TLFlowers

[Steve V8]

Oh dear... It seems I've become one of those men of a certain age, my own seeds are no longer required, so I've started planting bloody flower seeds, vegetable seeds, fruit seeds, even cannabis seeds. My once tidy little garden now looks like the jungle, with flowers tomatoes and strawberries sprouting from every crevice. I've even surprised myself with my green fingered talents.

I've looked back through the general chat and can't find a gardening thread, so is it just me, or is gardening a secret hobby not to be spoken of, what have you cultivated? Anyways I'm pretty proud of my sunflowers 🌻 🌻 🌻 .

 

 

[Bibs]

We've just moved an have a very well stocked garden now. Looks lovely but takes some looking after! 

So far I've bought a mini-chainsaw, power pruning saw, extending hedge trimmer, another hedge trimmer and a robot mower! 

Undecided about what to do with this in the front garden but giving serious consideration to buying another chainsaw! 

[Escape]

I don't really have the patience for gardening. I do try to keep some greens around the Workshop, as there's way too much concrete in the area as it is (being an industrial estate). Just after the shop was built I threw in a few packages of phacelia and mustard seed. Those did well the first year, a bit less the second year and have since all but disappeared, much to my disappointment. 3 years ago I actually borrowed a small plow to cultivate the area next to the building in hopes to get rid of the grass. I sowed a (professional) wild flower mix, but the results were disappointing. Even more so the next year, now the grass has taking over almost completely. Some flowers do pop up, just not as much as I had hoped. On the bright side, the butterfly bush has gone out of control, so plenty of flowers there. And the hibiscus is thriving as well. I just want some more color throughout, I'll try and make another effort next year. I don't really care what plants, as long as it's not grass and brings some color without needing too much attention. So basically weeds with flowers. 😁 

[Steve V8]

1 hour ago, Bibs said:

We've just moved an have a very well stocked garden now. Looks lovely but takes some looking after! 

So far I've bought a mini-chainsaw, power pruning saw, extending hedge trimmer, another hedge trimmer and a robot mower! 

Undecided about what to do with this in the front garden but giving serious consideration to buying another chainsaw! 

What a lovely garden, that'll take some looking after...

[Bibs]

Thank you! Believe it or not, it was also full of tonnes of plastic plants when we moved it, almost filled a whole 6yd skip with them! We've got tonnes of ivy too which I'm in the process of removing, hence the power pruner and hedge trimmers!

 

[oneshot]

We have had 5Kg of damsons from our damson tree.

Also have a vine in the conservatory.

 

[exeterjeep]

2 hours ago, Bibs said:

this in the front garden

if they are power cables your local electricity company must be overdue a visit to check clearances. We have 2 visits every few years, 1 to check 11kv and a 2nd team that check the low voltage lines.

If BT cables then they don't care... 

On the subject of chain saws I have a number of electric ones, and a battery one. Petrol tools especially chain saws are a total pita - did have one.

[Bibs]

I've gone down the Ryobi route and it's all electric, a couple of spare batteries and they'll be more than enough for me. 

We have an easement I think it is for the electric board to access the garden to trim the tree. I can't recall the last time it was done so I think a quick call to them and see if they'll have a go is on order and see if I can blag the gang on the day to give it a solid, robust trim down to the roots.

[ChrisJ]

56 minutes ago, oneshot said:

We have had 5Kg of damsons from our damson tree.

Also have a vine in the .

We have had a load of damsons as well - not picked them all yet. No pears at all this year after a bumper crop last year - loads of blossom, but nothing. Going to try to bottle our apple juice this year. Our grape vine produces loads of bunches, but they never get beyond very small - not in a conservatory though.

We brought some Vegebags last year to move around the patio, supplemented with a couple of Vegepods this year (Self Contained Raised Garden Bed Kits UK - Vegepod UK). All of them work really well, but the pods work too well for taller plants - Broccoli for example - which soon fill them up.

Runner beans were all munched by snails while we were away, and as usual, we planted way too many tomatoes.

Also got a Link-Tap watering system for when we go away as in the past have come back from holiday and all the veg has died due to lack of water - although that wouldn't have happened this year. Wireless Watering System - LinkTap (link-tap.com) I have found that this works best with the Gardena micro drip system - and not random pipes/sprays from Amazon.

 

[exeterjeep]

1 hour ago, Bibs said:

if I can blag the gang on the day to give it a solid, robust trim down to the roots.

I have tried that - no luck. 

[Chillidoggy]

11 hours ago, Steve V8 said:

Oh dear... It seems I've become one of those men of a certain age, my own seeds are no longer required, so I've started planting bloody flower seeds, vegetable seeds, fruit seeds, even cannabis seeds. My once tidy little garden now looks like the jungle, with flowers tomatoes and strawberries sprouting from every crevice. I've even surprised myself with my green fingered talents.

