In the Garden

Leadinglights said:
Very useful thank you, that is about the clearest description of what to do that I have seen. Better get to it and take off those bigger fruits.
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Ah the trusty ‘garden expert’ RHS paperbacks (Fruit Expert this one)

That Hessayon bloke knows his onions. And figs.
 
I just collected some windfall pears.
Now in the wine making bucket 🙂
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Ah the trusty ‘garden expert’ RHS paperbacks (Fruit Expert this one)

That Hessayon bloke knows his onions. And figs.
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Mr Eggy swears by his trusty, over 35 year old, Vegetable Expert by the same fella. He certainly does know his alliums! 😉
 

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This would be the second ‘last’ time I have cut the lawns for the last time this year, I cleaned, oiled the mower and put to bed three weeks ago, and now it wants cleaning again.
 
I had one raspberry and now there's tons, haven't a clue what to do with them. That garden is far too big, I never completely get on top of it. It feels too wet to garden at the mo. If I could just do an hour a day I would be happy.
 
Back garden is like mudbath with all this rain, dare not go out as it chews up grass, first few days of dry weather need to get out there & do some tidying up.
 
Just had the fright of my life! Decided it was safe to cut back the honeysuckle in the back, because the nearby wasps nest has been inactive for over a week, when I suddenly heard a very loud buzzing! Fortunately, before I shinned down the steps and ran for cover, I noticed a very large bumblebee pottering along quite happily, so calmed down and carried on.
Found a Spring primrose in flower. We also have summer roses and penstemons out, and the Acer is looking nicely Autumnal. Oh, and the winter jasmine is out. Definitely a four seasons garden at the mo.
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I ordered some bare root strawberries a few weeks ago in Garden Organic sale ... got email on Monday to say they were en route - and they arrived today! Late afternoon when it was already too dark to go out and plant them in pots and too cold to put the bare roots outside, especially as they needed water.

Spent half the afternoon dashing about trying to work out what to do with them - they are now in the shower in the downstairs bedroom as that's the coolest place in the house! Looking at the weather forecast they are likely to be there for some time. Good job we have a bath upstairs!

Why on earth did they send them out this week, of all weeks?! - they must have seen the forecast! 🙄
 
I'm not buying any more plants. That's me done. I bought a black Elder and put the pot when it came on the window ledge in the kitchen, plants seem to like it there. Never looked at it, didn't breathe on it, just made sure it was moist enough and then it keeled over. So disheartened I never even moved the plantpot, I just stuck it in a Christmas pot and left it. I think it might have sent up more shoots, unless it's weeds. I'm ignoring it while quietly praying. I really want a black Elder, they're beautiful.

Our ground is solid, never get a strawberry in there! 😳
 
My winter flowering jasmine seems to love this weather and is in full flower, better than I have ever seen before. I gather part of the secret is to cut back hard in spring.
 
Leadinglights said:
My winter flowering jasmine seems to love this weather and is in full flower, better than I have ever seen before. I gather part of the secret is to cut back hard in spring.
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That is useful to know thanks as mine needs a massive overhaul and I have not got around to researching when is the best time. Must remember to do it this spring.
 
My Jasmine has been doing well too. But until this week, I had penstemon and calendula out, and even a few osteospermum, now all sadly caught by the frosts this week. I picked the last rosebuds and brought them into the house a few days ago, to save them.
 
Ditto said:
I'm not buying any more plants. That's me done. I bought a black Elder and put the pot when it came on the window ledge in the kitchen, plants seem to like it there. Never looked at it, didn't breathe on it, just made sure it was moist enough and then it keeled over. So disheartened I never even moved the plantpot, I just stuck it in a Christmas pot and left it. I think it might have sent up more shoots, unless it's weeds. I'm ignoring it while quietly praying. I really want a black Elder, they're beautiful.

Our ground is solid, never get a strawberry in there! 😳
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I wouldn't put strawberries in the ground, was going to grow them in hanging baskets to keep them off the soil and keep the slugs off them. But I've had to temporarily plant them in small pots as no idea how long it will be before I can put them outside. They are now back in the shower in their pots and I'll have to give the shower a good clean when I can finally get them outside!

Elder is fully hardy, down to about -20 - it may have been a bit too warm for it on an inside window ledge. Or it may have needed a bit more space for its roots. Or it may have had Verticicillium wilt, likely if it got too hot - in which case it may recover if put outside, though I'm not sure I'd put it straight from a warm kitchen into the current outside temperature, I'd want to acclimatise it gradually!
 
Seems I’ve lost my beautiful Cyprus skyrocket.
It’s been slowly turning brown on the side facing the wall from top to bottom.
Looked up advice and it’s one of those pesky trees which can’t cope with being shaped or cut back pretty much at all. Advice from various sources is that once it starts to go brown it’s just a matter of time.
Even the RHS say it’s unrecoverable so my intention is to chop it up and probably replace it with an oleander as they’re very very happy in pots a heck of a lot smaller that this one is and they thrive in this exposed position on the balcony.
The pot it’s about 4ft tall so it’s not root bound. There’s an adjacent olive tree in a smaller pot which is thriving.

I might get another olive to switch out another unhappy pine on the other balcony as well.

I’ve also got daff bulbs to shove in anywhere I can as I walked to the nearest lovely garden nursery last week and they were giving them away. Literally. There was a huge bin full of them and a massive sign saying that they were free and to help oneself to as many as you wanted.
 
ColinUK said:
Seems I’ve lost my beautiful Cyprus skyrocket.
It’s been slowly turning brown on the side facing the wall from top to bottom.
Looked up advice and it’s one of those pesky trees which can’t cope with being shaped or cut back pretty much at all. Advice from various sources is that once it starts to go brown it’s just a matter of time.
Even the RHS say it’s unrecoverable so my intention is to chop it up and probably replace it with an oleander as they’re very very happy in pots a heck of a lot smaller that this one is and they thrive in this exposed position on the balcony.
The pot it’s about 4ft tall so it’s not root bound. There’s an adjacent olive tree in a smaller pot which is thriving.

I might get another olive to switch out another unhappy pine on the other balcony as well.

I’ve also got daff bulbs to shove in anywhere I can as I walked to the nearest lovely garden nursery last week and they were giving them away. Literally. There was a huge bin full of them and a massive sign saying that they were free and to help oneself to as many as you wanted.
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The daffs should be fine put in even now although a bit later flowering. I didn't do mine till end of Feb as I couldn't get out to do them because of my knee.
Pines are tricky, the number of horrible looking hedges you see where people have chopped them severely because they have outgrown the space. They never really recover.
 
I managed to get hold of perennial kale cuttings and also perennial leek, but they won't get going till Spring so I will post picture at a later date.
 
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