The "Grow Your Own" Thread

[b3h]

Most of my propagator seeds have started to sprout. The one I would imagine are the easiest to grow and a bit naff haven't yet - pansies. Nor lobelia.

Ordered a few dinnerplate dahlia bulbs off J.Parkers which have come - no doubt they won't be as massive as the pros grow them but we'll see. Also some Begonia Majestic plugs which come when they're ready. Had the begonias last year, if anyone is after a nice flower they had massive flowers coming through for about 4 months, about 7/8 inches across. Really like them.

 

[sycophantia]

Managed to get a couple of days I the garden, quite a lot of tidying needed, think I might get a knock on the door when the green bin gets emptied.
Most work was redesigning our 'wild area' still a bit to do but its getting there.
Planting this afternoon and probably tomorrow.
Last year both me and the missus remarked how few worms there were, this time the garden is full of them, every fork full of earth I turned over had at least half dozen of the little blighters, I guess that's a good thing?

 

[leedswolf]

Last year both me and the missus remarked how few worms there were, this time the garden is full of them, every fork full of earth I turned over had at least half dozen of the little blighters, I guess that's a good thing?

Absolutey! Improves soil structure immensly.

 

[lemonjelly]

Belated info on garden pottering conducted so far this year - most of this info relates to things happening in march;
Sowed some cauliflower seeds in march
Sowed some lettuce in march
Sown some pink flowers (no idea what!).
Have an alstroemeria (peruvian lily) that we split into 2 pots. One needed splitting again. The 2nd was rehoused in a big pot last year, and still has a bit of space, so decided to wait a year to split it. This also allows the other one time to settle and bush out.
Noticed in mid march one or two of the balloon plants have the first signs of growth. I potted up a few of these last year and hope for decent plants.
Also noticed the bluebells are sprouting.
Fritillaria are sprouting and flowering. A couple were in pots last year and I planted them out and pleased to see them sprouting (was worried squirrels or something might dig up the bulbs)
The blackcurrants (including some cuttings I planted out) have buds and leaves, as do the raspberries which I moved late last year. Blueberry plant also has some buds (and hopefully space given the raspberries being moved).
Spent a day having a pretty thorough weed of numerous pots, and the paving slabs recently.
The Asian lilies are just starting to sprout in mid march.
We have a daisy plant (aldi purchase!) that was filling a large pot and I split that into 4 plants. Fingers crossed that kicks in.
Rose bush cuttings taken last summer (at the wrong time too!) seem to be doing well in the main.

Always difficult to decide when to start planting veg. Usually I go too early. It has been really mild. My wife gets photo reminders on her phone, and the weekend just gone she had a reminder of taking photos of snow this time last year.

23 and 24 march I spent time in the garden. I sowed Antirrhinum seeds, Rudbeckia seeds, Cleame seeds, Cornflower seeds, and Morning Glory seeds. I also noticed the Camellia has numerous flowers open, plus many extra buds, and looks lovely. I hope this develops this year, enabling me to pot it up in autumn, as in bloom it is quite a sight. Madness that owing to poor placement, and using wrong compost we nearly lost it, but you live and learn!

Over the easter days I have sown sunflowers, petunias, and lavatera. I also threw a few poppy seeds over an area that I dug up last autumn and am not doing anything with for a while.
I found various seeds I collected late last year, so have sown some balloon plants.
The Asian lilies started sprouting, so I have got those planters out from under cover. I also got the Iris’ out, as they are well on the way. One or 2 flower heads have appeared.
I managed to sow some cosmos, sweet peas, and marigolds.
Some of the pots with balloon plants in have started sprouting, so again I got these out from under cover.
I have sown some spring onions, after harvesting the ones I was over-wintering.

