Any gardeners here?

[Becky]

We've been really busy in the garden recently, and it seems like everyone is at the moment. Making the most of the lovely weather I guess!

Ian has been cutting an overgrown laurel hedge right back to something more manageable, which has been a really big job. We got a garden shredder from B&Q which made short work of the branches - his new favourite toy!!

The previous owner had a pond which was full of really overgrown weeds and lilies, so a couple of months ago we cleaned it out completely and got some new plants. It turned out that below the murky depths there was an all-in-one filter/fountain and some lights which was great news! It's all up and running now and the water is crystal clear, so we decided to get six fish. Sadly Mr Heron was thrilled at the offering and nabbed two of them a couple of weeks ago, so we have been constructing a frame for a net (in the mean time it's just draped over with weights to hold it in place). We got some replacement fish, so we now have 8; 3 goldfish, 2 comets, and 3 shubunkins. They seem happy with the lack of predators now!

We bought the house 2 years ago and previously lived in a flat, so the whole gardening thing was completely new to us. I've got to say we both really enjoy it!

What have you been up to in your garden recently?

 

[muckshifter]

so, you got 8 'goldfish' in your pond.

need pics, where's the camera?

No, unfortunately, no garden here on the 3rd floor, but I have a few plant pots, with plants in them.

 

[Anon_F]

180ft long garden, mostly lawn with plants either side, using bark chips keeps weeds away.
Luckily my folks like gardening & their free!!

Glad to hear Ian is being put to good work by you the boss, Becky!!!

 

[Ian]

bark chips keeps weeds away.

Bark chips have saved me days of work this past year . We get a huge number of weeds and even hoeing every weekend wouldn't keep it at bay for long. In the end, I slapped down a huge layer of bark mulch and hey presto - hardly any .

 

[muckshifter]

did you know, mulching encourages nice bugs that eat weed seeds.

 

[floppybootstomp]

I miss my garden, mostly, believe it or not - the smell. That tang of fresh turned soil sortta puts one at home with nature. And walking barefoot on a grass lawn late evening felt good.

But - I am making the most of where I am - which is considerably better than a cardboard box on the Embankment near The Temple - and have a fairly large assortment of potted plants which give me a great deal of pleasure.

I also use the bark chips for the larger pots or all sorts of 'guest' plants take root.

One strange thing, I'm six floors up yet I have ants. I think they came in a large plant a friend gave me when he had a garden clearout.

 

[Becky]

did you know, mulching encourages nice bugs that eat weed seeds.

Nope, that is very good news indeed! Like Ian said, it seems to be really doing the trick, and it looks nice too.

Right, I'll nip out with the camera. Back in a bit

 

[Becky]

Here are the fishies:

and here's a rose that bloomed this week (the rest have had their first bloom, just waiting for the second)

 

[Naylor]

I LOVE gardening!

We've just sorted our front lawn out with slate borders and raised planters. Currently harvesting a load of potatoes, carrots, peas, onions and tomato bushes. I also have a few chilli plants that had greenfly. Looking online, it was suggested that I get rid of them by spraying the plants with washing up liquid solution. I did this and they all died within 24 hours, along with the plants that went brown and shed all their leaves. Don't trust what you read online, folks!
Thankfully a couple of the plants recovered and are currently growing some nice looking Cayenne peppers!
My back garden was a mess of grass, moss and weeds so I bought 10KG of salt from Tesco and spread it all over. Now everything is nice and dead I think i'm going to slate that too. No more mowing the lawn!

Edit: Reading this post actually makes me sound like the world's worst gardener lol

 

[muckshifter]

oh nice pond!

err, but I do hope you have a ramp to it for the amphibians that can't jump.

 

[Naylor]

Here are the fishies:

and here's a rose that bloomed this week (the rest have had their first bloom, just waiting for the second)

The picture of the Rose is spectacular - you could frame that!

 

[Taffycat]

Ooh, your pond looks beautifully clear. The fishies look as if they have a very pleasant environment, with the plants providing hidey-holes and some shelter when they need it. It must make a very attractive feature at night too, when you illuminate it.

That is a gorgeous rose Becky, is it scented? Do you have any idea of it's variety?

 

[Becky]

oh nice pond!

err, but I do hope you have a ramp to it for the amphibians that can't jump.

Ah we'd not thought of that! The iris is fairly shallow so I guess they might be able to scramble out from there, but a ramp would certainly be easier. Do you know if frogs can climb onto lily pads??

The picture of the Rose is spectacular - you could frame that!

Thanks! Just took it with my phone, I'm not allowed into the camera cupboard because there may be birthday presents hidden in there...

Ooh, your pond looks beautifully clear. The fishies look as if they have a very pleasant environment, with the plants providing hidey-holes and some shelter when they need it. It must make a very attractive feature at night too, when you illuminate it.

That is a gorgeous rose Becky, is it scented? Do you have any idea of it's variety?

