The zombie army COVID-19 Gardening thread.

The zombie army COVID-19 Gardening thread.

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Sway

26,455 posts

196 months

Sunday 13th March 2022
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Argh, should have taken pics for the thread!

Out to the allotment today, hoeing the green manure then digging it in. That's two beds ready, with a garlic bed already going great guns. Just the spuds bed to prepare soon.

Then started levelling off the other third of the plot, before setting out pallet collars to figure out the layout. Have enough for three good sized rectangular double height beds, one single and another double height big square bed.

Better half and I have also been slowly plugging away at the remaining front garden strip. Californian lilac staked upright after the winds, and some hebes planted. Intention is to setup a cutting propagation effort on those so that we can fill the remaining bed well for free as we clear it.

We're thinking of a trailing rose running along the top of the garden wall as a backdrop - it could be planted in the ground at the corner of the house then run along the top of the wall.

What's the best method of affixing such a rose? Standard redbrick garden wall.

PositronicRay

27,122 posts

185 months

Sunday 13th March 2022
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Not really gardening, but some hedge planting done.


Harry Flashman

Original Poster:

19,462 posts

244 months

Thursday 17th March 2022
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What is the hedging species?

Project use the lawn as a flowerbed continues. So favourite bulbs are narcissus February Gold (flowers have elegant swept back petals), crocuses Vernus Pickwick, Jeanne D'Arc and a giant yellow crocus species (big, bold flowers)

Duffers are crocus tommasianus (weedy little flowers that are barely visible against the lawn), narcissus early sensation (boring flowers) and iris Katharine Hodgkin (weedy flowers barely visible against the lawn and that last only a few days).

Narcissus ice follies yet to flower.

Bulbs planted last autumn have flowered late, whereas the crocuses done the year before have naturalised and came in in late January, so much earlier than their first year of flowering, and they have also multiplied nicely. So I'm hoping everything planted in 2021 also multiplies, synchronises and blooms a bit earlier in spring 2023...at the moment, it all looks a bit scrappy.








RichB

51,821 posts

286 months

Thursday 17th March 2022
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Harry Flashman said:
<clip> Project use the lawn as a flowerbed continues...
No pigeons in your garden then? They wreck the crocus in mine!

PositronicRay

27,122 posts

185 months

Thursday 17th March 2022
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Harry Flashman said:
What is the hedging species?]
That's a row of hawthorn, another row of mixed shrubs such as dogwood, guelder rose, wild cherry, and few oaks has now been planted alongside.

When ready the hawthorn will be layered to make it stock proof, then the wire fence can be dispensed with.

Evoluzione

10,345 posts

245 months

Thursday 17th March 2022
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PositronicRay said:
When ready the hawthorn will be layered to make it stock proof, then the wire fence can be dispensed with.
Do you think that will happen in your lifetime?

PositronicRay

27,122 posts

185 months

Friday 18th March 2022
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Evoluzione said:
PositronicRay said:
When ready the hawthorn will be layered to make it stock proof, then the wire fence can be dispensed with.
Do you think that will happen in your lifetime?
Hope so I'm only 63 1/2.
I wiser man than me once said. "He whosoever plants a tree winks at immortality" laugh


The hawthorn should be ready for laying in about 7 yrs, so I'll get practicing, fancy giving us a hand?

Edited by PositronicRay on Friday 18th March 07:28

PositronicRay

27,122 posts

185 months

Friday 18th March 2022
quotequote all
Harry Flashman said:
What is the hedging species?

Project use the lawn as a flowerbed continues. So favourite bulbs are narcissus February Gold (flowers have elegant swept back petals), crocuses Vernus Pickwick, Jeanne D'Arc and a giant yellow crocus species (big, bold flowers)

Duffers are crocus tommasianus (weedy little flowers that are barely visible against the lawn), narcissus early sensation (boring flowers) and iris Katharine Hodgkin (weedy flowers barely visible against the lawn and that last only a few days).

Narcissus ice follies yet to flower.

Bulbs planted last autumn have flowered late, whereas the crocuses done the year before have naturalised and came in in late January, so much earlier than their first year of flowering, and they have also multiplied nicely. So I'm hoping everything planted in 2021 also multiplies, synchronises and blooms a bit earlier in spring 2023...at the moment, it all looks a bit scrappy.







I think that lawn looks really good, time for some bulbs for next year.

Harry Flashman

Original Poster:

19,462 posts

244 months

Friday 18th March 2022
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Container bulbs kicking off too. The massive ones at the back are giant alliums that get to over 1.5m tall. Others are hyacinth with late tulip layered underneath them...