1st weekend of April I sowed more cosmos, more marigolds, and something called graceland (ammi magus). I do suspect the slugs have been at the things I have sown already, as it looks like all the cauliflowers have gone…

 

[leedswolf]

@sycophantia

Earthworm crowned UK invertebrate of the year by Guardian readers

Lumbricus terrestris claims landslide victory with 38% of vote, while Asian or yellow-legged hornet comes in last with 0.8%

www.theguardian.com

 

[lemonjelly]

2nd weekend in April was pleasant weather, enabling a fair bit of pottering in the garden.
I added some new compost to the balloon plants in their pots.
Sown seeds for cauliflowers (as the slugs destroyed the whole original batch), sprouts, thyme, cucumber, 1st tomatoes, basil, 2nd lettuce, and a fair few marigolds.
Annoyingly the weather is supposed to change and be more wet and slug/snail friendly, so everything is at risk. It’s why I have sown so many marigolds – apparently slugs hate them and stay away.
I still have a fair few things I need to sow, but I don’t have any room now! And god help me when the stuff sown does sprout and needs potting up, because then I will have even less space, though I hope by then some stuff can come outside.
Have to do a load of other jobs now (tidying and stuff) that don’t involve planning and hopefully keep me from checking on what has germinated every couple of hours whilst panicking nothing will sprout, or the seeds are rubbish, like I do every year…

The weather at the end of April starting drying out. I spent a bit of time doing tidying jobs (weeding, strimming etc when there was sufficient dryness!)
Thankfully, the early May bank holiday enabled pottering in some pleasant weather!
I sowed some rudbeckia seeds. I collected them from the plants I grew last year, so we will see if anything happens!
I have sown a 2nd lot of spring onions. The first lot haven’t sprouted yet – don’t know if that relates to the cold/weather.
I noticed the Rhododendron bush has flowers about to open. That’s always exciting, and it reminds us of when we moved in, because it was a burst of colour as we moved into this house.
Slugs/snails have had a field day with numerous plants. The sunflowers got hammered, even some magnolias (which they’re not supposed to like!) I am sure several caulis and sprouts amongst other stuff have been eaten too.
The bluebells have looked amazing this year. We planted the bulbs several years ago, and they seem to have finally established. We think there are some in places we didn’t sow them!
The apple tree is in full blossom. The cherry blossom is almost all gone from the tree now, but it did (for a few days) look amazing.
Flowers have appeared on the blackcurrant plants, and also the blueberry bush.
The lilies have burst into flower all of a sudden.
I have sown a second lot of tomatoes, as none of the first lot sprouted yet 9watch loads of them sprout this week now!) I also sowed some cherry tomatoes which I don’t usually grow.
Likewise the 1st cucumbers I have sown haven’t sprouted, so I have sown a 2nd batch in case.
Several more trays of marigolds were sown over the weekend. I also found some old parsnip and leek seeds. I have sown them as the alternative was to throw them away. Not hopeful, but may as well use them up eh?
Some of the stuff that has sprouted (cosmos, some early marigolds, the lavatera, plus lettuce and so on) was brought out of the greenhouse to make space, and also let them harden off ready for planting out.
Sowed more lettuce, and sunflowers to replace the casualties.
The dahlias are sprouting now. The Asian lilies, and peruvian lilies are kicking in (need to split the Asian lilies this autumn). The daisy I split 2 months ago seems to be growing which is good.
I still have several seeds to sow, including some wildflowers and forget me nots (although there are already loads of forget me nots all over the garden growing wild, but which look lovely!)

 

[b3h]

So far so good with the dahlias. Slugs or maybe caterpillars had a good bash at them but they've made it through. Mixed luck with them previously and figured I'd have one more go. Grown from tubers - I removed all but the best 3 stems and also pinched them off about 4 inches high. They're dinner plate variety so hoping for some heads as big as Harry Maguires

 

[lemonjelly]

