3: Gardening Diaries ...

[BigC]

When all the chores are done, the avid gardener will invent some new ones.

Good Morning @Logan and the Green Thumb fraternity.
The gods are smiling upon us once again here in NI and the watering can came our for a second time @alp ......Everything is comming along nicely and the war with the SS brigade in the Hosta beds is being steadily won..I wonder if I crush slug pellets down in a mortar and pistle and add this to a spray canister will it have an effect also or will the water diminish the effectiveness of the product?? I gotta keep on top of this regime somehow..
Strawberries in hanging baskets in the hothouse

and my paltry Wisteria, which I'm going to repot...at least I haven't killed the thing lol

 

[alp]

Are you sure yours is not a standard, BigC? Looks bit sparse at the bottom. I'm trying to train one into a standard and need to look at the video on youtube. I don't want them to bring down a wall or my fence.

Strawberries look very nice. I have several baskets but they don't look this big. I might bring them into the lean to as it is freeeezing cold out there, again. But the sunshine will cook the plants inside the lean to. Went out to check my plastic fleece and stopped short of taking it off as it was still so chilly.

I just go along and pick up any SS and say Stop hiding and meet your maker so that the matriarch next door can hear it. She's always hiding in the middle of the garden and coughing. They now extend their illegal shed which is always 6m by 7m by another metre. Only fools follow the laws. Last night, I was hot in bed the whole night. Could you believe it? it is like winter this morning even with the sun in full force!

 

[alp]

Not a clue Alp , I am not interested in growing veg but for a select few.

I think I will add a weak feed and top up the soil to see if they help. Thank you for telling me. I am the same here - mostly to see flowers and now I have branched out to trees, shrubs, ... But this year, thanks to Lidl, I actually BOUGHT shallot Longor for £1.49. Next time, I will leave some on the ground or store them. I even bought an AGM potato! A first for me. I don't really want to grow them out to encourage SS!

How i miss going to Summerhill..

 

[alp]

Hi, a few pics taken yesterday, colour is gradually emerging. Busy getting the borders prepared for the summer bedding, and keeping up with pinching out and watering all the plants grown from seed.View attachment 37211 View attachment 37212 View attachment 37213 View attachment 37214 View attachment 37215 View attachment 37216 View attachment 37217 View attachment 37218 View attachment 37219 View attachment 37220 View attachment 37221 View attachment 37222

Crikey! I nearly missed these two posts. I was too lazy to go backward. What a glorious display of flowers and garden design. Your garden is so mature. When are you going to open your garden, @Upsy Daisy ? I will pay to have a look.. Such a lot of flowering shrubs and it's so nice. Must be nice to have all the relatives around in summer!

 

[BigC]

@alp.. I hope its a standard as I dont really want it attached to anything but rather as a stand alone tree type which I could train, that would be a nice project for me if it ever comes to fruition...This is the second year I've grown strawberries in the hot house high up and as long as they are copiously watered daily they seem to do quite well

As for the SS well its a battle I'm determined to keep on top of especially in the Hosta beds...problem is my garden is fairly damp with lots of damp/shady areas which affords an ideal habitat for these munching pigs...the battle goes on

 

[alp]

That's why I will never grow hostas but have gradually warmed to them as they do have very beautiful delicate flowers. I love something tough which like dry condition and hot condition. The only hosta that I bought cost me 20p and that's the reason I bought it. Of course, it died as I didn't really have the space for it. I have opened up the back to put some potatoes in to reduce the number of pots lying around. Besides, I still have a bit of land at the back, but the clay soil was hard as my heart, so I searched high and low for the fork. Must look out for one when sale is on. I will also sink my pots into bigger ones, I don't want any of my trees to die. After they have fruited, I will rejuvenate the soil and repot them again. Forgot that I was cooking .. Ooops! I hope my next garden will be landscaped like @Upsy Daisy 's which looks mature, commands respect and begs me to spend a day in the sun!

 

[Logan]

I've found that growing fruit is better than growing veg. Even though i do like to grow tomatoes and runner beans. I buy flowering plants that the SS don't like.I do risk it with the cosmos, but once they get going they don't bother with them. It's just when i plant them out, have to be lucky with it being dry weather for a few weeks.

