How about a gardening thread?

[smoky]

	Quote:	Pavanne
	*sigh* do you live near me? I have several refillable concrete ponds for my geese, and the problem is that crows keep coming and dropping bones into them (I assume the crows are washing barbecue sauce off). The meat on the bones then rots in the water in spectacular white fungus and I have to clean out the pond (luckily quite easy) before the geese will go back in. I also just love finding bones covered in rotting meat on my lawn (they're not from us, we're vegetarian), and I'm sure everyone else does too! Bear in mind that neither crows or kites actually eat bones and they will leave them somewhere else, slightly picked over. Hopefully that's normally a field where they will rot away, but often it's going to be someone's garden.

You can relax, I don`t live anywhere near you - I live in a wide open rural farming area bounded by forests.

The bones I put out are mainly chicken carcasses, ..... old bread, or lumps of sheep offal/fat, which get carried back to the hawk`s nests - (they now have fledglings to feed, I`m told). I see them zooming back to the forests with what they`ve found.

Crows land, and pick up their food off the ground, so the bones you are getting are probably your own neighbors discards into bushes, or left over fox/maarda nibbles maybe?

[Maria80205]

I've looked for those, polymer moisture crystals, without luck. But I believe they are the same moisture retaining ingredient in nappies. I have heard of people placing a nappie in the bottom of a hanging basket to help keep it from drying out. I haven't tried it myself, but might some day....

	Quote:	Odile
	Has anyone found those granules in Switzerland- that you soak in water so they go all jelly like and you mix with compost to keep baskets and countainers from drying out? They are great. How is the agapanthus doing BM? Yesterday, 2 of my foxgloves flowered... and they are white. Again- it shows you have to be patient with seeds- often you think nothing has happened and 2 years later- here they pop. I always give plants 3 chances to recover- always, and most of the time, they come up trumps. I have 2 rugosa roses I rescued from Aldi in Pontarlier- half dead and reduced to 2 Euros- they are quite large now, 3 years later, and covered with flowers.

[smoky]

Can anyone identify this plant for me?

It came up like a weed, flowers thru spring and summer and then dies back. Each year it comes up again, and grows taller than before.
This year it`s needing staking, wants to fall over.
It`s now in it`s 3rd year.
Is covered in lovely little white flowers, so white they almost glow at night.

It hasn`t spread to anywhere else, just stays in this one spot.

What is it?

[smoky]

	Quote:	Maria80205
	I've looked for those, polymer moisture crystals, without luck. But I believe they are the same moisture retaining ingredient in nappies. I have heard of people placing a nappie in the bottom of a hanging basket to help keep it from drying out. I haven't tried it myself, but might some day....

Now, that`s an interesting observation

I`ve wondered about Gelatine? It swells and retains moisture ...... and made from horns/hooves, so should be quite nutritious to a plant as well?

[lucy_who]

	Quote:	smoky
	Can anyone identify this plant for me? It came up like a weed, flowers thru spring and summer and then dies back. Each year it comes up again, and grows taller than before. This year it`s needing staking, wants to fall over. It`s now in it`s 3rd year. Is covered in lovely little white flowers, so white they almost glow at night. It hasn`t spread to anywhere else, just stays in this one spot. What is it?

I'm pretty sure that's white campion.

[smoky]

	Quote:	lucy_who
	I'm pretty sure that's white campion.

Thank you!
I Googled info on White Campion, and you are absolutely correct. And I`m grateful for your lead.

Now I can figure out how to handle it! It wants to "lie down" - but it grew itself right next to our pathway, and is not allowed to rest there - so now I know I can dig up roots and plant them further away.

[Odile]

Campion indeed- the wild one around here is a deep pink and I've got lots in the field- would love to exchange seeds- white for pink Smoky. It does self seed where it wants- but the roots are very easily pulled up- so I am very tolerant of it and just pull up any plant that settles in the 'wrong' place.

BTW does anyone want some Welsh poppy seeds (like Californian, but yellow).

[smoky]

	Quote:	Odile
	Campion indeed- the wild one around here is a deep pink and I've got lots in the field- would love to exchange seeds- white for pink Smoky. It does self seed where it wants- but the roots are very easily pulled up- so I am very tolerant of it and just pull up any plant that settles in the 'wrong' place. BTW does anyone want some Welsh poppy seeds (like Californian, but yellow).

Odile, I love to do that - exchange seeds. But I seem to remember from my reading on internet yesterday that my one lonely plant is a female, and needs a male nearby to pollinate it ... she leads a lonely life here But will watch the buds and see if they seed.

I have gathered seeds from the white foxgloves (fingerhut) if you want them? In exchange for your pink campion? Have to wait a while for the white campion to see if it grows seeds.

[lucy_who]

I've inherited some enormous ornamental poppies in my new garden, which were glorious when in flower, but grew very tall (2/3 feet) and had to be staked to keep them upright. They've long since finished flowering but the leaves and seed heads are still long and straggly, and look a mess, frankly.

