Weekend gubbins

A quick update this weekend as it has been a quiet one on gardening front. I cut back the buddleias with a saw I bought and I have put up some bird food now that the colder months are here. I buy from  my local supermarket and it is distributed by RSPB; birds seem to like it and I have already seen beak marks on it :) we used the same style back in the old house and I often saw robins, blue tits and other small birds have a got at it.

I also brought in the geraniums earlier in the week. I pruned them in early September and they have remained mostly healthy, I think only one of them might have died. I will keep them as they are over the winter and I might separate them into different pots come next spring. I have noticed they might come out with yet another bloom (also, note the cure little spider which I'm hoping will help me out with some little green squishy bugs that we all know), which surprised me. I was also surprised, and subsequently unimpressed, to find aphids on a couple of the plants! I put together a solution of water and weak washing up liquid and sprayed those pesky bugs. It took me several attempts but I think, and hope, I have got rid of most of them. I spotted one or two this morning that I promptly sprayed and have seen nothing since then.

I am also going to keep track of how the sun travels around the garden. I want to invest in a cold frame eventually, but I think I might need to put it against the garage, next to the trellis, instead of the house; although the house would let off more heat... I need to mull over that one.

 

Weekend project: collecting seed

For the past few weeks I have been collecting flowers that have gone to seed. I have cut off heads (of plants, you understand) and I have spread them out on saucers in the sun so they dry. In doing this I have collected seed from two different types of viola, fritillaria (snake's head), bluebells, delphiniums and a pretty plant, loved by bees that was already here. Last weekend I collected poppy, lavender and sweet pea seeds. I either left the flower heads to dry in situ and then collected them, or I cut them and left them in the greenhouse to dry up with the sun and the heat.

I initially was using normal letter envelopes cut in half or quarters. However, I then wondered if perhaps I could find small (perhaps brown...?) envelopes that would fulfill the same function and be more pleasing to the eye. I came across these from Burgon & Ball and just had to buy them.

Delphinium pods that I left to dry on the plate.

Sweet pea pods that are currently drying in the greenhouse

Lavender seeds being separated from the flower

Poppy heads being left to dry

I don't have a huge number of seeds at the moment, so I keep them all in this wooden box. Perhaps they'll outgrow it soon, though!

Weekend Project - Improvising support for sunflowers

Growing sunflowers is something I have enjoyed this summer. I planted them from seed, and at the time I would have never thought they would become so tall. Unfortunately, I did not listen to Monty Don and not only did I not stake them with a pole, but I did not even use bamboo canes. Consequently, due to the recent wind and wet weather, plus the height and weight of one of the plants, it toppled over.

I improvised a contraption that, while it is not perfect nor pretty, I am hopeful it will keep the sunflower up right while it flowers and eventually dies. As can be seen in this photo, it bent and severed the stem in the lower half of the plant.

Inspired by those old war films, I thought I might be able to save it if I put some canes around the stem and tied string around it in a such a way that it will not move. It did not quite work, it kept leaning to my left, so I attached some string to the back of the contraption and attached it to the fence to counter-balance the weight. It seems happy for now as it has continued to mature and I can see a hint of yellow. 

 I have learned my lesson, and next time I decide to have these beautiful faces in the garden I will make sure they have support, despite it seeming to do need it.b I'm looking forward to seeing 3 big bright yellow flowers soon.

Weekend project: Replacing a shrub

After a period of several months hoping that this shrub would produce some new shoots, I finally accepted that it was dead. It saddened me as it is the first thing that has died which already belonged in the garden long before we moved in. As I broke it up, every single twig snapped easily and it was evident that it was dead. Digging it up was not easy, but I persevered and managed to get most of the root ball out.

When I looked at the space left, the shrub had taken quite a lot. Luckily I had recently bought some plants - no surprise there. I had also kept a choisya in the pot since I bought it from a small nursery in Gatley because I wasn't quite sure where to put it. I suppose I had an inkling that I would be doing some digging soon. I really like the end result and I hope the garden bugs do too. I had added a dahlia and a salvia to keep the choisya company. They seem to be getting on well for now.

I now have room at the front to plant smaller plants, or veg should I so feel inclined.  

The story behind getting a choisya is a typical Nat one. I had been listening to Elizabeth is missing on audiobook -you should read it, it's great- and the main character is reprimanded by digging up the choisya. I thought the sound of the plant was interesting and thought nothing of it.A week later, we went to a small nursery in Gatley where I bought some alpines. I went over to look at the shrubs and there I see a choisya. I decided to see it as a sign that I had to take her home with me. It strikes me as a she.

Weekend project: veg planter and herb box

Can you be in love with a wash tub? Because I think I might be. With the help of the Open Gardens last week, I bit the bullet and put the items I bought at the Vintage Emporium into use.

First, I thought about the box as it is smaller. A herb box is what I went for. I'm sure I could fit a little basil in there as well, but so far this is what it looks like. I put some gravel at the bottom of the box to help with drainage, and then I simply filled it with compost and popped the plants in. If  I were serious about it, I probably should have lined the box, or coated it with something. However, for now, I'm going to leave it as it is. 