I stopped growing Kale because of the SS and the white cabbage butterfly.
In their place I planted lavenders, Veronica, hardly geraniums and aquilegia.

 

[alp]

Strange that Kales in my garden are SS proof, gave some to ex and he said they were swallowed whole by caterpillars! Just tell you where you grow them can have a key impact on them. Went out to the garden and took some pics and it was windy and cold, despite the sun shining. A lovely day ahead. I am going to vacate some more potatoes to the back. I am going to the wholesale place at the back to buy some irises as they could be flowering now. No more online malarky for me.

 

[Logan]

Yes the kale is eaten fast by caterpillars, horrible things to squash.

Have a good time at the wholesale.

 

[alp]

The sunshine has brought on a lot of blooms

A lot of cistus

Even the geums want to join in the fun

The peonies are on its way out

Whilst working in the garden, I spotted the Wendy's Gold snowdrop seed pod had burst open.

I think I have about 12. I have now potted them up and hopefully in FOUR years' time, I will have flowers. 4 years! Wonder if they make it here and what will happen to all of us?!

 

[Perki]

I do grow a bit of veg - potatoes are must for me - swede - carrots - beetroot - turnips - pick on eat lettuces, also tomatoes - cucumber which are technically a fruit. I do prefer fruit though, its just the birds pinch most and the slugs eat the strawberries.

Nice day again, not rained for a while but the due in the morning makes up for it. Just popped out and planted a trollies and move the veronicastrum diane a little bit to left because the polemonium were trying to smoother it, they probably lose that battle. I'll pop round to the mum soon with a ligularia prezwaskii.

Does anyone what any Ligualria Prezwaskii ? I got loads because they keep self seedling. They need wet / boggy / moist soil, preferably shaded from afternoon sun are they will droop unless they have lots of water.

 

[Logan]

Lovely flowers @alp if you sow the snowdrops every year, then it won't feel so long.

The black birds like the blueberries, so i cover them with fleece.

 

[alp]

I do grow a bit of veg - potatoes are must for me - swede - carrots - beetroot - turnips - pick on eat lettuces, also tomatoes - cucumber which are technically a fruit. I do prefer fruit though, its just the birds pinch most and the slugs eat the strawberries.

Nice day again, not rained for a while but the due in the morning makes up for it. Just popped out and planted a trollies and move the veronicastrum diane a little bit to left because the polemonium were trying to smoother it, they probably lose that battle. I'll pop round to the mum soon with a ligularia prezwaskii.

Does anyone what any Ligualria Prezwaskii ? I got loads because they keep self seedling. They need wet / boggy / moist soil, preferably shaded from afternoon sun are they will droop unless they have lots of water.

I love cucumber too. My son's favorite and it's best when fresh and juicy and crunchy. Sadly, difficult to buy one like that nowadays. Wish I had the condition for Ligualria p! I have been watering already. Will your mum thank you or curse you! LOL! I mean it's alright if they are easy to weed. The acanthus is driving me mad. They just keep coming up and like morning glory, would not let go .. I must say I love the zesty yellow colour of you Ligularia p.

I wish it rained tonight. No chance of that. I spread out the snowdrop seeds in two pots in 2 different places. I need to draw a pic so that my son knows where to dig in case anything happens to me. I mean they are not cheap! His heirloom no less!

 

[BigC]

Good evening guys...not doing much this evening in the patch...except the daily path sweep because of the blackbirds....I lifted a lot of duckweed from the pond..Iris is becomming invasive again...dwarf Lily looks ready to bloom as are othe pond plants which names escape me.....I watered the greenhouse chilli plants seem rather slow seeing as they have all the heat they need and ferts to boot...I cant wait to be off on holiday all next week and relax in the garden and visit a few GC's...its a small thing but its both relaxing and stress relieving. Hope you all had a great day..its sweltering here..hard to believe but true and I for once aint complaining

 

[alp]

sweltering in Ireland!? Not for long! 2 more days when you're on holiday, it might be raining!

I have my first pointy pepper germinating and some watermelon seeds are germinating, but only 2 or 3 whilst I have expected 8. It's been cold again, I put the plastic shower curtain on my lettuce again. Got rid of half an elder stump. Put some more potato plant in the ground. Split some perennial lobelia into 11 pots. Wish I had done more. Best was when I spotted the snowdrop seed pod splitting. So thrilled.