☘️What have you done in the garden lately?

[Bobby Chariot]

Went to a local Garden Centre today, it's now part of a chain & seemed expensive compared to the bargain stores & supermarkets I usually find plants, but seen this unusual plant & treated ourselves.

The flowers puff out like pillows

Picked up 4 Geranium plugs in Aldi for £1.99

Dog says she likes them

 

[Tangerine Dream]

Getting new plants today now it's properly spring! We're getting an arch put in above the little steps we have going from patio to grass and I'm excited for that, it will look so nice.

 

[Tamij]

Are you a fellow rat lover, @rainbowlemon ?

Today I took the plunge and planted out my yellow courgettes. There are no frosts in the foreseeable future so I'm just going to hope they do well! I'll have to be consistent with watering, though, as it's so dry already this year. We need some good downpours of a few hours to drench everything nicely.

I also planted out the rest of my sweet peas so now there's a full teepee of them, although I still have a few cuttings rooting in water from when I pinched out the tops.

My sweet peas have been absolutely useless this year so I’m going to start again. Might make things a bit late but nothing ventured and all that.

 

[Daisy Uncle]

My garden is looking verrry dry already. Pfffft

 

[WitchyGrab]

I copied the tomato slice, planted sunflowers and busy lizzies from seeds.

I already have spring onions and some garlic growing. The Chilies didn't work for me either.

I have one packet of straw flower seeds.

Everything is in containers. I am determined to do something with the small outdoor space that I have. I've been watching a lot of balcony garden videos for inspiration.

Having a container only garden can work so well, so I am sure whatever you do will look beautiful. With the exception of making a flower bed, the rest of my small yard is filled with plants in pots and containers. I recommend getting a small fig tree, as they grow well in pots (their energy goes towards producing fruit, rather than growing into a larger tree) and for the last couple of years, mine has produced loads of fruit. I got my fig from a sweet old man that I once met on the street, when I was looking at some flowers and we got into conversation, then went to his beautiful garden, to see all of the stuff that he had grown. He was fabulous and my partner as a little worried that I was going to run off with him, as I was in love.

 

[NitrousOxide]

Inspired by a Mumsnet thread of the same concept, I wondered if anyone here is into gardening and would like to share updates from your gardens?

I'll start:
I'm currently renting so just have loads of pots in the garden, but hoping to buy soon and have proper soil to plant into! I can't wait!

Yesterday I cut back the hellebores and mulched around them with compost; they've been flowering since Summer so I'm hoping they'll build up plenty of energy and get back to their natural rhythm of flowering only in Winter!

I also sowed a trough full of lettuce seeds and three big pots of cosmos. Because we are hoping to buy soon and don't know if we'll be in this house for much longer, I'm trying to plant things that can grow and be harvested or appreciated quickly.

Also cut back some mint and mulched a few kale plants I've got growing in pots.

Feel free to share your own updates and photos if you wish!

 

[WitchyGrab]

My back yard was just concrete and had rotten decking covering half of it. I asked the landlord if I could remove the decking and build a bed for plants instead, so my yard is a little oasis. I have done it all on the cheap; lots of the plants are cuttings that I have taken when out and about and the plant bed was made from old bricks. I have also made a teeny tiny garden on the pavement on the street, where there was a patch that didn’t have concrete on it and now is filled with plants. In summer, my yard is the one with butterflies, the odd bee (RIP sweet bees) and some birds, whereas the neighbours down the row just have cat shit in theirs. Haha. My house is also filled with plants, as I love them so much. 🪴

 

[rainbowlemon]

I copied the tomato slice, planted sunflowers and busy lizzies from seeds.

I already have spring onions and some garlic growing. The Chilies didn't work for me either.

I have one packet of straw flower seeds.

Everything is in containers. I am determined to do something with the small outdoor space that I have. I've been watching a lot of balcony garden videos for inspiration.

 

[NitrousOxide]

I wish there was an opposite to miracle growth for the grass to make it grow slow so I don't have to cut it so often

Sheep!

 

[givepeasachance]

So far, I've put some grass seed down on lawn patches.

I've got a silene which has spread like wildfire so pulled loads of that up. Still tons left My biggest garden regret is planting that.

I've got a few different varieties of clematis which are growing fast, so I've been doing daily tying to keep them supported. Been 'rehoming' lots of slugs and snails I come across.

