What are we doing in the garden 2025

Volunteer day at Capel Manor yesterday. After some leaf sweeping and a little pruning to let more light onto a low growing pinus, we then tackled a large ivy growth that was smothering a conifer (can't remember the cultivar for now). It's a bit of a long saga, but to be brief, they are redeveloping an area at the back of the Japanese garden. I know there is a lot about how valuable ivy is especially for late pollinated but sometimes it just get out of hand and swamps other things .
I should have taken a before and after photo but from the second pic you get an idea how much there was. You can see from the angle of the tree how much it was affected. I should say originally it was resting on a fence which has been removed

 

Hi,

I set myself a realistic date in which to finish clearing the couch grass from the middle meadow it being Christmas.

I've just come indoors having completed the job knowing any remaining couch grass popping its head up next springtime will easily be removed then I can start planting shrubs etc.

It was never an obsession @pete just the way I was always taught to do a job; plan it and complete it before moving on to the next job only concentrating on one job at a time exactly as I did a short while ago when I replaced the front porch.


The grass pathways will be redone next springtime. Hard work and determination has always worked for me.


8 bags of couch grass rhizomes already found a new home at the tip but I'll riddle this lot to retrieve good soil to scatter on top of the side garden which is so poor very little grows in it.

I can now concentrate going around with the hoe; after all it's almost Christmas; hoe; hoe hoe and doing pruning as needed; I'm also now looking forward to some pleasant time in the recording studio.

Kind regards, Col.

 

While visiting Avebury Manor, I went through the garden and saw the gardener digging out lots of Achillea. That reminded me of my decision. Back home, I took my one out (wrong place and grown too much). 5 minutes, job done.
I bought two Astrantia at the Avebury NT shop. Nice colour. They will be planted next Spring in the bed in front of the bench.

 

I got to the plots today. Appart from sorting stored spuds and fruit, finally got the bean sticks down, plus a few other overdue jobs. Sill haven't lifted the Dhalias yet, must do that next visit if we could get a couple of dry days in a row it would help.

 

Yesterday I pruned the rambling rose Chevy Chase which had grown rather exhuberantly when we weren't here. Then it rained, which wasn't forecast. Then it stopped raining so I pruned the red climbing rose Parkdirektor Riggers.

Today I pruned For Your Eyes Only and Baroness Rothschild. Took me over an hour, they grew so big this year. NDN says roses don't grow very well here in the rather sandy soil but they do in my garden!

I must finish the pruning here as we go back to France in January. I have 44 to prune in France and 11 more to plant. A friend is looking after my latest order for me.

 

Well done Col, that was surely a massive job.

And I thought I had a lot of roses @Busy-Lizzie, 39 to your 44 + 11 new ones - gosh!
Haven't started to prune any of mine, most are still in leaf and a few in full bloom again.

I've just ordered a pack of slate plant labels so I can identify where I've planted bulbs - and stop digging them up!

 

@lizzie27 plus 18 in OH's cottage in Norfolk. They are the ones I must prune before we go back to my cottage in France in January. My daughter has over 130!

I only had 3 blooms, on For Your Eyes Only, which are now in a vase.

 

Goodness me!

I haven't picked any of my blooms as I find they deteriorate faster indoors. My Blue for You now has pink blooms - presumably because of the weather conditions.

I was really pleased to see tiny new shoots on the three GJ roses I've just acquired, which reminds I must chase my son for a refund for the one he promised to give me for Xmas!

 

Just a bit more tree pruning today, now got a pile of branches that needs shredding before moving on.

 

Hi,

It's wonderful seeing daffodils pushing through; I always make a point of looking for them before Christmas; it indicates better times ahead.

Because it wasn't raining for a change I've now got another 8 bin bags of rhizomes ready for the tip; I've not used a garden riddle for over 60 years but it was quite pleasant using the new steel riddle apart from the usual prevailing cold breeze which I'm used to always wrapping up well.

Shopping tomorrow morning together with a trip to the tip; I'm winning at last. The newly riddled soil is excellent and ideal for use in planters.

Kind regards, Col.

 

Not busy then

 

Mowed the lawn this afternoon. Then it got dark.

 

@Retired good that you finished your couch grass removal.

Nothing in the garden but i pre ordered my gladioli corms for next January.

 

Hi,

Thanks @Logan. I'm pleased the rhizomes are out at last and whoopee; I visited the tip and was home by 8:30 this morning having dumped the eight bags which were soaking wet after overnight rain; not the best of journies in the dark and it still raining but I'm pleased; 16 bags in total so far with perhaps another 16 bags to clear the lot; these won't be growing in my garden again; I can now easily keep on top of any remaining couch grass; all the hard work will have been worth it.

The forecast for this afternoon is 5% rain so I hope to do more riddling; this I think is one of those jobs which need doing well and doing once.

It's a miserable wet morning but next jobs are shopping and visit the post office to post Christmas cards; I'm never ever bored.

WOW; at last Yorkshire water have lifted the hosepipe ban.

Kind regards, Col.