep to me. Be interesting to see how they get on. I sorted out the tomatoes, and took some inside to finish ripening.
Today is to be much better than expected after a few days back when we got a weather warning all day for rain, but it seem to be more south Scotland rather than central belt. After my walk, I think I'll carry on with the front bed, and just general tidying and maybe a little more seed sowing. Watching Bob to see he's ok too, and probably topping up feeders. I have a piece of the roof of my old storage box [which is now an upright cupboard] and I'm thinking of using it to make a little table/bench next to that, now that I've sorted the hose out. Will see if it's suitable.

 

Nothing today as we are forecast rain all day. So far, they’re right. Tipping down. New water butts nearly full already.
We have lots of spiders webs all over the place. Their favourite places ( nuisances for us) seem to from the parasol across to the washing line, Rowan tree across the path to some plant on the opposite border and right in front of the greenhouse. I did see a huge spider last night, sitting on the outside wall. He was the biggest spider I’ve seen this year.

 

We had a brief storm last night with a clap of thunder so close and loud it even woke OH who is going deaf and the top row of our fuse box all tripped. I shall go and see if there was enough rain to make it safe to transplant strawberries to the new bed and then check my apple and pear trees for pruning needed before winter gales set in.

 

@shiney Have you ever done any cider making with your glut of apples?

 

@ViewAhead Yes indeed , didnt even get into the garden , overnight a big web has appeared across the top of the back door opening which my face discovered when i walked out the door. Bit of an unwelcome surprise !

 

@fairygirl its Pigeon Central round here. Its not long since it was non stop romance , posturing wooing ( and cooing) courting and ….well , need i go on? Anyway now the atmosphere has changed , my garden has 3 bird baths and is a mecca for Bob-types , Speckled Jims and all variations of pigeon BUT they have now turned territorial so if two pigeons land in the garden one will will chase the other off. They also seem hell bent on deterring any other birds landing and fly close to spook any that do to fly off. They do not play nicely.
Yesterday i divided some armeria that needed dividing desperately, only 2 plants , 1 pink , 1 white. I now have a plantation , i needed to edge a new path by the outbuildings , so i did that and frankly i still seem to have many many more plants left over than i started with so they are temporarily divided into 3 large pots and with some dry weather next week i shall be using some more but a lot will end up as compost for sure. I will offer some to my daughter as they thrive on neglect so they are ideal for her - she likes the garden but works long irregular hours so she may take some off my hands.

 

Indeed so!

I've walked into two by mistake this morning! Trouble is, the webs are almost invisible in today's cloudy conditions.

 

Its the time of year for lorry loads of apples to head into Hereford to the former Bulmers Cider plant to process apples into wort , theres that distinctive smell of fermenting fruit in the air when the wagons go past. Time was when Bulmers used to buy up the fruit from the farms around the county in addition to their own orchards , many orchards have been grubbed out due to lack of profitability but cider is more popular than ever with young people it seems!

 

They like cider here but seem to think it only comes from Brittany and Normandy so lots of surprised people when I turn up at the garden club's annual autumn plant swap with a vat of mulled cider and tell them it's a British recipe. "Oh, do they make cider in England?"

They are deeply suspicious to begin with but word is getting round and some now come for cider instead of, or before, going straight for the mulled wine a colleague brings.

 

Allotments yesterday, but it was too hot to do what I wanted to do which was get my maincrop potatoes out. Instead I picked up loads of windfall apples, haven't even started picking from the trees yet.
Today I cut grass at home front and back, just managed to finish as the first shower came
Lots of dead heading and general tidying up. More to do.