Mid-may;
Noticed the wisteria has quite a collection of flower buds. Particularly happy about this, as we moved the plant a couple of years ago, and the stem snapped badly. We thought we’d lose it. However there is plenty of new growth on the plant too, and we built a pergola especially for it. The wisteria is started to spread across the structure, and should look good in a couple more years.
I weeded around the base of the pergola, and found some perennial sweet peas planted there last year have re-sprouted. Also a clematis with an amazing large blue flower which we also worried was struggling seems to be doing ok. Hopefully that can establish itself this year, thicken up, and then pruning it will help it.
The raspberries and blackcurrants have fruits on already.
The calla lilies have sprouted. This feels quite late for them, but that may be my impatience.
I have sown more sunflower seeds, as the previous ones got slugged good and proper. Ditto for sprouts.
I noticed the rhododendron and carnation plants burst into flower all of a sudden. The white lilies are flowering amazingly – loads of flowers, more than we have ever had I think.
Obtained some nigella seeds, so sown them hoping we’re in time for them.
The apple tree has baby fruits appearing as the blossom disappears. The tree is mad, one year it is abundant, the next will only have 2 fruits, almost biennial.
Spent much of the weekend weeding, and found a number of gladioli ‘s are sprouting, as well as verbena and more sweet peas sown last year.
The bluebells are bow done, but the hostas are looking good, as are the geraniums.

Late May;
Spotted around the 20th that both the Asian lilies, and also the peruvian lilies are about to open the flower buds. The peruvian lilies in particular look like they have a lot of buds and will look glorious.
I finally got around to sowing a load of wildflower seeds, including a packet of forget me nots that have been sitting around.
I have sown more basil, as the first lot has mainly sprouted but some got slugged. The first thyme I sowed didn’t germinate as far as I can tell, so trying again.
Last year we bought what looks like a glorious clematis hybrid. It has huge purple flowers, though seems to grow slowly. Aldi had them in again, and the wife asked me to get another one in the hope they thicken up and create a display, so when I popped by I collected one, and that has been planted by the trellis/pergola. This made me tidy around the pergola, and have found several perennial sweet pea plants have sprouted.
I have sown a couple more trays of marigolds. It seems like I say/type this a lot. I seem to have more luck with marigolds, as well as an abundance of seeds.
I cleared out the greenhouse of several trays or pots of stuff that isn’t germinating, or has been demolished by slugs.
Amazingly, some sweet Williams which we planted in pots years ago have repeatedly flowered, and are doing so again. I thought they were biennials, not perennials, but they seem to be staying!

At the beginning of June I planted out the gracelands, and one lot of cosmos. I filled some trellis planters with marigolds, rudbeckia, sweet peas and morning glory plants.
I have sown some more spring onions.
Definitely finding it an odd year. Some stuff has sprouted, but then appears not to be growing further. A lot of plants seem to be way behind where they would usually be. The lavatera and cornflowers haven’t changed for a while, similar the morning glory. My tomatoes seem to be making spectacularly slow progress this year.
Aside from the occasional hot day, the weather has been generally cool. Wonder if that is what it is?

I potted up the cucumbers and a few tomatoes that aren’t doing so well, in the hope that new compost encourages them on.
I have sown the last of my spring onion seeds in early June.
We’re eating the first lot of lettuce! I paused sowing this, as we’re away late June, so will sow some more soon to germinate whilst we are away.
I have started planting our various flowers, either into the ground (which I don’t do that much) and into some planters, including ones with trellis’. Varieties include cosmos, rudbeckia, sweet pea, marigold and morning glory – these should be big and climbing up stuff by now but aren’t. The cosmos and graceland I planted out seem to have settled well, and flower buds are near. I have also planted out the Antirhinum plants.
The raspberries are covered in fruits, and several fruits are ripe already. I foresee many crumbles, pies, and potential for weight gain sadly!

Mid June – I potted up the sprouts that had survived this far (from the first lot I sowed). There were only 3 or 4, and as time passed a few of those went by the wayside!
I also potted up the cherry tomatoes that had sprouted (3 out of 10..), some tomatoes from the 2nd batch I sowed, and 3 sunflowers. I also potted up some basil that was getting to a decent size.
I had taken 30 rose cuttings from some plants where we play bowls. The plants flower with multiple heads, and look amazing in summer. 24 of them have developed into plants, and I moved them into individual pots as it has been a year since I took the cuttings.
We then went away during the single weeks heatwave and missed it. My stepdaughter tried to look after the plants in my absence. Came back and a few have died, or are really struggling – especially the cucumbers. Aside from bits of potting up, the focus at the moment will be trying to nurture some of these plants back.
I did buy some spring onions seeds and have sown them right at the end of June, as the last lot of seeds seem to be a bit hit and miss as to how many I get. I did also pot up some toms that had grown in my absence. I also ended up spending a fair bit of time pruning hedges, as by now I’d hope young birds are out of the nests etc.