I have some peppermint, parsley, purple sage and lavender in there. 

I have put it in a corner very near to the back door. It is a corner where there isn't much, plus it's handy to just pop out and pinch what I need. I would like to add to this little corner with a furher pot or two. It has made it more interesting.

I also planted out my two courgette and cucumber plant. I still don't have any flower, but I can see the buds! Hopefully now they have more room they will flower to their hearts' content. 

The reason why I chose this weekend to plant the out - a part from the fact that Monty told me to last week- is that I made the mistake to leave the greenhouse door shut for a day or two this week. Consequently, some of the leaves have suffered from the kale, lettuce and courgettes I had in there. They will survive, but some are looking a little sorry for themselves. 

The tub was rather clean when I bought. I filled the bottom with gravel until the rust was covered.

Then I added the compost and played with the composition of the plants until I was satisfied and planted them. I will look into any companion plants I can add as I do. not. want. slugs or snails nomming on them. The courgette leaves smell really appetising, even if I am not a fan of courgettes myself. This might be the year I am converted!

A quick an easy project for a cloudy afternoon :)

Weekend project: Strawberry "cage" for people who are renting

As someone who doesn't own their house but who enjoys pottering around in the garden and growing things, I don't really want to buy anything that involves cement, major digging, drilling, etc. So, when I planted my strawberry plants, I was faced with the conundrum of how I would protect my precious berries from those pesky birds. So, I gathered some netting, bricks, string and frames and I concocted a "protected area".

I placed it on the edge of a bed as the garden is tiered and slopes upwards. It's also paved quite a lot, as you can see in the photo below.

A couple of details that show how I put the frame and net together. I had visions of animals trying to struggle under the net, pull the net, etc. So I tried to make it as animal proof as possible both for my benefit and for theirs. I don't want anything getting trapped!

By tying the net to the back of the frame, I have made the fruit accessible only on one side. Granted I need to shift the bricks, but I don't mind doing that. As you can see, I have some hay (which I stole from The Pigs -the Guinea Pigs) and which I am using to keep the strawberries dry. Someone told me that if they are in direct contact with soil they can get spoiled, so I thought I would try placing hay in between to keep them nice and dry. Also, I saw the light when I friend said: "well, they are called straw-berries". That blew my mind!

A bit of a tidy 02.06.2015

Last weekend I had some help with the weeds in the garden. Boyfriend's brother came over and kindly spent the day weeding in exchange for food. I am so very grateful for this, especially as it took him hooooours. He has promised to come back in a few weeks to help me tackle the back of the garden. This allowed me to look at the greenhouse and have a bit of a tidy.

On Sunday I went to The Vintage Emporium in Stockport (Well, Bredbury). Here is a link with some info: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Vintage-Emporium/1436793629917807?sk=timeline

I bought a couple of things that I want to use in
the garden. I have an idea of what I want to do with them, and I will write about the project on here, of course!

That's all for today. A quick and snappy one to maybe get your creative juices flowing.

Weekend jobs - Sunday 29.03.2015

Following from my previous post, on Sunday I continued to do some gardening jobs. The in-laws came over to visit and I asked my father-in-law about some bushes and plants that looked rather twiggy and dead. After helping me out and giving me some pointers, here is what I did.


I pruned this hardy fuchsia "annabelle". This and the plant underneath were already here when we moved in. *gasp* Weeds! Weeds! I know, I am aware. Let's embrace the weeds and move on. This bit of the garden will be tackled this week.

There was a cherry tree at the very back of the garden which fell down during a particularly windy week. Consequently, this suffered some damage. The landlord tidied it up a little but it still had broken branches, and twigs that were rubbing. To avoid wounds, I pruned the weaker branches, and cut back the bush by about 1/3 I would say; I tried to maintain the shape but there are chairs just in front of the plant so we don't want twigs poking out. This is a Lavatera maritima, if you're interested.

This area also benefited from some weeding. I had left some green plants as I wanted to verify if they were weeds or not; turns out they are so next weekend they will be coming out! If, like me, you are unsure as to whether a leafy being is a weed or not, you can always let it grown a little and if you see it popping up in random places chances are it's a weed. I think you can also google the image, but that is something I will try later on in the warmer weather with plants I do not recognise.

This fern and aster were on another bed (in the post about weeding), but I want to use the bed they were in for veg, so I moved them to another part of the garden. They look more at home where they are now, and I can plant around them as well.

Lastly, under the recommendation of my in-law gardener, I separated a fern from a rose. I was careful not to damage the rose, and it was hard to separate both plants so had to use some force. I am unsure as to why the landlord pruned most of the leaves, so I chopped all the leaves off and left the crown. I have moved the fern slightly to the right where it'll be shadier and where it will hopefully grow happier.

And to end the weekend, it's always nice to sit back and flick through your catalogues and see not only what you are going to buy next, but also what plants you would like in the future. Further on I will share my scrapbook on gardening. I am currently collecting clippings, etc and need to find an appropriate way of showcasing tips, images, etc. But in the meantime...