Do I need to leave them alone if I want them to come back next year, or can I cut the seed heads and/or stragglier leaves off?

[Tom1234]

	Quote:	lucy_who
	I've inherited some enormous ornamental poppies in my new garden, which were glorious when in flower, but grew very tall (2/3 feet) and had to be staked to keep them upright. They've long since finished flowering but the leaves and seed heads are still long and straggly, and look a mess, frankly. Do I need to leave them alone if I want them to come back next year, or can I cut the seed heads and/or stragglier leaves off?

Cut them right back almost to the ground.

In a couple of weeks, new leaves will start to grow.

I did ours a few weeks ago and now they all have leaves but for a time, you think you've killed the plant as nothing happens.

We've also got field poppies which self-seeded this year and we are have had an amazing display of them for the last couple of months.

[ladylou]

	Quote:	amogles
	I'm, not sure if its a clematis but its definitely no Virginia creeper. What both have in common though is that they are extremely invasive weeds that look pretty and thus get planted in all the wrong places.

Thanks for all the answers. The kids have been keeping me busy since..I have been letting some grow in one spot to see if it flowers. Nothing yet..and still hacking back the rest. it has little suckers alright similar to the virginia creeper.. I will photograph it again in a while. Hoping to get to the garden centre this week with a sample. Thanks for that tip. Hopefully they can tell me what to do with it.

[lucy_who]

	Quote:	Tom1234
	Cut them right back almost to the ground. In a couple of weeks, new leaves will start to grow. I did ours a few weeks ago and now they all have leaves but for a time, you think you've killed the plant as nothing happens. We've also got field poppies which self-seeded this year and we are have had an amazing display of them for the last couple of months.

Cheers. I'll give them a haircut tomorrow

[DantesDame]

Thanks to those who took the time to post


I've pretty much given up on the plant. The cedar tree/bush that I bought is also showing signs of dying leaves (needles), and now even my forsythia is looking questionable. I think that I'm not cut out for container gardening

Of course, this killer heat isn't helping, either.


As for the post in #787, I must say that the pattern isn't at all like the one on my laurel, and the laurel was very consistent on each leaf. Bah! I say...

[Odile]

Been away then very busy with a special project and now a visitor for past 12 days- so tomorrow must get cracking on tidying up a bit- and especially- Chelsea chop all the cranesbill geranium = cut all the flower heads down to about 15cm so they will flower again late August. Looking forward to get stuck in

[JanerMacP]

Is there a garden smarty within this thread that would be willing to help me close down my garden for the winter and then help me prep it in the spring?

I love growing veg and stuff but I have no idea what I am doing. It's trial and error every year. My biggest issue is that, at the moment, my garden is FULL is this long grassy weed stuff. Between a newborn and a toddler I haven't had a chance to weed like I want, but I also think that we need to do something in the spring to keep this stuff from spreading.

I would of course pay someone for their time.

Anyone?

[Odile]

38C in the garden- so I am not going to garden today- but have a little go tonight after 7pm

[Medea Fleecestealer]

Did FINALLY get my lawn mown this morning before it got too hot. Hasn't been done for months so quite overgrown.

Flowers desperately needed a drink too, so I've given them some water, but they're disappearing under the weeds as well so need to pull those out - but only when it's cooler!

[Odile]

Not easy when you have kids, work long hours, etc- but the best way to weed is EARLY in Spring, as soon as they start growing, and before they seed! Each weed allowed to go to seed will multiply by 1000000000s (with a few more zéros perhaps!)- and before the rootstock gets too big. Bonne chance.

Getting a little cooler, but still far too hot to get out there .... fortunatly a little breeze is whipping up, so should help. Will just go out and water the raspberries which are starting to fruit in earnest (just in time for the grand-children on visit) + pick and eat all the ripe ones to increase crop

A while ago, someone was asking about cleaning out weeds between pavement or stones. I can't find the post. But, i wanted to mention this. I can't kneel easily (bad knees) so i bought a hook to go between the stones. Today i also bought a triangular shaped brush called a weeding brush. Both fit on to a long handle. Mine are made by wolf, but gardenia seems to have them, and okay (the landi brand), seems to have some also. I have a power washer (it's the least expensive Kaercher), and it's low and flat so doesn't tip over. We paid chf 150 for the washer and it's totally been worth it.

Anyway, I'm setting up a tiny sprinkler system, a combination of terracotta plant spikes and water coming from a tank and some empty drink bottles. We'll see how that goes!

Now i'm

[Odile]

Poo picking in this heat is hard work- anyway, got 1/3 of the field picked and 5 of my compost bin have a big layer of horse manure as an accelerator and enricher. If anyone wants some horse manure for their compost - come and get it- plenty more where above comes from! (sorry, it's free but pyo!)