How does your garden grow?

[cheerypeabrain]

Flippin' weather....I haven't been able to get ANYTHING done for DAYS......there's also the minor irritation of having to go into work every day.....There's loads of dead heading to do, the veg beds need tidying up and the herb bed's starting to look pretty overgrown. I want to take a few cuttings for next year...French Tarragon, oregano dingle fairy, summer savoury, various rosemaries etc...in case they don't survive the winter.

[floweringcherry]

The rain stopped about 1pm. I managed to get out there for an hour or so! The grass is too wet to mow, but I did some weeding, deadheading and pulled out all of the Impatiens that were looking very sad, yellow leaves and leaf spot, they didn't like all the wet weather. It looks a bit tidier now ;D

[4pygmies]

Glad you got something done FC. I didn't...we had to go buy two rabbits for smallest this afternoon and, by the time I'd cooked tea and cleared it up, I'd lost the will to garden...... :

[madonplants]

Aug 24, 2008 18:58:48 GMT 1 @4pygmies said:

Glad you got something done FC. I didn't...we had to go buy two rabbits for smallest this afternoon and, by the time I'd cooked tea and cleared it up, I'd lost the will to garden...... :

You didn't have rabbit for tea today, did you?!!

I managed some weeding today, but I must attack my passion flower soon, that has gone mad while we were away. Trouble is, whenever I want to get at it, the bees are all over it!! That's my excuse anyway.

[floweringcherry]

Aug 24, 2008 22:51:13 GMT 1 @madonplants said:

Aug 24, 2008 18:58:48 GMT 1 @4pygmies said:

Glad you got something done FC. I didn't...we had to go buy two rabbits for smallest this afternoon and, by the time I'd cooked tea and cleared it up, I'd lost the will to garden...... :

You didn't have rabbit for tea today, did you?!!

I managed some weeding today, but I must attack my passion flower soon, that has gone mad while we were away. Trouble is, whenever I want to get at it, the bees are all over it!! That's my excuse anyway.

They bought the bunnies for smallest, not for Sunday dinner

When I was at Mum's on Friday, her Passion Flower had spread over the patio and engulfed her bench on the patio. Needless to say I cut it back, but still loads of flowers ;D

[4pygmies]

Passion flowers take a while to get going, but once they do, they grow a phenomenol amount every year....I planted one with my monster Honeysuckle years ago and they need shearing by the barrowload every 2 months or so now :

OF COURSE I didn't eat the rabbits!! This is where all my self sufficiency fantasies stumble......I cannot think of any of them as food.... They are soooo cute - little multi coloured lop eared - Flopsy and Daphne...aw......

I am off to the lettuce/sweetcorn shed today all day, but OH has muttered the fateful words 'mowing the lawns' so I hope to come back to a slightly tidier garden......then I really MUST start the annual hedge lopping....I have abandoned the veggie garden now - it's too late and until all the sprayed nettles (yellowing already - industrial strength spray, you see) are dug up and the fences built it looks awful...this is my Winter Project (again)....it never ends........

[madonplants]

Aug 25, 2008 7:54:45 GMT 1 @4pygmies said:

Passion flowers take a while to get going, but once they do, they grow a phenomenol amount every year....I planted one with my monster Honeysuckle years ago and they need shearing by the barrowload every 2 months or so now :

OF COURSE I didn't eat the rabbits!! This is where all my self sufficiency fantasies stumble......I cannot think of any of them as food.... They are soooo cute - little multi coloured lop eared - Flopsy and Daphne...aw......

I am off to the lettuce/sweetcorn shed today all day, but OH has muttered the fateful words 'mowing the lawns' so I hope to come back to a slightly tidier garden......then I really MUST start the annual hedge lopping....I have abandoned the veggie garden now - it's too late and until all the sprayed nettles (yellowing already - industrial strength spray, you see) are dug up and the fences built it looks awful...this is my Winter Project (again)....it never ends........

I knew that, but couldn't resist being Sleepy for the day!! ;D Stephen keeps looking at the rabbits in the G/C's, but he keeps getting told, no! If I lived in Scotland I would have loads, in a huge garden. Well, I would like to see a golden eagle in my own garden now, wouldn't I?!! :

I have just cut the grass and am knackered!! Haven't done it since going away, so needed to do it all twice, first time roughly then second time close. My worst job in the garden, cutting the grass.

