What are we doing in the garden 2025

We have fared ok overnight too. Think we are on the periphery of the storm. It’s still windy so will put stuff back in their normal places tomorrow or day after. Not going to do any gardening as it’s quite cold.

 

Nothing today, the forecast was right, strong wind and rain. It's a bit unnerving looking out at the garden but everything there has survived previous storms apart from one tall grass, Miscanthus Zebrinus, which I removed this year. The windows are getting a good clean though .

 

Hi,

Thanks so much for your kind and useful reply @CostasK Yes you'll be correct regarding allowing a bit of space between chippings and plant; I was in a panic to complete the work with huge black clouds hanging over me; the clouds quickly were joined by all their friends; the weather is dire and even worse further north; there's still lots of rain and strong wind encouraging me to remain warm and dry indoors; it's possible you've got similar weather being north of me.

Mowing your lawn might end up being just a dream if the weather doesn't improve; it won't be long before the frost and ice arrive; about a week or so ago I had to clear ice from the car windscreen.

The new front porch I made and installed very recently has been fully tested with horizontal rain and it remains watertight much to my delight; something's gone right this year at last.

Wishing my life away; I'll be glad to see the back of Christmas once again; the only things I like about Christmas are the shortest day and watching for the daffodils to push through which cheer me up no end; it's only six months to next springtime.

Kind regards, Col.

 

We had strong winds and maybe about 5mm of rain overnight but today has been sunny and warm tho windy. Late start cos of being woken by the wind so just time to check seedlings - trying late sowings of chervil, coriander, dill and parsley as spring sowings bolted plus some chard, blue fescue and eragrostis - and took their lids off for the day.

This afternoon I "invited" OH to help me dig holes in my new rose bed. It's good soil but full of stones, big and small, plus broken roof tiles form a demolished barn that used to stand in the middle of our plot. That makes it hard work digging out and sorting stones then prepping for roses. Got 8 done. 6 more to go then all the alliums, daffs and perennials to plant in between.

Lids now back on seed trays and I'm having a wee flop before my shower.

 

Hi Col (@Retired )

Thank you for confirming. I must admit that I had a slight ulterior motive: I also have an area with blue slate chippings and plants (mostly shrubs), so if the clearance around the base wasn't really needed, I could have covered it so that it looks neater like your area

You are right that mowing the lawn was wishful thinking. I nearly tried it though. It's been dry here today and windy, which meant that by the afternoon the lawn felt dry enough to be safe doing so. The only thing that stopped me was the thought that, had I been wrong, local newspapers would be reporting "man electrocutes himself while mowing the lawn during storm Amy"

Excellent work regarding the porch. Perhaps an idea to make Christmas better would be another project? I must admit that I am not a big fan of the Christmas period myself. But in the past, getting rid of leylandii or painting/redecorating a room has meant that at the end of it I felt I had something tangible to show. Though of course, depending on the circumstances, sometimes getting by is enough in itself.

Costas

 

Hi,

Thanks Costas. All I'll do regarding the chippings is to ensure they are just clear of the shrub base hence no large gap then it will still look neat & tidy; when I planted the new shrubs I removed a section of chippings pulling them aside with gloved hands then using a sharp knife cut a slit larger than the diameter of the plant pot the shrub was supplied in then used scissors to cut an equally large slit in the membrane but at right angles making a cross cut; this gave four triangular flaps when folded back were held there with a couple of the chippings each allowing the hole to be carefully dug placing the soil from the trowel into a container; the shrub was carefully removed from the plant pot and firmed into the hole with some of the removed soil; I was very careful indeed not to cover any chippings with soil otherwise it wouldn't be long before weeds were popping up again; the four flaps were pressed down touching the shrub then the chippings replaced; doing it this way takes a bit of time but the end result was worth it; this is the first time I've ever used weed suppressing membrane.

It's too wet to mow lawns or cut the grass and downright dangerous if using electricity so you've made a good choice. I've been over my grass with weedkiller but I think the rain has power washed the weedkiller away; there's so much couch grass I want rid of the lot and will reseed next springtime.

I've had a lazy day today just playing my violin a couple of times but tomorrow I can find something useful to do.

I'm in full agreement with you Costas regarding doing something useful over Christmas; I can't sit around being idle for long it doesn't feel right and as you say doing something is much better. I'm still fit and very active and want to remain so for years yet to come; sitting just watching TV certainly knocks years off lives; I like to go to bed each night knowing I've not wasted a day.

This will be the first Christmas in almost 50 years without my wonderful Bron by my side and it's going to hurt on Christmas day when I visit Bron's ashes; I'm not lonely because Bron is so deep in my heart and soul.

