Anyone for Gardening?

Airwave!

Applerose, rhubarb likes to be well established to get going and then it doesn't last long cause I eat it! I have planted about six lavender plants, the thing is to trim back the the heads every year, it makes them grow otherwise the growth is in the stem and they get woody and won't produce so much, I get lbs off of ours.

The only thing round our garden is our hedge, a few hundred feet of it with its feet surrounded by ivy, does it have any redeeming feature? I fear that another mower is waiting to be brought, every two years they go kaput.

frogmorton

I 'kill'' mowers too Airwave....Why???

Last time I ran over a large boulder masquerading as well - grass :?

My spinach is doing quite well too.....bless your marrow plant!! We managed one a few years back FINALLY after teh slug (I think ) got the three previous attempts the poor plant made :roll:

I am so sorry about the ivy - what will you do? :shock:

Christine I have been out in my greenhouse. Listening to A streecat named Bob on my kindle and pretty well got it ready for my tomato and cucumbers to go out next bit fo good weather we get

Got my solar irrigation thiny out ready to set up again this year, but have emailed to see if they could service it for me.

Happy it's raining so i don't have to water anything tonight

TWO DAYS....then it better stop again

Airwave!

Rhubarb? Its all in the degree of ignoring, if you want it to grow, it won't!

Ivy? Well short of winning the lottery and employing a gardener.... my neighbour on one side despairs, she attacks vigorously, the other side are overawed by their garden .

I shred every bit of wood, leave it to dry and spread it over the flower beds, I had to move it all to sew the poppies and then put it back. I have a soft spot for bluebells and poppies, we have a few levels of garden and some nice sheltered spots for the flowers, sunflowers next!

toady

Thanks for suggestions re mystery plant. I don't have a garden centre all that near unfortunately. Having had a further ask round I did get the suggestion of ficus benjamina (weeping fig) & it does look a pretty good bet - especially as it's an indoors/outdoors thing and could well have been bought by me as one or the other, not that uncommon either.

I like your garden applerose (glad to see your picture !) definitely a fan of cottage-style too, I have bluebells hollyhocks lupins & irises &c myself. Have just bought some poppy seeds too (angels chorus), but not 5000!

Dismal & windy today.. settled for planting some red basil & a couple of things indoors, & tidying up my potting corner. The 33 lavender were over a few instalments, they've been lurking indoors over winter since being bought as plugs so I'm glad they've moved on outdoors.

Oh and I love ivy (sorry!)

toady

Angels choir poppies that is, not chorus. :roll:

Thank you very much to the pigeon that has left something a particularly disgusting splatter on my greenhouse. Don't suppose it will be the last, I sited it under the fence they like to sit on so.. own fault.

frogmorton

I Have some lovely ladybird poppies growing and I too love bluebells Airwave.....I planted them myself


these are both last year
as is this my happy helper Daisycat


love

Toni xxx

toady

Ooh pretty and Daisycat looks sweet, but not exactly like butter wouldn't melt, considering what I have heard about her & baby robins..

Finally some lovely consecutive days of sunshine. 8) Have had a bit of a planting & potting frenzy, & started off some sweet basil, coriander & oregano, more lettuce & beetroot, watercress, also some nemesia outdoors, and cerinthe. Things are looking rather nice at the moment.

Pics of the irises, just starting to go over when I took this but I do love them while they're here - with nasturtiums coming up in a pot with last year's chives for some reason, and hardy azalea in front sitting in a pot til I decide where it's going; and one of my lettuce trays as of about a week ago, looking not bad at all.

frogmorton

Oh Toady

I can tell that I love your garden from this wee spot!!! It looks so pretty with a path leading....where?

The Iris' look lovely and I am sure the azalea will have a good home in time. Mine is in full bloom. I want a rhododendron you know a LARGE one. 9Do any of them cope well with shade does anyone know??)

Lettuce tray looks good too. I promise to take some piccies tomorrow one way or another

I have the second row sown outside as well as the rocket and the spinach. Covered in fleece too to protect from young Daisycat :roll:

Good news so far Toady is that she hasn't brought me back a SINGLE baby bird this year. I am so pleased. I had as many as 6 one day last year....so distressing.

