Author Topic: What have you done on the plot today? (Read 255995 times)

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1525 on:** 10 October, 2022, 10:14:28 pm »

I didn't mind the mint taking over last year, the bees liked it.

rafletcher · « **Reply #1526 on:** 11 October, 2022, 01:45:34 pm »

We find the bees really like Pumonaria / Lungwort, and it seems tough as old boots, growing almost anywhere in our garden - which runs WNW to ESE, and is only 3m wide, so relative shaded for the next 6 months. It provide decent ground cover too.

Talking of which, and Mints, on Gardeners World there was a guy with a mint collection, one of which was great looking for between paving stones - Sicilian Mint.

It's really only our Honeysuckle thats suffered mildew this year, totally down to drought.

We lost a variagated Euonymous (it got a infestation of Eunymous scale insect), which was on the north facing side, so we've replaced it with a variagated ivy, which seems to be doing ok.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1527 on:** 11 October, 2022, 05:30:25 pm »

Interesting. I'm currently in the process of trying to compile a list of plants loved by pollinators but not by slug or powdery mildew... I had a post it note of suggestions yesterday.

Flite · « **Reply #1528 on:** 11 October, 2022, 08:01:17 pm »

Definitely add Pulmonaria to your list for pollinators. We have a dozen or so different varieties growing in all sorts of garden and semi-wild conditions. Really useful as it flowers so early in the year. If you leave it after flowering it sometimes gets mildew. But chop it back to the ground, leaves and all, after flowering and you get a fresh flush of leaves that seldom get mildew or any other disease.
Ivy flowers late in the year, so good for pollinators then.
You already have scabious and nepeta and probably sedums. Try marjoram (gold leaved is pretty) and varieties of thyme. Add in hardy geraniums in all their variety and you have most of the season covered.
Some years ago, I had quite a big area that I wanted to keep cultivated but not cropped. I sowed alternate strips of Phacelia and Red Clover (usually sold as green manure to be dug in before flowering). I let them flower and the resulting rows of pale blue and crimson looked fabulous. But the bees! No way I could coulnt them, and fascinating to see the different varieties of bee preferring different flowers.

rafletcher · « **Reply #1529 on:** 11 October, 2022, 09:02:24 pm »

Yes, I’d forgotten about the ivy for pollinators - around here it’s very scented already. And for winter scent we have sarcacocca, amazing. For spring scent, you can’t get much better than a daphne - Jaqueline Postil is stunning.

Oh, and don’t forget the current favourite, salvias. Loved by bees.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1530 on:** 11 October, 2022, 10:08:32 pm »

I bought a sedum which the snails have eaten. (I also have a cutting of another one in a pot on a window ledge where it seems the snails have not ventured. Yet.)
I thought about ivy but I don't like the juvenile form that smothers everything and doesn't flower. However I see you can buy varieties trapped in the adult state...?
I have various flowering herbs. The bees love the thyme. Well, all of them really.

My brother offered me phacelia in the spring but I'm guessing it didn't work cos I didn't get any. Is it not a bit of a messy plant?
I got 2 sorts of geraniums, the 'Rozanne' is all doing really well. The 'Johnson's Blue' seems to be getting eaten by the snails.
I planted a row of sarcococca confusa last year but it's still only about 4 inches tall. At this rate I'm going to be retired by the time it's big enough to hide my neighbour's orange monstrosity.
The rudbeckia I planted last year is going great guns and the pyracanthas that lost all their leaves in the summer seem to be recovering.
I shoved some foxgloves and inula in the front garden a bit too late so hopefully they'll explode next year.

Shall do another post with my potential shopping list...

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1531 on:** 11 October, 2022, 10:13:07 pm »

Possible shopping list:
Eryngium /sea holly
Agastache (not sure how mollusc proof)
Achillea
Penstemon (not sure about these)
Aguja reptans (bugle), Scottish native and bee points
Alchemilla
Astrantia
Circium /thistle
fuschia (should have taken a cutting from our old garden really)
Pulmonaria
Rogersia
Teasel

Blackthorn
Possibly a small weeping cherry or a crab apple.

rafletcher · « **Reply #1532 on:** 15 October, 2022, 08:57:39 am »

You could also put in some dwarf Buddleias - varieties now can be pot grown.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1533 on:** 15 October, 2022, 07:18:55 pm »

Oh, I have some buddleia cuttings that came with us from the last place which seem to be doing ok now they're out of the pot.

rafletcher · « **Reply #1534 on:** 16 October, 2022, 03:37:06 pm »

Today I cut down the last of our clematis, and pruned the Solanum and Bay shrubs/trees. I also cut all the remaining foliage off our “Big Daddy” tomatoes.