Yes a new project would be nice; I used to make things for Bron as surprise presents; Bron's main hobby was card making so I secretly made her a chest of oak drawers for her card materials;


Here's the chest of drawers; a poor picture due to it being dark and gloomy.

I wouldn't mind doing a bit more woodturning but I'm out of space to display anything.


Turning these small lidded finial boxes is an interesting project as are goblets; both these are from an holly tree I felled years ago.

I'd like to learn pottery on a potters wheel and buy a kiln but it's a messy hobby. I've got my violins; Bron's guitars and a genuine Russian Balalaika to practice with so I'll not be bored also I've got recording gear in the studio that's seen little use. I need to sort the recording studio out again; at the moment I'm practicing in the front room.

This isn't what I'm doing in the garden today but when I can't get into the garden I want to do something.

Kind regards, Col.

 

Nothing today, went to see my friends, but it was too windy to do anything.

 

This is seriously impressive work Col! You are obviously a man of many talents, going between craftsmanship, DIY and music.

Yes, I am sure this Christmas will be particularly difficult I'm afraid. I am really sorry about your loss. As you say, Bron will always be with you. Hopefully beyond your interesting hobbies, there will be people visiting as well. And if you ever want additional chats, this forum is great for that. I am what one would call "chronically online", so I am pretty much always available Even when doing things, I often can't resist taking a break of a few mins to look at my phone (bad habit, I know).

Doing something productive is definitely good & helps to lift the mood. Sometimes though it's also good to take a bit of time off, when you need to. I do value the occasional lazy day.

 

Lovely work there @Retired - you have great talent. Seriously impressive.
I echo what @CostasK says about Christmas. For me - it's one day, but some folk want it to last for months. I've never understood it, even my girls were little. My younger daughter is the same.

Lovely that you play the violin. I come from a 'musical' family because my Dad was a musician and played with many of the big bands through the 40s. He then had his own business oding repairs - brass and woodwind. Music has always been a huge part of my life.

Nothing much to do out there today, although it's to be dry this morning before rain again later. Yesterday was a bit of a washout, with some dry spells in between, but the wind meant it was hardly worth attempting anything much. I sorted the fastening around my little growhouse, as I'd missed a bit when I did the base earlier in summer, and propped a few things up that were struggling a bit. I didn't move the larger dahlia back to it's spot as the winds were still to be strong overnight, but I moved a couple of things back out from their sheltered spots. Fortunately no great damage in the garden, or to the house this time around, and no power cuts, but many areas up here are very badly affected.
Once it's light I'll have a check again, as the wind was strong overnight again.

 

Hi,

Thank you Costas @CostasK My mechanical engineering apprenticeship with The National Coal Board not only taught me genuine engineering where I can make just about anything from scratch but separates me from modern fitters who simply replace things from the shelf. I'm learning all the time and enjoy lots of new challenges. I'm not at all clever or smart; being determined and never quiting when I start something always works for me. Since retiring at the age of 53 almost 25 years ago I've learned; vintage radio restoration covering both chassis and cabinets; french polishing; wood veneering the traditional way using hot hide glue; transformer winding where the largest transformer I hand wound weighed 75kg converting single phase 240V to 415V 3 phase allowing me to power my industrial machines like bandsaw and lathes; I wound all manner of tuning and field coils. I designed and built my own PSU's (Power supplies) allowing old battery portable valve radios to be powered from the mains supply.

TIG welding aluminium was difficult as was metal spinning; I fractured a rib whilst metal spinning due to the leverage needed against a 42" long spinning tool. Recent projects were replacing the front porch and converting the bathroom into a shower room; learning to play violins and setting up basic music recording studio. I could go on and on but I don't want my legs slapping for wandering miles off topic; I wouldn't mind posting more details of my projects in the hobby section if anyone would be interested; my hobbies are many and varied.



I detested woodwork and detested the bully woodwork teacher at school failing my school leaving exam in woodworking but marrying and out of necessesity I started to love woodworking after my initial success with easy repairs. here's the new porch very recently made and installed entirely on my own including front door; the porch timber is expensive Accoya with a 50 year gurantee; the cladding is exterior grade (WBP) plywood fully sealed with high end Benjamin Moore paint; doing lots of research for best materials is always worth the time involved. The porch glass is grey tinted toughened at 4mm thick. Sorry I'm rambling on and not on topic.

Thanks again Costas; I yearn for Bron but have to accept my new life; Bron and I were always loners so as long as I have photographs of Bron and Bron deep in my soul I'll never be alone; I dislike crowds of people and can stand my own company. I'm becoming more interested in gardening but not produce gardening; I don't see the point of growing produce when all I have to do is visit the supermarkets but I do have a friend who lives for his allotment; it's a matter of we're all different. The five personal friends I do have; four are I've met through forums and one a former neighbour; these I can trust; others I kow are aquaintances and not what I'd call trustworthy. I do like exchanging ideas and information on forums; I've made many friends on over a dozen forums exchanging PM's & many emails; I learn so much from them. So although I'm on my own I'm also not on my own; I like this gardening forum because it's very friendly and easy going where so far I've been freely allowed to ramble on of which I do a lot; at 78 years of age I've collected a lot of knowledge on may subjects.