Love

Toni xx

frogmorton

Hope we all had a good weekend?

I covered my salad crop from potential flutterbys



and spent a fair bit of time pottering too

I think some rain is due in the next day or so which will help a bit really as my water butts which water the garden via a solar pump are almost dry!

Love

Toni xxx

toady

Not a bad weekend thanks weather was nice but dropping cooler, & overcast/bit chilly now, so had the best of it. I chucked all my odds & ends of accumulated annual flower seeds into a side border, just for the hell of it, some are old & likely past it, so heaven knows what will come up.

Re garden path pic, yes I do like that view down the bottom of the garden (given some vaguely artful framing out of the washing line prop etc (that's the pole over to the left, which is not that far off the end of the garden - so the path doesn't wind off into the distance, sadly.) There's a nice lilac though, and an apple tree, though that hasn't really had the best of attention.


I've had 'toady' lettuce and rocket today in my cheese sandwich , and my radishes are definitely radish-ing! to the tune of half an inch or so, so there's hope there, but the spring onions have beaten me I think.

Nice to see your salad and spinach; a proper watering system - that's very cool! I might have to try some spinach one day, is it fairly easy?

Oh and glad about the lack of bird offerings this year touch wood, it is awful, yet 'kitty' is always so pleased & expects you to be grateful. My neighbour's cat brings mice, had a mouse funeral only yesterday... So glad he doesn't bring in chewed ones, I even had one that survived being carted round the house in his jaws, heaven knows how!

applerose

I've had a new fence put in between mine and next door. The old one had been covered in ivy so that's all gone now. Hooray. Still got a fair bit around the pond and growing up the front of the house. I need to cut lots of that back.

Cucumbers, lettuce and rhubarb have completely disappeared and tomatoes are only about 6 inches high. Strawberry plants looking good. Lots of flowers. I've got some with pink flowers. I was going to post a picture but I can't get signed in to photobucket. Tried asking to rest my password but I haven't received the email.

Solar irrigation. That sounds good. I hope it rains tonight. My hosepipe tap is leaking like crazy so I'm running in and out with the watering can.

Daisycat is beautiful. Glad she hasn't brought back any 'presents' for you.

My son sprinkled all his flower seeds around the garden. At least he got the kids to do it. He's so busy at the moment, he didn't have time to do it properly. I've just cleared an area and sprinkled some of mine.

Had a lot of flowers on my apple trees but not sure if any apples are growing. Forgot to spray my peach tree so got leaf curl.

Sowed some more peas, carrots, leeks and spring onions and tried taking cutting from my acer. It's almost doubled in size since last year so I trimmed it and filled a whole recycle bag.

fowls48

I'm Growing loads of weeds in my drive way it does not matter how much i pull them out thy come back with a vengence :x , soi have given up.

Airwave!

I go out on weed patrol once a week, I have a gas canister 'weed wand' with a flame at the end, use it whilst the weeds are small, quick and easy and better than chemicals.

We have a lot of valerian growing, just like weeds, we have given up trying to get rid of it, at least its flowering now, red, pink and white varieties. The Cistus is flowering as well, pink ones and white ones, in fact, a moments sun and its all gone mad.

I suppose its time to sort the hedges out? The birds are nesting in the forsythia arch so that'll have to wait, well thats one good excuse! The lavender is growing well, might be a good year.

frogmorton

Like you Airwave I am delaying doing hedges until birds are done and dusted

Christine - good idea chucking seeds here and there at this stage why not Glad our hose doesn't leak - all our houses are on meters :shock:

Toady - spinach is easy peasy!! Go for it you can plant some now I did some extra at the weekend.

My ladybirds arrived today to deal with the greenfly on my roses..... you can see one on this rose and one of the ants which are 'farming' the greenfly yuk!!!

I can see the washing prop now in the piccie, but it still is a lovely garden

Karen - why not try Airwave's plan with the blowtorch thingy???

Love

Toni xx

applerose

A weed wand? I've not heard of that. Where would I get one of them? I quite like weeds but there are some which I need to get rid of as they take over but I don't like using chemicals.