Bledlow · « **Reply #1535 on:** 21 October, 2022, 11:36:07 pm »

A couple of days ago I was emptying a compost bin & found a dead rat near the bottom. It looked flattened & showed no signs of rotting, so I suspect I'd inadvertently squashed it when digging out compost in the previous few days.

rafletcher · « **Reply #1536 on:** 24 October, 2022, 12:09:55 pm »

Picked up 16 quince off the lawn, brough down by yesterday's storms. At the end of 2021 I didn't, for one, prine our small quince tree. This year, despite few plums and no apples, the quince has been amazingly prolific, with perhaps 150 fruits. Shame they're effectivley inedible (I'm not going to make mebrillo and although I might use a few in a tagine) but they do, in sufficient numbers, scent the lounge and greenhouse nicely.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1537 on:** 05 November, 2022, 05:26:38 pm »

Got off my arse and went to Dobbies on a reduced price mission. Got an agastache and a penstemon both reduced from £10 to £3. Will see how they do. There are a load of other plants I have my eye on reduced at Secret Gardening Club which I may or may not purchase...

MikeFromLFE · « **Reply #1538 on:** 05 November, 2022, 05:46:30 pm »

Flying visit to the allotment today after not going for about a month, not through choice. Pleased to see how little the weeds have grown. Collected loads of apples and a few manky beans.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1539 on:** 06 November, 2022, 04:03:49 pm »

I turned over the compost heap which does not appear to be composting at all and looked way too dry, so I watered it.
Picked up the sycamore leaves from the front garden and dumped them next to the shed where all the weeds were growing. (I need to build a mesh enclosure to make leaf mould sometime).
Picked up the last of the rhubarb I've been studiously not harvesting and planted those 2 plants I bought yesterday.
Dug a bottle brush out of the kitchen drawer and used it to howk some blanket weed out of the pond.

MikeFromLFE · « **Reply #1540 on:** 10 November, 2022, 11:14:15 am »

A very satisfying bonfire and a bit of hoeing. Pulled out the remains of the sweetcorn plants. Thought about turning one of the compost bins, but had a long sit down instead.

campagman · « **Reply #1541 on:** 13 November, 2022, 08:59:21 pm »

Dug up and cleaned up the Fartichokes. Hoping to make some soup in the week. I did a thorough job, I hope, so won't get more next year. It's not a problem if I do though. Don't know how much I must have left in last year but I got a good crop.

The Family Cyclist · « **Reply #1542 on:** 19 November, 2022, 02:21:06 pm »

Not really the plot but thankfully cleaned the chickens out and shifted the tarp back over their run which the wind had shifted during week as shortly after getting back from picking up a couple of bales of straw from a local farm to put down in the mud bath that is the coop I had someone from DEFRA turn up to inspect my chickens and housing due to the bird flu outbreak. Seemed happy enough, took longer putting on his haz chem stuff and disinfection of boots then actually looking at chickens

SteveC · « **Reply #1543 on:** 19 November, 2022, 05:35:07 pm »

Added some extra soil and grit to our raised herb bed.
Later some general winter tidying.

The Family Cyclist · « **Reply #1544 on:** 14 January, 2023, 03:25:09 pm »

Back before Christmas when we had the cold snap I forgot to get our worm composter in the shed and insulate it so today ordered more worms for the ones that froze. Thus far I've not got it going very well. Had for a year as was a 2021 Christmas present and just about filled the first tray which was half full with the coir they came with. When spring arrives think I'll put it nearer house so it gets remembered more

drossall · « **Reply #1545 on:** 14 January, 2023, 06:14:40 pm »

Not on my plot, but took the Scouts along to help the local Rotary plant a load of trees. With two Troops, families coming along, and plenty of other help as well, we seemed to get a fair bit done.

The Family Cyclist · « **Reply #1546 on:** 21 January, 2023, 03:06:44 pm »

Despite being freezing over night was quite pleasant by early afternoon so got up the plot to get garlic in. Probably should have done before Christmas but didn't get round to ordering in time.

Dug some fartichokes of which still have loads. Trying smoked fish and artichoke gratin for dinner this week

campagman · « **Reply #1547 on:** 21 January, 2023, 08:57:12 pm »

I'm not sure why but I always start my tomatoes in Jan. I sowed some last Sat and they have been in the Airing cupboard all week. Had a look today and some are showing. I sowed them onto Peat-free compost which I have not used before but then covered them with a sprinkling of soil. They will live on the bedroom windowsill during the day and back in the airing cupboard when I close the curtains.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #1548 on:** 25 January, 2023, 03:50:29 pm »

Mrs Pcolbeck planted the garlic in the raised beds at the weekend and the chilli seeds got planted in the heated propagator on the spare room windowsill.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1549 on:** 29 January, 2023, 06:36:48 pm »

I haven't done anything but I ordered 2x bare root blackthorn and a few potted fuchsia magellanica once I managed to find somewhere without a ridiculously high minimum order policy.