What have you done in the garden today? Part 8

[Jimmyneutronsforehead]

A continuation thread.

Thank you to MereDintOfPandiculation for threads 1 through 6. We wouldn't have built this lovely gardening community without you.

No gardening job is too small or too big to tell us about.

Spring is springing into action, let's get mucky.

@Liquoricethymeas a proportion of the salvia how much is a good cut? 50%?

Like cutting your own hair 50% could be a big shock - go with 1/3 and give it a feed.

I was out today having a go with my new patio knife. Wish I had some bigger weeds, would be more satisfying! Slightly worried I'm digging out all the cement as well!

@Jimmyneutronsforehead been thinking of you today 💐 hope all is well.

Well it’s been dry here and I set up to exert full vengeance on the fungus gnat that I have been unsuccessfully treating since November. In November I potted up two huge amaryllis and to my annoyance they were soon invested with fungus gnats pesky blighters. I have tried tablets in the water and a spray. Today was war. My husband took them out on the decking and I carefully took them out and spent hours baking and microwaving the soil, disinfecting the pots, cutting off dead roots etc and they are both repotted. Soil was in the oven at 250 for 1 hour and other soil microwave for 10 minutes. Currently I can not see a single fly. They will get water with diluted hydrogen peroxide for the next two weeks and hopefully that will sort them. Fungus gnats rest in peace! 🌹

You can always brush over sand afterwards with a spray of weed killer if it helps! I used to use a patio knife and a hoe followed by pressure washer - I no longer have a patio. We are leaving it two weeks and then going to pressure wash the whole thing off for summer!

@LiquoriceThyme thank you so much. DDog didn't go yesterday and there was some funny business with the vet saying they couldn't come to the house due to not being able to get their van now until Friday so we have booked an appointment at the practice for tomorrow. There are waves of sadness but also waves of relief, and I've had the pleasure of running another busy thread to keep my mind busy.

I am, selfishly, looking forward to having a garden where I don't have to scout for dog muck in the long grass or worry I've missed a spot when mowing the lawn. We are planning to do our mother's day this Sunday coming, and seen as between me, my mum, and my Nan, we're just mother's who seem to buy other mother's presents to make sure everybody has a present, we've decided we're just going to treat ourselves to a nice all day breakfast at a nice garden centre, pick up some flowers and seeds, and get cracking in the garden because we all deserve something nice to look forward to.

You can come to my house if you want, some of our weeds might fight back though.

I’ll be thinking of you. That sounds like a nice plan for the weekend. Hope DDog is at peace and comfortable.

I live in Wales and everywhere right now us full of daffodils, everyone's gardens, parks and along road verges. Is the rest of the UK the same or is it a Welsh thing?
And other countries too?
I don't think I've ever been on holiday in March so not sure whether its the same everywhere.

Thinking of you and DDog. xx

Sorry missed the posts about the dog. 💐

In front of my house, Glos.
They are all over the village, in the greens, pub, gardens, verges

Lovely photo. I love seeing all the daffodils out, so evocative of spring.

Thank you. He did go peacefully today. He was seen at the car and all medication was administered in the car. I got to give him lots of cuddles.

They came and gave him a sedation shot first and gave us 10 minutes before they came back out to do the rest but I had my head right on his face and could tell he had stopped breathing when the sedation shot had kicked in, and the pink spot on his nose had turned blue, but they administered the rest of the medication as protocol.

The second he stopped breathing it just felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and his suffering had ended, but he had a really good morning, he even managed to walk around the garden a few times, and when we opened the boot he thought he was just being taken somewhere to go on an exciting walk.

I realised when I came home that this is the first time ever I have never come home to have another dog to snuggle up with. The vets have given me another packet of forget me not seeds, and I feel like I just need to make his patch of the garden lovely for some closure, so I'm really looking forward to this weekend where I can just be busy and do something lovely to remember him by.

@Jimmyneutronsforehead condolences on the loss of Ddog but that sounds like a "good death". That and the memories of his life will be comfort I hope.

Hoping for nice weather for you this weekend so you can start working on his patch of garden.

I will be watching my Forget Me Nots closely for signs of flowering.