We certainly like it! It looks a little bare in places, but hopefully once the oxygenating plants grow bigger it will add a bit more interest. Can't put in any more lilies because of the fountain - I know they don't like being splashed.

The rose is one of the ones planted by the previous owner, so I don't know the variety I'm afraid! I'd not noticed a scent, but I'll check next time. They are a really striking coral colour, and the new foliage is a really rich red colour before it turns green.

 

[muckshifter]

Do you know if frogs can climb onto lily pads??

yes, they can ... but you get a lot of other 'animals' that will love your pond ... and if a hedgehog were to wonder into the pond, they are very good swimmers, it'll be able to climb out.

You can do this by creating a stepped pile of rocks, planting it up will make it a lot more attractive to you.

 

[Becky]

yes, they can ... but you get a lot of other 'animals' that will love your pond ... and if a hedgehog were to wonder into the pond, they are very good swimmers, it'll be able to climb out.

You can do this by creating a stepped pile of rocks, planting it up will make it a lot more attractive to you.

That sounds like a great idea, thanks!

 

[floppybootstomp]

Sorry to be a party pooper but it's unlikely if frogs, newts and toads would breed in a pond that's illuminated and using a fountain. They prefer still waters and usually the yuckier it looks to human eyes the better our amphibian beasties like it.

I suppose you could not use the lights & Fountain from Mid-Feb to Mid-April or you could try gathering spawn from wild ponds and introducing it to your own pond to see if they hatch. All UK amphibian pond life will return annually to the pond where it was born to mate.

And no need to feel guilty if the spawn is wasted as 90% of frog, toad and newt spawn and tadpoles is eaten by predators anyway.

I had a small pond when I lived in Forest Hill for four years, I was given it, a fibre glass one it was. I dug a hole, lined it with sand and plopped it in. It had goldfish, frogs and newts but never a sign of a toad. I also had to make a wooden frame with nylon netting to cover the pond after a heron visit.

 

[Becky]

I LOVE gardening!

We've just sorted our front lawn out with slate borders and raised planters. Currently harvesting a load of potatoes, carrots, peas, onions and tomato bushes. I also have a few chilli plants that had greenfly. Looking online, it was suggested that I get rid of them by spraying the plants with washing up liquid solution. I did this and they all died within 24 hours, along with the plants that went brown and shed all their leaves. Don't trust what you read online, folks!
Thankfully a couple of the plants recovered and are currently growing some nice looking Cayenne peppers!
My back garden was a mess of grass, moss and weeds so I bought 10KG of salt from Tesco and spread it all over. Now everything is nice and dead I think i'm going to slate that too. No more mowing the lawn!

Edit: Reading this post actually makes me sound like the world's worst gardener lol

This made me chuckle! So any tips for growing chilli plants (apart from not spraying them with washing up liquid)? I've got some Kaffir lime plants and a Pandan plant which are doing well, so it would be nice if I could add to my edible collection.

Sorry to be a party pooper but it's unlikely if frogs, newts and toads would breed in a pond that's illuminated and using a fountain. They prefer still waters and usually the yuckier it looks to human eyes the better our amphibian beasties like it.

I suppose you could not use the lights & Fountain from Mid-Feb to Mid-April or you could try gathering spawn from wild ponds and introducing it to your own pond to see if they hatch. All UK amphibian pond life will return annually to the pond where it was born to mate.

And no need to feel guilty if the spawn is wasted as 90% of frog, toad and newt spawn and tadpoles is eaten by predators anyway.

I had a small pond when I lived in Forest Hill for four years, I was given it, a fibre glass one it was. I dug a hole, lined it with sand and plopped it in. It had goldfish, frogs and newts but never a sign of a toad. I also had to make a wooden frame with nylon netting to cover the pond after a heron visit.

To be honest we don't often use the lights because I'm worried it would give the fish a heart attack! We do have frogs in the garden though, so if they went into the pond then I'd like to know they can get out ok.

The only time we had frog spawn (that we've seen) was when Ian was clearing out the pond and dumped all the plants into the wheel barrow which was full of water. When he went to put the plants back in he found it!

On a random note I think my new favourite plant is heucheras. When we got our first one, Ian thought I'd bought a cabbage, but now that it's grown up even he likes it too! Got a couple more recently as a result. I love that they come in so many different colours

 

[exmoor]

It depends on how much or little time you want to spend on the garden?
I'm a machinery person and love to use kit to do the garden with.
Sadly not good at weeding in a flower bed.

 

[Abarbarian]

Thought you all might like to have a walk up to my place and a quick look into the garden.Starting only a couple of hundred yards away from the cabin on the farm track, any further back and you do not see the cabin.

















Not really exciting but then real life can be pretty boring.

People tell you to think outside the box, I prefer looking.

My view from the inside of the box.

 

[Becky]

Your lilies are beautiful! Those splashes of red I can see - are they poppies? If so they are huge - do you know the variety?

Bet you get a brilliant view of the stars there, keep an eye out for the Perseid Meteor Shower!