What are we doing in the garden 2025

Hi,

Where's the music thread please @Sheal ? I think I need to visit Specsavers.

Kind regards, Col.

 

Currently Listening To 2025

 

I've just seen your post re your wife, Bron @Retired .
My neighbour lost his wife earlier this year too. He was her carer, and he's still coming to terms with it all, but he's getting there, and we chat quite often. Like you, he's trying to keep busy. It's all you can do. If you have someone you can lean on when it's getting tough, that helps a bit, but everyone is different when it comes to dealing with grief. There's no words any one can say that will help, but I'm sending you all my love xxx

I don't think anything will get done outside today here as the 'weather warning' rain's to come in by lunchtime, although it's been raining a wee bit here anyway. I'll get my walk soon and then see.
I got the potting table almost finished, but I decided to get a new piece of roofing felt for the top, which will come tomorrow, so I haven't done the edging strip. I've used the seller before, and it's not expensive. It's all quite stable now which is the main thing, and I can cut the wood trim in the shed if needed. I need to see what wood I have for making a proper shelf, but that's not vital just now.

 

thank you for sharing photo, and yr hard work is paying off. Lots of lovely memories for you of your beloved one l didnt know there was music thread..ll be

lots of lovely memories of your beloved. and thank you for sharing your photos, l love looking at peoples garden photos. My grandson over today from Uni, so lm hoping he can help me post photos iv got that's on my old computor of how this bungalow had over 30 pine trees we had to get cleared etc.
Husband did a lot of work shredding the brambles and a massive musk scented rambler rose, but still loads more to do. He's resting today watching footie till later, then will do some more gardening. I'll be busy sowing again. My Artic King Lettuce came yesterday..£2.29 for 600 seeds..a good price but had to do price search first. Says on pk can sow Sept to Oct under cloches. Just checked my wheeler cab under the cloches.. they are still holding on..some looking really good, so i'm really hopeful. lv got a loads of holly tree prunings , so i'm going to scatter the leaves around them to see if deters any slugs. Will do that later and sow the lettuce seeds. We try not to do gardening weekends and usually manage doing l hr each a day in the week to keep on top of garden jobs. But we are so behind this Autumn, l still have the potting shed to sort. Is there a thread where people post photos of their potting shed interiors ? ld loved to see them. I'm looking for ideas, iv got this mad idea of making mine into a 'Beatrix Potter' theme lol

 

Hi,

Thank you so much for sending your love and kisses @fairygirl its very kind and thoughtful of you also fully appreciated. Every day I yearn for Bron but I'm coping on my own; all I want now is peace and solitude filling my days with lots of work and hobbies.

I recently replaced the front porch bringing home repairs up to date; now I'm spending more time in the gardens; I'll rotavate the meadows again one day next week; this keeps the grass and weeds down; the area is too large for simple weeding although I feel tempted this time to go over the lot with weedkiller; there's lots of couch grass I'm having trouble with and I'd like to kill it down to its roots; if I do this now I'll be able to rotavate next March and reseed the meadows with pure wildflower seed without grass included. I dislike using chmicals but at times they come in handy.

We had our horizontal heavy rain a few days ago with flood warnings; now you've got it; you'll be keen to get the roofing felt in place but it'll need a lot of clout nails especially in your location when powerful wind blows. Can you take photos because it's interesting; I'm nosy.

Thanks @Peaceful Gardener; working and enjoying my hobbies are helping me a lot; yes lots of wonderful memories so I'll never be alone. I searched for the music thread last night without success; I'd like to share music notes on this forum keeping me on topic (for a change); Bron expressed an interest in guitar playing so I bought her two electric guitars and an amplifier; one guitar is a Fender Stratocaster and the amp also is a Fender all bought from the same seller but unfortunately Bron's health suffered quickly so she only ever had the Strat on her lap briefly; I was amazed by how much electric guitars weigh.

600 lettuce seeds; you'll end up eating like a rabbit. Hopefully your grandson can not only post your pictures but show you how to post them; pictures are interesting and convey much more than text.

Over the last 38 years I too have removed over 30 very tall trees some at 80' but I did the work entirely on my own including digging up lots of stumps and roots in order to clear land for the creation of wildflower meadows; like you I also had lots of unwanted growth in the garden; a huge cherry laurel hedge with mixed things like a cherry tree and Mile A Minute vine rapidly covering everything; huge brambles and masses of stinging nettles; English Ivy was everywhere; I removed over 80 bin bags of this ivy from just a small area; looking back it's been hard work but worth it. Are you on top of your gardens now having cleared so much away; I found a new problem; having removed so many trees and creating the meadows I've now got lots of weeds everywhere causing me more work.

