Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway

Sun's out but still a bit chilly at this hour

I was browsing You Tube yesterday, checking for radish ideas BTW but stumbled over fig  growing & pruning, which for once were in pots and not 15 foot trees dripping with figs in a Californian back "yard"

He only gets one crop a year a we do and aims for maximum fruit, so inspired I went out & really hard pruned one of my still dormant figs, removing all the twiggy growth and sort of going for spurs like an apple

Hope is these spurs will shoot and my figs will be formed on the new spur  growth, only time will tell, then it's tip pruning about June / July once figs have formed which according to him gives 90 days to grow & ripen the figs by end September.

Fingers crossed and I do have two other figs should it all be a lot of twaddle that doesn't work in UK summers

I also have loads of potential cuttings to root now, which I may sort out later once the sun warms up

One quick success, one of the "Spanish Flag" Mina Lobata I sowed the other day has germinated in the propagator  and is now removed to the window sill

Good result on the car Dave, better result than initially sounded at least

Apodemus

Reasonable gardening weather yesterday and I got carried away clearing a border that had been taken over by a couple of bushes.  Having surveyed the "damage" this morning I fear I might have gone too far and now have a wind-blasted prairie landscape around what used to be a cosy little patio!

Farway

Apodemus said:

Reasonable gardening weather yesterday and I got carried away clearing a border that had been taken over by a couple of bushes.  Having surveyed the "damage" this morning I fear I might have gone too far and now have a wind-blasted prairie landscape around what used to be a cosy little patio!

I have similar feelings with my fig tree pruning, buyer's remorse?

Davesnave

Thanks to you, Farway, I'm now singing "Mina lobata!" to the chorus of  Y Viva Espana by Black Lace, which has somehow crept in via the earworm's secret back door.    It might be worth it though; those could be a winner on the new trellis.

I might also try your fig pruning idea too, as I'm no longer planting mine in front of the barn, just in case we decide to sell it in a few years' time. It's a great microclimate, but I can create others.

Weather mixed here. I'm told the brief sunny interludes will diminish. If only the wind would do similarly.

Apodemus

Farway said:

Apodemus said:

Reasonable gardening weather yesterday and I got carried away clearing a border that had been taken over by a couple of bushes.  Having surveyed the "damage" this morning I fear I might have gone too far and now have a wind-blasted prairie landscape around what used to be a cosy little patio!

I have similar feelings with my fig tree pruning, buyer's remorse?

Your fig pruning is much less likely to lead to the explosion of ground elder, that I will be seeing this spring, where it was previously being shaded out!

Farway

Apodemus said:

Farway said:

Apodemus said:

Reasonable gardening weather yesterday and I got carried away clearing a border that had been taken over by a couple of bushes.  Having surveyed the "damage" this morning I fear I might have gone too far and now have a wind-blasted prairie landscape around what used to be a cosy little patio!

I have similar feelings with my fig tree pruning, buyer's remorse?

Your fig pruning is much less likely to lead to the explosion of ground elder, that I will be seeing this spring, where it was previously being shaded out!

I had ground elder in another property, I used a Roundup  look alike which cleared it eventually, but you may need the Industrial Strength version & not the namby pamby domestic one

Mind you it was not acres of ground elder

I'm told you can eat it, "recipe ground elder" in a search engine gives loads of recipes

Best of luck

twopenny

African Marrigolds are supposed to be the enemy of Ground Elder. Also to cut the leaves and leave them on top. While both ideas worked they couldn't compete with the GE running underground. A couple of decades later it just vanished - to be replaced by a wild creaping yellow flowered thingy. Guess you have to have one enemy always.

Sunshining this morning but knowing it would rain this afternoon I left the garden as it's sodden. Went for a walk peering at others gardens for shrub ideas. I need some structure that's evergreen, flowering, small to medium and not too big. Fragarent as well if possible. Not that I'm fussy or anything

I'd love a fig. If you have 3 plants time to make some Pan de Higo. Delicious and lasts for ages.

Apodemus

To be honest, the ground elder is partly my own fault.  When we had a pet rabbit, it provided very good, free, greens in early spring, which he loved, so I was relaxed about its spread.  We also use it like spinach in spring, but there is quite a short window, when it is at its best.

Davesnave

I was briefly in contact with some emerging ground elder yesterday, in the stream planting the banks again. It struck me that although we have some here in the hedges, it never takes over like ground ivy, ivy itself, or even cleavers would, if we let them. It's just one of many wild plants. I think the competition restricts it naturally.

Off on a mission today, so I'm permitted out of my home area, whatever that is. I may just happen to pass a nursery......

In other news, some Crategus prunifolia seeds I planted 2 years ago have suddenly emerged en-masse. I'd forgotten about them, but the originals came from the lawn beside the toilets at Rosemoor. Crategus prunifolia 'lavatorii' ?

Apodemus

Davesnave said:

In other news, some Crategus prunifolia I planted 2 years ago have suddenly emerged en-masse. I'd forgotten about them, but the originals came from the lawn beside the toilets at Rosemoor. Crategus prunifolia 'lavatorii' ?

I must go out and give my two a severe talking too, then, as the buds don't even look fat yet!  Both are in their second spring here, but planted as 2m saplings, so past the baby stage.  When you say emerged, is this blossom or leaf?  I'm not sure which to expect first on these.

EDIT:  Ok, I've been out and had a chat with them!  With my glasses on I can see that the buds are in fact showing green and not far off opening.  Indeed, they are ahead of the birches and rowans that are around them.  They also reminded me that they are on the north side of the hedge, at the northern extent of my north-facing garden, in northern Scotland and from where they are they have a very good view of a lot of fresh snow on the hills that wasn't there yesterday!