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?

That sounds ideal @MereDintofPandiculation. I like the idea of resurrecting previous years.

Sounds fun, with the usual caveats about geographical location, prevailing weather conditions etc etc etc. Not all our regulars are in the UK and even those who are, are widely dispersed.

I'd be up for a monthly thread with plans - I always have a list of things to do!

12 threads, one for each month? Each month someone resurrects the previous year’s threads so we don’t get bored of repeating the same info year after year?

upcycling gardening threads, that's very 'on trend'

we could start in September?

I've just finished putting together a small pond in a half barrel. I'm so pleased with myself see if I'm so pleased next summer when it's a breeding ground for mozzies. I'd put in some emergent(?) plants in one of those holey baskets on some bricks, added some frogbit (with a free clump of pond snail eggs), a branch (for a perch and an exit) and a flat stone on more brick to be a bird bath. I shelled out a few quid for one of those solar fountains.

I still plan to make a ramp up to the edge from logs and turf for any passing frogs.

Been putting off digging out a clump of day lilies, the invasive type. I've broken two forks in the past trying to dig out day lilies and was dreading tackling this one, but I was on a professional gardener's forum and came across a tool called a Root Slayer. Tried it out today and it's awesome, cut through the root ball like a knife through butter. This could well make my life a great deal easier.

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MGJ1JT1

I created a small bond in a half barrel in the spring - we did have issues with mosquitoes but used these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B078Y61JXG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

only had to use a very small piece and for whatever reason haven't seen them since. Love the pond but so far the only beneficiaries have been our dog and the pigeons😂
Took down the old leggy hydrangea, and ordered loads more plants to replace.

I planted a few grasses and dh got the festoon lights across the shed attached.

Enjoying the bamboo cacoon I created but am still musing about how to enclose the other side - I don't want two sides of bamboo.

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Love this idea!

Ooh, that may be my next Xmas present sorted. I've got form for asking DH to get me garden weaponry.

I started tidying up the strawberries, weeding them, repotting some, and making sure all the runners had something to root into. Did a bit of weeding on the upper terrace, picked mulberries for tomorrow’s breakfast, and watered all the pots.

Great thread.

Dead-headed and fed summer bedding in an attempt to get a last hurrah of blooms. Leaving as much in as possible for the insects even though some looks quite straggly and battered!
DH attacked bindweed and pulled up any summer bedding that really was on its last legs, so 2 Ikea bags full to go the recycling centre.

Hoping for the promised good weather to properly start getting the garden ready for autumn and winter. Must declutter shed and make plans for next year.

Do, they're amazing!

I love garden weaponry and just get it anyway as we put tools down as expenses. These days, I've got quite the armoury.

Decluttering top shed is on my list for today. Then battle with DH to get rid of the stuff he wants to keep. Also want to cut back the spotted laurel.

Nothing much. Been raining all day, and I'm a bit lazy today.

I did one thing, actually. Looked up some furniture. Ours is old, around 15 years. Thinking of rattan, like the ones from https://www.gardencentreshopping.co.uk/. Anyone has rattan? Is it worth it?

I did the same as you @IDareSay deadhead to try and extend the flowering (in my case, dahlia and sweetpea). I am hoping the buds on my dahlia will have fully matured in the next 10 days as they do take a lot longer than average plants. I also used up my last stock of Tomorite to give them a good feed to see if it gives them a boost.

I love half-barrels, they're so versatile and even if they don't last forever, they do look nice for a good few years brimming with colourful annuals through the summer or a variety of colourful tulips in Spring. We've just replace ours after 6 years. .

@lemontart13 very stylish furniture and I bet its so comfy you'd nod off in the garden under a parasol. I tend to think of rattan as an indoor material, I don't have experience how well it weather's in UK conditions.

I'd probably want to bring it into the garage in winter but that's just me being too fussy and not liking the weathered look whereas DH would want it to look batter as he doesn't like things too new. We have these discussions all the time .. opposites attract as they say

That's not natural rattan - it's synthetic, so it's probably fine outside. I like this stuff - really stands up to the weather. But it's all down to personal taste.
www.nardioutdoor.com

I would love this if you all would be so kind to start it. I think it will be very helpful for newbies like myself.

Welcome, @Rosemaryandlavender1 it's lovely to welcome new and seasoned gardeners for sharing sources of inspiration. We'll probably have to dig deep (apologies for the naff pun) in January / February, but actually I don't know of a day in the year when there isn't something to be done either in the garden, the greenhouse or coldframe. Or browsing for bulbs on the Web!

I'm happy to start the ball rolling starting on Sunday which is 1st Sept ( I've set a reminder on my phone lol)

Then we can take it in turns.

I spent about four hours today using my new Root Slayer and I'm seriously pleased with it. It made short work of several Acanthus spinosus, Nepeta and some truly huge clumps of Geraniums, which were all trying to take over the world and would have taken much longer to get out with my usual fork and spade. I don't really feel that I had to exert myself that much to get them out either, which is a bloody big deal.

Now that's done, I need to move some plants forwards and others back and then pick something other than Geraniums, Nepeta and Acanthus to fill in with. All a bit Rubik's Cube but that's part of the fun. Currently considering hardy Salvia, Alstroemeria and Gaura. They'll be joining roses, irises and Agapanthus, amongst others.

It was warm and sunny this afternoon so got out my rubber gloves and a bucket and washed most of the pots I am keeping. All put back neatly in the shed ready for next use.

Some still need to be done but I have broken the back of the task. Also binned a compost bag full of bits of rubbish and broken things. One side of shed looking much better now; looking forward to some autumnal pottering 🍃

Potted on some spring onions and pakchoi. I'm honestly surprised either the pigeons or the slugs haven't had them.

Counted my remaining carrot seedling...two 🙁 recounted...still two. Had three yesterday. Would have been four but I had to thin one out and the one I left disappeared overnight 😡

I picked my apple crop. Four apples.
They'll make a nice crumble though.
In more fruitful news I picked yet another bowlful of blueberries from my prodigious haul this year, I think I might be halfway through clearing the bushes by now.
Also cleaned up some old railway signs to nerd up the garden a bit more.

I picked my broad beans @InMySpareTime. 10 beans. Yes beans not pods. From six plants.

I harvested about 300g of lovely ripe fruit from my 3 tomato plants, quite pleased as I'm horribly neglectful of them. Quite a lot more coming along too.

My main job for the day was belatedly putting supports under the sedum spectabile flopping over the lawn, and dug out one clump which I'd planted further back so it was flopping over a huge area to the detriment of the other plants. It's been not so much planted as unceremoniously dumped in a large pot, it was about at the limit of weight I could lift. Obviously lots of stems broke in the process so they're in a pail of water making a messy outdoor bouquet.

The cane wigwam supporting geranium Anne folkard was leaning precariously so I've pulled it upright and tied it back to the fence. Similar with the overly large clumps of purple loostrife, their metal hoop supports weren't holding the weight so they're tied back to some stout dogwood trunks

Thank you for the compliments.
I understand where you're coming from, can't argue with your point haha