Early July;
Finally got around to planting the 3 sole sunflowers that survived the slugs and heat. I also planted out the 5-6 cauliflower and 4 sprouts plants that survived the heatwave. I lost a few.
I spent pretty much a day potting up various tomatoes. It’s bizarre how you plant a load of seeds at the same time, in the same conditions, yet they grow at different rates. I have some tomato plants that are a decent size, and the first flowers have appeared, yet other seeds are just sprouting!
I potted on the thyme plants that were in the 2nd batch, as the first lot wasn’t successful.
Like the tomatoes, the first dahlias are flowering, but all the bulbs are in a separate stage of development. However, that means we will have flowers and colour throughout the coming months!
The daisies that I split are full of blooms and look lovely. I am looking forward to potting up a couple of them in spring next year, and also splitting the big one further.
We are absolutely over-run with raspberries! The amount we are picking is ridiculous. Starting to get close to having a full freezer, and may end up leaving loads for the wildlife.
Really pleased with the crop of blackcurrants this year. I took some cuttings a year or so ago, and those plants are also fruiting!

Will now be a bit sad, as I know Paul would have responded to this thread/post, or started messaging me.

 

[EpsomWolf]

Bit of a 2nd year update from an amature’s perspective:

First year was a bit overwhelming but just about kept everything alive and under control. Was really beneficial watching the different seasons and learning what was what and how cutting back (or not as the case may be) impacts on the following year.

The plant identifier apps were a godsend, so went through the garden identifying everything, then YouTubing each plant specifically to learn about its care. Learned very quickly the importance of both pruning and feed, something bar a bit of random reckless hacking away when things looked a bit out of control and wandering about with a watering can when it got very hot I’d never really done before.

Had a couple of very close calls - the new roses the foxes repeatedly dug up survived, but were very limp and looking sorry for themselves. Thought they were dying altogether at one stage but cut them right back as per YT instructions and have been feeding them lots. There’s very strong new growth now and I think they’re on the way but looks like it will be next year before we start to see proper results.

Thought I’d really fucked up with the box hedges. Had been warned by the previous owners that they have to be sprayed religiously or the box hedge moth/caterpillar would destroy them in an instant. Sprayed last year but got lazy this, then suddenly noticed they were devouring the hedge and it was turning brown very quickly. Thought I’d lost the lot. Quickly sprayed and fed them, and miraculously they’ve fully recovered. Just in the nick of time I think. Won’t trim them to shape this year as want them to get strong again but got away with one there so have now set a calendar alarm to spray 3 times per year as per YT recommendations.

Biggest success was a bamboo that was planted last year to block out an overlooking window. It didn’t really do too much last year and any growth was yellow and spindly, but YT says the growth in the spring/summer is determined by the feed and preparation the previous autumn. Was quite brave and got stuck in, thinned it right out, fed it well and this year it’s been going nuts.



Buoyed by the success of that got into feeding everything which has seen some lovely results. There’s some Jasmine out the front which is in direct sunlight and was looking a bit dry and sorry for itself, which is now has rich leaves and bursting into blossom. Amazing scent from it too. Same with the border plants and a few pots too.

Did get carried away with the feed though and overdid it on the lawn. Did some fairly sizeable re sowing patches and cut in a few bits of turf last year where it was really bad and the results were… ‘ok’ by the spring, so used some lawn care treatment a couple of times and wow, suddenly had a lush green lawn. Got sucked into the bad habit of using it too regularly (or perhaps just laying too much down at a time?) and now there are what looks like scorched patches. Hoping that’ll recover but a lesson learned.

Overall very happy so far. Have gone from feeling overwhelmed and seeing it as a little bit of a chore, to really quite enjoying it and thinking I can do this. Never going to be a natural but for the basic desired outcomes probably don’t need to be.