Go for it regarding the Beatrix Potter theme and enjoy it; Bron and I visited;

Discover the enchanting world of Beatrix Potter

We thoroughly enjoyed the visit but there were more adults than children; who wants to grow up anyway?



One of the 80' tall fir trees I felled in 2012; this is basic gardening as you know only too well having removed yours @Peaceful Gardener; I find felling such trees to be easy; getting rid of them and digging out the stumps is the hard work

Kind regards, Col.

 

What's' the oldest gardening book you have ? The reason i'm asking is that iv just found a small pocket size garden book dated 1957! Iv never read it, but it looks interesting .its called' Flowers in the garden by Moiria Savonius.' l know iv got a even older book ,that's a sort of veg garden folk lore garden tips, which l hope l can find. l collect old garden books ( and cook books) and l was just sorting out my books to read in Autumn/Winter. l start prepping my 'cozy reading corner' by our large french windows in the bedroom. l can see all the garden from those windows , l love it when it snows. Husband has saved some of the best branches from the plum tree prunnings and plans to make some the branch birdfeeder crafts iv found on pinterest. l have a diff theme every year for my cozy corner for the decor. l buy a new cushion cover, get out my new crochet blanket( l make one very year) which l do over the Winter. Its then put away for the nk Winter. This yrs 'theme' is squirrels, so l bought a lovely squirrel cushion cover off temu, a new tea mug and a new garden journal that has squirrels on and a leather tie, that l cant wait to write in. I'm just putting my garden books on a small shelf . Then l'll prep a small table for my tea, biscuits and a small lamp.. l will put a few lights draped around the shelf over the books, l will also send off for my seed catalogs and dream away of what l would l ve to grow nk yr lol. As soon as it all done l'll show you some photos
***sorry, just noticed l should have put this in the 'members hobbies' thread.

 

So sorry to hear your very sad news @Retired , your happy memories of Bron will always be with you.

 

Got rid of 20+ paving slabs this morning, a couple needed them for a project so were happy to take them for free- and I'm more than happy to be rid of them for free

A nice chat amongst the heavy lifting and carrying was a good way to start a Saturday.

Otherwise I have just been doing little jobs like taking cuttings from Pelargoniums and potting on hardy annual/ perennial seedlings in the greenhouse, and just sitting in the mellow September sun and enjoying life.

 

Hi,

Thank you @Bluejayway; yes it's the happy memories I have which still drive me on; Bron will always be with me.

I've just been disposing of more acorns; it's like walking on ball bearings around the patio and pathway to the bungalow rear; a couple of years ago I felled a huge oak tree overhanging the kitchen; when acorns fell from this it was a hard hat area; pigeons were a major nuisance using branches as toilet seats causing a lot of daily mess to clean up; I removed the tree saving a lot of work.

Kind regards, Col.

 

iv just mentioned on another thread that an oldtimer gardener says the acorns are prolific this yr and that its a old country sign we are in for a very bad winter..hope he's wrong. But l think l'll try and speed up my gardening jobs..getting chilly here in Nottinghamshire..had to put on my garden hat this afternoon seed sowing outside.

 

I'm so sorry to hear the loss of your dear Bron @Retired. You've spoken quite a bit of her here in the past and most of us know how devoted to each other you were. Keeping yourself busy will help a lot and your garden of course, is coming on great. I like the plants you have chosen for Bron's part of the garden and sure she would be pleased with them too.

I tagged you to take you to the music thread but I think it was Nigel that put up the link for you. The forum hasn't actually got a personal music thread, perhaps you'd like to start one? The thread I've directed you to is for what we are listening to now, so perhaps not appropriate for yourself and other members that play their own instruments.

 

Keeping busy is probably the best thing you can do @Retired . It's those anniversaries, birthdays, C'mas etc that will be harder. We're here for you to chat to if you feel the need. C'mas is particularly difficult because everyone else seems to see it as a happy, joyous time, and are wrapped up in the whole 3 ring circus it's become, but it's absolutely not that for many people. I just wish some people would think of others more often.
Re my bench, I got the other bit of roofing felt yesterday, but it wasn't the weather for sorting that! Hopefully, I can get that done today, and I've got plenty of clout nails. I'll just put it over the other bit. I can certainly take some pix for you. I don't have enough wood for the shelf, but that's not a problem just now, as it's mainly for pots etc. Once I've removed another bit of the front fence along the path, I can use that. I now have a hedge there, so it's a bit redundant.

They always used to bang on about lots of rowan berries etc being a sign of a cold winter @Peaceful Gardener. It's a load of rubbish! It just means the conditions have suited the trees earlier in the year. We always have lots of acorns here, as there's loads of oak trees in the area. We often get seedlings, courtesy of the tree rats. Our winters have got milder, which I hate as it just means even more rain, so I'm crossing my fingers that your 'old timer' is right this time

Pond's looking splendid @Selleri . It's lovely when you can sit and enjoy it.

