What did you do in your garden today?

[Stink Bug]

Not a thing.

 

[Beverly]

In the midst of the rainy season, the weeds have grown in a magnificent way. One day they are very small, nothing to bother about, the very next day they are knee deep (well, almost. well maybe a third of a knee deep). I didn't know whether to post photos on the "What's looking good thread", or "what did you do in the garden today". The "weeds" are mostly the result of experiments i've done trying to find the perfect ground cover. I find five different ground covers all growing together, intertwined, growing for the prize. The clover i actually planted for the nitrogen benefit, so i want to keep that, but the dichondra is intermingled, the oxalis has intermingled, and 2 other ground covers that i do not have names for have intermingled. Saving the clover has been a lesson in microsurgical weeding. In short, i spent the day weeding and managed to save the clover but i still see dichondra mixed in, so we will see who wins, advantage clover i hope. So this is what i did in the garden yesterday and will finish up today with just a small patch, then plant the Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia), and transplant 2 Papayas. Oh yes, and from the magnificent weed patch, i saved and transplanted 6 salvias that i was going to restart as seeds but now have 6 healthy seedlings ready to be relocated. Self reseeding plants are great, but they never reseed where i want them to. All together, a lovely day in the garden

 

[Verdun]

Picked runner beans, deadheaded heleniums and dahlias before the rain came. Weatherwise it has been pretty good and tomorrow will be too.....off to the
Eden Project so no gardening for me

 

[KKosy87]

Picking weeds, weeds and more weeds.

 

[KKosy87]

Also, I'm almost done with garden or yard work and letting it just go. My almost 8 month pregnant belly and crazy toddler have me EXHAUSTED and the heat!!! Ugh. Looking forward to mum shopping though!!

 

[mg guy]

Also, I'm almost done with garden or yard work and letting it just go. My almost 8 month pregnant belly and crazy toddler have me EXHAUSTED and the heat!!! Ugh. Looking forward to mum shopping though!!

take care!

is that your home in your avatar?

very eclectic piece-like it.

 

[MMathis]

Well, my main "garden" hobby is my box turtle habitat, and it's a work in progress. I've spent the past week or 2 working on the hardscape and cleaning up the landscaped parts. Today I finished up a mini-French (modified) drain, and amended the soil to break up clay and help drainage. Dug up some nice grubs and treated the turtles that came by to see what was going on. Doesn't sound like much, but this is all in confined spaces, which for some reason seems to increase the workload -- you'd think "small space" = less work, but somehow it doesn't work out that way, LOL!

 

[Beverly]

I would love to see photos of your habitat @MMathis ... never mind that it is not finished, it will never be finished and never mind that it is small that only makes it more impressive. What people can do in small spaces is wonderful to see and gives other folks ideas

 

[MMathis]

I would love to see photos of your habitat @MMathis ... never mind that it is not finished, it will never be finished and never mind that it is small that only makes it more impressive. What people can do in small spaces is wonderful to see and gives other folks ideas

Thanks! I have a bunch of pics, but it's hard to get anything decent enough to post -- at least where anything is recognizable, LOL! What I need is a drone to take an aerial photo -- or get on my roof......

Actually, the habitat itself is fairly large. One of these days I will get measurements, but it takes up about a 1/4+ of our backyard [less grass to mow, LOL!]. But the "small" part is maneuvering into tight spaces. I guess, imagine that everything is in miniature. Over the 10+ years that I've had my turtles, I've learned a lot about what they like by observation, so I try to tailor the hardscaping and plantscaping to their needs. They don't care how pretty it is as long as they have plenty of micro-climates [shade, sun, moist, dry, high, low.....], places to hide, and shelter from real or perceived predators. I have a 3000 gal goldfish pond and that feeds into a small bog or "veggie filter" that's enclosed inside the habitat. This gives the turtles a fresh source of water. And because I have a female and some males [they're all siblings], I have the habitat partitioned to keep the genders separated. So, it's really like having 2 little gardens. It's a lot of fun learning about nature!

 

[KKosy87]

@mg guy i wish! I always wanted a little cottage like the one incthe picture! But thank you!

 

[KKosy87]

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but can anyone tell me what plant this is? It was here when we moved in and i thought it looked cool..

 

[Beverly]

@KKosy87 you will get a better chance of a plant ID if you post in the plant ID forum. More people will see your plant that way. I think i know it but can't think of the name

 

[Beverly]

@MMathis you don't have to get the entire habitat in one photo. Maybe show the watering pond in one, the girls' or boys' enclosures in one, etc. It would really be interesting to see a small space or two where the turtles can go for protection and some turtles themselves. When you are creating a habitat it is only necessary to have plants and features that are best for whatever you are providing habitat for. I have a habitat garden for pollinators and only have plants that are popular with the pollinators and many of them are weeds. So what? I give the pollinators what will serve them best and most are not tidy plants just for looks.

Yes, i agree that learning about nature is fun and using a forum, and reading up on things is great, the most fun is learning by observation. Butterfly caterpillars for example can do some quirky and comical things but by observing their habits, i can see they are all functional for survival. My observations have also led to creating natural places of habitat for them that improve their survival chances.

 

[johnny canoe]

Yesterday I battled aphid infestations, mowed my back lawn, did some watering and peeled/cored apples for the freezer.
Today will be more apple collecting and freezing.

 

[mg guy]

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but can anyone tell me what plant this is? It was here when we moved in and i thought it looked cool..

Sedum.