One things for sure though, would never be achievable without the internet, thank goodness for that. Quite looking forward to autumn and getting prepped for next year now too. Never thought I’d find myself saying that.

 

[ROVERT47]

wait weeks for them to open and they only last about a week.

 

[lemonjelly]

View attachment 11219wait weeks for them to open and they only last about a week.

worth it tho!

 

[lemonjelly]

Early July,
Still waiting for summer…
Planted out the foxgloves that will flower next year.
Potted on various tomatoes, and the cherry toms.
The slugs have very quickly demolished the sunflowers I planted out.
I have spent a fair bit of time pruning a tree. This got me to thinking about how there are some things we are desperate to get growing, and yet there are other things we want to not grow.
I intended to have a week off to paint the exterior of the house. We deferred this last year, owing to how much it rained all the time. It looks strongly like we will defer the painting again. Thus I will likely end up finishing off taking apart the shed that I started demolishing a while ago. So the time won’t be wasted. It’ll be good to get that done and then order (and build) the new one.

Mid/late July;
Everything appears to be blooming all of a sudden. Several balloon plants have flowers. The dahlias are all appearing – some I suspect need repotting next spring. The daisy plants which I split have a gorgeous display of flowers. In particular, the calla lilies look great. One, which is a dark purple has a lot of flowers.
The apple tree is full of apples. It’s a strange tree – pre dates our arrival here. Seems to have a maximum of 2 apples in one year, then loads the next.

I have acquired a new composter. I previously had 6. I have had to sneak this one in, as the good lady would go mad. However, I create far too much stuff to go into composters, and the stuff does get used, so I am waiting to get found out… I filled it yesterday. I have 2 that are full and will be emptied next year. 2 That I have filled and the stuff in there needs to break down, and 2 that are full of “fresh” stuff that will break down significantly over the year/autumn/winter meaning they have space next year.
I planted out the nigella seeds I was given. Loads of slug pellets around them, as the slugs have decimated some things this year. I think this is the first year I have lost all the sunflowers.
The sprouts and cauli’s I planted out seem to be doing ok at the moment.
Some tomato plants have finally flowered, yet I have loads of small plants I am still potting on.
Most of July was spent demolishing a shed. Then chopping the bits up so I could transport it to the tip. 5 trips so far, and have at least 1 more to do. New shed should arrive in mid august (they have already missed one delivery date!)

Early august
Kinda resting a bit after the endeavours of taking down the shed. Enjoying seeing the dahlias coming into flower, spending time deadheading a lot.
Potted up the thyme plants to enable them to settle in time for Christmas dinner.
My mom and dad came over, and asked for some marigolds to take to my grandparents graves. All the ones they had planted have been slugged this year. Unfortunately when they visited and asked, it was just after I planted out the last of mine (which then also got slugged!) I gave them some which were in a tray, but tbh I had given up on. So I have sown some more very late in the year in the hope I can pass them on.
I sowed 12 or more cucumber plants. The majority germinated. However during the June heatwave most of them died off. 5 survived, or which now only 2 remain. Hopefully we get a few cucumbers at least.
We have started eating the basil, and I sowed more lettuce as we are making our own salad boxes for lunches where possible.

Mid august
Took delivery of the shed, and spent over a day swearing at it (translates as trying to erect it).

 

[lemonjelly]

Bit of a 2nd year update from an amature’s perspective:

First year was a bit overwhelming but just about kept everything alive and under control. Was really beneficial watching the different seasons and learning what was what and how cutting back (or not as the case may be) impacts on the following year.

The plant identifier apps were a godsend, so went through the garden identifying everything, then YouTubing each plant specifically to learn about its care. Learned very quickly the importance of both pruning and feed, something bar a bit of random reckless hacking away when things looked a bit out of control and wandering about with a watering can when it got very hot I’d never really done before.

Had a couple of very close calls - the new roses the foxes repeatedly dug up survived, but were very limp and looking sorry for themselves. Thought they were dying altogether at one stage but cut them right back as per YT instructions and have been feeding them lots. There’s very strong new growth now and I think they’re on the way but looks like it will be next year before we start to see proper results.