 

Hi,

This is very kind of you @Sheal. thank you also many thanks for tagging the music thread.

Apologies to @NigelJ for completely skipping over the link he kindly supplied; I hadn'r realized the importance of it.

I'm expecting the plants I ordered from Parkers to arrive very shortly; the courier already have them and I'm keen to complete Bron's garden.

Looking out of the kitchen window this morning up the steep rear garden; I have a bit of a dilemma; do I rotavate the meadows again to get rid of all the new growth including couch grass I have trouble with or do I go over with weedkiller then rotavate next March; I always start the meadows from scratch every year but the grass has always been a big problem. This year due to the rare drought the wildflowers performed poorly but the couch grass as usual did well.

The areas involved are too large for hand weeding and if I simply rotavate I'll never be rid of the grass; the wildflower seeds I buy are grass free from 100% Wildflower Seed Only Mixtures (No Grass)

The seeds from Meadowmania are always first class and the company is a delight to deal with; for about £60 each year the meadows usually put on a stunning display of colour admired by everyone who sees them.

The meadows are awash with colour unless our dire climate destroys it.


It doesn't get better than this and since I removed the massive laurel hedge at the top of the garden; walkers not only stop often taking pictures with their mobile phones but it opened up an whole new world with a panoramic view across the valley. One day I watched a young lady with her back towards me taking a selfie of herself against the valley view; I was in the kitchen and noticed her. It doesn't cost much to be nice and friendly.

Here I am as Superman fighting the steep slope using my restored 64 year old Howard Bulldog petrol rotavator; I like restoring old machinery.



Thanks @fairygirl Bron and I were never relgious hence Bron's private cremation; we didn't have a single nights holiday away from home in the last 47 years; we never wanted to run away instead we spent the money improving our home to enjoy the full year round; we were very content and happy just enjoying each others company as we've done over the last 49 years.

Because Bron and I seldom went out of our way seeking outside company we were a pair of loners so although Bron has passed away I'm content to have her love and memories to fall back on and for support; I'm slowly adjusting to my new life and strangely I don't feel lonely; this afternoon I'm visiting our former neighbour and next Friday I have friends driving 100 miles to visit me as I now also drive down to visit them; as you rightly say I have friends to chat with not only on this forum but on about another dozen forums. I have a beautiful detached bungalow with large gardens and a nice SUV all that's missing out of my life is my wonderful Bron but she's still with me in spirit; there are millions a lot worse off than me so I'm not complaining; 49 years happiness with Bron will see me out.

Watch your fingers knocking in the clout nails @fairygirl these nails tend to be short so fingers and thumb are easy targets; I usual say "oh dear I've just hit my thuimb with the hammer". You'll be pleased to get the felt sorted out in readiness for the imminent winter. Pity you don't live nearby; I'd happily give you a bit of wood for a shelf and cut it to length; good luck.

Got to go I'm needed elsewhere; so much for my peace and solitude.

Kind regards, Col.

 

I once considered having a partial meadow in my previous garden @Retired but didn't get round to it. It's a difficult decision for you to make - whether to deal with the couch grass problem now. If the couch grass problem is getting too bad then I would be inclined to say go over it with weedkiller now and leave the ground to rest until next March. By that time most of the meadow will have died off and make it easier to rotovate then.

 

Very kind of you to offer help @Retired. Thank you, but yes- a bit far away! The meadow is lovely.
I'm always bashing bits of myself with hammers or something I'm used to it all though, as I worked outdoors in my original job, and got lots of injuries etc, so I'm always covering cuts with tape, or finding bruises.
I've always done my own woodwork/DIY - take after my Dad. When I was a wee girl, I used to help him when he was sawing bits of wood. Happy memories.
I didn't need too many clout nails, as I was putting an edging round the top too, and fortunately they're long enough to help avoid the finger bashing! I took some photos to give you an idea.
This was before the new bit of felt went on

and this is after

I swapped some of the timber pieces around. They give stability as well as being supports for shelving. I'm hoping I can also use it as a support for sawing more wood too
I might need to add wheels for that though, as the site it's going in would be a bit tight for that, so I'd need to move it. Another project...
Glad I got that all done, especially as we had a couple of light showers during the day. We seem to have just avoided frost this morning, despite it only being 2 degrees just now. Car was just wet when I took daughter to work earlier. It would normally change to frost when it gets light, but that's not happened. Not sure I'll do anything out there today anyway, as I might get a longer walk, and it's to rain later. Missing my hills, but my feet are improving, so I'm trying to be positive.
Garden is quite well set for autumn/winter now, and just minor jobs needing doing.