What are we doing in the garden 2025

I picked up some more garden soil plus a hydrangea for my now shady garden area. And did some serious thought about the no man's land between fences and decided to do nothing until after I see what happens come spring.

The sun is supposed to reappear tomorrow afternoon so transplanting and planting in will resume. The ground is wet and welcoming

 

Thanks @NigelJ, that's useful information.

The situation is that there is a 50-60 ft high, 55 year old Birch tree on Council ground and Council maintained. It is 1.22m from our retaining boundary wall which is 1.22m high. This wall has been cracked in the classic heave/subsidence pattern in two places directly opposite the Birch trunk. I have remortared it several times over the past few years but it has now got a lot worse and has dislodged the parapet stones and the top stone faced building blocks.

Our builder has quoted £1650 plus VAT to take down the displaced wall, put a lintel at the bottom over the tree roots and rebuild the cracked section.

I complained to the Council that it was their responsibility and asked them to pay the bill so they referred the matter to their insurers. The insurers have demanded a whole range of totally unreasonable and over the top professional surveys, including a soil survey and an arboricultural survey - hence my query. I know it is clay soil over limestone but I'm presuming they want proof from a professional.

 

Not doing much at the moment, i had my plaster cast taken off my lower arm and I'm on light duties for a while.
I did do some watering today.

 

Glad to hear you're on the mend @Logan

 

That's good news, @Logan. You'll need to bring it up to full gardening-job strength gradually.

 

That is a pain in the posterior.
An arboricutural report is probably reasonable and would be my first step.
The soil analysis will be to work out how much shrinkage the tree might cause.
The insurers are trying to wriggle out of paying anything as they usually do.
How close is the tree to your actual house and is it in good health, birch can be short lived.
Also have a chat with your local councillors.

 

That's a real PITA about your sweet peas @Goldenlily26. Bl**dy workmen....
The Law of the Sod eh @Sheal?
Glad you're on the mend @Logan. Take it easy though..
I sorted out the little scrappy bit at the back boundary yesterday, and added some extra groundcover as well. It may not all work, but they were all spare bits of plants I had, so no great loss if they don't do well. Finished filling the new box/container for the front with the pots of crocus I had from earlier in the year, and topped with gravel, so I might get that round in it's place later. Mainly deadheading apart from that, and the never ending little bits and bobs that I avoid doing!
I'll hopefully get the hydrangea mulched today as I didn't do that yesterday. Added some stuff to the sweep pea pots though, as they always need a bit of extra mix added through the season. I need to turn the compost, which I hate doing, but it'll be a good day for it as it isn't going to be very sunny, and not until later, so I won't get too hot doing it.

 

I am going to try and make a start on clearing up the strimming mess. New steps first. I have some empty compost sacks that I plan to fill with cut up bramble stems, then hide them in the bottom of a black sack under other rubbish, to go in my wheelie bin. It will take forever but I am worried about leaving the stems to compost in case they root everywhere. They haven't been put through a mulcher or chipper. My sencio is no more, just a stump. It may shoot from the base, time will tell.

 

Weeded the area that had the onions and shallots. How come with no rain for months the "weeds" continue to grow while the veg are suffering?
Harvested some more pea beans, sweet corn, pears (Williams) and another huge bowl of figs (what a harvest we have had this year for figs).
Then working out how the wasps are getting into the back bedroom. Decided on the how and started to fill the tiny gap and yes 2 came out and immediately stung us. Keep checking and so far no more so hope they will now stay outside. Don't react well to stings at all.

 

Peas were a disaster this year, beans not good, onions and garlic not bad, sweetcorn good, courgettes good, August planted potatoes coming on, as are leeks and brassicas.
I might have had a labelling disaster as I seem to have three butternut squashes and I thought two of these were Turks Turban, however they are currently going wild on a heap of chippings and soil with no watering once established.
Aztec broccoli has done really well considering conditions, germination was good, took a while to get going, tastes good and is currently regrowing after picking. On the list for next year.
Note do not grow spikey plants when you are on blood thinners my arms have looked a right mess all summer.

 

@NigelJ, I don't understand either why the insurers would want an arboricultural report. It's a birch tree, about 50 - 60 ft high and 51 years old. We know how old it is because the cul de sac by the side of us was built in 1974. Inspected by the Council's own Tree Inspector last autumn and said to be in good condition so they won't fell it. According to my online research, the root plate of a mature birch has a diameter of around 5 metres, so well under our retaining wall foundations. The tree is approx 4 metres from our house wall.

 

I had a Justicia Adhotoda that was too large (1.5 meters) and nearly lying on the ground as it was in a pot. I cur it way back, took it out of the pot and had T'other Half dig a hole next to its cousin.

A few months ago ...


Now ... next to its cousin Justicia brandegeeana

 

@lizzie27 The insurers are just trying to wriggle out of paying and as usual the claimant is over a barrel.

 

I have finally done some gardening!

Cleared a space about a metre sq in one of my raised beds, taking out Carex grasses and a very elderly Astrantia that was not doing well at all. (I had saved a bit of it earlier in the yr and have that planted elsewhere, so it has not been discarded completely.). The bed is extremely dry and almost fully shaded overhead, with the fence behind - a tricky spot to get things to flourish, so I have buried 5 6" plastic pots up to their rims, arranged like the dots on a domino, and am going to sink potted Impatiens into them. That way, the Impatiens won't fall over, but I can keep them well watered.

 

I've carried on transplanting things. Put part of a phlox in the semishade area and shifted the rose of sharon to a front garden. And I'm also baking more potting soil in the sun oven.

I'm itching to divide the peony but know I have to wait until the end of next month.