Flowerbed bulbs starting too. And a few new additions in pots from B&Q to be planted where stuff has failed to appear. Rare allium nevskianum, the bulbs alone are around £2-3 in autumn, and these potted, growing one's were £3 each. I bought the lot.



Evoluzione

10,345 posts

245 months

Friday 18th March 2022
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PositronicRay said:
Evoluzione said:
PositronicRay said:
When ready the hawthorn will be layered to make it stock proof, then the wire fence can be dispensed with.
Do you think that will happen in your lifetime?
Hope so I'm only 63 1/2.
I wiser man than me once said. "He whosoever plants a tree winks at immortality" laugh


The hawthorn should be ready for laying in about 7 yrs, so I'll get practicing, fancy giving us a hand?
Nah i'm more of a dry stone wall man these days biggrin
I had it down as a slow growing tree, but then most things grow slow up here in the grim wastelands of the North.

I'm not seeing many tulips in this thread so far, some inspiration here: https://www.google.com/search?q=dwarf+tulips&s...

As you can see they are dwarf ones so wind resistant, these are ours which were planted last Autumn:




A bit lonely, but it's a start.

PositronicRay

27,122 posts

185 months

Friday 18th March 2022
quotequote all
Evoluzione said:
Nah i'm more of a dry stone wall man these days biggrin
I had it down as a slow growing tree, but then most things grow slow up here in the grim wastelands of the North.
We'll have to have a race. clap

I

PositronicRay

27,122 posts

185 months

Friday 18th March 2022
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A grey start, but pleased with the colours.




Harry Flashman

Original Poster:

19,462 posts

244 months

Saturday 19th March 2022
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Evoluzione said:
I'm not seeing many tulips in this thread so far, some inspiration here: https://www.google.com/search?q=dwarf+tulips&s...

As you can see they are dwarf ones so wind resistant, these are ours which were planted last Autumn:




A bit lonely, but it's a start.
Dwarf tulips you say?




These are the first up this year. Lots more to come hopefully!

Evoluzione

10,345 posts

245 months

Saturday 19th March 2022
quotequote all
Harry Flashman said:
Evoluzione said:
I'm not seeing many tulips in this thread so far, some inspiration here: https://www.google.com/search?q=dwarf+tulips&s...

As you can see they are dwarf ones so wind resistant, these are ours which were planted last Autumn:




A bit lonely, but it's a start.
Dwarf tulips you say?




These are the first up this year. Lots more to come hopefully!
They're lovely, it's great to see some colour after a long Winter.
I can see dwarf tulip bulbs forming part of the O/Hs autumn birthday presents biggrin

They've come through looking really strong and bright for a first time, i've been pondering if some of the other stuff like daffs and crocus look a bit weak, again possibly because it's their first season. Hopefully will get stronger as they get some years on them.

Gretchen

19,062 posts

218 months

Saturday 19th March 2022
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Found some Bamboo screening on FB marketplace last night for a fiver, picked up this morning and have put it up against our free green chain link fencing we put up last year to give us our own private garden at the mooring.
Now on the hunt for some potted Bamboo/Cordylines to break it up a bit then Bikini and BBQ. Paradise.





Would really like to build a pergola and outdoor kitchen in the corner too so always on the look out for a free to dismantler.

Sway

26,455 posts

196 months

Saturday 19th March 2022
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Managed to get out and get some pics. Front beds have all been done pretty much six months apart.

Northern end (oldest)


Bulb bed (starting to actually 'work', but lots of work still to do)




'Cottage garden' bed (newest, and still very much work in progress)


Then down to the allotment to kick off the final area 'setup'. Mate had a new kitchen, so after rough levelling it was big sheets of cardboard then weed control fabric. That'll get covered in woodchip next time the society organise a drop.

Pallet collars for raised beds, and we're almost there.




RichB

51,821 posts

286 months

Saturday 19th March 2022
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I'd never heard of pallet collars they look ideal!

MrHappy

498 posts

84 months

Friday 25th March 2022
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These little buggers (docks) tend to break off when weeding and regrow even bigger from the root left in the ground but the ground is now soft enough to ‘ease’ them out whole. Gotta take these small victories when you can!


Harry Flashman

Original Poster:

19,462 posts

244 months

Friday 25th March 2022
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Container rose planting...

pmanson

13,387 posts

255 months

Friday 25th March 2022
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We moved a week ago so now have a new project on our hands