I've topped up the potted plants with fresh soil, and finally decided to pull out two old tatty shrubs which I've been putting off for a while thinking they might make a comeback. But they came out of the ground so easily, so it was their time to go.

Oh and dug out an accumulation of cat turds from the back of the garden

 

[cowtastrophe]

Made an impromptu trip to the garden centre today and came away £75 lighter but with a load of summer flowering plants for two of my flower planters where stuff has died over the winter. I filled in the gaps with some camomile seed and put some lemon verbena in a pot where I had a camomile last year which unfortunately died. My alliums are budding and I put a few freesia bulbs in dotted around. I have been putting in lots of flowering plants to attract bees and butterflies.

We‘ve got a table and chairs at the back of the garden but it’s quite a sun trap and can be not very nice to sit in when it’s hot so we’re looking at putting a couple of sails up at the front and side of the shed (garden office) to make it a bit more bearable plus it will stop all my pots at the front of the shed getting full sun and drying out.

 

[rainbowlemon]

I'm sick of it! We have lots of young trees planted in the Winter just gone, and I didn't want to have to be worrying about watering them all Spring and Summer in case they die! And all the pots are drying out instantly every day, too.

My council has planted new trees with water bags, that promise slow release.

 

[NitrousOxide]

Looks like the rain is coming in a few days and will be watering our plants plenty next week! Hopefully everyone's water butts will be topped up again.

Today I potted up some sunflowers which were looking miserable in a seed snail, but they are struggling. I also pricked out a few lettuce seedlings but have more to do, just not enough pots.

 

[Tamij]

I had a pleasant time for an hour this morning. After some hiccoughs this year, I’ve finally got ranunculus peeping through, the sweet peas are looking strong and healthy, I repotted a little tree and have planted out a couple of marguerites, some fleabane in wall baskets and potted on a couple of basil plants. The Livingstone daisies seedlings are poking through and I’ve ordered a new bigger pot and ericaceous soil for a pieris that looks a bit sad.
I’ve got a plan for the hydrangea to go in the hole we dig a dead looking beauty bush out of and I’ve an order on its way from farmer Gracy who should be bringing me a Chinese meadow rue to give me a taller flowering perennial in a shady part of the garden.
Feels very productive.

 

[NitrousOxide]

Does anyone have a clover lawn?

We used to have a huge amount of clover in our small lawn. It was lovely when it flowered especially, and the areas of dense clover stayed much greener than the grass.

 

[Former_Antelopee]

I wish there was an opposite to miracle growth for the grass to make it grow slow so I don't have to cut it so often

 

[NitrousOxide]

I spent about 3 hours mowing the lawn today and mulching everything with the grass clippings, as well as covering two compost heaps in a good layer of them. We keep a lot of long grass meadow areas for the Summer so I was mowing all the paths and areas around beds etc. as well as an area we use as a lawn because it's the flattest part of the garden. It was knackering but satisfying. I also did a bit of sweeping around the patio and driveway and some pruning.

Really want to get my tomatoes and courgettes out but it's still too cold at night so will have to be patient for another month or so...

 

[NitrousOxide]

Today I finished planting up my new foxglove bed with about 15 foxgloves and 4 hardy geraniums at the front. I'm hoping the foxgloves will start to self seed there and spread over time. I sowed about 40 last year so have lots of little plants ready to flower this year.

I also planted up three troughs on the shady side of the patio with more foxgloves and swept up some leaves which I used to mulch our climbing rose. Potted up my rose cuttings into bigger pots (6 new climbing roses for free!) and a blackcurrant cutting which also looks really healthy. Did a bit of general tidying and cut back asters, echinacea and brachyscome, all showing tiny bits of new growth.

 

[Alistess]

I go out after 10 pm with my trowel and chop slugs in half. I have those big brown ones and they are vile. They’ve decimated my sunflowers. Last night I got six but my record is 12. I took videos and pics last night to show husband who was in bed.
I love nature and shy away from killing anything but these things are eating machines.
(Can post pic if anyone can tell me how to put it behind spoiler)

 

[NitrousOxide]

Are you a fellow rat lover, @rainbowlemon ?

Today I took the plunge and planted out my yellow courgettes. There are no frosts in the foreseeable future so I'm just going to hope they do well! I'll have to be consistent with watering, though, as it's so dry already this year. We need some good downpours of a few hours to drench everything nicely.

I also planted out the rest of my sweet peas so now there's a full teepee of them, although I still have a few cuttings rooting in water from when I pinched out the tops.