New Year's Gardening Plans Resolutions?

[PritiPatelsMaker]

After the garden being seriously neglected this year due to a myriad my main plan is:

to give the garden a really good tidy up

Do little things when I can like planting seeds and bulbs. Spring bulbs already planted

Lurk around in here more for inspiration

Make the garden and gardening a bit of an escape/haven

@PritiPatelsMaker I think I may use the sunflower idea too! We're considering changing one of our garden fences to something higher, the sunflowers could help there too...

@Namechangeforthis88 needs must for us too with the DC - I'd rather have them in the garden and sacrifice that for a few years than try to keep them in the house with all their excess energy we're about a 10 minute walk from the nearest park which is fine, but obviously not always practical to take them if there's stuff I need to do at home.

Look forward to your photos @Veryfishy !

Nothing done here this weekend due to continuous rain. Sigh.

Nothing done here this weekend due to continuous rain. Sigh.

I'm off tomorrow but the weather forecast suggests continuous rain. Think I might be going outside in any breaks though I doubt there'll be many.

It's still wet and cold where I am but I really want to grow some veg and decent annuals this year.

We're getting rid of the COVID lockdown trampoline that is barely used and just shades the lawn.

DH wants a bigger pond. He can crack on with that.

I need a trip to Wilko for annual seeds - probably still a bit early.

I am growing a pot of crocuses for my local gardening club Spring bulb competition. We've put in a LOT of new tulip and daff bulbs so hopefully the squirrel hasn't got too many.

I'm starting a small hebe hedge at the corner of my patio where the robot lawnmower can't quite reach to cut the grass.

My Daphne and Philadelphus in pots are NOT HAPPY. I need to decide where best to put them.

We recently bought metal pot stands, rather than ceramic pot feet and they look good so I'm going to be buy some more.

@JamMakingWannaBe if you're anywhere near a Home Bargains I hear they have cheap seeds at the moment... sadly we're not, any savings on the seed would be wiped out for us with the petrol cost!

More rain today. I've pretty much given up hope of the garden ever drying out...

That's a shame @RebeccaSharp. Have you got a Willis nearby? They've got seeds in at the moment and there's mention on another thread of an offer being on.

More rain !
We haven’t managed to do anything outside yet
And , we have a problem with 3 stray sheep who are nibbling my plants ( and particularly like my fatsia - which I thought was poisonous - though they’re only eating the leaves , not the berries )
Rural life 👍

I retire this summer HOORAY. I’m a gardening addict but my garden is small so my resolution this year (same as last year and the year before) is to ruthlessly replace things that are a bit boring/not pulling their weight with things that are fabulous and special.

And spend more time in the hammock.

They sound like 2 very good resolutions Lady. I particularly like the second one

Very I can honestly say that's a problem I've never had!

@PritiPatelsMaker good call on the Wilkos! I actually don't go past one very often but probably will at the weekend as I have to return a Christmas present to a nearby store, and Wilkos have 3 for 2 on seeds at the moment

More rain here too @Veryfishy, we're not rural though, no stray sheep only next door's grumpy cat!

I bought an outdoor sofa last year @LadyGardenersQuestionTime, it's either been too hot or too rainy to use it! Maybe this year...

@RebeccaSharp I really need to do a plant audit and go to Wilkie this week.

We haven't had any problems with the neighbourhood cats since adopting DDof but she has a very high prey drive, so think they've decided that they're better out of reach.

And the outdoor settee sounds lovely

My resolution this year is to enjoy the garden more and in order to do that, make it lower maintenance. I've been busy last year creating a border of evergreen shrubs as it's right outside the living room window so I want some year round greenery. It's almost there but I want to add some climbers to grow up the fence this year.

I'm growing to grow other things with the DC in pots so we can still have fun sowing seeds/planting etc. I've already planted lots of bulbs and going to do some sunflowers.

I need to get better at pruning things in time..... I tend to leave it and then it's a huge job. The rose bush was huge last year and growing all over the neighbours' fence and it was a big job pruning it. I cut it right back and need to get better at keeping things in check. Essentially the plan is to have the borders filled with low maintenance shrubs, lots of evergreen plants, some added interest with pots and just keep on top of it all doing little and often.

DH wants to create a BBQ/outdoor kitchen area this year as we ate outside a lot last year and want to do that again and just spend more time sat in the garden and enjoying it. So I'll be trying to encourage him to complete that in time for spring/summer.

Hello (joins thread with a vague idea about Resolutions )

Last year I planted a couple , namely a Clemetis over an arch and a Jasmine ,

I had a previous year PassionFlower which I cut back after the extreme heat did it no favours , and it's sulking now , hopefully will recover .
Also got a Hop which grows well , climbs but not a pretty plant .
All on a paved area that is sheltred and gets good sun.