[4pygmies]

I knew you were joking reeeeeally! OH didn't cut the grass... He and smallest spent the day on an elephant hunt in Norwich - apparently there are statues all over the city atm - they forgot the camera though......but they really enjoyed themselves!
Still we put the new rabbits in the run outside today and they stuffed themselves with all the clover and other plants, so at least they got the benefit...

[cheerypeabrain]

I donned me wellies and fleece and squelched about in the garden this morning. Did a lot of dead heading...harvested some of the globe carrots and one of the parsnips (they're not ready!)..OH put a sturdy stake in to tie the pepinos to as they're in danger of flopping over. Took out the cucumber as it's getting too much cold damage and the fruits are going yellow...we've had at least 30 little cucumbers off one plant so I shall grow 'petita' again.

Swept up in the GH...harvested a few more cape gooseberries, tidied up the strawberries and put the pots on the staging for next year, cut back some of the larger leaves on the tetrapanax papifer and took it into the GH for the winter, took in the colocasia 'Black Prince' and put THAT on the staging too...it's mighty cold atm so I'm a bit concerned about the more tender plants. If it would just warm up a bit and STOP RAINING! for a bit I could sort out the bananas too...

We ate one of our apples this morning..it was lovely, tasted like a cross between cox's orange pippin and granny smiths

[maggyd]

You have been a busy bee Cheery ;D we cleaned the greenhouse last Sunday but I don't know about overwintering in it I put a Ginger plant in it last year and it died right back, it has come again but I'm thinking Ill re-pot it and bring it in the conservatory along with my Lemon tree that is outside at the moment so they is not going to be much room for anything else its only half the size of the last one I had never mind I don't use it much in the winter months.

I planted some Fratillers (sp) you know what I mean!! this after noon as you wont believe me but it has stopped raining the suns shinning and it is quite warm out there.

When do you plant your Sweet peas? Ive been saving toilet rolls to have a go this year .

[Biggles]

I went outside when it stopped raining about 2.30pm just to sweep the path of all the leaves and rubbish--but ended up gardening for most of the afternoon. Yes Mag it was l;ovely and warm and the sun was shining. I feel so sorry for those people who are being flooded out and have their gardens waterlogged.
I planted quite a few Spring Bulbs and remembered to put markers where they were planted.
Last year I forgot--and ended up planting on top of the Bulbs ;D or digging them up when weeding--

[maggyd]

I stucl some labels in Bigs but they had nothing to do with what Id put in but they will stop me doing the same as you.

[cheerypeabrain]

As the rain stopped for a few hours today I got out into the garden. The fern bed has got really congested so I braved the spiders and took two out...Hart's Tongue Fern and Holly fern. Then shunted the others about a bit and weeded, de-snailed and mulched. I trimmed the HT fern right back and popped it in at the front of the border where there is a bit more room...Need a shedload of bark to mulch later on when things start to die back.

I'm REALLY fed up with the flower border...everything is struggling because of the low light levels atm...somebody said somewhere that the end of September is going to be glorious HAH!

[madonplants]

Sept 6, 2008 20:50:19 GMT 1 Biggles said:

I went outside when it stopped raining about 2.30pm just to sweep the path of all the leaves and rubbish--but ended up gardening for most of the afternoon. Yes Mag it was l;ovely and warm and the sun was shining. I feel so sorry for those people who are being flooded out and have their gardens waterlogged.
I planted quite a few Spring Bulbs and remembered to put markers where they were planted.
Last year I forgot--and ended up planting on top of the Bulbs ;D or digging them up when weeding--

I think we have all done that at some time or another.

I am going to shift a few plants too, but want to split my red hot poker or remove it. The books say spring, but could I split it in the autumn?

[4pygmies]

Defintely! I think lots of plants are better divided now rather than in the Spring - usually it's nice and damp (humph!) and still warm and they get a chance to recover before the cold comes...and then they flower at their proper time the following year too.

[cheerypeabrain]

I've been in the garden since 0930....just come in cos my back has given out.....

