A catalogue of trial, error and advice

RAS

I'll be going somewhere where a mulberry is in a tub next week, so I'll check the size. 

Working_Mum

A really good thing to keep a look out for is a local "Open Gardens" event - you'll see lots of inspirational ideas for your garden, know which plants grow in soil similar to yours & be able to buy plants very cheaply from the householders. They are often ran for charity so it's a win win!! I bought a twisted willow 2 years ago and it was £4 and a foot high - I planted it at the bottom of my garden last year and it is now over 10 feet high and i love it!

I always check out the "poorly trolley" in garden centres as you can often pick up plants which need a bit of tlc - also always have a dig around in any pots that you buy and see if ay plants can be divided when you get home.

I keep an eye on Freecycle too for anything garden related which i may be able to use - I recently picked up a gazebo - which I am going to install this year in my garden.

I bought an old rattan conservatory sofa, chairs and footstool for £45 from a  charity shop - painted it up and that's been very comfy outdoor seating for over 2 years :-). Saved me a fortune on plastic patio furniture and gets some really lovely comments from friends.

Good luck with your project - keep posting pics as it'll motivate you and show you have all of your hard work is paying off!

twopenny

That's good looking AB.

Butterflies don't always overwinter but I've always found them in my shed or the repurposed coal shed where I kept tools. They like to be inside, safe from preditors and stable temperature.

I think the main thing is to grow plants like Budlia that they love. Grew one from a cutting and they would be in the garden even sitting on my toes while I was reading

Old English Lavender attracted them too. Both plants are easy care.

I have that and Hidcote that the honey bees like and now Lavender Pinnata which the Bumbles love.

ArbitraryRandom

Today's job was to put down cardboard and manure where I'm considering the trees (to help me with placement, but also to get the ground a bit better for if I plant them this winter). 

Unfortunately there was this big burning thing in the sky and I got sleepy... I did put compost in a big pot ready to transplant the holly. And I watered/fed it again. 

So that's some progress at least

Re bind weed. I'm pulling it out when I walk through the garden and dumping it in a big tub by the door. How long do you reckon I need to leave it there to die before it's safe to put on the compost heap?

Farway

ArbitraryRandom said:

Re bind weed. I'm pulling it out when I walk through the garden and dumping it in a big tub by the door. How long do you reckon I need to leave it there to die before it's safe to put on the compost heap?

Personally, never. I'd play very safe & either burn or bin it. You only need a lingering smell of it for it to start all over again. [Slight exaggeration there]

ArbitraryRandom

Am I right that I could then add the ash (very thinly layered) into the heap? 

My concern is that currently there's at least SOME bindweed in every part of the garden (including the middle of the 'lawn'. So if I bin in then that means no cuttings in the heap until I know it's all dead in winter. 

I do have a spare couple of wheely bins (the council apparently switched types but didn't collect the old ones), so I'm also thinking I might put the grass cuttings in those for a few months? I'm probably only going to cut twice this year, and quite long, so there should be enough space. I was going to use them for leaf mould but I can put them in a bag or leave them where they lie this year. 

twopenny

Good for you having a nap. That is what a garden is for and you've worked really hard on it. Time to stop and smell the ? compost?

Grass cuttings never seem to rot. They sometimes form a messy solid heap and can be so hot they catch fire.

I used to stow mine under a very large hedge because I cut a lot. Checked the heat.

If it's only twice a year or so then I'd be inclined to do that.

You could try a sprinkling of Garotta which is bacteria that speeds up decomposition but I'm not sure it would work on grass. It's great occasionally on a compost heap and I used it in my first year to get things going and that worked well.

Bin the bindweed. When tackling try and pull it out from the bottom to get the root. That will really slow it down.

Leafmold from thin leaves like Hazel, Birch, Chestnut etc. Not anything shiny or tough.

I put mine in a black bin liner and tied, left under the trees/hedge (think I've said this) and the bag can be used after for clippings or rubbish.

Saw this and couldn't believe my eyes! It's your bee hotel - 7 down

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-65620417

ArbitraryRandom

Today's job done (and so am I!) 

This lunchtime I lugged home 240L of compost from the local recycling centre and I've just unloaded them into the back (free if you fill your own bags, so 6*40L sacks later I'm calling it a day!) 

Also picked up a sack of well rotted manure. Doesn't look much like manure (no smell or whatever, but I think that means it's well rotted/good to use). I'm planning on using this compost/manure to prepare the ground for some planting this autumn/winter (unless I see a sad looking plant that needs to go in sooner). Clearing the weeds where I'm planning on planting, putting down a layer of cardboard (i'm aiming for 3 areas about a m2 I think), then covering in a decent thickness of compost/manure and watering regularly to help it bed in. 

That's this weekend's job

Edit:

Oh, and thread name change as I have every intention of keeping posting random garden related activity on here until you're all entirely sick of me and get the mods to lock the thread... 

twopenny

And they say gardening is relaxing  
Well done!

ArbitraryRandom

Not done a huge amount in the garden since getting the compost. Some ad hoc grabbing a weed here and there and watering mostly. I did wake up to the horrible realisation that my kettle had broken and I have been forced to boil my water in the microwave for my morning cuppa!

While purchasing a replacement kettle (with expedited delivery), I did also look at waterbutts. I'm not sure what made my brain go there... but I guess they both hold water and are vaguely the same kind of shape?

My kettle is coming from Amazon, but after looking at the options, it seems my water company sell the same models but for a cheaper price. Longer lead time (says up to 6 weeks) but I'm not in a real rush. 

I hope I'm right in saying a litre of water is a litre of water; so a plastic container holding a litre will be roughly the same size (in total, obviously I know the shape can be different) to a plastic container holding the same volume?

Using that logic (I call it logic, I still hadn't had a cuppa at this point), I went for the 200L Cloudburst kit. Decent reviews where I could find it online and cost me £50 all in from my water company, which I think isn't bad. 

https://evengreener.com/products/cloudburst-200-litre-water-butt-kit

I am very much hoping someone can suggest a guide or talk me though how to cut into a drainpipe to fit it in due course...