Jump to content
The MS PEOPLE UK Forum
Support, help, advice and information for Multiple Sclerosis. Ask questions and share experiences with people affected by MS.
Gosport Nancy

What's Going On In Your Garden?

44 posts in this topic Last Reply

Recommended Posts

Busy
Gosport Nancy

Now that the sunnier days have arrived, I have made all sorts of plans for my tiny patch of a garden.

 

I started making plans for the spring, months ago and have now finally got started.

 

This is what greeted me a couple of weeks ago and today I planted 4 plug plants of ground covered and knackered myself so will have to try again another day :)

 

JEfBx-G0TtWqWQiHqHBB4g.jpeg.88de092b0c53b8d776794f78cbc9da60.jpeg

 

BzspcDjvSECK886lgGH_PQ.jpeg.fd444c8b1ed6ca321da47ef40aeef1d3.jpeg

 

512CjUNZTpSu3RzSh-Tp8A.jpeg.7c2fb203c71335807670e7b053f2c444.jpeg

 

  • Love 1

Share this post


Link to post
Busy
Gosport Nancy

This is the ground cover I planted....I shall have to wait and see if it is anything like the pic next year

 

71QhbEVtfSL.jpg.58bdb4352ad06075fb58e6d6492780b7.jpg

  • Love 1

Share this post


Link to post
Procrastinating
Stumbler

Delightful ,@Gosport Nancy , well done. Well worth the effort. :clap2:

 

:moonieman:


John aka Stumbler (as I do fall over!)

Illegitimi non carborundum

 

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming... "Wow! What a ride!"

Share this post


Link to post
Balanced
Happymama

Sunny?

 

It's been frosty and wet here for a week!

 

Mind you, February my April-May flowering Victoria Plum flowered.  I live in dread of a heavy hail shower. I'll loose all my plums and my cherries, which are almost done flowering.  

 

The weeds are taking over, and it's raining so I can't get rid of them.  Not those weeds.  Meadow buttercup, horsetail, brambles, wild roses, bindweed, dandelions (a couple of chaffinch help quite a bit there) and dock - which gets to five feet tall if given space.  Mine have space.  

 

Ive bedding perennials to put out but I have to clear the weeds yet.  It's yellow clay here, fork-bending stuff.  

 

Think I might have viral conjunctivitis.  

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Busy
Gosport Nancy

@Happymama Most of my weeds are gone now but I only have a tiny patch to work with.

 

I zap weeds with vinegar in the evening then wait for a bit of rain to soften the ground slightly then use a hand held rotavating tool to loosen the weeds then pull them out by hand,

 

I'm now waiting for a huge bag of all purpose compost to turn up so I can spread it over the patchy beds to break down the lumps

30 minutes ago, Happymama said:

Sunny?

 

It's been frosty and wet here for a week!

 

Mind you, February my April-May flowering Victoria Plum flowered.  I live in dread of a heavy hail shower. I'll loose all my plums and my cherries, which are almost done flowering.  

 

The weeds are taking over, and it's raining so I can't get rid of them.  Not those weeds.  Meadow buttercup, horsetail, brambles, wild roses, bindweed, dandelions (a couple of chaffinch help quite a bit there) and dock - which gets to five feet tall if given space.  Mine have space.  

 

Ive bedding perennials to put out but I have to clear the weeds yet.  It's yellow clay here, fork-bending stuff.  

 

Think I might have viral conjunctivitis.  

 

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Balanced
Happymama

My weeds have gone MENTAL.  Tackling them tomorrow.  Dock, dandelion, meadow clover, horsetail, cleavers (sticky jacks), nettles, grass ... my front garden is nearly a food deep in them.  Weed suppression measures coming.

Share this post


Link to post
Busy
Gosport Nancy
18 minutes ago, Happymama said:

My weeds have gone MENTAL.  Tackling them tomorrow.  Dock, dandelion, meadow clover, horsetail, cleavers (sticky jacks), nettles, grass ... my front garden is nearly a food deep in them.  Weed suppression measures coming.

Same here but mostly on the grass. I soak the weeds with vinegar in the evening then have been digging them up the next morning. Bald patches have been raked over and covered in grass seed. I reckon this will go on all summer, but hopefully we'll have some grass to see next spring :)

Share this post


Link to post
Balanced
Happymama

Revived!

