Awful weather - typical Brits talk

middlewife

And here's the rest...

Absolutely massive sage which has murdered a thyme growing under it; blackcurrant has lots of fruit, courgettes and rhubarb are a bit slow, strawberries are very small, lack of water. I'm trying dahlias for the first time, interspersed with chicory and a couple of camellias and alliums and chard

middlewife

Help! Any suggestions for taming this raised bit? The tree is a hazel, there's a gooseberry buried under it and gazillions of Spanish bluebells. Just want it to look ok, thanks

Dustyevsky

2p: What sort of lettuce Dusty?

This sort: https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/lettuce-moonred-seeds/ka9981TM

When I bought it through the members club, it was only about 89p or £1! ☺️ It's a nice colour and easy to grow, but I'd not pay £3.29. 😮

But the question is, did the hot weather help or hinder my attempt to have edible tomatoes in May? You'll have to wait till tomorrow to find out! 😄

Nice use of polypipe there ,middlewife. I do a bit with that too….

YoungBlueEyes

Morning all. On this day on 1279 Rameses II took the throne and would reign for 66 years, and in 1859 Big Ben was installed in the Elizabeth Tower. 2 good ones today 🙂

You've an impressive plot there mw, looks like a full time job though ha haa! I don't know about taming your raised bit, it looks like it just wants a bit of clearing and titivating to me. Did you want to plant something else in there for a bit of colour..?

Despite me always thinking 'this is the year I'll grow myself some nice lettuces/sandwich shrubbery' I've never got round to it. Good job too cos it sounds like it's beyond me 😆

Warm here already, and stiller than I'd like. It may or may not be cloudy and/or sunny today, or both. 16'c currently with a high of 23' to come, possibly. Feels like the start of a hot day to me tbh.

Oh and I keep meaning to say - I was talking to wm the other day a couple of weeks ago and she's doing grand. On R0meo's walks in the Autumn last year she collected pine cones and cob nuts and stuff and planted them all - well she's now on her way to an actual forest cos they've mostly taken 🌲🌳😃

Right off for a run round the boards. I only get to do it on a Sunday.

twopenny

That's a lovely plot you have there Working Mum 🙂 I like the troughs..

I sink old water bottles upside down with the base cut off to get water further down the pot. A little soil in them during long dry spells to stop the heat getting to down there.

Your overgrown bit is under a tree and will be covered in leaves come the autumn. Good for composting if you rake them off.

I'd just start somewhere. Get the grass out, then the weeds with one of these or similar.

https://uk.vicedeal.com/products/handheld-manual-root-lifter-weeder-outdoor-garden-lawn-weeds-remover-gardening-multifunction-weeding-tool?variant=UHJvZHVjdFZhcmlhbnQ6MjUyMDEzMjA5&msclkid=631b16bb1a441755eb2b7ca0eb158d67

When you get to the ivy take care. I've done my back in pulling that up. Or just prun it and keep it as ornamental.

See what your left with. Primroses would do well, a whole bank with native bluebells. Look up plants for dry shade. I love ferns, newly acquired and they come in different colours, shapes and sizes.

Dusty you put us all to shame with your abundant crops. Something to aspire to if we put in more effort 😊

Farway

Morning Folks, it's much cooler & more pleasant here this morning, milky clouds so no burning sun either

I've been out watering the pots first thing, which is why I'm late clocking on. I had intended moving watering to the evenings, but by then I'm done for, so back to morning watering

Sorry YBE but the first pic of your Acers had me giggling, but I can't offer useful advice. Could they have been subjected to cold brisk winds? You being so close to the Arctic up there 😁

Dusty, Colourful and varied Pet Poo border Farway,😇 though if I had people's animals carping on my land, all they'd get would be berberis, rubus cockburnianus, and holly! I have been tempted, but being so close to a public path, and youngsters using it, I was not looking forward to rows with angry parents of stabbed & scratched children. I still remember the shocked look I got to my response to a Mum getting a petition up to moan about the retaining wall being dangerous for kids climbing and walking on it. Summed up as "Parental Restraint" 😈

Before I forget, best of wishes for the op 2P and hope you recover quickly enough to enjoy the garden properly. Those spuds look a great bonus.

MW, nice garden and survivors, apple trees seem finicky this year, some of mine are laden, others, nothing or not much, all flowered at same times so goodness knows. My neighbour's is the same, and he has one of those Family Trees, three varieties on one tree

I love your sage, mine seems to be related to YBE's Acer. 😉

No ideas for raised bit, I go along with 2P on the ferns, there are nice fancy ones. I have a dry North facing border that has ferns, look after themselves apart from removing old fronds

Dusty, your figs, mine did a June drop last year, all fell off. I later found out figs want to set two crops, we normally only have one, but the Devils sometimes have early one to spite us, and then drop it off. In somewhere like California it stays on. Look up Breba crop, at least we can put a name to it

Only gardening may be the hanging baskets & sow the seeds in them. Too hot yesterday

Ta ra, Manky Toots have arrived this morning, loads of them on the way as well.

Wouldn't allow me to load these yesterday, part of Pet Poo border

No expecting much from the tom seedlings, but left to see how they do

twopenny

I forgot about MWs sage. I have the same one but only reduced that size due to serious pruning. I had thought to 'rsise the crown ' and grow it as a tree 😂

Predicted Rain hasn't come but it's clouding over and blowing hard. I'm washing bundles of bath towels what with me supposed to use a clean one every day and friend might stay overnight. So in half an hour the rain should arrive 🙄

middlewife

Thanks everyone, I'll have a look at ferns, hasn't been touched since my accident in 2024, once I can clamber up there, I'll start, maybe .......😅

Farway

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82017607#Comment_82017607

And bung in a clematis to climb up the tree

Dustyevsky

The tree will keep that area dry, MW. I'd remove the offshoots and plant around with drought-tolerant shrubs or ferns.

As for Bluey's acers, I expect they were in ideal, sheltered conditions at the nursery, so exposure to strong sunshine and wind upset the purple ones. The greens tend to be more resilient. Note small 'g.' The Big G ones are usually. snowflakes. 😜

With regard to the Pet Poo border, our school used berberis as hedging to the pathway through which children were corralled at the end of every break. So, that's 320 kids x 3 × 185 days x 30 years = 3.33 million child movements without a serious difficulty arising, but YMMV. 😉

And now…..roll of drums….the big reveal. Did I achieve an edible tomato in May?

It was a pretty close-run thing, though. 😧 Our previous record here was 9th June, using a weird short season variety, not bog-standard Cherry Falls.