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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

What have you done in the garden today? Part 6

1000 replies

MereDintofPandiculation · 14/09/2024 16:47

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

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65
BestIsWest · 06/05/2025 21:46

@longtompot I am definitely going to try that, thanks!

ErrolTheDragon · 07/05/2025 10:29

Oh, what a good idea - obvious once you’ve seen it! Apart from just allowing for more stem, lot of climbing plants break into flower more when they’re constrained to grow horizontally rather than vertically - as we do when training roses for instance. Something like honeysuckle left to it’s own devices can grow all the way up a tree and really only flower when it gets out at the top into the light where it has to flop over. I seem to remember a nature documentary in which dormice were climbing up trees to feed off honeysuckle (not sure if it was the sweet flowers or berries or both).
so this method may be widely applicable!

longtompot · 07/05/2025 12:25

@ErrolTheDragon Ive seen a rose trained in spirals on a wall which looks pretty amazing when just bare stems but even more so when in flower.
I have a honeysuckle which needs attaching to a wall (just waiting for dh to sand and restain it as he has said he would do for ages now...) but will have a look at training it differently to keep the flowers a bit lower. Would be lovely if dormice came to visit ☺️

ErrolTheDragon · 07/05/2025 12:32

longtompot · 07/05/2025 12:25

@ErrolTheDragon Ive seen a rose trained in spirals on a wall which looks pretty amazing when just bare stems but even more so when in flower.
I have a honeysuckle which needs attaching to a wall (just waiting for dh to sand and restain it as he has said he would do for ages now...) but will have a look at training it differently to keep the flowers a bit lower. Would be lovely if dormice came to visit ☺️

Yes - we went to Haddon Hall in Derbyshire a month or two ago, they’ve got lots of walls with amazing trained roses on it. I want to go back in a month or so!

longtompot · 07/05/2025 12:40

@ErrolTheDragon this was the website I saw it on first

https://outofmyshed.co.uk/2022/02/21/rose-training-with-jenny-niff-barnes/

and this is the gardens where the blogger visited & saw the roses being trained in this way

https://www.cottesbrooke.co.uk/gardens/

Jimmyneutronsforehead · 07/05/2025 13:01

I think my honeysuckle has just died this year. It's not doing much. I think there are some plants I'm just not good at keeping alive. Passiflora is another one. My neighbour up the road has these beautiful passiflora vines all over their fence and I turn green with envy when I walk past, but they're never in the garden for me to ask how they manage to keep it looking so wonderful.

I am keeping my fingers, toes and everything else crossed for my wisteria though. I've always wanted one and now I've got one I just want to make sure I keep it alive for years to come.

Keeponkeepigon · 07/05/2025 13:12

Trying to decide wether to plant these cosmos out or leave them a bit longer???

Fist time growing plants from seed and don’t think I have patience for it!

What have you done in the garden today? Part 6
AnnaMagnani · 07/05/2025 14:01

Mine are smaller than that and going out this weekend as I don't have the patience to keep them longer.

BestIsWest · 07/05/2025 15:09

Mine are about the same and I’m leaving it another week.

Myblueclematis · 07/05/2025 15:52

Mowed the lawn which I could have left a few more days but did it anyway, planted up some million bells and trailing geraniums in a pot to go out the front of the house, watered everything in the garden with the watering can, sowed some sunflowers as the ones I did a few weeks back haven't made an appearance and planted a San Marzano tomato in the border, have Tumbling Tom to go into a pot which I will probably do another day.

At the garden centre tomorrow with two gardening friends so I have no doubt I will buy something (so will they, we're all plant addicts) and I also need more compost so I can continue potting up runner beans, French beans and more flowers.

Beebumble2 · 07/05/2025 17:11

Keeponkeepigon · 07/05/2025 13:12

Trying to decide wether to plant these cosmos out or leave them a bit longer???

Fist time growing plants from seed and don’t think I have patience for it!

They look a bit small, they will be vulnerable to slugs and snails. I make a collar out of the middle of a plastic bottle and put it round small plants to protect them.

InMySpareTime · 07/05/2025 17:53

My most successful anti-slug tactic this year has been hair from my hairbrush. They don’t seem able to negotiate a way through a thicket of hair to get to the plants, and I have an endless supply of it.

ILikeDungs · 07/05/2025 17:57

My cosmos from last year self seeded in the bed, it is smaller than my greenhouse seedlings but doing well.

I have a lot of sunflower self seeders too, had to remove some from the path.

