What have you done in the garden today? Part 5

[MereDintofPandiculation]

What have you done in the garden today? What went well? What surprises have you had? What could have gone better?

I'm on year 3 of trying to grow Icelandic poppies. I have tried cold and wet stratification, I've tried suck it and see, if tried carefully succession seeding, I've sown into pots and direct sown.

I keep walking past my neighbours Icelandic poppies and getting poppy envy.

I thought I'd lost my perennial sweet pea due to the cold weather, then yesterday when I was harvesting my rhubarb I found it alive and well underneath the rhubarb leaves which were enormous from all the rain - it was probably nestled under there trying to keep warm

so it's out with the obelisk that was still in the garage to see if I can train it up there and give it a new lease of life

Yes, I didn’t imagine I’d lost it permanently, there’s too much energy stored in that root system, it’ll make its way back sometime

The one that someone planted in the local nature reserve is having its best year ever.

Quick question. Dug up the stump of a small oak today. There’s a small amount of root I couldn't get out. Can I leave it or will it grow back?

Nothing today; but yesterday I planted my rescued star jasmine on the garage wall (east facing) hoping it likes it there.
Also planted a red hazel in the bottom corner of the garden - it wasn't looking very happy in a pot, just hope I'm not going to regret that.
Planted out some sunflowers in the beds; I've been nurturing them for a while, moving them on & off the patio for fear of slugs, but apart from one loss a few weeks ago (a knipofia) the slugs haven't been that bad here - aphids on the other hand!
Picked some berries (raspberry, blackberries, strawberries); did some weeding & deadheading.
Seriously considering pulling out the hollyhock as it's infected with rust, but do want it to flower! Think I'll wait a few weeks & see if flower then pull it & plant a rose. Also a lupin is being ravaged by aphids so might pull that too.
It's been so dry this past few weeks, hardly any rain & when it does it's a light drizzle that barely wets the top of soil. The soil is so dry really need a good deluge overnight preferably.
My red poppies are out & one of a pair of yellow alpine poppies are out too.

It shouldn’t grow back

Thanks @MereDintofPandiculation. I can fill the hole in tomorrow and choose something to plant.

Mourned the demise of my cosmos, munched by molluscs.

Nothing other than top up the pond and put the picked wilted plantain leaves into oil to macerate.

Caught the dog in the act of munching courgette leaves! And I’ve been blaming snails.

My dog loves nasturtium and rocket flowers.

What do you use them for? Any plantain, or one species in particular?

I’ve been away and then decorating, so garden has been neglected. I picked my bounteous raspberries, deadheaded some roses and weeded a bit of border. Think I may, once again have mistaken my geraniums for buttercups. The leaves are the same. From now on I’m only going to buy plants with leaves that look nothing like a weed. In the same border, I have a 7 ft thistle which I left thinking it was eryngium. I’m leaving it now for the birds and because it is rather wonderful, if a little incongruous. Gardening is hard!

But it has benefits. This and Summer pudding tonight.

Common or garden plantain, grows as a "weed" in the grass.
I use the oil to make a skin care salve

Yesterday I watered my own garden and my neighbour's (who is away on holiday). Woke up this morning to torrential rain.

Ah well.

I was thinking about this the other day - plant pairings which make weeding difficult. Geranium/buttercup is an obvious one, another is violet/enchanter’s nightshade. I wonder what other ones people have encountered?

And when botanising - spotting Herb Paris in the beds of Dogs Mercury whereit always conceals itself

The round leaved one or the one with long leaves?

I used to get confused by geraniums and buttercups. But the latter grow much more from one point.

Difficult for me are Persicaria and dock, geum and wood avens. My dogs take out labels and move stones too, how do other people not accidentally remove their plants? I must go out in a minute because our garden waste goes tomorrow and the bin is half empty. Sure there is something I can cut back or rip up, probably somethingchoice!

I am concerned about next year - these year was easy, everything was a weed!

But how do I know what's a weed and what's something I was encouraging to self-seed?

I leave weeds in until they flower, then pull them up before they seed.
But then my garden is full of weeds anyway as long as they're pretty and the bees like them.

And have purple bases to the stems.

I can distinguish between dock and Persicaria. I don’t grow Geums because I’m overrun with wood avens (Geum urbanum). I also have two clumps of Geum rivale. But now I’ve got the hybrid too, and I’ve had to mark it with a stick.

I usually weed Geums only when they’re in flower. Which is most of the year.

I leave them till I can recognise them - I never pull up anything if I don’t know what it is. With time I can recognise them at an earlier and earlier stage. A good wild flower field guide is useful.