Today I did something in my Garden

SouthWesterly wrote: »

A busy few days in the garden ....

Same here. Lovely gardening weather (until yesterday afternoon, then suddenly cold, damp and windy

)

Mostly "housekeeping" for me this week. I've taken out all the gerkins and all but one of my Charentais melons, and have cleared all the remaining sweetcorn. Those three produced surprisingly great harvests, despite the drought.

The sweetcorn was from saved seed - the one and only cob from last year's crop - but a huge amount of work at the point of harvest so 90% of the cobs stayed on the plants. I don't really eat corn on the cob, although this year's Covid refugees did and declared it delicious, but I do use a lot of tinned sweetcorn so I think I'll plant about the same amount next year and try to get a better handle on the harvest. It suits me to sow it in place of this year's tomatoes.

The "regular" veg is still producing: picked about 4kg of green and butter beans, 3.5kg of tomatoes and 2kg of beetroot, all destined for preserving in one way or another.

Still no leafy greens (other than nettles :rolleyes: ) although I think the lamb's lettuce sown a few weeks ago is beginning to peep out of the soil. In the newly weeded and rain-watered beds, I've put in some more lamb's lettuce, 10 metres' worth of spinach and one last try with lettuce. Thinking that the weather would be "nice" for another month, I also sowed an experimental line of red cabbage and celery.

I'm trying (yet again) to grow decent white onions from seed; and will think about planting garlic and shallots next week from this year's poorer quality cloves. I'll probably buy some new seed garlic next month as a back-up.

My garlic was put down this morning. Glorious day here.

About 150 of garden centre cloves. 3 types
The same of supermarket cloves from the local polish supermarket. Looks like merridor.
I've also some elephant garlic from this years harvest and a few odds and ends. I've more coming from suttons in the next couple of weeks along with shallots.

Some winter seeds on the way as well. Will give them a go. Don't feel we got the same harvest as last year. The weather really hit us early in the year

Well, the sun came out at lunchtime, so I decided to get my garlic and shallots in tout de suite instead of waiting. And while doing so, had an idea: to sow (yet more) winter salad right over the top of it, the logic being that it leaves (no pun intended :pac: ) the other beds free for the coming months, giving me more time to think about what I'm putting in there and treat the soil accordingly. If the salad grows as it should, I'll weed it regularly over the winter, and the whole lot should be harvested by the end of March when the garlic and shallots need the bed to themselves.

Also spent a lot of time thinking about a new project: a sunken garden - very sunken - as a way to combat regular summer droughts (and hosepipe bans) in the future.

Graces7

Not able for much, but am keeping watch over the only sunflower I have succeeded in getting to flower in my years here. Too much wind from too many directions. For some reason two others are in flower but miniatures.

The big one is magnificent! Awesome, and supported by my spare walking stick..

Also managed to disinter some lovely red potato marbles. They were "volunteers" so all the more welcome, and the last ones were delicious.

My indoor bulbs are in. Blue and white prepared hyacinths and paperwhites; a very old tradition of mine to have them in flower at Christmas.

And my lovely pink geranium is now inside and in flower.

paddylonglegs

Graces7 wrote: »

Not able for much, but am keeping watch over the only sunflower I have succeeded in getting to flower in my years here. Too much wind from too many directions. For some reason two others are in flower but miniatures.

The big one is magnificent! Awesome, and supported by my spare walking stick..

Also managed to disinter some lovely red potato marbles. They were "volunteers" so all the more welcome, and the last ones were delicious.

My indoor bulbs are in. Blue and white prepared hyacinths and paperwhites; a very old tradition of mine to have them in flower at Christmas.

And my lovely pink geranium is now inside and in flower.

Sounds like it’s giving you alot of joy

Graces7

paddylonglegs wrote: »

Sounds like it’s giving you alot of joy

Oh yes! And this year we all need that joy. All plants etc are so hard won out here and it makes them all the more fulfilling.

When I came here, the space between big gate and gable end was a mass of huge brambles and nettles, and now it is a real old fashioned cottage garden mix of flowers and vegetables. Much is in containers as so little soil, and all from seed. Next year the lupins and the tree lupins will be flowering.

Graces7

Wish I could put the actual image here...

Could some kind and skilled soul do so? Please! Thank you!

It was a seed, dry and sere, in a paper packet... And now! How can anyone not be filled with awe and joy! So hard won, and all the more lovely! (starts singing, " You are my sunshine!")

Cut my hedges today with a lamborghini... I joke not.

blackbox

This week I cut back the wildflower bank.

I spread lots of seeds that I had collected from it beforehand.

I also put 100 crocus bulbs into it to get some early action. 100 sounds like a lot but they really didn't go very far.

At the moment it's pretty unattractive.

whodafunk

Pruned back Catmint/Lavender, cut and fed grass and planted some Alium bulbs which will hopefully bring some nice colour to the garden next year.

blackbox

I planted 4 rhododendrons today that I had bought in Lidl.
I prefer to buy from nursery, but the last one I bought there cost as much as these four!

