What’s happening in your garden today?

[RichB]

DoubleSix said:

I would love to plant some foxgloves but have been warned off them as we have cats. Am I being overcautious?

Of course you are. Cats have evolved over the millennia and like all animals they don't eat poisonous plants and secondly there are probably foxgloves somewhere in neighboring gardens which your cats, demonstrably, haven't eaten. So you, the foxgloves and the cats will be fine.

[otolith]

Got back to my house having been away for a while and the plants I put in the troughs in the front garden are dry as a bone and half of them are dead. Someone has turned off the tap for the watering system. I suspect the interfering old bat next door. fking infuriating.

[Patio]

Currently being rained on

[DoubleSix]

RichB said:

DoubleSix said:

I would love to plant some foxgloves but have been warned off them as we have cats. Am I being overcautious?

Of course you are. Cats have evolved over the millennia and like all animals they don't eat poisonous plants and secondly there are probably foxgloves somewhere in neighboring gardens which your cats, demonstrably, haven't eaten. So you, the foxgloves and the cats will be fine.

I read it more the case that they rub up against them unwittingly, then lick their fur when cleaning… i accept the neighbourhood is not littered with dead cats but OH would not function if i killed her cat.

[a340driver]

[iphonedyou]

Shade border has come alive.

Edited by iphonedyou on Sunday 26th May 08:20

[RichB]

DoubleSix said:

RichB said:

DoubleSix said:

I would love to plant some foxgloves but have been warned off them as we have cats. Am I being overcautious?

Of course you are. Cats have evolved over the millennia and like all animals they don't eat poisonous plants and secondly there are probably foxgloves somewhere in neighboring gardens which your cats, demonstrably, haven't eaten. So you, the foxgloves and the cats will be fine.

I read it more the case that they rub up against them unwittingly, then lick their fur when cleaning… i accept the neighbourhood is not littered with dead cats but OH would not function if i killed her cat.

It would need to be ingested, it's like all these plants, foxgloves, deadly nightshade, laburnum even rhododendrons... Talking of rhododendrons, they are in full bloom in our garden and look stunning, shame they don't last long. Will be getting some iron sulphate and seaweed extract on the lawn today just to green it up a little.

[dickymint]

Surprised Wifey with a baby Nelly to go with this one..............





They're now together in the Jungle..................








Today's mission is to add to the surprise and wang a hose pipe and spray head up her nether region

[Mercdriver]

Took too long releasing mouse from mousetrap and giving it for magpies breakfast. The mice eat my runner bean seeds.

So he helped himself, including the trap, bugger! Have to get up earlier

[Hereward]

I am gardening for wildlife. The beauty of this approach is minimal maintenance, with just the occasional cutting back of scrub and pruning / coppicing every few years.

Big pond with overgrown margins:


Small pond:


Uncut hedgerow that I planted about 14 years ago (light pruning every other year):


Woodland rides:




We have lost a huge number of our traditional small hay meadows in the last 100 years. I used to keep this paddock cut short. Now I leave it uncut from March until September:

[DoubleSix]

Wow. Lucky you!!

[CharlesdeGaulle]

I wonder if anyone here can offer advice please? I've grown this strelitzia from a tiny plug I bought in Madeira and have grown it indoors. It's generally doing well but there is what looks like mould on some leaves. A couple of the lower leaves are yellowing too, as pictured.

The plant:


And the fungal/space death:





Any tips or advice anyone can offer please?

[pinchmeimdreamin]

Slightly smaller scale than most on here, but our little piece of garden is hopefully showing signs of life.
Only really got room for a small border and pots.

3rd of the garden given over to the hedgehogs so out of bounds

[Schwarz930]

The Garden is a mess, so no pictures of that, but the Blue Tits are nesting in the bird box which is great.

Excuse the poor pictures, I didn't want to get too close.

[mcelliott]

A few pics from the garden, looking quite colourful at the moment, Echiums continue to grow ever upwards, they've put on about 12ft of growth since the start of the year, and the scent from the Cordylines, Rosa rugosa, and Tree Lupins is quite intoxicating.

[T1547]

Took out around 30m2 of decking that had gone rotten at the back of our garden. Had intended to replace the boards but realised the frame was rotten too, so will be putting it back to lawn. I’m quite pleased about it actually as will be nice to have the extra lawn space.

Back breaking work though and 2 more car-loads of rotten timber to the tip still needed.





Good job I had help



Started re-building the back end of the pond yesterday with new sleepers, just need to put the finishing touches to it and buy a trailing plant to cover some pipe, thinking of Saponaria ocymoides.

[T1547]

PS this is a thread where a ‘like’ button on PH is needed - some beautiful gardens/spaces on display.

[Tango13]

First strawberry of the year

[srob]

No pictures, but we had a visit to the bird feeder last night from a bluetit and two babies. She seemed to be showing them what to do, they weren’t very good at flying

Very sweet to see.

[thepritch]

srob said:

No pictures, but we had a visit to the bird feeder last night from a bluetit and two babies. She seemed to be showing them what to do, they weren’t very good at flying

Very sweet to see.

It is a glorious time of year isn’t it! Quite special.

But it can also be quite horrible. As you alluded to, all the chicks that have fledged, will undoubtedly start hitting our windows. Thud. Thud. Thud throughout the day. We have quite a few deaths over this period every year and try and take preventative measures.

We also really look forward to the family of deer that ‘live’ in the garden routinely give birth to two fawns sometime in June. They’ll proudly show them off to us even at only a day or so old. We have already decided what their names will be - Nadia and Claudia