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

redofromstart

Cherryfudge, I planted lonicera purpusii 'fragrantissima' at the front and 'winters beauty' at the back, both by paths close to the house for the scent. 

I have a couple of virburnums too that came with the house.  A huge Tinus by the house, and a Bodnantense up at the back.  Both lovely and look after themselves mostly.

Cherryfudge

Ooh, thank you @redofromstart! I'd seen the first of those when I had a look online, but not the other. I noted it says they are bushy so I wondered how much space they take, and if you have any recommendations for growing conditions? I've a few summer-flowering honeysuckles ranging themselves through other plants which only goes to prove they are tough and I'm not (I hesitate to cut them back because, well, they're honeysuckles, aren't they? Summer and nice smells and so forth. So they are going a bit mad).

It would be lovely to have more winter flowers.

redofromstart

I will take a photo for you tomorrow - but both of mine are six high by six wide by two deep (foot) with regular pruning.  Both get the sun from mid morning.  One is against the house wall, and the other is on a six foot trellis panel. I bought one, and the other was a cutting that my Dad propagated for me.  

I love honeysuckles and find it hard to be ruthless with them but having put these by paths I have to be.  The bees love them, and the one at the back is usually full of little birds.  The Stupid Pigeons have been known to nest in there, and tiny cat to sit in the pigeons nest with her mouth open waiting (hence the name - they also nested in the cat ladder wisteria). 

greenbee

Just checked the garden waste collection calendar, and the next one is Jan 2nd, so at least I can plan to fill it by then!

I must get some winter honeysuckle for here - I had one at the last place on @redofromstart's recommendation and it had just started to really get going when I moved!

KajiKita

Is anybody else reading Scr1behound? It’s like an app / online portal to articles that garden writers produce without any editorial input, so they write about what they absolutely want to write about. I had a free / cheap trail and have renewed for the year as I am really enjoying it. 

There was an interesting article this morning about how we tend to over-complicate gardening with all the ‘rules’ - it reminded me of how I used to garden when I first started, 7 gardens ago. I would plant stuff and water it - if it grew it was like magic, if it didn’t, it was 🤷‍♀️ and move on to the next thing because there were so many ‘next things’ to play with 😉 I think I carried gardening so much more lightly back then, with a lot less self judgement and self criticism. Something I want to get back to I think. 😊

KK

greenbee

I'm always moving things that are in the wrong place or cutting things back at the wrong time because they need cutting back, and they either live or die... as a result I try not to buy too many expensive plants (most of what I've introduced to the garden here has been donated by friends/family from their own gardens). Having said that, I've just ordered a whole lot of hedging (probably too much, but spares will easily be found homes) and a couple of trees/fruit trees. I have another couple of tree/fruit tree/shrub orders open, but have yet to decide whether to click 'buy' on them. 

kazwookie

greenbee can you dm me the link for the fruit trees please . ty.

greenbee

kazwookie said:

greenbee can you dm me the link for the fruit trees please . ty.

@kazwookie (just in case anyone else is interested too!). I've bought from them both before and been happy with what I've had. I believe T&M are doing an offer on a bundle of apple/pears at the moment too, but I've been looking at things like black mulberry and trying to decide on plum/pear/apple varieties. I think I might have ordered a fig too, and am considering a quince.

EssexHebridean

Not too much garden activity with us at the moment although we HAVE moved geraniums either under cover (into the office, for the back garden ones) or under fleece (the front garden ones) ahead of the forecast cold snap this weekend. I have also fleeced my hydrangea, although neither of us are totally convinced she needs it, I'm adopting a Safety first approach.

We will have a garden waste collection next Wednesday, so I might see if there is any more clearing to be done down the back and make use of the remaining space in it ahead of that - there isn't really anything much else from the garden itself, at the moment. Next one after that is the 21st so the alternative is I leave it until then, which might actually be more practical.

We are currently missing our January edition of the Kitchen Garden mag so I must make sure that turns up, or report it missing, as well.

redofromstart

I have invested in a few things for the garden, must resist buying lots more although I am tempted by some more roses.  

I remembered the option to read the gardening magazines for free via the library website - some useful information on January pruning in Gardeners World, which reminds me I need to do the fruit trees.  I did subscribe to Kitchen Garden but the first magazine/free seeds haven't arrived yet.

Blue skies and sunshine here, but very cold so I have just fed the birds, defrosted their water and had a little stroll round to check for any storm damage.