Thought I’d really fucked up with the box hedges. Had been warned by the previous owners that they have to be sprayed religiously or the box hedge moth/caterpillar would destroy them in an instant. Sprayed last year but got lazy this, then suddenly noticed they were devouring the hedge and it was turning brown very quickly. Thought I’d lost the lot. Quickly sprayed and fed them, and miraculously they’ve fully recovered. Just in the nick of time I think. Won’t trim them to shape this year as want them to get strong again but got away with one there so have now set a calendar alarm to spray 3 times per year as per YT recommendations.

Biggest success was a bamboo that was planted last year to block out an overlooking window. It didn’t really do too much last year and any growth was yellow and spindly, but YT says the growth in the spring/summer is determined by the feed and preparation the previous autumn. Was quite brave and got stuck in, thinned it right out, fed it well and this year it’s been going nuts.

View attachment 10986

Buoyed by the success of that got into feeding everything which has seen some lovely results. There’s some Jasmine out the front which is in direct sunlight and was looking a bit dry and sorry for itself, which is now has rich leaves and bursting into blossom. Amazing scent from it too. Same with the border plants and a few pots too.

Did get carried away with the feed though and overdid it on the lawn. Did some fairly sizeable re sowing patches and cut in a few bits of turf last year where it was really bad and the results were… ‘ok’ by the spring, so used some lawn care treatment a couple of times and wow, suddenly had a lush green lawn. Got sucked into the bad habit of using it too regularly (or perhaps just laying too much down at a time?) and now there are what looks like scorched patches. Hoping that’ll recover but a lesson learned.

Overall very happy so far. Have gone from feeling overwhelmed and seeing it as a little bit of a chore, to really quite enjoying it and thinking I can do this. Never going to be a natural but for the basic desired outcomes probably don’t need to be.

One things for sure though, would never be achievable without the internet, thank goodness for that. Quite looking forward to autumn and getting prepped for next year now too. Never thought I’d find myself saying that.

sure I read something not long ago that mentioned how invasive bamboo can be? And also it recommended not planting it near a property, and it is really strong and can grow through foundations!

 

[EpsomWolf]

Yes that can be the case, but we had a plan and researched it beforehand so made sure the specific type we chose was non-invasive and grew in a clump. After a year of pretty much just staring at it disappointingly and hoping it’d grow, last years thinning and feeding have worked wonders and looking forward to the autumn work and next years growth already.

Always a tricky one trying to create privacy. Fences work well at ground level but aren’t much cop for upstairs windows and suchlike and most growing solutions take years. Didn’t want to be an arsehole and just shove something right under it that’ll block it completely and cut out the light, so the bamboo seems a fair compromise and a tasteful screen which lets ample light through and will hopefully keep everyone happy.

Apart from a few smaller plants added here and there the only other sort of strategic change was to plant an Acacia Dealbata (Mimosa Tree)



The research indicated the long thin trunk means you don’t lose much footprint in the garden/lawn area but the broad top with pretty evergreen leaf should hopefully give additional screening too. Haven’t had any of its bright yellow fluffy-ball type flowers yet but it’s survived the first winter and getting it through that and established is part of the challenge apparently with the real rewards further down the line. They do seem to be a tree not without risk but as with the other stuff I’m trying to learn quickly and willing to put the effort in so fingers crossed it’ll work out.

Lots to consider with this gardening mullarkey but the pieces seem to be coming together. I’m sure a pro would laugh at some of the efforts but tbh as a beginner pretty happy with how it’s going so far.