Got quite severe with the cosmos as they're leaning all over everything....did a lot of cutting back of a rampant dahlia....took out the gladioli cos I didn't like them...chopped back the passiflora and coboea....dead headed, weeded and sat back to admire my work...

The sedum is really taking off now and is covered in bees...the nepeta is having a second flush of flowers...now I've exposed the hyssop (moving the cosmos back) they should start spreading out along with the monarda which is covered in buds.

There's more exposed earth than I like...but I don't want to plant owt atm as I'm waiting until later on in the month so that I can move stuff about a bit.

[Sleepy]

Sept 20, 2008 14:51:11 GMT 1 @cheerypeabrain said:

I've been in the garden since 0930....just come in cos my back has given out.....

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My God! That's over a thousand years!!!

[cheerypeabrain]

oooh you are a one Sleepy

I wondered why my tummy was rumbling....how come I'm still fat if I ent eaten for 1000 years?

[Sleepy]

Sept 20, 2008 14:55:41 GMT 1 @cheerypeabrain said:

oooh you are a one Sleepy

I wondered why my tummy was rumbling....how come I'm still fat if I ent eaten for 1000 years?

But you are not fat! You're gorgeous!!!

[4pygmies]

I was going to tackle the flower garden but decided to have a clear up of the vegetable garden instead...I've got to make some space to plant garlic and overwintering onions. I've dug over two big areas and weeded the leeks and carrots and then I started to pull up the nettles and weeds that have got into the globe artichokes - and found a big hole............so I decided I was too hot and knackered to carry on......

Have I mentioned lately that I hate rats?

OH said he was going to continue the path with some marble slabs and include a mosaic snake too...I got all enthusiastic.........until he disappeared with MY car.....4 hours ago...............he is soo good at that sort of stuff...WHY doesn't he do lots of it all over the garden..........? We have loads of ceramic bits and pieces he's bought home from his work........wouldn't it look luffley? Sigh....

[cheerypeabrain]

It would look wonderful 4P...and I'm sure he'll do it...eventually.

Here...the 4 pepino cuttings I took have all rooted so I've potted them up and I'm keeping them in the conservatory over winter. Hopefully they'll have a head start next year and will have time to ripen...the ones on the plants in the garden are quite large now, but are taking a long time to ripen...meanwhile every critter in the UK is making a bee-line for them.....

[4pygmies]

Well done that lady..............is it warm enough in your conservatory though? It's not in mine. My little radiator refused to work last winter and I haven't replaced it..... I covered all the cacti and succulents with a big plastic lid which seemed to protect them enough..have you got any lemonade bottles you could make into mini cloches, Cheery?

[4pygmies]

Phew...I worked myself to a standstill today...it must be doing me some good.... : It was so hot though! I cleared and dug over one bed in the flower garden and planted some of it up with the Angelicas I grew for GWLive, a Fatsia japonica that's been looking for a home for months and some bronze Heucheras. OH carried on with his ceramic path but I wasn't allowed to walk on it......so I went to the other side of the PT and cleared the old Broad Beans and Peas away and dug over the rest of it. I got a good crop of lovely Charlotte spuds which eldest left in the ground from last year's potatoes, in the Spring, so that was a bonus! I was going to plant the garlic and overwintering onions and plant all the bulbs I bought last week but I was sooo bu**ered I had to stop.... Now I'm cooking a roast dinner........ ;D

[cheerypeabrain]

Sept 20, 2008 23:04:30 GMT 1 @4pygmies said:

Well done that lady..............is it warm enough in your conservatory though? It's not in mine. My little radiator refused to work last winter and I haven't replaced it..... I covered all the cacti and succulents with a big plastic lid which seemed to protect them enough..have you got any lemonade bottles you could make into mini cloches, Cheery?

The radiator in there kept my bananas and cacti quite happy last winter...I can always set up my placcy GH in there if it gets REALLY cold....

[4pygmies]

It's a funny thing but I am marooned at home as we only have one car atm and OH has taken it out for the morning....so I have the opportunity to go out in the garden....but I just can't summon up the energy...how contrary is that? I still ache all over from leeking and digging over the weekend but there is sooo much I should do out there.........lazy old cow, she is...... :