What are we doing in the garden 2025

First thing this morning I went out and dug up and moved a peony clump. I did it before my morning shower and while I was still in my jammies. Why get cleaned up first, then dig, right?

I'm going to harvest the last of my scotch bonnet chilies and put the soil from those pots in the hole I created when I moved the peony.

Mother nature is rumoured to be supplying some free water tonight and tomorrow and the temps will be dropping down from the high 20'sC to the mid teens starting tomorrow. So I figure I might get lucky with some of these moves and the plants will forgive me and thrive.

 

Yesterday I went to the Allotments but only to harvest again as we were going to SD'S for Sunday lunch.
I had planned to go agin today and lift the last row of maincrop potatoes, but got distracted with other things here. Cut the grass front and back ( I've cut it more in the last 5 weeks than the whole of summer). I did a little bit of dead heading, and spent time cleaning and sharpening all the cutting tools ready for more pruning .
2pairs each of secateurs, flower snips and loppers. Mine and the wife's. More pot watering, as you all know, no matter how much rain we get the pots never get enough to be left more than a couple of days. Used nearly half of one waterbut again, it doesn't last long.

 

It's been a glorious day here so we made the most of it by cutting back the overhanging ivy at the top of the garden where I want to widen the path. Nasty, dusty job so I tried wearing a cap, mask and goggles but then couldn't see well enough. I think the ivy is probably holding the fence up so we had to be careful trying to prise it off. I also found I'm no longer tall enough nor strong enough to use the electric hedge trimmer over my head so had to hand over that job to OH.

I'd also made the sad mistake some years ago of screwing strips of the steel anti-bird spikes along the top of the fence and of course the ivy has completely intertwined with it which made the job a real pain. Four large trugs full later, we gave up for today.

 

Glorious warm summers day today so i made the most of it . But the big thing was ladybirds ! This afternoon with a cloudless sky and really warm the ladybirds came out in their 100’s drawn to every white or bright surface. I havent seen so many since 1976 , what has caused this today? I have no idea , maybe we have a gardening entymologist who could provide an answer. Garden-wise the veg plot looks much more orderly , my potting shed is rammed with borlotti beans for shelling and my compost heap is fuller than i have ever seen it before but its been a smashing day to spend lots of time in the garden , its just a shame the days are drawing in .

 

Planted some more polyanthus in spaces where others have died and replanted any crocus that i come across.

 

Emptied the containers used for growing tomatoes. Then cut up the summer prunings too big for the shredder.

 

Nothing much done yesterday - smirry rain by 9am that went on all day, despite the guessers [as @CanadianLori calls them ] saying it would clear up later. After my walk, I went and got sunflower hearts at the mill [cheapest available] and did my shopping instead. Don't often go during the day - horribly busy. Watched the little coal tits burying sunflower hearts. I wish they could read - I could put a sign up saying they don't need to!
Today isn't to be any better. The forecast that's usually the most reliable- isn't any more. Our local news in the evening has the best forecasts.
I'll manage to get the concrete done at some point @Retired , as I can cover it. We've no frosts in the next week or so, just rain, so I should manage it. It's a sheltered site too.
Pity about your greenhouse @shiney . I don't think a wooden gr'house would ever last that length of time here! I considered getting a proper one, and it would be a metal one, but it's not feasible in the site I have without removing borders. I'd rather have the planting.

 

@shiney, as Fairygirl says, that's an extraordinary amount of time for a wooden greenhouse to last so must have been a really good quality one in the first instance.

Two things occur to me, check the spec to make sure the glass is laminated for safety and either 3mm or 4mm thick (I can't remember which is the standard in the UK) and the other point would be that if you think there may be a possibility of your mobility getting worse, would it be a good idea to make the centre path wide enough for a wheelchair/walking frame? Perish the thought but it pays to be prepared just in case.

I use a good company called Two Wests and Elliot who are brilliant at supplying all manner of greenhouse fixtures and fittings and will make stuff to order if needed.

Hope you get a good deal on your new purchase and get a lot of enjoyment from it.

 

Shredding.

 

Just a general tidy up yesterday, removing leaves from the paths and lawn. I've left some in the borders for sheltering bugs but not enough for slugs to start getting too comfortable . I cut both lawns which are still growing. This year I decided to leave any bare patches without reseeding to see if they recovered without any help and they have. I like any labour saving strategy!

 

Hmmmm! Over the last couple of days I have been able to slow down and have a better look at the garden near me, being developed on the roadside. I think they are already learning a lesson. There are deep gullies in the top soil where the recent storm water washed down from the spoil heaps of the clay pits behind the property.
I thought the stones had been laid randomly but they have been put in circles around the heathers etc. that have been planted. I had not realised that about half the area is not many degrees away from vertical, a section of log roll has been put along the bottom of the slope to stop the soil washing onto the road. Such a shame as someone has obviously tried to improve the look of their garden. I hope they are not going to be too disillusioned. If only they had looked at what everyone else along that stretch of road has had to do, build stone walls and plant along the top and into the walls.

 

Hi,

Good luck with your concreting @fairygirl you'll want to do it before winter sets in.

I've just been explaining to weeds they are not welcome;


I worked on hands and knees last night for an hour until it became too dark to carry on weeding this section; I've just gone over with the petrol rotavator as a warning; it took longer to get the rotavator out of the hut; check oil levels and fuel it up than it took to do the rotavating; the rotavator is 64 years old and doing a good job; it's a pleasure to own and use it.

Next springtime I might turn this section over to lots of shrubs.

Kind regards, Col

 

I have been attacked by rose rust! Well not me personally but sadly my Zepherin Drouhin climbing rose has been suddenly hit hard. Its only been in 18 months and was developing nicely and was to be the centre piece of a new bed i created last year and provide height. I was working close to it about 2 weeks ago and it was looking fine. This morning i thought it had taken on autumn colouring but on inspection it looked like it had been sprayed with orange sherbet, top to bottom, almost luminous in places. I have weighed up my options and i have removed it and every scrap of rose material close by. I have another rose elsewhere in the garden and i hope it is resistant. I have only previously grown rugosa ( never again , vicious £&#/@#& !) . Since bidding adieu to Zepherin , i have been sorting out the tomato harvest and promised Mrs B that i really will only grow a few plants next year - she is still mindful of the 85lbs of tomatoes i grew a few years ago and i AM reducing production but these things dont happen overnight.