I've looked back through the general chat and can't find a gardening thread, so is it just me, or is gardening a secret hobby not to be spoken of, what have you cultivated? Anyways I'm pretty proud of my sunflowers 🌻 🌻 🌻 .

 

 

As an example of Feng Shui, that bin is perfectly positioned.

[Steve V8]

You're supposed to be looking at the sunflower not the bin, that just proves you have a dirty mind🤫.

[TAR]

My parents were avid gardeners but it hasn't really rubbed of on me. I do try and keep a few plants which bees and insects are attracted. Not many butterflies this year but lots of bumble bees, and at least 5 different types of wild bee. 

I have some soft fruit; strawberries which ran riot across the grass. Blackberries, raspberries and a couple of miniature apple trees. 

I try and keep a no-mow lawn through the summer as that also helps with the bugs. Only trouble is I now have some enormous spiders coming into the house  

[Bibs]

Any ideas on what this is and how to maintain it please? 

[Gjk]

Is there not a mobile phone app that could tell you @Bibs?

We have had a very good crop of tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, chillies and blueberries this year. The two Acer trees have grown a little and the bay tree has gone a bit mad. Didn’t get any olives though.

[Escape]

I've used plantnet with good results to get an idea of what plants I have.

[Steve V8]

12 hours ago, Gjk said:

Is there not a mobile phone app that could tell you @Bibs?

Yes, my stepdad (who happens to be just a couple of years older than me🫣) has one of those apps, for those of us not familiar with the difference between plants and weeds, chould be very useful. 

[Escape]

Even I can tell the difference between plants and weeds: if you go to a lot of trouble watering it etc and it's still barely growing or even dying, it's a plant. If it just keeps growing, even if you actively try to get rid of it, it's a weed. 😁

My preference is definitely flowering weeds!

[Gjk]

On 07/09/2023 at 10:11, ChrisJ said:

 

Runner beans were all munched by snails while we were away, 

 

 

The missus found some wool like slug and snail repellent that we put around the base of our veg when they had just been planted. It was pretty effective but not 100%, only lost 2 out of 8 bean plantings. Also if you put some fresh cut veg in amongst your plantings the slugs and snails eat the veg instead of what your trying to grown. I know that it sounds a bit counter intuitive but it does work. I think the other slug and snail repellent is marigolds planted in your veg patch but, haven’t tried it yet.

[TAR]

Weeds are just plants growing where you don't want them.

I've also been told that slugs and snails won't cross copper, so a bit of old copper pipe laid on the ground around your crop may also help  

[Steve V8]

1 hour ago, TAR said:

Weeds are just plants growing where you don't want them.

David Bellamy would be turning in his grave.

Weeds flower only once for a brief time whilst plants often flower for much longer periods, often throughout the growing seasons.

[Bibs]

My neighbours huge leylandii (trees, not an Italian Leyland!) have just been topped under a planning request at they were huge. He's taken them down to 9m and the planning order states 9.5m so I'll be back on the phone to the council to get him to do them again in six months no doubt. Wally. 

Height aside, they also overhang my garden by about 3m all the way up and I'd like them cut. Should I be paying for this, for cutting his trees? Should he be paying for it? If I pay for it, can I throw all the arisings in his garden? Quotes are about £750 at present. 

He's got a huge place and these trees are out the side of his house so he rarely sees them but they are the end of my garden just over the fence so a huge feature. I'd be happier if there was a 'thermal incident' and they were all gone as even when trimmed they'll be a real eyesore but ho-hum. 

 

[exeterjeep]

Neighbours are a pita - currently in dispute with one about damage they did to our wire fence.

Since we have lived here, we have had loads of trees down, some approaching 100ft, recently had 10 down due to ash dieback and they were on the edge of our property along the main road, think we paid (cash) close to £2k for this. But did have a load of logs for the log burner. £750 seems reasonable for the south east, how many does this cover.

We have a tree from next door overhanging our side path if it fell towards us could reach the house, but is unlikely to fall our way. The wife spoke to our tree surgeon who did not recommend us cutting the branches off that over hang our fence as it would make the tree lopsided and more likely to fall (in his direction.)

searching finds....

If you remove overhanging branches, therefore, you should return them, together with any fruit that is growing on them, to the owner of the tree or obtain their consent to dispose of them

and

You must offer the branches back. You cannot just throw them back as you are not looking after your neighbour (neighbour not being just your direct neighbour but anyone else it may affect). Taking the branches without offering would be classed as theft. Not sure how many people would take it that far though.

[ADF]

@Bibs Copper nails have there uses, not suggesting anything just saying.

[Bibs]

This is facing East so our morning sun too.