GreenFly - A 'flylady style' gardening thread with weekly tasks to tame your garden

redofromstart

Today's efforts included bramble removal and a major prune of an invasive holly. Lots of space gained in a very small garden which was quite rewarding. I need to do another session removing weeds from the edge of the property.

greenbee

Have watered. That's it. 

greenbee

Have watered today too. However, I have had some help today, so there are more slabs laid round the greenhouse, which means the portable staging is now tidily and usefully outside the greenhouse; the old bit of patio that was dug out has been turned into a bed and reshaped (we found two more slabs under the grass while doing this, so may be able to add another row of them at the back of the greenhouse - at the moment there is one row at the back and two on the other three sides, all slabs that have been taken up elsewhere in the garden); asters and osteospermum dug out from my mum's garden have been planted in some gaps; veg planters on patio have been moved from where they had been put while woodworm treatment was being done.

I was going to weedkill tonight but apparently it's going to rain tomorrow so I'll save that for Sunday. I think I might need to get some more weedkiller anyway (although I need to check the workshop first). There's plenty of weeding to do, and I need to get more cardboard laid (it would be handy if it gets rained on) to extend the veg garden, as well as put more bark chip on the paths. 

Cherryfudge

After the best part of two weeks when I don't seem to have done any gardening apart from cutting the grass (unless you count house plant care) I've finally spent half an hour cutting back the hedge at the side of the garden. Holly, cotoneaster and flowering current, and stray straggly greengage branches that were leaning well over the garden and not in a particularly elegant way.

I have to make some decisions about the self-sown Mirabelle plum that has such pretty white blossom and tiny round fruit. Like a lot of my trees, it's there so I love it, but it's getting too tall and we don't want to take too much light from other things.

I'm the proud owner of a slightly heavy but suitably sturdy grass rake since this morning - a car boot find for £3. Goodness knows what happened to our old one but it's been gone a while. I just let the grass cuttings shrivel on the lawn and they are mostly gone by next day as I mow quite often, but areas of the grass have a lot of moss and thatch that actually snarls up the mower in places! It's partly to do with drainage and winter shade but now I have no excuse not to scarify.

Brie

re slugs.....my hair guy works from home and has the most magnificent garden, not huge but stuffed full of plants all looking wonderful.  I asked him how he managed it and how he didn't have everything eaten by slugs.  His answer ..."hair!"    Yes he takes the cuttings that he sweeps up and puts them round the plants.  Offered me the day's accumulation but I thought that was all a bit too icky.  

Cherryfudge

@Brie, many years ago I visited an open garden. I think it was in Milton Abbas in Dorset, which is a pretty village in a 'V' shaped valley, and I think the upper slopes of the valley were wooded. Deer used to come into the gardens so they used human hair in little bags to deter them. It must have been effective as the garden was open to the public.

Our neighbours have been out battling the shrubbery, and so have I. Probably a couple of hours' worth all told, if I can count all the time chopping up twigs to stuff in the green bin. It's had some effect as it's lighter in the house!

Brie

Cherryfudge said:

@Brie, many years ago I visited an open garden. I think it was in Milton Abbas in Dorset, which is a pretty village in a 'V' shaped valley, and I think the upper slopes of the valley were wooded. Deer used to come into the gardens so they used human hair in little bags to deter them. It must have been effective as the garden was open to the public.

Our neighbours have been out battling the shrubbery, and so have I. Probably a couple of hours' worth all told, if I can count all the time chopping up twigs to stuff in the green bin. It's had some effect as it's lighter in the house!

Not far from us relatively!!  Lovely place.

Just noticed that the big tree in the neighbour's garden that was green and leafy a month back has just a few dry leaves on it now.  That's a bit worrying!!

SuzeQStan

Our neighbour’s bordering spring blossoming cherry died last year. Was a shock as a proper big tree and it blossomed and never leafed.

it volunteered a small cherry a few years back in our garden so the cycle continues. always wondered why the blossom and then no leaf though.

Cheery_Daff

Popping in to report that I've pretty much finished my patio 🤩 Utterly delighted with it 😊😊 I need to pot up a couple of the pots, and fit the water butt - I'll do that tomorrow, but all the hard work of stone shifting etc is done. Looks a bit grey this evening but it's such a peaceful sheltered little space and it'll be lovely when the sun comes out 😊😊



I'll plant things among the stones as I acquire them, but once the water butt and pots are done tomorrow, I'm moving on to a new project (not decided what yet though!)

Cherryfudge

Brie said:

Not far from us relatively!!  Lovely place.

I thought after I posted that I'd had a suspicion you are South Coast somewhere! Lucky you. We lived in Dorset years ago, lovely county.