What have you done in the garden today? Part 2

[ThreeRingCircus]

A continuation of the last thread.

We had heavy rain overnight. Again once Father’s Day has been administered, I’ll go and check the rain gauge. It will be nice not to have to lug the hose and watering cans around, although I fear the slugs and snails may now be out in force.

@MereDintofPandiculation @BestIsWest I think it's just the mental acceptance I'm struggling with! That it's just one of those garden jobs that will never ever be finished. I don't mind herb robert as a rule, it seems easy enough to find the root stem and get out with minimum effort. I loathe the ground elder and bindweed we have although the elder seems to have been largely suppressed by cranesbill geranium this year. I've also got decades established ivy through both fences, a hedge, in my rockery, and under parts of the patio. That depresses me - I cut as much of the trunks out as I can and pull it all off the verticals but sort of spending thousands to landscape the entire thing, I know it's there forever! 😭

Well I got off my bum and mowed the lawn this morning, just needed a light trim so only took twenty minutes. Wanted to get it in before the rain this afternoon. Desperately needed here in North Herts, its been nearly six weeks I think? My water butt will be empty tonight if it doesn't come today and I have to water the containers...

My lawn is now wet, so that’s me of the hook for a week

It’s beginning to look a bit scruffy be use the Yorkshire Fog grows faster than the fescues, bents and rye grass. Yes, I know Yorkshire Fog has no place in the lawn, but I imagine the lawn has never been sown or laid, it’s simply the field that the house was built on 150 years ago.

Because not be use

We've had just over a centimetre of rain! More forecast for tonight, but we shall see - no sign so far.

Picked some strawberries, lots of raspberries, and the first blackcurrants. Added some more strings to the greenhouse tomatoes. Inspected the vines for grapes and found 3 bunches.

I've dug up some potatoes today and we'll be having them for dinner. DDs helped me and were very excited rootling for the potatoes. I think potato harvesting is my absolute favourite job in the garden as it reminds me of being a child and helping my dad on his allotment.

I also potted on my pumpkins into larger containers and gave the lawn a mow (but on the highest setting as the bees are currently enjoying the clover in the lawn.)

Houseplant stuff for me today (potting up cuttings rooted in water). Still no rain in north London - praying it comes later as everything is do parched and my water butts are empty.

Just got home from visiting two beautiful NGS gardens. We’ve had a few spots of rain which I hope will turn into a proper downpour. I’ve half-emptied the grey water waterbutt in anticipation.

Built the fruit cage round the blueberries but still need to neaten up the netting a bit.
Noticed the radishes have bolted but from a bit of googling the flowers are edible and bee friendly anyway so I'm inclined to just let it bolt.

Thank you!

It mowed the lawn this morning and tidied up a little bit, no rain yet 🫤

Radish seed pods are edible too

We have rain! It's been a nice downpour, going since 3, still going. Thankfully not the heavy stuff that just runs off.
Naturally, today was the day I finally got round to feeding everything, so the one day I wouldn't have had to water by hand, I did

Just now idea how I'm going to sustain 1.5 hours' watering. I'll do it every other day, and have bought a second watering can, so that no.2 can be filling up as I water with number 1 (and facepalm why had I not thought of that hack before) but it's such a task!

@NorthernChinchilla We used Provanto on our apple and plum trees. Obviously I would have preferred not to have to use chemicals but it was such a heavy infestation it looked like snow.

Will add Provanto to the shopping list, thank you!

We've had some really heavy downpours so I don't need to water. I was hoping to mow the lawn but that will have to wait until the ground is less saturated. I need to deadhead though.