I'm like you Costas in that I can share stories with forum friends but need to be careful because time passes by rapidly especially when the weather is kind and I've lots of outside work to do.

Thanks @fairygirl I like to share what I get up to but so much of what I do isn't gardening related;

Here's one of the forums I've been a member of for years in fact my first ever forum and it rather scrared me mixing with experts when I knew nothing about the subject;

Restorer's dream. - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

I don't recommend anyone to follow what I do because it can be lethal; these old TV/Radio often have a "live" chassis at full 240VAC potential where just picking up a chassis out of the cabinet could and would kill if it was powered up; this was just another skill I learned. I went on to have articles published in The British Vintage Wireless Society and was honoured with top restoration award in 2009. As I say I'm not clever or smart but forums like this gardening forum are full of very clever members/experts whom I learn so much from; all it takes is a willingness to learn new things.

I'm like you @fairygirl in that I too have had to work between showers which recently have been torrential with powerful wind but you're doing well trying to keep up where you can; well done you. The rain's finally let up here but it's still very breezy; after dinner I think I'll tackle weeding the front garden but I'll need to wrap up well because it's turned much colder outside. You'll be pleased @fairygirl to get off so lightly after storm AMY swept through but we're into the stormy season and with winter heading our way; we can't get away forever with reasonably mild winters as we've done over the last few years; I hope we don't get a nasty shock this coming winter.

Christmas is so false I don't subscribe to it apart from sending Christmas cards often to people not seen for over twenty years.

Over the last month I've suffered slightly at times with what is like shimmering periphery vision like looking through water; I'm alarmed this morning because when I started this post I was looking through water it had taken over both my eyes so a visit to the optician is now a top priority. It's now cleared but is worrying.

Kind regards, Col.

 

Thank you @fairygirl about the heathers.

 

Very windy still here.

Greenhouse is still standing thank goodness. Skunk cabbage seedlings are doing great





My bog propagater for bog seeds

 

Hi,

I've just enjoyed an hour weeding being buffeted around by strong wind and have just quit as rain started to keep me company. It's surprising what can be achieved in an hour. I went out to weed the front garden but only got as far as the back garden; I'm flexible.

Siren after siren has just travelled along the main road at the valley bottom; it must be serious and I hope no one is injured.

Kind regards, Col.

 

This is genuinely impressive work Col / @Retired!

I sometimes have a go at DIY, even though it's not my natural calling. Nowhere near as ambitious as your work though. I enjoy the excitement, planning and all of the research before it, and also feel good after it's done, but in the middle, while doing it & often struggling, I am usually thinking "WHY ON EARTH DID I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA"?

Gardening-wise, today I decided to change the arrangement of a section of the border and moved several plants around. Including plants that I had only moved yesterday With the new arrangement, I have created 2 new spots for new plants (possibly a hardy geranium and a dwarf rose).

 

There was rather a lot of weather going on yesterday, so it had to be indoors jobs.

The Banana plant in my home office needed a good soapy wash to get the aphids clean, and whilst at it I took all the houseplants out for a wash.

The cacti definitely needed it, and once I saw the amount of cobwebs, everything went out and a good cleaning followed.

The spiders followed the annual attack of flies, all sizes and breeds, that happens suddenly in August and lasts about two weeks. I'm grateful for the spiders but realised I didn't want to see what the next step of the food chain looks like

The result is clean home and plants, and a seriously stiff back. Carrying heavy plant pots up and down the stairs was a bit much.

To relax my back, today we nipped to Aldi (the nip in question is a 9km walk via local national reserve, lovely place ) and I got my first lot of Cyclamen and bunch of Carnations 75% off and bunch of Asters also 75% off. And some sour cream & chives pretzels.

When we got home and checked the garden we realised we'll need more vases as a Hollyhock had broken in the winds and some Cosmos were lying flat. Not complaining on having too many flowers in the house

My back is still unbendable, but I managed to net out some water fern (and banana leaves ) from the pond and supervising The Child on Cyclamen potting. She is awfully good in humouring an elderly parent (as she puts it)

Oh, and a miracle happened. I accidentally got the hang of how greenhouse clips work! I mean those spindly things that look like a profile of a spider balancing on two legs sucking it's tummy in.

Now there are enough clips to nearly block the light but it was just so satisfying to confidently slide-bend-clip them in place