 

[lemonjelly]

Mid to late august

The shed is up! Waiting for the winds to test how secure it is!
All the dahlias seem to be at different stages. This years climate seems odd.
We’re eating a fair bit of the salad veg that have grown, so have sown another load of lettuce seeds. No doubt the weather will change to weather that suits salads less. Eating the basil is lovely!
Also sown yet more spring onions. Have a series of troughs of these growing at different stages, and harvested one such trough.
The tomatoes are finally flowering. I don’t usually put canes in them, but they were becoming a mess in the greenhouse, so I have put support canes in most of them. The cherry tomato plants have nothing (yet). Whilst adding the canes noticed a couple of tiny fruits appearing. It seems late this year?
Speaking of late, the cucumber plants have only just flowered. Again, that seems very late.
The balloon plants are approaching the end of their flowering, but have been good. The daisy plants appear done too. The peruvian lilies seem to have flowered less than last year.
In a few weeks, I will be splitting the Asian lilies in prep for next year. Already started planning spring jobs too – in particular there are several pots of European lilies that need splitting and potting up.
I also have a number of hedges/tree branches to prune, but will save the wood as shredding it makes a good mulch, and reduces weeds appearing/growing in the pots!

Late august;
I have started collecting seeds for next year. In the main this has been cosmos seeds (the cosmos flowers do look wonderful tbh. I’ve a few varieties, and all flowered well. Hoping the seeds do me good for next summer). There also appears to be an unusual type of marigold growing in 2 pots I have. I was given a packet of marigold seeds (I have loads from prev years, but sowed them anyway) and they are way taller than my usual variety, with very different flowers, so been collecting those seed heads.
The other main task has been deadheading regularly.
The first tomato fruits are now visible, so watering and feeding is also the order of the day/week/season.
I also potted up a camellia. I do have a huge pot it will end up in either next year, or the year after. We’ve had it years, and it struggled for a long time – mainly because we put it in the wrong place, and didn’t care for it right. Since being in a shaded area with ericaceous compost it has started thriving, and now has a lovely thick stalk and root system. This spring it had the most amazing flowers on it, and I hope to try taking some cuttings from it next summer to have a go at propagating it.

September;
Apart from the occasional mow of the lawn, it’s mainly collecting seeds in anticipation of next year.
Been noticing when walking that leaves are changing on the trees. This means that soon, raking up the leaves in the garden will be one of the jobs to do (I don’t know why, but I find that job really frustrating!)
The first week of September was doing nothing.
Mid September saw me splitting the Asian lilies we have, in the hope we have some lovely colour in spring.
I was also moving stuff in and out of the greenhouse when we had the cold spell.
I started getting some moss out of some areas that are grassed – an oft neglected job.
Dahlias continue to flower (feels very late, but buds are appearing still). The peruvian lilies flower early in the year, and are now flowering for the 2nd time. Lovely reds and yellows.
It also feels like the tomatoes and cucumbers are fruiting very late this year. I expect to be using my greenhouse a lot through autumn, but hope it will be warm.

Mid to late September;
Noticed that despite the weather and lateness of the year, the dahlias are budding like mad still. Some are only just coming out.
The calla lilies are doing well – one in particular is covered in dark flowers.
The roses cuttings I took late last summer have been flowering, and look really good. Will pot them on early next year I think.
The camellia that I repotted recently (and will pot up again next year) is covered in new buds and growth. To think we struggled with it for 2-3 years!
I have been looking at our European lilies, and been planning potting them up/dividing them in spring.

It’s the last week of sept/first week of oct. We’ve finally picked the first red tomato (a small amount of the others are starting to change colour, finally). I also plucked the first cucumber off the 2 plants that survived in the hope it encourages others to grow. They’ve had to go into the greenhouse owing to the falling temperatures.
It feel rather late for things to be turning? However a quick google suggests that sept/oct is a traditional time for harvest festivals in the UK. Does that feel right?
The wet weather is causing the sprouts to grow taller, and noticed the first cauliflower head has appeared. Have to time it right to pick those.
My dahlias and cosmos plants are going nuts – so many flower buds etc. I am continuing to collect as many seeds as I can, especially from the cosmos as they look wonderful.
Speaking of which, I went out at the weekend collecting sweet pea seeds for next year, and I collected a proper glut of seeds – way more than I need, so will be sharing them around. And I think the plants they are off are perennials, so they should come back anyway!

