What are we doing in the garden 2025

Now that’s something I cannot abide @NigelJ, a radio on in a neighbour’s garden . In your list, I wouldn’t trust myself with most of those noise makers, particularly the chainsaw .

 

While working outside in the mild weather I noticed a lot of bees still collecting nectar, a lot of plants are growing like mad with the temperature and the rainfall.
Unfortunately the mild weather means a lot of winter flowering shrubs are flowering early and just shooting through, the Camellia sasanqua "Narumigata" will be finished in early December; the first of the winter flowering Lonicera has appeared and may well be finished by Christmas.

 

Ah but mine is in my garden so that's alright then.

 

I noticed some very busy bees too yesterday, @NigelJ, when I was clipping some errant strands of ivy.

..."downright noisy but well worth it" is a statement I could never utter, @Retired.

 

@ViewAhead The bees I saw were mainly on the Salvia microphylla which has a mass of flowers on it and needs a prune when they are finished, many of the flowers have a hole at the base of the flower where bumble bees have taken a direct route to the nectar as there tongues are too short to reach from the front. The bees were also on the rosemary and the Buddleja microphylla.
My rosemary seems to flower virtually all year round.

 

If something is

then it is inefficient and needs a redesign, excess noise and excess heat are wasted energy.

 

@shiney

Ouch; I hope the back improves soon.

 

I have my radio on in my garden, but I'm considerate about the volume - I'm not playing rave or heavy metal turned up to 11. I have to put up with the relentless dog yapping everywhere around me all day [along with the clown across the back from me with his shouting and 'outside workings' with chop saws etc] so Hell mend them if I turn it up a little bit.
That looks really promising re your Cannas @CanadianLori. Fingers crossed you can nurse them through winter successfully.
Nothing done yesterday other than feeding the birds, due to rain, but we had less during the day than we'd had overnight. We eventually got a weather warning for yesterday, but frankly, it was no worse than other days when we don't get them. Didn't get above 5 degrees due to wind etc.

Today is dry, but chilly [2 degrees just now] so I'll maybe get a couple of things done. Nothing imortant requiring attention though. I might cut the remaining dahlia flowers off and bring them in. It's to be frosty over the next few days, so they'll be affected by that anyway. I could turn the compost bin, and maybe paint the edging round the green roof I did the other day, if the wood's dry enough. Perhaps that container will get done- marigolds removed, and replaced with Narcissus Sailboat, which is a nice shorter, creamy white one.

 

It is supposed to be sunny today so I'm going to get my hand rake out and clear the leaves and branches that fell in my gardens. I have a smart phone which I do not use as a telephone because the data/telephone charges are excessive for mobile over here but I use it for grabbing the house wifi and I can listen to some of my favourite radio shows through it's earbuds and don't broadcast any noise to the neighbours. I've been thinking about listening to some ebooks this way too however puttering and gardening has pretty much ceased here.

 

My beautiful Impatiens will probably expire in next week's colder night temps, but luckily one of the little cuttings I took is ready to step into the breach and take over with the flowering.

 

Yes I've got the rose expert as well.

 

Nothing today it's raining, so made my first mince pies for the year, 48 altogether.

 

Hi,

Many thanks @Logan for taking the time and trouble to inform me about your interesting and useful book;

I've had this book for years thinking evergreens were the way to go?




I've just bought the book you kindly recommend @Logan plus another as seen attracting free postage from World of Books. The books from WoB are extremely cheap; I've bought lots over the years with complete satisfaction.

Chainsaws can be pretty quite if electric but both my chainsaws are powerful petrol types; very noisy and have saved me an absolute fortune during the 38 years living here with what was like a mini forest in the rear garden when we moved in.


Fancy having a go at this whilst not making noise; 80' tall dangerous tree during high wind so I took it down; I wasn't happy felling any of our very tall trees but I became fed up of cutting trees up in snow after they had come down.


Oak tree; a hard decision but too near the bungalow overhanging the kitchen roof and the final decision was to stop the dirty pigeons using it as a toilet seat. Neighbours were probably miffed at me because they had to pay tree surgeons to remove their tall trees. I wonder what over 30 very tall trees would have cost to have removed by tree surgeons? It cost me time and fuel and a great deal of heavy work. Neighbours didn't help but were delighted to collect free logs after I'd carried them all the way down to the workshop. People like anything free as long as they don't have to exert themselves.


Storm damage. I was sick of sorting this kind of thing out when storms damaged our trees; this too was 80' tall it landed over the garden hut and over the boundary into the neighbours garden; no damage at all to the hut because to make it a great deal more difficult; it hung up in the tall oak tree.

It's easy to sit back and complain about noise until this kind of damage is personal in your own property. I don't mind noise as long as it involves something productive unlike mad dogs barking; neighbours swearing in loud voices or radios; sound travels. At the moment over 300 new houses are being built below in the valley bottom; as with such things I was asked to sign a petition against the build; I asked the guy if he lived up a tree or in a cave; my bungalow was built on what was a farmers field so why should I complain; everyone wants things but not on their patch?

I do lots of work in my workshop often using industrial grade machinery but out of respect for my neighbours I work with both doors closed; no one has ever complained about me making noise; they usually get trades people in and envy me.

No noise from me today; it's too wet to play out.

Kind regards, Col.

 

I did go out in the rain to dig a few new potatoes.