Got more woodchips down today in the veg garden

Planning to get my bulbs down tomorrow, alliums for June and tulips paired with forget me nots for spring. I grew lupins from seeds this year and stored them in a cold frame. I’m planning on pairing them with the alliums so I’m tempted to plant them tomorrow too. I wonder would they have time to establish before winter or would it be a shock for them?

RobAMerc

Graces7 wrote: »

Wish I could put the actual image here...

Could some kind and skilled soul do so? Please! Thank you!

It was a seed, dry and sere, in a paper packet... And now! How can anyone not be filled with awe and joy! So hard won, and all the more lovely! (starts singing, " You are my sunshine!")

Garlic and onions I planted a few weeks ago are coming up.

Planted 200 shallots today.

I built a house for our hedgehogs today.
I noticed two fairly little ones moving around together. Since we also see our fair share of foxes and cats passing through the garden I decided to do my bit to solve the housing crisis and give them a little hand for the winter. It ended up being a bit bigger than it needed to be, but maybe they want to move in together. I hope they like it, will report.

No hedgehogs yet, but the house has been noticed...

RachelsCousin

old_house wrote: »

No hedgehogs yet, but the house has been noticed...

Off topic, but do you have a trail camera set up? Something I'm looking into at the moment, lots of wildlife around me including I suspect a badger.

RachelsCousin wrote: »

Off topic, but do you have a trail camera set up? Something I'm looking into at the moment, lots of wildlife around me including I suspect a badger.

Yes, I have. And it's definitely worth it, I had no idea about all the activity in the garden at night.

And I just checked the images from last night, we have success! One hedgehog can cleary be seen entering the house at shortly past 5 this morning - link goes to imgur.com. The sequence is heavily compressed to be able to upload it (couldn't do it here), it looks better in the original footage. I'm happy they like my work

I took advantage of the break in the weather today to do a few final winter jobs. It was glorious here in the NW! I planted out the last few bulbs, positioned some perennials that I grew from seed in their final spots and took a saw to my potted delphiniums. I bought 2 a few years ago, now I have 11, freshly potted in the cold frame ready for spring

!

Gardening is such food for the soul, being out for those few precious hours brightened up my whole week! Pity we’re facing into the long winter now, at least I can always plan and dream of better days!

SnowyMuckish wrote: »

It was glorious here in the NW! I planted out the last few bulbs ...

Last few? :eek: It's only today that I've received my bulbs! Over a thousand (tulips, crocuses, alliums and fritillaries) destined for an expanded bed out the back. Hoping to get them done while we too have glorious weather.

As they didn't arrive till lunchtime, I started on a different project: clearing 100m² of thorn bushes, brambles, hawthorn and wild roses. In previous years, I'd have spent the best part of a month working away at it with a hedge trimmer, lopping shears and a rake; today, I used my new mini-digger and although I felt somewhat deprived of the benefits of physical exertion, it was immensely satisfying to get the whole job done (apart from the clean-up) in one day. Oh, and quite nice having all those thorns kept at a long metal arm's length!

CelticRambler wrote: »

It's only today that I've received my bulbs! Over a thousand (tulips, crocuses, alliums and fritillaries)

:eek: That must have cost a pretty penny! Where do you source them?

Would love to see a picture of the finished product next year, should be very dramatic!

I started my alliums about 3 weeks ago then ran out and finished planting today. They’re all in the same boarder, interesting to see if there’ll be a lag in flowering times between them!

SnowyMuckish wrote: »

:eek: That must have cost a pretty penny! Where do you source them?

Would love to see a picture of the finished product next year, should be very dramatic!

Dramatic is the plan! I'm taking "before" and "during" photos; "after" will be along in a few months!

This bed was previously 16m² (separating two parts of the back lawn and I've just doubled it up. Even though it's claggy clay soil and theoretically not really suitable for spring bulbs, the original bed has masses of daffodils in it that get better and better every year, so I thought I'd take a chance with the tulips (500 of those, black and cream, two varieties of each for flowering in April and May).

Along with the rest, it came to 162€ delivered (to France) from bulbi.nl On top of that, I spent 76€ on 200 plastic pots (only really needed 50 but postage was 12€ regardless of quantity, so decided to get extras for future use. I'll plant the tulips in 5-litre pots sunk into the bed so that I can lift them out in the summer and drop something else in there for later colour.

CelticRambler wrote: »

I'll plant the tulips in 5-litre pots sunk into the bed so that I can lift them out in the summer and drop something else in there for later colour.

That’s really interesting! I never thought of planting and lifting the tulips when they’re finished. There’s always that awkward in between phase when they’re dying off.

