De-browning my garden and dead snails

Gers

I came back home yesterday after a week or so away and thought it's time to have a go at the garden. Bear in mind I am a new gardener so an emerging spring is a novel experience.

I've been 'de-browning' the plants which have long bare stems. I reckon that if they snap off easily then they are dead and can all be removed. There's some lovely new green growth underneath two or three plants so I hope I'm helping.

Also getting a trim is the hydrangea which still had dead flower heads on, all gone down to the new bud. Also lots of dead wood cut off too. Same with the old old rose and the black lace sambuca.

Again I've noticed a whole load of empty snail shells - I assume that they all drowned in the huge amount of rain which fell over Argyll this winter - 100% more than last year. Does this mean that all the eggs will have been destroyed too? Or do snail only live for one year and die off?

Next job later this week will be to rake up the dead wood from the lawn and spray any emerging dandelion plants. I thought I got them all last year but spotted two more growing this morning.

[Deleted User]

Gers wrote: »

...
Again I've noticed a whole load of empty snail shells - I assume that they all drowned in the huge amount of rain which fell over Argyll this winter - 100% more than last year. Does this mean that all the eggs will have been destroyed too? Or do snail only live for one year and die off?

Have they not been eaten by the birds? The thrushes tap-tap-tap the snails' shells on bricks in my garden and do a great job of keeping the garden snail free.

Sorry, don't know about the sex lives of snails though so no idea if they live for more than a year

I used to have a stunning black lace sambuca. I have to take it out as I needed to put a new path in - might have to find space for another one.

Gers

Not seen any thrushes in my garden. And the shells are not only on top of the soil but also underneath.

My black lace sambuca had grown too long and spidery so I did a heavy prune last year and it's now beginning to bud heavily. The branches got so unweidly that some were breaking off in high winds. The pink flowers were a complete joy so I'm reluctant to remove it. I had a enormous buddliea chainsawed down last year which was just horrible.

Ken68

Hi Gers...new to me this year is using vinegar for the weeds in the lawn, figure better for the birds.
Lidl 21p per 568ml. with squirt able top.They've gone brown, not sure if long lasting. Agree with Buddleia removal, nicer in other peoples garden.

Davesnave

Ken68 wrote: »

Agree with Buddleia removal, nicer in other peoples garden.

Then other people will get the butterflies!

The problem is that most gardeners have only met a few buddleia, and many of those will be self seeded, inferior sorts. There's quite a range, and some are only rarely seen.

No one should grow plants they don't like, so the question isn't which buddleia should you grow, but what will you put in their place to do the same job?

Ken68

Yes Dave.. Electric Blue is one.

Gers

Davesnave wrote: »

Then other people will get the butterflies!

The problem is that most gardeners have only met a few buddleia, and many of those will be self seeded, inferior sorts. There's quite a range, and some are only rarely seen.

No one should grow plants they don't like, so the question isn't which buddleia should you grow, but what will you put in their place to do the same job?

The one I had taken out was HUGE and was the orange blobby one which then went brown and blobby - not attractive at all. It's removal has opened up the little sitting area at the back of the garden which means that when I sit there (not too often so far) I can now see the rest of the garden and not this HUGE ugly thing!

This is a photo of the stump - it must have been growing for years and years.



Actually there were two HUGE bushes there, one with reddy / pink flowers. Both were overwhelming so have gone.



And here's the orange blobby thing.

Gers

Ken68 wrote: »

Hi Gers...new to me this year is using vinegar for the weeds in the lawn, figure better for the birds.
Lidl 21p per 568ml. with squirt able top.They've gone brown, not sure if long lasting. Agree with Buddleia removal, nicer in other peoples garden.

I'll perhaps try that though I do have litres of weedkiller!

Thanks

Kyrae

Do you use slug pellets? That'd explain the dead snails! Or any chemical treatments in the garden? Or any holes in the shells?

[Deleted User]

Gers wrote: »

Not seen any thrushes in my garden. And the shells are not only on top of the soil but also underneath...

Have you never heard of the lesser, spotted, burrowing thrush?

Gers

Kyrae wrote: »

Do you use slug pellets? That'd explain the dead snails! Or any chemical treatments in the garden? Or any holes in the shells?

I used slug pellets last year, glad if they're working. No holes in shells. Thanks for putting my mind at rest.

Spider_In_The_Bath wrote: »

Have you never heard of the lesser, spotted, burrowing thrush?

No, is it a new and as yet unrecorded species? :rotfl:

Yesterday I bought a couple of twigs which the nursery bloke assured me was a Dark Knight buddliea - it has two buds on so perhaps it's OK. I'll plant this today in a spare space away from my viewing point.