 

The Victoria plum this year flowered a month early, rather than two but all the plums have shrivelled to brown leather with the drought we had since February.  Lost the lot. The Cherries are half sized and so panicked by the lack of water they're starting to turn colour now.  The other plum (that should be a pear tree, THOMPSON AND MORGAN!) has found a hitherto untapped source of water and has large already plums in their thousands, so we will hopefully have clafoutis, jam and crumbles.  

 

I now have three elders in good places so elderberry wine will be made.   

 

The grass is a disaster, too much shade and the dogs wear roads in it.  I'm going to plant most of it with shade loving plants like hostas and a climbing hydrangea which I hope will get over the garage in the search for light.  It's a north facing side of the garage.   Then I'll put a path in and sell the mower. It'll be a relief.   Bit of time and effort to get there though.  

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Busy
Gosport Nancy

Growing wild on a hedge on the edge of our backyard

4tUkfFnVTg2pwqqJsO0o-w.jpeg

Share this post


Link to post
Sluggish
Marina

I can't quite tell from the photo @Gosport Nancy as I'm not too sure how the leaves look in the photo, but might the white flower be bindweed?

 

Is the pink flower a wild rose (looking at the buds)?


Marina

(belated DX in June '05, SPMS)

Share this post


Link to post
Busy
Gosport Nancy

@Marina You are spot on.That's bindweed (we called it 'granny pop out of bed' as children) and a wild rose.

 

I was just attempting to show the random beauty on a hedge.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Sluggish
Marina

The wild rose is indeed beautiful! :rose:

 

Are you able to yank out the bindweed, though? Despite its pretty white trumpet-like flower, It can be a bugger of a weed to get rid of, but can literally end up strangling any other plant in its way, hence its being called "bind" weed as it binds to and winds itself around other plants and ends up squeezing them to death (you may already know this, I'm mentioning it for the sake of those who might not :flowerface:).


Marina

(belated DX in June '05, SPMS)

Share this post


Link to post
Busy
Gosport Nancy
1 minute ago, Marina said:

The wild rose is indeed beautiful! :rose:

 

Are you able to yank out the bindweed, though? Despite its pretty white trumpet-like flower, It can be a bugger of a weed to get rid of, but can literally end up strangling any other plant in its way, hence its being called "bind" weed as it binds to and winds itself around other plants and ends up squeezing them to death (you may already know this, I'm mentioning it for the sake of those who might not :flowerface:).

I am not going to yank out such a beautiful plant as it appears every year and is looked forward to. I have not noticed it causing any issues with other plants as the roses turn up every year too

Share this post


Link to post
Sluggish
Marina

That's fair enough, Nancy :hippy: but just in case you start to have problems with it in future years:

 

PUB0005735_839525
WWW.RHS.ORG.UK

Hedge bindweed or bellbind (<em>Calystegia sepium</em>) with its pure white trumpet flowers is a familiar sight, choking plants in borders and twining around any plant shoot or cane...

 


Marina

(belated DX in June '05, SPMS)

Share this post


Link to post
Busy
Gosport Nancy

@Marina This is growing on waste ground which is maintained by the local council, who have never thought it an issue worth addressing.

 

The info you posted was to do with the plant growing in borders in private gardens.

 

Thanks for you interest :)

Share this post


Link to post
Balanced
Happymama

I have bindweed and had to glyco a lot, and what's remaining is choking a bramble so hopefully will kill it.  It comes out inside our conservatory too, or did until I slay it.  

 

We also have horsetail, which I just pull up and burn.  You have to move house to get rid of it.  It's immune to everything, including thermonuclear war.  And spreads.  Grows through tarmac.  No flowers even, unlike the Welsh Poppies that have self seeded all over.  

 

I've ordered bedding plants from crocus today.  Have to dig very heavy clay, and add fine grit before they arrive.  

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Busy
Gosport Nancy

@Happymama I've had all kinds of twiney plants in my garden at times, and like you, I pull it all up.I have let the borders grass over now and keep my plants in tubs.I still scatter lots of wildflower seeds about thoush to add random splashes of colour

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Balanced
Happymama

I've dug two new beds, and have planted catmint (running away with itself gratifyingly), rudbeckia (black eyed susan), wintersweet (flowers in December and smells nice) a Bill Wallace geranium, a small headed daisy and three lupins in a group in one bed.  I dug it out, put the dug out clay in the bit of the garden that's too low and filled it up to good effect, no water now, just mud, and put compost in instead and planted into that.  They're all going great guns.  Another bed has a silverberry in, (edible berries), a hibiscus, and another BW geranium, with an eryngium to put in, plus more lupins and a sea holly.  