I have Nastursium seeds from last years to plant in the little greenhouse (one of those 6' tall frames with a zip cover )

Resolution is to 100% NOT buy anything to go out before May , so many times Ive done that .
Two Summers ago we had horrendous rains (thankfully after the paved area was done with a soakaway drainage ) we lost so many plants it put me right off .
Compost bin is full and mulching nicely , we'll open the door at the base and seee what its like

Need to cut some shrubs back - cotoneaster , a pink flowers Jasmine , dogwood

Then there's a tree (no idea what type) and a pear tree that we do every couple of years .

And the brambles bane of my gardening life !

My DF would never buy any bedding plants until May either @70isaLimitNotaTarget. I think he was still bitter about 1976 when he'd just put his bedding plants in and we had snow during the first week of June!

I'm planning on taking up my raised beds (I've got 3x 1m ones), moving them into a border and laying turf in their place. The part of the garden they're in has become really shaded over the last few years.
I'm on an allotment waiting list, so keeping my fingers crossed I get to the top of it this year.

That task was the very first thing we did when we moved into this house @NewBootsAndRanty for the same reason as you, the position wasn't very sunny until late in the day, and by the looks of things nothing much grew there. We've planted a mini orchard instead with pear, apple, plum and cherry trees. 2022 was a real drought year ....we had a bumper crop of fruit, best ever. Heaven knows why but obviously the warm air suited them!

Also on the list for an allotment, 🤞 in 2023! I'm keen to grow kale, chard, rhubarb crowns and runner beans with the nice tall bamboo canes 👍

Last year I planted a couple , namely a Clemetis over an arch and a Jasmine

I don't know about you, @70isaLimitNotaTarget but I find clematis a fuss little devil depending on the variety. Obviously stick a Montana in the ground and it runs rampant but there are those lovely ones as big as saucers that look great in the garden centres but flounder after the first year.

They like sunny tops and shaded cool roots Special Little Snowflakes which can be a right pain in the neck! Or like I've found today they go all mouldy....I'm hoping they'll grow from the roots in Mar-Apr. 🤞

@daisychain01 ·

Yes I find them fussy little blighters ! . I had one in a pot for years near the house . no idea what varirty but it had pink flowers with a thin white stripe
I think it might have been damaged by a fence in high winds , I was hoping it'd recover but no

New one is a Sainsbury Supermarket Bargain, it smelled so gorgeous when I drove home with it in the car footwell. It grew , gave up , then decided to grow again. Hopefully will get flowers this year (IIRC it was Clotted Cream or something )

I need to go round and take photos on my phone , see what going on.

The daffodils are starting to peek through , so first sign of Spring

I'd love to see any photos @70isaLimitNotaTarget

yes indeed, I was out raking yet more leaves (someone went by on a pushbike and said to me "that looks like a job for life" yup sure is!) and there are lots of shoots coming up by the wall, daffs plus on the grass on our verge, lots of crocus coming up. Yay Spring is nearly here.

i will take photos, the crocus are lovely in a big drift of white, cream bright sunshine yellow and purples (light and dark with the bright yellow stamens).

your stripy clematis sounded like a stunner!

I heard a lovely saying about clematis:
First year roots
Second year shoots
Third year flowers.
They just need time and patience 🌸

My clematis , absolutely covered in seed heads ,, and an autumn photo of the flower , like a little yellow lantern

We had the conifers removed ( I don’t like cutting trees down really , but the big one was already dead , and the others were way too big
A beech tree cut back a bit , there’s a lot of squirrel damage apparently, though we have t seen a squirrel since we moved here )
Before

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I must say, you lot sound like experts.

I've recently retired but life was turned upside down the week before Christmas when my daughter in law died suddenly.

When the dust settles and we get a new normal, my plan is to spend a little time in the garden every day. I've bought a disabled kneeler thing to help getting up and down. I'm going to work on keeping it tidy and maintained and as I learn, plant new things. Very much looking forward to it and the better weather.

I'm so sorry for your loss @Thisbastardcomputer. I can't begin to imagine how shocking that has been.

Your plan sounds very positive. I'm definitely far from being an expert and our garden needs a lot of tlc but I've made a start by planting some spring bulbs so it looks better once we can start to sit out. I've also started feeding the birds again so I can see them from the house.

Thisbastardcomputer are you going to choose a plant (tree or rosebush maybe) to plant in your daughter-in-laws memory in the garden.

Did she have any particular favourite plants ?