Small successes

I've had a passing interest in gardening for as long as I can remember, but it is only recently I took a more serious interest and decided I ought to actually learn some stuff other than how to grow potatoes

I thought I'd share with you all some of my little successes in the back garden. For the experienced gardener these will all seem trivial, but I'm pleased with them.

The compost bin: It's actually a retired incinerator bin that I gave up on for two reasons. Firstly, I was sick of the burnt out patch on my lawn, and secondly the bottom had corroded away. I stuck it in an inconspicuous corner and started chucking all my veg peelings and garden choppings in it. I was ready to give up on it because after more than a year, when I looked inside it, the contents were still very much identifiable. I've just took my fork out to it and lift the top few inches of stuff off, to reveal lovely rich dark brown compost in it.

The bindweed: It looks like last years blitz involving several litres of Round-Up has paid off. I'm still getting bindweed popping up here and there, but my regular 'bindweed patrols' are paying off. That's me with a Round-Up bottle in one hand, a piece of plastic tube in the other, walking round the garden hunting the stuff down. When I see some, I put the plastic tube over it to protect the nearby plants from accidental spraying, and then zap it.

Planting regime: Rather than randomly buying plants based on the picture on the label, as I have generally done in the past, this year I was careful to select mainly herbaceous perennials of size, shape and colours to suit my grand plan. I want the main bed to be full of 'fire' colours in late summer. So far it is coming together nicely, though not many flowers yet but then I did plan it for late summer. I've left enough gaps to plant more stuff as I go along for spring and mid summer flowering, and maybe squeeze in a few evergreens for winter.

Dead heading: Having always been vaguely aware of the need to dead head flowers, I've never really bothered before. I sought advice on here, and gave it a bash. Some of the plants that were flowering had pretty much finished. I had a go at dead heading and a few days later they are blooming again. I've learned that if you hang on to the flowers to long for fear of loosing them altogether, it doesn't pay off. Best to bite the bullet and chop them off when they're past their best, let the plant divert its energy to the up and coming buds instead of looking after a finished flower.

The lawn: Far from perfect but the best its ever been. Being brutal with the rake to try to get all the thatch out was a bit scary, as it left little bald patches. Giving it a brutal hair cut on a regular basis was also a tad scary as it exposed said bald patches. But its paying off. The good grass is knitting together nicely, the weeds are going as they don't like being topped all the time. I've also learnt that feeding, watering, aerating and top dressing are not purely theoretical concepts after all

So I'm really pleased with how its going. I now feel that if I live to be a hundred, I might actually know a bit by the time my time's up

 

"I put the plastic tube over it to protect the nearby plants from accidental spraying, and then zap it."

Could you attach a clear plastic funnel (upside down) to your sprayer nozzle? - then you don't need the pipe; Place funnel-over-weed, Squirt!, Done!

"randomly buying plants based on the picture on the label"

I've got caught out in garden centres by getting "couldn't afford not to have it" syndrome! so I now check the technical books in the garden centre to check up on purchases before committing to buying. Very considerate of the garden centres to have a library on site, of course :thumb: :D

"dead heading"

I remove anything that will be dead by my next scheduled dead-heading session - usually twice a week. I aim to do Wednesday and Sunday evening. Wednesday gives the flowers time to actually have some blooms by the weekend in case we have any visitors!

Cut flower picking (Sweet Peas and Gladdioli, in season, plus we have a few roses out-back for thtat purpose) I do on Wednesday and just-before-visitors-arrive at the weekend.

"lawn"

I need to get more of your lawn-religion

 

its time to change your name to "not_so_clueless"

cluedup1 perhaps?

 

Thanks. I have to admit it has spurred me on a bit. Maybe next summer I might be brave enough to post some pics

 

I don't think I'm quite there yet

 

0.5cluedup then ...

... I'll get my coat!