Remember the crushed greenhouse (a November storm)? DS has brought it back to life. I didn't think it was possible. Before and after:

What have you done in the garden today? Part 6
What have you done in the garden today? Part 6
Jimmyneutronsforehead · 07/05/2025 18:05

A while ago I saved a few stalks from the weekly shop broccoli and they've all rooted in water, my plan is to plant these and use them as a trap crop as we get a lot of white butterflies, and it's my first year growing cabbages this year so I really want it to go well.

Rosemaryandlavender1 · 07/05/2025 18:20

ILikeDungs · 07/05/2025 17:57

My cosmos from last year self seeded in the bed, it is smaller than my greenhouse seedlings but doing well.

I have a lot of sunflower self seeders too, had to remove some from the path.

Remember the crushed greenhouse (a November storm)? DS has brought it back to life. I didn't think it was possible. Before and after:

Your greenhouse looks great!

Rosemaryandlavender1 · 07/05/2025 18:23

I purchased some annual plug plants from Aldi and Asda two weeks ago and finally planted them up in three planters today. A large planter with petunias and lobelia, a small trough with lobelia and a metal tin pot with some geranium. Looking forward to seeing them all flower soon.

BestIsWest · 09/05/2025 08:57

I’m off to the garden centre today. Hoping to get some snapdragons and stocks as only a handful of the seeds I sowed have germinated. More pelargoniums and some impatiens too for my mum so I can do some pots to cheer up her little yard.

Keeponkeepigon · 09/05/2025 09:06

Got some brilliant hostas yesterday at B&Q for £4.50! Lots of trays of violas were all half price too and they had some 7ft birch trees for £39.00. Couldn’t buy the tree as it was longer than my car.

What have you done in the garden today? Part 6
BestIsWest · 09/05/2025 09:19

Those hostas look fab. I love them but DH vetos them due to slugs. 🐌 and our dog once eating one. I might sneak one in when he’s not looking.

Im half anticipating an order from J Parker’s with a pear tree, six roses, (6 for £18!!) and a banana plant. I cancelled it because it was delayed and now they’ve emailed to say it’s on its way. Will it arrive? Anybody’s guess I suppose.

Jimmyneutronsforehead · 10/05/2025 19:06

Planted the rest of my seedlings that needed to go in the raised beds today. Wish I'd had the energy for it before because whilst doing it, found my hollyhocks have got rust quite badly, and I don't know whether to bother trying any fungicide treatment on them or just dig them up. I was absolutely elated to see them growing back this year earlier on too so want to try and treat it but it's quite advanced on all of the plants.

Still got to plant the plants that need to go in pots and assemble some more strawberry beds.

My accidental thousands of radishes have made excellent ground cover for my all season strawberries though, so much I think I might accidentally on purpose just fill every gap I've got with them to stop dandelions setting in.

My catmint has been neglected accidentally and I'm doing my best to salvage it, but didn't realise it had been pushed under the patio table so it hasn't seen rain for a good while and it's looking a bit crusty. Crossing everything in hopes that it survives given it is a mint and those things are hardy as cockroaches.

It's my first year growing emiri melons. I've not had much luck with melons in the past as I know they don't tolerate transplanting very well but I've never tried this variety and they are looking quite well.

I didn't sow many flower seeds so I'm going to just mix all of my remaining flower seeds together and sprinkle them in pots and have mini-meadow pots.

fixingmylife · 10/05/2025 23:53

Hi - I've been taking some inspiration from reading this lovely thread and this is my first post here if it's okay to join in.
In the garden today I weeded, raked the grass and started the process of removing dandelions and brambles. My garden has been neglected I'm afraid to admin but I am going to turn it around and make it lovely. I don't have green fingers at all though.
I also went to the garden centre and bought some lavender and other trailing plants which I will plant tomorrow. I'm loving this weather.

BestIsWest · 11/05/2025 09:51

Welcome @fixingmylife, it’s so rewarding. I’m fairly new to gardening and make loads of mistakes but I love it.

Rosemaryandlavender1 · 11/05/2025 11:22

I weeded and extended one flower bed yesterday so I can plant some bowles mauve in it. I'm also new to gardening and trying to invest more in hardy perennials that come back each year as gardening can become quite expensive!

QueenClaribel · 11/05/2025 11:26

I bought a 1 litre pot of Rudbeckia/Black Eyed Susan yesterday.
Today I took it out and split it into 4 clumps of separate plants and put them in various places in my border. Hopefully they will survive that!

BestIsWest · 11/05/2025 14:32

I rearranged the pots on the patio and repotted a few things. One day I will make the new border they are supposed to go in. Then helped DH take apart and rebuild the rotting arbour that he’s determined to fix instead of buying a new one. Painted a bit of it too but now it’s raining! At last. I think I’m going to treat myself to a David Austin climber to go over it.

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