CelticRambler wrote: »

Even though it's claggy clay soil and theoretically not really suitable for spring bulbs, the original bed has masses of daffodils in it that get better and better every year, so I thought I'd take a chance with the tulips

Our soil was almost solid blue clay when we moved in. I could go into the pottery business if this gardening hobby doesn’t pay off! My OH removed the topsoil without thinking when he leveled the site. I’ve spent years trying to replenish it with organic matter. This year I went gung-ho with drainage chips and sharp sand. Only to plant my tulips too early :rolleyes: I didn’t know about tulip fire!

CelticRambler wrote: »

Dramatic is the plan! I'm taking "before" and "during" photos; "after" will be along in a few months!

I must do the same, come this time next year it’ll be a case of you show me yours and I’ll show you mine :pac: :pac:

What are you thinking of replacing the tulips with, that’s what I’m struggling with at the moment. I have spring sussed= pink tulips with forget me nots and early to mid summer= allium Purple Sensation, with purple lupins, saliva, aquilegia, agastache, scabious and catmint. But then there’s really nothing to take me through till autumn?

SnowyMuckish wrote: »

That’s really interesting! I never thought of planting and lifting the tulips when they’re finished. There’s always that awkward in between phase when they’re dying off.

Neither did I ... until I went looking for an explanation as to why my daffs did so well but the few tulips I planted years ago gave me one worthy display then gave up. Apparently (I know now! :pac: ) lifting them is the done thing, even in places like the Keukenhof Park in the Netherlands.

I've opted for the pot technique to make it easier to find them when the time comes, and so as not to disturb (too much) whatever's growing in the vicinity ... and to have a right-sized hole ready made.

SnowyMuckish wrote: »

What are you thinking of replacing the tulips with, that’s what I’m struggling with at the moment. I have spring sussed= pink tulips with forget me nots and early to mid summer= allium Purple Sensation, with purple lupins, saliva, aquilegia, agastache, scabious and catmint. But then there’s really nothing to take me through till autumn?

To be decided! This bed was supposed to be a sort of "natural" hedge-and-border barrier between the two halves of the garden, but it's just not working as intended. Like yours, it's really interesting in the spring (daffs and lilac) and then meh ...

Aswell as the lilac, I have two young oak trees, an acacia and a hawthorn as the main vertical elements (need to add at least one other real tree - will see if I can move a chestnut, beech or sycamore from the lane)

I happen to have a load of self-propagated acanthus handy, so will put those in towards the back to give me a mid-level evergreen, weed-suppressing backdrop, and I'm hoping I can persuade my self-seeding alyssum (which does amazingly well in the courtyard) to grow in this new spot; I picked and potted about 100 plants last week, which will go in behind the crocuses and between the tulips, to cover the dying foliage.

Other than that, dunno ... lupins, definitely, but I have to grow them first; sunflowers, probably as I have seed saved from this year; veitch's blue thistle, probably too, as that's suitably invasive and should compete well with the acanthus! Due to the size and location of this bed, anything going in here needs to be "massive" or it'll just be lost. The specimen plants I'll keep for the courtyard or the planters out the front.

Just remembered - I posted a "before" photo on the photos sub-forum last week, here.

That’s the problem with big borders, it takes so much to fill them! I have 2 and everything looks lost in them, I’ve been growing seeds en masse to fill it next year, it needs to be crammed because horse tail has taken hold and I want to smother it out!

If you’re going for the natural look, an idea I was toying with because it would fill the large borders easily was a mix of greater knapweed, with wild oregano, bettony, red valerian and purple coneflowers. The combination worked in another area of my garden but I discounted it for this spot because it clashes with the colours of the boarder I mentioned above but It might work well with your acanthus?

If you’re using veitch’s blue thistle how about combing with cardoons? They don’t get much grander than that?

How do you plan to store the tulips after you lift them? Do you just put them to the side for the following year?

celticbhoy27

old_house wrote: »

Yes, I have. And it's definitely worth it, I had no idea about all the activity in the garden at night.

And I just checked the images from last night, we have success! One hedgehog can cleary be seen entering the house at shortly past 5 this morning - link goes to imgur.com. The sequence is heavily compressed to be able to upload it (couldn't do it here), it looks better in the original footage. I'm happy they like my work

What type of camera you got. A link to where to buy would be great. Thanks a mill

SnowyMuckish wrote: »

If you’re going for the natural look, an idea I was toying with because it would fill the large borders easily was a mix of greater knapweed, with wild oregano, bettony, red valerian and purple coneflowers.

The "natural look" is now pensioned off!

I have plenty of other natural spaces, which already include several cousins of those plants you mention, and due to a change in the age-profile of family and visitors, this bed can now be dressed up a bit more. It wasn't due for re-design just yet, but ... ... well, you know how it is ...

SnowyMuckish wrote: »

How do you plan to store the tulips after you lift them? Do you just put them to the side for the following year?

Yes, the plan is to save them for re-planting year after year. I have to read up a bit more on the best way to store them from June to October, but it'll probably be in some kind of root-cellar, if I ever get around to making that for my carrots and beets.

Crocuses, fritillaries and alliums are in now. Tulips are on the agenda for tomorrow.