 

So we have a level lawn for the first time in years, and no puddles outside the conservatory door, and I have a potted nursery under the fence by the patio needing to be planted soon.  

Share this post


Link to post
Busy
Gosport Nancy

@Happymama Wow! You HAVE been really busy

 

We had a couple of army veterans drop by and tidy up our little patch.We got left with one thistle which I managed to snap so you get to also see our latest bunch of flowers from ASDA lol

 

 

xfasAU_iQBeeZ-RW2fmwPg.jpeg

-wi6O1q_QbSS91KpnoI0uQ.jpeg


Edited by Gosport Nancy

Share this post


Link to post
Balanced
Happymama

I think thistles are part of the garden.  They are loved by different wildlife than other flowers.  

Share this post


Link to post
Balanced
Happymama

I've been out, some wallflowers I planted last year are flowering now, which is great. The primula that I found in the street is going great guns.  The wintersweet isn't a wintersweet, and the sea holly is gone but sage is going great guns out there, I just wish it would flower those lovely blue insect friendly flowers.  My Photinia Red Robin new growth is very red .  My Victoria plum flowered in March and is now almost done but at least we don't have the Feb and March drought of last year to manage.  Never stopped raining here with the odd very warm weekend.  6 deg out there now, heavy rain on and off. Been out with the dog and the stuff coming out of the dark clouds is white, so is hail.  That's very cold rain!  

 

I've trimmed the plum and elder interfering with the washing line.  Need to get the garden bin to the back, which means going to the dump with the rubbish first.  

 

The local primary school has a garden with raised beds, a poly tunnel and loads of weeds. Six weeks or so ago we went down to clear it, and I dug a few flower beds, I was mid relapse but it was really nice, we had tea and biscuits offered and you could see where we'd been.  Just had to limp a bit and I went in the car (it's only across the village but it hurt to walk) Ash seedlings were EVERYWHERE so we've now had them cleared. Tried to get in last month but it SNOWED.  Back this Saturday to clear more weeds in the raised beds that are still ok, take out the rotten ones.  Fingers x the weather is nice. Not good in the rain with this heavy clay.  

 

My medlar is loving the weather, it has loads of leaves on now.  The red hazel is more circumspect, it's budding heavily but not leaves yet.  The red gooseberry is sprouting leaves too.  And the blackcurrant.  Spring is well under way.  

 

 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Procrastinating
Stumbler

Green fingers stock illustration. Illustration of flora - 13117591

 

:moonieman:

  • Like 1

John aka Stumbler (as I do fall over!)

Illegitimi non carborundum

 

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming... "Wow! What a ride!"

Share this post


Link to post
Sluggish
Marina

:wow2: That's really impressive @Happymama ! Well done! :clap2:


Marina

(belated DX in June '05, SPMS)

Share this post


Link to post
Balanced
Happymama

My grandfather was a gardener, grew two large neighbours gardens full of veg for the three of them for years after my nana died.  I think of him every time I pick up a garden fork.  

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Balanced
Happymama

Did the first grass cut, and the two edges, but left the strimming till later.  Dug up two dandelions and some meadow buttercup, plus one bramble.  The Wallflowers are out and smell lovely.  I'm going to give up on the grass, half of it is in deep shade. Am looking for ferns to plant in it, on Weds.  Woodland flowers for under the trees.  Might have a skinny strip of grass along the flowerbed to walk on but the dog will wear it out in winter.  

 

We're expecting a frost over the next few days.  I've lost the fuchsia planted two years ago, and the feverfew is no more.  I was hoping to split it this year, it was so big last year.  

Share this post


Link to post

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

About Us

Founded in 2004, MS People UK is a community website and discussion forum by and for people with Multiple Sclerosis as well as for friends, families, supporters and those interested in this disabling condition.

If you’re newly diagnosed or want to ask about possible first symptoms, or if you’ve had Relapse Remit, Secondary or Primary Progressive MS for some time, a welcoming group of fellow MS sufferers is here to chat with you about MS symptoms, diagnosis and treatments.

The atmosphere is friendly whilst being compassionate, supportive and caring. Members also post about a variety of subjects not related to MS, as well as share jokes, talk about their hobbies, have fun, and more.


The MS People Forum is not responsible for advice or information supplied by members. We suggest you seek medical advice before trying anything.
×