 

[lemonjelly]

Early October;
I took the sweet pea plants down. I’d harvested a lot of seed pods, and tbh we’d also planted 2 clematis plants where the sweet peas are too, and part of me is worried the sweet peas will/could choke out the clematis plants which are lovely plants if we can get them to settle, and they have beautiful large blue flowers, so we want them to establish. Hoping next year their stems thicken.
The wisteria is now properly in place, and is growing over the pergola. We’re having to tie bits onto the frame to train it to grow. There are new flowers appearing in October!
We had 3-4 nice days weather wise at the start of the month that enabled me to mow the lawn and scarify to get moss out. There was a lot, and if time and weather allows I’d like to scarify again. Garden jobs at this time of year are difficult, as you only have weekends (owing to work) and if it is wet at the weekend, everything ends up being put off.
The peruvian lilies are flowering again. They’re odd in how they seem to flower twice each year, but they’re amazing eye catching plants. We love how colourful they are at times when other things aren’t colourful.
The daisy plants I had split seemed to die off, and now have new growth.
The balloon plants are dying off. These are often the first plants to go (once the Asian lilies have gone, which go early autumn).
In saying all of this, the dahlias and cosmos continue to create new flower buds and thrive. We’ve loved the cosmos, and will definitely grow a lot more next year. One seed tray has created an amazing display, and we have bigger plans for next year, and I have collected (and continue to collect) a lot of seeds.
I’ve started putting a few garden items that live outside in the summer away, to protect them from the inclement weather. I also know soon it will be time to start raking leaves, a job that for some reason always frustrates me…

Mid-late October;
I brought the calla lilies inside, to accompany the succulents already brought in.
Have been spending a lot of time raking, as expected. Both getting the moss out of bits of the garden (guess the wet summer impacted this) as well as the leaves. Have to keep on top of raking the leaves, because if I don’t, I can’t see where the dog poop is. I always find raking up the leaves really frustrating, especially as we have 2 large trees at the bottom of the garden (however neither are actually in our blooming garden!) that shed, and worse, one doesn’t start shedding until the other tree has completely finished! A windy night has pretty much cleared out the remainder of one tree, but I can now see the leaves on the 2nd tree changing colour.
Speaking of colours, I have been loving the change, even though the weather for most of autumn hasn’t been fantastic. The times of walking or driving down a road or similar, and the leaves are falling like snow. The total variety of shades, colours and tones is glorious, albeit very brief.

Last weekend in October I harvested all the tomatoes. Decent crop all things considered!

Early November;
Started the annual raking of leaves. I save them for leaf mould, but it is a job that annoys me. I get frustrated that one tree sheds, then the other tree waits a week then starts shedding. Also, it means finding dog poop in the garden is extremely difficult for a few weeks as it hides amongst the leaves in camouflage.
I started putting some of the bulbs that have died off away, even though it is relatively mild. The fuscias too.
Whilst doing this, I noticed that the Iris bulbs are sprouting? Prior to winter? Is that usual? I thought they sprout in spring? Irises are supposedly hardy, so fingers crossed leaving them outside will be ok. That said, there are all sorts of other oddities going on in the garden.
The daisy plants which I split are regrowing, and have flower buds appearing. Again, it seems a strange time of year for this to occur.
In addition, there are flower buds on the rhododendron bush opening. This usually happens in April.
I tied the wisteria, as we’re training it to grow on a pergola type thing we built a few years ago. On the other side of the pergola I bought a couple of clematis plants from aldi, which have lovely purple flowers. Cleared a lot of space around the base, in the hope it encourages the 2 plants to really settle down and take over the area across the next 2 years.
I’ve chopped back 2 ivy plants that were getting out of hand. I’ve given the lawn a second scarify (again it feels strange having done that in November).
The cosmos and dahlias are still going strong in the main. I am still collecting cosmos seeds. I want to pot up 2 of the dahlia bulbs, and am trying to pick the right weekend to do it before winter kicks in.
I have sown some sweet pea seeds to give them an over winter head start. They’ll live in the greenhouse for the next 5 months.

 

[ROVERT47]

Got crocuses and daffodils sticking their heads out, crazy.