The zombie army COVID-19 Gardening thread.
Discussion
Swervin_Mervin said:
Anyone have any solid recommendations for slug and snail control beyond just nighttime sweeps of the area? They're mullering so much at the moment.
Never had any luck with egg shells or coffee grounds nor, more recently, wool matting. I'm loathe to go down the pellets route so there don't seem to be many options other than possibly nematodes?
Copper. snails and slugs supposedly will not cross it.Never had any luck with egg shells or coffee grounds nor, more recently, wool matting. I'm loathe to go down the pellets route so there don't seem to be many options other than possibly nematodes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyr1ax4V5To
RichB said:
Did a bit of pruning this morning, still much more to do! This pile will go through the mulcher/chipper then into the compost for use next year.
More pruning of the rhododendrons today. Filled a dumpy bag with that last session, once it went through my mulcher/chipper. It's cooking away nicely now. I'll have to get another dumpy bag because I'll easily fill another. Plus I've already got 3 compost bays on the go. Still, my wife says she'll use it all so I produce as much as I can! 
mcelliott said:
That's stunning Mcelliot.How much management do you have to do to keep the meadow looking that good?
I ask as we have a c30sqm area at the bottom of our garden that we wildflower turfed about 5-6years ago and it has tended towards the grasses taking over. I actually sowed some yellow rattle last year in a bid to start tackling the grassess, with some success, but I think it's going to take a couple of years of continual sowing to get to a point where the grasses are suitably subdued. Plan this year is to sow more yellow rattle, but also some cornflowers and poppies.
It also has a habit of all keeling over around mid-June so goes from looking great to terrible fairly quickly!
Swervin_Mervin said:
mcelliott said:
That's stunning Mcelliot.How much management do you have to do to keep the meadow looking that good?
I ask as we have a c30sqm area at the bottom of our garden that we wildflower turfed about 5-6years ago and it has tended towards the grasses taking over. I actually sowed some yellow rattle last year in a bid to start tackling the grassess, with some success, but I think it's going to take a couple of years of continual sowing to get to a point where the grasses are suitably subdued. Plan this year is to sow more yellow rattle, but also some cornflowers and poppies.
It also has a habit of all keeling over around mid-June so goes from looking great to terrible fairly quickly!
Edited by mcelliott on Thursday 13th July 13:37
PositronicRay said:
They look excellent. I made a gravel garden last autumn and planted some red-hot pokers but they rotted off with the wet winter we had. I've since replaced them and they're just poking through but seeing yours make me realise mine have a long way to go yet Ah, my favourite thread in all of PH land...
Some may remember the 'specimen' ceanothus I bought in 2020, only for it to shed all foliage upon planting and looking like a bunch of very expensive twigs.
This is it this morning:
There must be an entire hive's worth of bees buzzing through it.
Couple of others from the front garden now things are starting to mature nicely (yes, it needs a bloody good weeding and fresh bark chippings!)
The shaded North facing beds are superb. Choysia and heuchera are great for these conditions.
Some may remember the 'specimen' ceanothus I bought in 2020, only for it to shed all foliage upon planting and looking like a bunch of very expensive twigs.
This is it this morning:
There must be an entire hive's worth of bees buzzing through it.
Couple of others from the front garden now things are starting to mature nicely (yes, it needs a bloody good weeding and fresh bark chippings!)
The shaded North facing beds are superb. Choysia and heuchera are great for these conditions.
Sway said:
Our front beds:
North facing:
Passion flower and clematis:
West facing bulb bed:
West facing 'cottage-y' bed:
Northern bed was planted autumn last year - everything is at least double the size it was when planted, so really looking forward to the cottage style bed filling out. Still, they're much nicer than the crap that was there before!
Here's that North facing bed, from March 2020...North facing:
Passion flower and clematis:
West facing bulb bed:
West facing 'cottage-y' bed:
Northern bed was planted autumn last year - everything is at least double the size it was when planted, so really looking forward to the cottage style bed filling out. Still, they're much nicer than the crap that was there before!
We saw a stunning display at RHS Wisley last year where they had naturalised alliums into a lawn. So last October I planted several hundred bulbs in the small front lawn. This was harder work than I anticipated!
Half way through putting the plugs back in
They’re not all out yet, but it’s getting there.
Bonus - no mowing until they’re done! Bees seem to have appreciated that too.
Half way through putting the plugs back in
They’re not all out yet, but it’s getting there.
Bonus - no mowing until they’re done! Bees seem to have appreciated that too.
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