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?

Advice is to leave flowers over winter to protect from frost.

Darn my Annabelle’s are happy but the brown crunch on the hydrangeas is not looking good

Better in the ground

On hydrangeas, I’ve had mixed results this year. One small one vanished over winter (presumably succumbed to the cold and wet), while Vanille Fraise and Annabelle looked dead but eventually revived, although they have not flowered. Quercifolia, which didn’t flower last year, has been magnificent. Boogie Woogie Blue survived the winter in a large glazed pot but is now pink (note to self: but some colourant).

I’ve been thinking what a good year it’s been for hydrangeas locally. Seems they like cool and wet summers round by us. I don’t have any but have been fancying one of the pointy ones. DM has two beautiful ones so I might attempt cuttings again.

I’m going to take some cuttings, too. Generally, hydrangeas have been very happy on the cooler, shadier side of my garden, so I was surprised that a couple struggled over the winter - I guess the soil was just a bit too cold and wet for their liking.

If you decide to plant in your border, make sure the root ball is nice and deep then fill the hole with water with the plant in it, let it drain thro repeat then replace the soil - if you've got any well-rotted compost to add, even better. It sounds like it's distressed so don't expect much from it this year but next year after the dormant season over winter when it will get a good soaking, it will be fine.

even established hydrangea can droop if there a particularly dry spell (several of mine suffered during that long hot summer of lock-down), Theyre all totally fine now 👍

I managed to drag DH down to the garden centre - he asked for it, he said he liked the way I'd trained a few clematis so they drape over our low stone wall, so I said OK come along and choose a couple of purple ones (the ones we have are cerise pink and white varieties). He regretted that, a bit!

I managed to get the last bag of Jacks Magic while we were there.

I've fed the dahlia with seaweed food and then gave them a good soaking as it hasn't rained for 10 days, and the food needs to be dissolved into the soil.

Deadheaded the roses and I'll dig some rose granules into the soil after I finish my ☕️ no hurry ....

hope you're all well this afternoon. It has come over quite stormy and windy just now.

Seriously!?😦 it came from an aquatic garden centre some years ago, it’s now in the compost bin baking nicely I hope.

There was a suggestion that following lobbying from the aquatic-horticulture industry it was to be removed from the list, but that wasn't expected to be done until this year, and I can't find any evidence that's happened. I think it was 2016 when it was banned, so it may have been legal when you bought it.

www.gov.uk/guidance/invasive-non-native-alien-plant-species-rules-in-england-and-wales]] www.gov.uk/guidance/invasive-non-native-alien-plant-species-rules-in-england-and-wales]]

It was about 10 years ago I think @MereDintofPandiculation , it grew fairly slowly thankfully because it got knocked back in the winter but, because last winter was so mild and the pond didn’t freeze over at all, it carried on growing.
it’s all in the compost bin so 🤞🏻

I’ve watered everything, picked mulberries and beans, and done some dead heading and tidying on the terrace/gravel garden. Does anyone deadhead nasturtiums or do you just leave them to do their thing?

I leave them, usually they curl up and tuck themselves out of the way anyway.

I check their leaves daily (tedious) for cabbage white eggs or caterpillars and get rid. The nasturtiums are my first line of defence against the garden-eaters and they are sacrificed if necessary

And yet I love nasturtiums, just love them!

I leave nasturtiums, occasionally they self seed.

Am feeling bad catching up with you as I have done nothing in the garden for about 3 weeks as too much work on.

However I can see that one canna stem is on the verge of flowering so very excited.

All I had time to do today was wash some of the mud of the bricks I'd excavated, and then use them to stand some pots on around my barrel ponds.
And harvest enough tomatoes for tonight's salad, which given how bad I am at remembering to feed them is good going.

I tried deadheading my nasturtiums but they set to seed so quickly.

I planted nasturtium once, and we have an annual supply from the self seeded pods. Caterpillars are loving it though.

Nasturtiums are more of a late winter/spring plant in Melbourne. My dog goes round eating the flowers, as he does those of rocket.

I've been cutting back ornamental grass, pulling out weed grass, and pulling out the dreaded tradescantia zebrina. This last with great care to get every leaf and stalk.

I leave them, usually they curl up and tuck themselves out of the way anyway. It was less for tidiness, more for keeping them flowering.

Native to Mexico and central America, so I guess invasive for you. We can grow it only as a houseplant

I am a bit freaked out by nasturtiums since they tried to take over my garden in a mild October a few years ago. They are very pretty but there was something about them that year that weirded me out. They’d just send out huge long shoots overnight it seemed.

I think I’ve given up hope on my veg this year. I’ve had a few tomatoes and a small pot of beans but nothing else is doing anything at all. Even the tomato have tasted disappointing.

Started sorting out an overgrown mess of two Hebes, Paul’s Himalayan Musk rose, Lady Penzance sweet briar, and honeysuckle. It looks wonderful in flower but is starting to scare people from using our driveway.

I picked some straw flowers, stripped their leaves and bundled them up to dry. Have never done this before so I may have left it too late but we shall see.

On July 23 I took photos of some of my squash with a coin for sizing comparison, and today I took another set. Almost too sunny to get the photos, for some of them. If my Candy Roasters get any bigger I am going to cut them in half and make kayaks.

Just come in for break from weeding.
Deadheaded the roses and buddleia, they look like they are setting up for another round of flowers.
Am noticing what is in the wrong place - campanulas and rue, what hasn't survived - hostas and heliathemun. Everything is desperate for water so will be doing that later.
Snowberry is fighting for survival and is sneaking out from under the membrane so going to spray it. I think this is going to be a several year battle.

But most excitingly my cannas have flowered. OK, only one of them but a couple more look like they are gearing up to it. Found half a bag of leftover manure so have spread that on the ones that are lagging behind to see if it gives them some extra oomph.

I've been sorting out the front garden (possibly not the best idea today as it's 27 degrees & south facing, but it needed doing).
Pulled out an overgrown lavender & took off one limb from an old rosemary to clear space for two new lavenders (one purple, one white), 3 salvias (one purple, two pink & white, & a DA Gertrude Jekyll shrub rose.
All plants bought in the reduced section at the local garden centre. A little concerned about the rose as its tiny; only got a few new shoots but hoping it likes the strong sun & chance to spread its roots.
Soil was very dry though so really need to water everything tonight & hope for at least one good deluge of rain at some point soon.