What are we doing in the garden 2025

Hoping the forecast rain next week will materialise, I bought some plants for the border in front of the bench. It had foxgloves over the Spring and summer time. I originally intended to plant it once the foxgloves had finished flowering, but seeing the drought, I left it as it was. It took me 2 hours to get the soil wet enough to plant my 7 new plants.

 

I’ve just spent an hour and a half watering. Even the Phormiums which have been here for nearly 12 years were flagging. The soil is so dry and compacted that the water just runs off unless you put the hose on a medium spray, hence the long time . I’ve found that Hakonechloa are the first plants in my garden to look thirsty, rolling their leaves inwards like bamboo does - they’re not that drought tolerant in my dry, sandy soil, even after three or four years. Handy as a watering indicator though .

 

Today I planted an Iris Laevigata into a basket and put it in my pond. Also generally deadheaded, fed and watered.

 

Hmm, am a bit worried. My ailing Fatsia is continuing to deteriorate and I think the problem may be Verticillium Wilt. Having had a read up about it, the prognosis seems poor. I have an osteospermum also wilting.

TBF, I have been pretty lucky down the yrs and have rarely lost plants to fatal illnesses. I guess it is just one of those things.

 

Just shows the difference in locations and climate @Plantminded . I planted a large Hakonechloa into the front garden about a month ago. It had been lifted in spring and was just sitting in a plastic box. I planted it out on a day after we'd had some rain. It wasn't watered in, and has never been watered since. Despite the fact we've had very little rain this month, apart from the storm, and none for the last 2 weeks, it's fine. It's on a corner between my paved front path and the footpath, so not brilliant in terms of soil, but clearly not a problem for it.

I managed to clear my other raised bed of the pachysandra yesterday, and decided to give both beds a coat of paint, as they haven't been done for several years other than a quick touch up around the planting. Ideal when we have the dry weather, but tricky when the planting in front of them is in full swing!
I also planted out the little clematis in it's new bed, along with some of the V. bons I'd grown from cuttings. Still a couple of those to plant elsewhere. I used some cardboard to keep the plants separate from the sweet peas, and that'll be fine until they finish and I can fill the whole bed. Deadheading done, and fed some of the potted annuals.
More feeder filling. The sparrows are eating me out of house and home, so I need more seed. I might go to the mill and get some, as they have good prices. Will need to take a look at how good it is though. If so, it'll save me buying from the usual place online, as I don't need sunflower hearts and I'd need to pay delivery.
Won't be doing much else today, apart from that bit of hedging on the boundary. Other non garden things to attend to as well.

 

I hope your summer social goes well @shiney.

I do some watering most days but we have water restrictions, only between 8pm and 8am. It starts getting dark at 9.15 pm and I'm not an early riser. I have done the veg garden this morning.

Yesterday I did a bit of weeding and dead heading. The weeds aren't too bad, probably because it's been so hot, but also because I did a lot of mulching in the winter.

 

I really like Hakonechloa @fairygirl and normally it does fine here but your clay soil and climate would suit it better at times like this. Miscanthus aren't bothered here at all. As none of them have protested so far, I gave them some water yesterday as a reward .

 

@CarolineL we have the original fig tree and then one that we removed after it rooted near to its parent. This year they have both produced a huge glut. Next year we will probably have none!
@pete do I remember rightly that you don't like figs or was that somebody else?
I have bottled and have containers in the freezer. Next step is to make fig compote but need to find the jars!

 

Cleared another path that will be access for the fencing company next month...yes I know I will have to do it again.
The orchids and insectivorous plants had yet another watering session, takes about 2 hours.
Went and gathered up a bucket of fallen Katya apples for storing. Loads still on the ground.
The foxes seem to like apples.

 

Fence painting

 

Enjoy, @shiney! Great weather for a garden party!

 

Hope the garden party goes well @shiney.

I've done nothing all day bar putting a boxful of fallen apples out on the drive in the hope that somebody will take them away. The bruised fallers go in the compost bin. Can't decide whether to start picking apples or not and what to do with them if I do. My small freezer's full!

 

Today I trimmed the Osmanthus in my front garden, removed some self sown Aquilegias and deadheaded the two Dahlias in the border I planted earlier in the year. I also fed the box hedge which looks a bit weary. There are some cobwebs on it but I think they are just spiders.

In my back garden I moved a small fern into the area near my tree fern and put another fern into a pot as it was unhappy in the dry raised border near my fence. I tidied up some leaves which my Griselinias have been shedding in the drought and although my lawn is brown and parched, the edges near the borders were green where I’ve been watering so I gave them a trim. Next week’s rain is now eagerly awaited .