What did you do in your garden today?

[Michelle25]

Watered my impatiens and ferns in my pots on the porch. Pulled a weed or two. 'Searched' for a black racer snake that I saw zipping through my beds yesterday evening.

 

[Wolvendeer]

'Searched' for a black racer snake that I saw zipping through my beds yesterday evening.

Black racers are useful little helpers to have around the garden. I have them too, and I give them a bit of habitat so they'll stay and eat things that might want to steal from the garden.

On Saturday I mixed up some Mel's Mix for two raised beds. Yesterday, I realized that instead of adding 4 cu ft of peat moss, I added 8, so I had to dig up everything, re-mix the soil, and replant. Frustrating as it was, at least now I know why the bed I put in last year hasn't been doing so well.

 

[zigs]

Turned last years compost and watered both heaps with dilute tomato feed, been very dry and I need to get the heaps going.

Nearly cleared the girt pile of prunings sis had dumped

Made a wigwam to take the beans i'd been keeping back as spare plants

 

[Tetters]

Early this morning - about 5.30 I gave my garden a very serious coat of ''looking at'' - then I scarpered up the woods with the dogs, and came back to do some watering. Got totally soaked when leaving the (very fierce) hose in a desperate hurry in order to rescue a family of mum and eleven gorgeous ducklings. I shut in the dogs, and alerted the cat lady next door to contain the cats, and between us we manage to herd the family to safety.
As I was mummy day care for the bird rescue today (demand feeding ) all I could manage really was a prayer for rain...... it is raining now ...............

 

[Thumper38]

Mulched the plants we planted the other day.

 

[The Denying Dutchman]

Took a picture of one of the frogs in my tiny pond. And guided some new growth on my laurer hedge. I like laurer, but it likes to grow in any direction. Last year I dug out a branch that had roots on both sides!

 

[Beth_B]

Weeded a truckload of creeping charlie out of the front fence flower bed after work.
I hate creeping charlie.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Weeded a truckload of creeping charlie out of the front fence flower bed after work.
I hate creeping charlie.

I will never get rid of it and no longer even try. I'm keeping it out of the native garden long enough for the native plants to establish and mature, but once they are, I'm done pulling it. One of the worst lawn weeds brought to the U.S.

 

[Beth_B]

JB, is there anything native (or simply less invasive) I can plant as a ground cover that will choke out the creeping asshole, oops I mean charlie?

I know it's basically impossible to eradicate it completely. But I spend a ridiculous amount of time every year pulling it up from around the perennials. Mulching helps, but it still manages to get through.

I had ajuga and vinca at my last house (sorry, not sure if they are native) and they did very well. But I had poor soil there and don't recall having much of a problem with weeds in general.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

JB, is there anything native (or simply less invasive) I can plant as a ground cover that will choke out the creeping asshole, oops I mean charlie?

Honestly, I don't think so. Even with awesome ground covers like Common Blue Violet, Wild Strawberry, and Wild Ginger, it'll still probably find a way to squeeze in, but planting thick as possible and using ground covers will at least limit it. Creeping Charlie is a bigger problem in yards than it is in the wild, so it definitely struggles in areas with thick vegetation. As soon as my newest garden section thickens up, I'm never pulling it again, so I hope my natives will outcompete it.

 

[Thumper38]

I've had some moderate success removing it from previous yards and gardens in the past.

First off remember that if you are pulling it you need to really dig at it. These little buggers, in addition to seeding, also have a rhizometic (sp?) Method of reproduction. You have to get every single little node out of the ground or they will be back.

When I was younger I worked for a lawncare company and we ended up with a client who wanted it all gone from his yard. We litterally had to remove every cubic foot of topsoil from his yard and replace it. Big payday. But not feasible for your average joe.

If youre not getting everything when youre pulling em its not worth pulling it. But ya can help limit its spreading. If you have it in your gardens then I reckon ya have it in your yard. Bag your cuttings instead of mulching it and dont use the grass clippings to mulch any part of your garden.