Day 50 of the drought but Hooray! it's raining. In the nick of time as trees and shrubs were starting to defoliate. Furthermore it's lovely steady wetting sort of rain, not the sort that is so heavy it just runs off dry ground.
Today I cleared a section of border in the outer reaches where we have planted trees and shrubs for autumn colour. There was a fair amount of ground elder, but the ground was so dry and dusty that it came out roots intact. It's horrible soil there - grey shaley stuff and full of stones. I put several big weeding buckets of best compost round the shrubs, but the border's at the top of a steep slope so it was hard going lugging it up there.
Planted orange 'Firecracker' foxgloves in the cottage garden and weeded round a nice pale yellow shrub rose 'Agnes'. Main weed was Japanese anemone 'Richard Ahrens.'
Finally I had to come in because the horse flies were horrendous, but later I went out with an umbrella and walked all round the garden. I could feel it breathing again and there was the scent of roses and hot wet gravel and greenness. There are little goldfish fry among the water lilies in the pond. I am a happy gardener.

A few of my radishes have bolted too and I've noticed various pollinators around the flowers. I think I'm going to just leave them and try and save seed for next year from them.

I had a tiny pot of sweetpea seedlings which were all going yellow from overcrowding and neglect. I'd no time and no compost until today. They are now spread out across three very deep pots optimistically placed by a large trellis. I'm hoping a few survive. Last year my sweetpeas kept flowering into late September maybe even into October.

I did a bit of weeding. My cirsiums are horizontal. Should I chop them or try to support them. Dunno. Lots of things are missing from that bed,. It puts me off perennials that you can spend a fortune on a new bed, only for loads of the inhabitants to disappear without trace.
Also raining here n the dull middle, and very glad of it.

Brassicas need at least 40 plants and to be isolated from other brassicas that might be flowering at the time, and saving from plants that bolt get you more plants likely to bolt.

Sorry, but saving from bolting radishes really isn't worth it. Saving from the last 40 radishes to bolt would be. But those would be the ones you eat.

I'll do it every other day, and have bought a second watering can, so that no.2 can be filling up as I water with number 1 (and facepalm why had I not thought of that hack before) but it's such a task! I dip the can in the top of the butt rather than use the tap, and I have a tub (good use for a trug which has lost its handles) under the outside tap, so I can leave it running slowly while I’m watering and again just dip.

I was inspired by a very pretty country garden we saw when driving around the other weekend, where they had trained clematis over a low stone wall and the flowers were literally dripping down the other side, it looked absolutely beautiful.

So yesterday I planted 3 different varieties along our wall, mulching and watering them well in and a few stones around their roots.

I'll give them a little boost with some plant feed in a couple of weeks as I'm hoping they will have a 2nd flush of flowering again in Sept. I think they'll like it there because their roots will be cool and sun on their faces. We can but hope!

I went out first thing this morning and the honeysuckle outside our door was so pungent, stronger than any room fragrance. It was also buzzing with pollinators so I felt quite pleased to have been supporting diversity. Gardening and nature never stops giving does it.

today is a tidy-away day. I'd washed out all my pots, trays and seedling pods, and sorted them into sizes (anorak-alert!). I've got a couple of clear plastic boxes I use to store them in, but I expect they won't be there for long as I'll be doing more autumn planting around August.

Plus I need to put away all my bulbs which I've cleaned and sorted, ready for planting in Oct/Nov.

Gardening is a bit like being in the fashion industry, you're always thinking and planning several seasons ahead. In the sweltering heat of summer, you're preparing for winter and spring (I can't wait to see my snowdrops, as I laboriously split them up and replanted them in March, after flowering but while they were still green - into what I hope resembles a 'drift' but we will have to see....)

I’ve really cut down on the number of pots I have on the patio, so all of the ones not in use are now in the garage. I think I will put them on my local free stuff site and they could have better use. There were 25 at last count.

I’ve snipped lots of sweet peas to have in small vases in the house, and bought some heavy duty supports for them. They’re perennial, so no scent, but pretty to look at.

Also have the compost a good turn, and it is starting to do well.

And thankfully we had rain, so no need to water! We’ve narrowly escaped the SE hospice ban, as although we have a Kent postcode, we live in a London borough, so no hosepipe ban for us yet.