What have you done in the garden today? Part 3

[ThreeRingCircus]

The old thread was filling up so I've created a new one!

Link to old thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/gardening/4823202-what-have-you-done-in-the-garden-today-part-2?reply=128367673

Argh. Geum urbanum, the bane of my gardening life, largely because I have to leave it be for a while, until I’m sure it isn’t one of its prettier relatives.

Well, I believe it's the exact same thing that's also sold as sericea, perhaps to avoid the reaction you had. But all dogwoods are suckering, aren't they? That's what they do.

(Come back to me in five years when I'm regretting it wildly! )

Geum urbanum/Wood Avens/Herb Bennet is the bane of my gardening life too. I think I've got rid, then up pop lots of seedlings and if I leave there the plants get so big and hard to get out.

Precisely. If you have a genus which is naturally suckering, and a taxonomist that thought what really distinguished this new species from its suckering relatives was its stolons, then you should listen.

It looks like sericea is the accepted name and stolonifera the synonym

You're probably not wrong! But ... but ... it's so pretty! And so innocent-looking.

<drowns in a tangle of cornus stems>

If the cornus becomes a problem, you could do what I did; ignore the usual advice, move it and watch it wither and die. One of my early gardening fails.

After a bulb-planting session terminated by lack of compost, I’ve realised that whenever I buy it I should throw in an extra sack for good measure. I never buy enough.

Bulb planting for me too - tulips. I'd just got done when I was handed a load more to put in. After that, planting a Cersis siliqastrum and then back to the crocosmias. A glorious day here today, cool with clear sky and sunshine, perfect for outdoor work. Top temp 8C.

Had a lovely afternoon doing some weeding and and a little bit of cutting back. Pulled out a lot of the awful carex pendula that seeds from next door - we lost a rose to it one year as it got entangled in the roots.

In good news, I spotted a few daffodil shoots and found the Hori Hori that DH bought me and which had been missing since August in the middle of a lavender bush, no worse for wear.

Lots of tulips to be planted here but I need new pots first.

That sounds good - it’s always so satisfying when missing tools turn up. Which prompts me to ask, do I want a hori hori for Christmas? My letter to Santa is nearly always garden-centric but I’m struggling for ideas this year.

do I want a hori hori for Christmas?

Absolutely, you do! They're brilliant.

I’ve done some tidying up but am bemused by the nigella, Nemesia, busy lizzies and cerinthe all happily flowering away and the number of bumblebees around.
I’m loath to getting chopping back although I h started cutting the roses back a bit.

Well I love mine - and it’s been out in all weathers since August and seems unscathed. It’s from Japeto. My only criticism is that ideally I’d like a more curved handle but with gloves on it’s fine.

I love mine too. It's from Niwaki and goes in a leather holster on my belt. It's one of the most useful tools in my bag, plus wearing a big knife on my hip makes me feel like a bad ass 😅

I like the possibility of being badass!

Oh... DH has started asking me what I want for Xmas and my birthday shortly after. A hori hori looks very useful - just taken a look on the Niwaki site, amused by the description including whatever you do, don’t take it as carry on luggage

Ooh! I think I might want one of those for Xmas, too.

Question is: do I want one of those more than I want the heart-shaped Sneeboer trowel Monty uses?

Can’t advise on the trowel sorry but it does look lovely.

Do I want to dig up my peony or not? It was a cutting from DMs garden years ago and never has more than three flowers. Last year it had one. It takes up a lot of space and I’m not sure one flower that lasted a week can justify it.

I recently got rid of two peonies for that very reason. I’m not (understatement) a Marie Kondo person, but I do think one should get rid of plants that no longer spark joy.

I love my Hori Hori. I've had it for about 8 years now. I bought my OH one as he kept using mine and leaving it out [grrrrr] so he hasn't been allowed near mine since. I keep it hanging up in the polytunnel as I use it every time I garden. Every now and then it gets a good sharpening and oiling and the twine I use to hang it up replaced.

There's a lovely Niwaki shop opened in London. On lovely Chiltern Street in lovely Marylebone. I bought a hand hoe and some seeds for a Xmas present for a friend, and they gave me a fun and useful Xmas bag to hold them.

They will pry my own hand hoe out of my cold dead hands: I love it, though it's Burgon & Ball, not Niwaki. So useful. Now of course I want an evil knife disguised as a garden trowel.

I bought my OH one as he kept using mine and leaving it out [grrrrr]

My OH has learned his lesson about using my tools and not putting them away. It makes me so cross, especially as they are my actual work tools and I need them every day. We now have two of everything and all my tools are kept in my tool bag. He tends to leave his scattered about and can never find anything, which would drive me crazy.

Yes. I realised some time ago “just because you’ve grown something for years doesn’t mean you always have to grow it”.