 

[MaryMary]

I really wanted to give it another year of trial before I said anything... but it seems to be getting better, so I'll share this with you... I think violets can overtake creeping charlie. I admit, if I stop pulling it, it may reassert itself.

At first I only pulled it from the flower bed and veg garden. All the while, my hatred grew. For the past three years, I have been pulling it from the edges of my sidewalk. (Just from the house to the street.) I've also been pulling it from under the maple I want flowers to grow around. I decided, the rest of the yard, it can have.

About every three months while the weather is nice, I sit on the sidewalk with my bucket, and pull one side, then the other. When I pull it, I try to follow the vines up into the yard as far as I can reach. This spring, I noticed that what is growing at the edges of the walk is mostly grass and violets. More violets than I had before. And not as much creeping charlie.

This is the corner of the walk, where my sidewalk meets the public sidewalk. I do see a bit of creeping charlie - but it used to be at least half charlie, and this is after having the entire winter to grow. I don't think it got cold enough to slow it down this year.

I wish I had seen JB's picture of all the little seedlings sooner, I'd have been out when I saw the first flower, weeding furiously!! I wouldn't care if the violets choked out the grass, as long as it takes charlie with it!

 

[zigs]

Use roundup gel on it @Beth_B

 

[Beverly]

Okay, now i know why i do not participate in this thread...because i am too pooped to want to talk about it and i know i can be somewhat wordy. I'm going to give it a try though and see if i can hit more than 50% of the right keys. It started innocently enough by taking a wander through the garden with a cup of tea. I started up the solar fountain in the birdbath which was right next to where i want to plant a Cassia fistula tree. I ordered a little one from Veracruz that is delayed in shipping, but i was seeing exactly the right spot to put it so it could overhang the Odontonema and provide it with some shade. Unfortunately, there was a rather large plant that volunteered in my garden and that i've not been able to identify, but i think it might be some kind of tobacco plant. The leaves were pungent. This morning it was a six foot (1.8meter) tall stick with big, smelly leaves coming directly out of the stick which wasn't providing any shade at all. So i took it down, and went after the impressive taproot and noticed how crumby the soil was in that spot. I bagged up all the crumby soil (from the taproot removal) and replaced it with nice yummy soil with lots of compost. That was a 3 big sandbag remediation. The soil is now ready for the Cassia, if it comes. The volunteer is history. Then i mulched the area and watered it down. Okay, all done, but wait Papaya trees grow very fast, can be kept at 6 - 10 feet (1.8-3meters), want full sun, and have great big fingered leaves. Oh and but wait, i had purchased a Papaya the day before, a really good ripe one. I thought, a couple of Papaya trees are just what i need in addition to the Cassia and Neem trees and two palms, to provide shade for those who need it. i went in the kitchen and harvested the Papaya seeds, washed them, and now 12 Papaya seeds are hopefully germinating in the little germinating containers that i first had to clean. This wasn't at all what i had planned for the day and i should know that it is one thing after another thing. Yes, i'm tired and it is time for a beer. I am happy that the Papaya seeds are already on their way to germination.

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

I am spending most of my time trying to protect the plants from Sun and it's scorching heat wave. It does not matter how much I water, everything vaporise fast. Tried to cover up younger plants, they becomes dangerously flaccid in the afternoon. That's no less than miracle, they recover by morning.

Cleaned the corner, that I thought I was making a leaf pile compost, but was harbouring centipede colony. They are too small to kill, still are in large numbers to make your hair stand on end. Btw I know my personal ant army will munch most of them.

Planted some pumpkin seeds.

Pulled out couple of weed, don't get it, other plants have a hard time growing up but weed never stop to amaze me.

Pond looks a little tidy, may be rising temperature has affected algae growth. It's better than pea soup. Two of my fishes are missing though.

Wow...that's a lot of work accomplished still some remains, need to repot few plant, split my banana plant thats shooting up two saplings.