What are we doing in the garden 2025

It doesn't often jam @CarolineL but like anything with a spinning blade it will do occasionally, depending on what you feed into it. Anything that creates 'fluffy' spoil tends to accumulate around the blade rather than falling through and will eventually jam it especially if it's damp. One plant that's particularly prone to that is Buddleia - and spent Crocosmia lucifer flower stems cos' they always hold fair bit of water. It's p*** easy to dismantle though - just one large plastic knob releases the cowl covering the moving parts.

 

We have guests coming later so I'll be mowing the lawn, doing bits of tidying up, deadheading and I will be washing the patio. Then, when they come, I'll still say the obligatory "oh, sorry about the mess" (I am joking, I will try to stop myself from doing that).

I am also thinking of using this as an excuse to get rid of this potted Japanese azalea that I don't think is coming back, despite having a few leaves left. It's been like this for a few weeks despite caring for it.

 

Thanks @LunarSea - really helpful.
I spent most of yesterday helping a friend taking cuttings of hydrangeas - about 90-100 varieties! The generous and knowledgeable owner of the collection is happy to see it duplicated, and my friend is going to be head gardener on a large estate, so there will be room! I'm amazed by the variety - I didn't take photos but here are web images of some of my favourites:
Vanilla Fraise (light airy branch structure too)

Merveille Sanguine (much better in real life)

Tara, a head that's "pattable" like a dog, and gorgeous shaped leaves

 

Digging up potatoes - found several that have just started to sprout. Is it worthwhile replanting them? No idea what they are as I bought an unnamed cheap bag of earlies which has produced a good crop.

 

Ooh, I love the Tara, @CarolineL!

That azalea is looking a tad crispy, @CostasK.

 

I have the Merveille Sanguine here @CarolineL and although it's still on the small side it's quite striking.

 

@lizzie27 Have you tried your apples? I tried 2 , 1 each from different trees. I came off in my hand while pruning the other a large windfall. I dont feel mine are quite ready yet but not far off , flavour hasnt developed properly but texture almost right

 

Not quite in the garden but from it. Yesterday I gathered some of the sweet pea seed pods and put them in the garden room to dry out. This morning kept hearing this noise and thought at first it was one of the doors. Went to check and it was the pods dehiscing and sending seeds all over the place. Hope I found them all. So did my own dehiscing to stop more being catapulted around the place. Even so found it very interesting how quickly they did it.

 

It's knife's edge weather, thick clouds threaten to burst any moment (hooray!) so just a quick round of deadheading today.

And some deeper deadheading harvest brought to house- nothing feels more summery than garden flowers on kitchen table




The Child is coming home today so got some everlasting Sweet Peas to soften the blow that I have left the tough weeding for her



Re-arranged the small solar pumps in the pond. Our new cat who took us some weeks ago finds the small blop-blop-blop of water hilarious (I have taken the fountain nozzles off so the water just blops out), and regularly fishes the pumps out to take a closer look.

I will have to come up with a strategy to align on pump related matters with her. Just when we had reached an agreement with Mr Blackbird about the watercress - my life is a constant battle with forces of nature

The cat is not unwelcome seen the strong rat population we have here thanks to streams and burns everywhere. However, I'm not overly impressed with her ambition to Sit. So far she has quite determinedly sat on my Cornflowers, my Cosmos and my pink Verbascum. Stocks get only a small Sit and quickly spring back.

Potted up some Basil and Parsley for kitchen windowsill.

 

When it's bigger it's great @Bluejayway - in a sunny position the leaves seem to be really dark and the flowers a rich true colour

 

Not long back from SD'S garden. We've watered all the pots again, plus the veg beds. Got to do ours now. Oh the never ending toil .

 

Finished off the big Laurel on the back boundary today. Doing the top is always the fun part!





Still 14' but a few feet taken off and now considerably neater when viewed from the patio. All shredded down & on the heap. Off to mow the lawns now before the storm.

 

Today I cut down the broad bean canes to a few centimetres, following AT's suggestion in his Kitchen Gardeners book. It gives some hope for another small harvest late autumn if weather conditions are favourable.
Next I had another go at chopping back our Euronymus hedge behind the roses. It's grown far too forward so I've taken it back to the main trunks, leaving a 'head' on each bush above the fence level. Pondering whether to have it taken out altogether - a dilemma between privacy, there's a cul-de-sac road and houses opposite or future ongoing maintenance as I get older.

 

@lizzie27 we have done the same with some of our broad bean plants that have shown signs of new growths. Will they continue to grow, flower and produce?