My hedge has babies in too. It's looking quite wild now so hope they hurry up.

If spinach is easy, think I'll have a go. I've got a bit of space left. Do slugs like it? They've been nibbling last year's cabbage. At least they were. I pulled them out yesterday. I know, I'm always a bit behind.

Airwave!

I have had the weed wand some time, I think it was from B&Q originally, I have seen them advertised in the national newspapers.

Spinach is easy and it just keeps growing all year, just snip it off about an inch above the ground and eat the same day, no slug problems but deer do nibble it!

frogmorton

The wand won't harm the ecosystem either will it?

My spinach is really growing - it likes this rain and sun!!

Deer don't get this close to me - we are on the edge of Cannock Chase though :?

Christine my hedge looks diabolical. I reckon we'll be ok soon don't you. Wet this weekend anyway so maybe the one after

Love

Toni xxx

applerose

So, do you need to keep sowing the spinach every now and again or just the once and it keeps growing? Will definitely get some. Don't have deer near here so that won't be a problem.

I haven't heard my babies tweeting at all this week. I'll ask my neighbour before I tackle the hedge. She's in and out more than me so she hears them more.

frogmorton

Christine

I 'cut and come again' AND sow more because I could use two big bags worth every Saturday with my curries!!!

The poor plants can't keep up with our consumption as we have it in salads too

This is a piccie with 4 rows in but the 'newest' isn't really visible

it's in the foreground

Love

Toni xx

applerose

Oooh, that looks lovely Toni. Mmmm, I love spinach in curry when I eat out but haven't thought about putting it in my own. Don't know why not. :roll:

Oops, my pond plants have suddenly gone whoooosh. Can't see the water now. :shock:



Photobucket let me in today.

frogmorton

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christine it look fabulous

You'll have to do a 'Monty Don' and get in with yer waders on

Clever you

Love
Toni xx

Airwave!

Spinach? we put a new lot in every year, keep picking it and it doesn't get too tall and not so nice, it'll grow all year round. Greens are looking nearly ready for eating, rhubarb too.

You know what i said about the ivy, well all those chemicals are having an effect on it about two/three months after I sprayed it.

It must be the 'red' month this month, every red flower is out.

roses1

hello all, just wondering if you have any advice for me please as i am pretty useless in a garden i have an apple tree growing, am i supposed to do anything to it or just leave it :shock: it about 3-4 years old ?

I am also considering.... potatoes, i believe you can grow them in a bag?

thank you
Rose x

frogmorton

My spuds are in a bag Rose Not a carrier though

I have 6 bags full this time main crop not 'newies' - dead easy they be.

You can get 'the bags' from any garden place fill about a foot or so with soil and add your spuds (with or without chitting - leaving on a windowsill to sprout) and a layer of soil over. They will soon emerge (don't forget to water them) and when they are about 6"-8" above soil add mre up to the leaves until ready to harvest. It usually takes about 3 'banking ups' for me.

We have an apple tree too and I do nuffin Sometimes I do a winter 'wash'. Some folks will reduce the harvest by taking some baby apples off so the remaining are bigger.

Airwave

FANTASTIC about your IVY Hoorah! Hoorah!!

Love

Toni xxx

applerose

Didn't get round to getting my waders on Toni. Bought some spinach seeds yesterday but didn't get round to sowing them either.

Glad your ivy is disappearing Airwave. That's another job I need to do - pull up quite a lot of ivy from both front and back.

Roses, I have an apple tree I bought 2 years ago. I got 3 small apples laast year. This year, it was covered in flowers. They have all gone now but there are no signs of any apples. All I would do is to thin out where there are several apples close together so you get bigger apples. I also grow potatoes in a potato bag. Wilk*ns*ns sell them for a couple of pounds.

Managed to plant out half a dozen geraniums and clear another section of the border of weeds and grass. Found a plant with pale grey leaves hidden behind some irises. Can't remember what it is. Can't decide whether to try and dig it out and move it forward or dig the irises out. Strawberries are coming along nicely as are the raspberries.