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?

There's something enormously satisfying about winning a battle with a recalcitrant stump

oh yes! And added to that, digging out a recalcitrant hebe that had had its chips but resolutely refused to budge. It took two grown men with an axe and saw to finally remove it. Then put it on the bonfire, and it took 3 bonfires to get shot of it. It was like a bloody cockroach, probably would have survived a nuclear holocaust

Today I did battle with what must have been about 100 thistles that I'd stupidly allowed to go to seed. Probably akin to letting that stable door slam shut after the horse has bolted but I had to chop them and put them on the bonfire just to ease my anxiety of seeing the seed heads floating around the meadow.

I picked up yet another bucketful of windfall apples and potted up the fancy pelargoniums which (like Withnail and I going on holiday) I bought by accident.

Aargh. We’ve been cutting back a jasmine that is a complete thug (biggest regret ever garden-wise is planting it). Apart from the fact it’s a monster, it was choking a climbing rose that was struggling. Only gone and cut through the main stem of the rose haven’t I? Aaargh.
The roots of the jasmine are buried under paving stones which I’ll have to take up if I want to get rid of it completely but at least I’ve taken it back to ground level and I’ll keep an eye on any shoots.

Pulled up my broad bean plants too. They were obviously struggling and I picked my massive crop of 5 pods. Not bad for 6 plants. We will have a ‘feed of beans’ for tea as my DF used to say. Luckily our neighbour gave us a share of hers!

Accidental plant buying seems to happen a lot!

It certainly does! One minute you’re idly browsing, the next a box of plants is winging its way to you.

Or you drop into the garden centre for a £5.99 bag of compost and come out with a till receipt for £65.96

A few weeks ago I went to the nursery for a bag of compost ... and bought a bag of compost.

I was very proud of myself!

I actually need to buy some plants for my bed. I’ve probably removed 50% of its authorised contents whilst weeding. I need some clumpier stuff, so some euphorbia, some Japanese anemone , and maybe some heuchera, to crowd the weeds out. I also need a Spade as someone’s lost the bolt on my good one, and maybe some soil conditioner. I’ll probly come home with some dead bedding and an unsuitable tree.

Hm, I could do with something to crowd out my pink Japanese anemone in places, it's more spready than clumpy. The white I've got seems a bit better behaved.

I know the anemones are spready, but I love them . Any sugggestions for something clumpy at the bottom but airy when in flower? .I thought of the ferry frondage of Achillea but got told that was another rampant spreader with nothing substantial underneath.

London Pride is ground cover with airy flowers in early summer.

Sweet cicily, or the dark leaved pink flowered cow parsley? Both have a mass of feathery foliage giving rise to a stem of lacy flowers. Helenium, masses of green leaves with the occasional long stemmed yellow daisies. Phlomis - all the year leaves, impenetrable, stems with balls of yellow flowers at intervals - not exactly airy (more like scaffolding) but does the weed suppressant bit very well.

Thanks! have Phloms and it’s working well as ground cover but after 2 years hasn’t yet done the other bit. I had the dark cow parsley but it’s disappeared. I will give Helenium and London Pride a whirl though

Gaura?

I keep seeing them in people’s gardens and keep meaning to try them in mine.

Geums
Verbena Bonariensis or Verbena Bampton
Salvia's

I’ve just spent a couple of hours yanking put perennial geraniums that grow far too fast in my garden. DH managed to dig out a very large lavender bush that’s split into several pieces at the base; it’s horribly woody so I will find something else to replace it. There’s a rose bush that was trying to grow through it so at least that now stands a chance.
Please can you tell me, do you have plenty of space between your plants or do you cram them in like I tend to? I’m starting to think having space might be better but the neighbours’ damn cats will use it for a toilet 😡

I am going to a garden centre for compost shortly. Plants may accidentally fall into my trolley (I hope).

I had a short morning walk, called into the nursery to pick up an oregano because one of mine has died, and remembered I could do with some more green twine.
Going on foot is a good way to prevent accidental purchase of larger plants!

Accidentally purchased a salvia, a dahlia and a lemon thyme and some hyacinth and allium bulbs but forgot the compost. Shame, I’ll have to go back.

Cramming them in keeps the weeds down.

@Zebracat Candelabra primroses - big primula leaves, and lovely delicate spires which are surprisingly long lasting

DH is away overnight so I got out for a couple of hours gardening after work. Planted my replacement oregano, and the 2 heucheras. Also dug out some small allium bulbs which I'd planted too far back in the border, they were swamped by geraniums, and replanted at the front. Also moved an astrantia which was nearly buried by astilbe - I'll do the other two I think but the place I think they can go will probably require some brick mining first. A bit of weeding and cutting back here and there.

Such a shame... 😂

I have grown these micro toms this year. I saw the seeds on eBay and thought I’d give it a go for 99p. I’m pleased with the yield and the plant size is handy, as I can bring them indoors now it’s gone stormy out.

Plans for next year:
-cucumbers
-a cranberry bush
-Chinese long beans (I saw them on YouTube, they look fantastic)
-stump rooted carrots, which should work better in my heavy clay
-red gooseberry bush