So sorry about your dog.

Is it too late to move a couple of roses (already in the garden so not container). Thanks

I usually lurk on here simply because it’s peaceful and uplifting.
So sorry to hear about DDog @Jimmyneutronsforehead , as inevitable as it is that makes it no less sad. He sounds like he had a lovely life with you.
I’m struggling to garden at the moment but I did spend some time in the sunshine tidying the bottom of the garden where all the fallen leaves accumulate (we back onto woodland so no shortage of them!)
Revolting tiddler dog tried to get at a dead mouse I uncovered 🤢🤮, she honestly has a disgusting attitude towards what’s edible.
love hearing what you’re all doing, I’m having to pay someone at the moment, he’s very good and doing a great job.
Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

@Jimmyneutronsforehead sounds very peaceful and lovely that you could support his departing as peacefully and lovingly as possible.

The daffodils in the picture looks fab - love a daffodil.

I’ve had huge problems with my shoulder and neck and I can’t work out what caused it - sleeping bad or something. Honestly the bad has been so bad that I’m on some heavy duty painkillers. It was 23 degrees here yesterday. The plan is to build some more raised beds at the allotment. All we did yesterday was water at the allotment and feed the roses.

I’m off to take some more painkillers and try to get through to 10 am!

Sorry to hear about your dog💐

Sounds like Ddog had a good final day @Jimmyneutronsforehead . I'm sure he will be much missed and very well remembered. Lovely to have some forget-me-nots to plant in his memory.

I'm WFH this morning and am literally bursting with excitement to get out in the garden as soon as I finish. The weather is glorious and everything is coming to life. It makes me feel so happy. It is really helpful to hear what other people are doing too as it gives me ideas and tips.

Does anyone have any advice for pulling up weeds and grass on a shingle pathway? I was ill last year and only just have the energy to get onto this but feeling daunted by tufts of grass poking up through rockeries. Seriously considering sweeping up the shingle and getting a new pathway.

Yesterday I bought some large pots on ebay, one of which came with a bay tree! I had some forgotten Groupon vouchers so I spent £1.49 on a dwarf cherry tree which should be arriving soon. I also repotted 2 cheese plants yesterday and seeded some Daikon radishes (having a craving for pickled radish and making Kimbap!). Not grown them before so will be interesting to see if they work!

@Wipeywipey weeds on shingle is pretty crappy in my past experience. I had a huge driveway in my last house (enough for 8 cars) and half was grass and half was shingle for parking and it was a bind.

Is there anti weed matting underneath?

personally I found it easy to head out with a bucket and a couple of kids and weed. Too small can’t grip them to yank them out and too big and sometimes too well rooted. I did use to pour boiling water on them and found that much more effective than a weed killer.

Personally either audio book and hoe or little trowel and do like 20 minutes every other day, pay a local teenagers to do it (or get one of your own children to do it for free!) or look at tarmac. Block paving can get bad too although at least you can pressure wash it!

good luck x

Aah dogs. They really do make a huge home in our hearts x he was loved x

Sorry for your loss @Jimmyneutronsforehead, pet deaths are shit.

The daffodils are pretty much gone over here. London really is a urban heat island.The acer I found a few months ago turns out to be bright green (for now). The mutant large daisies have returned, and the blueberries are flowering. First proper warm day, it was lovely.

A fence post has been leaning over for years and I've finally started the process of replacing it. Strapped up the post, started digging the hole and bought the fence post and flirted a bit with the cute guy at the builders merchant's. Bought the postcrete last autumn so I think I've got everything. Part 2 will happen on Friday when a friend is coming over to help. I'm not looking forward to getting the old concrete out, but hopefully the heavy wrecking bar will do the job. Please enjoy this photo of a hole where the fence post should be.

No weed matting on the pathway but it is concrete underneath the shingle along a pathway by the front garden. I think I need to repair it or sweep the roots of the grass up as they seem to be embedding somehow! Thanks for the advice re boiling water. I might do that before I attack with a hard brush.

I have 3 large pots left over now. Any suggestions on low maintenance, lovely smelling plants that I can grow in them?