Thyme To Garden - January 2019

[ABSpareEditor]

In light of Ed's absence I am bringing you the monthly Home & Garden thread!

Last month's thread is here.

Do you have any plans for your garden this new year?

[spathiphyllum]

Nope, but i do plan to lop a tree out side the front of my house.. Berries are falling all over my front door step and i'm treading them inside -.- For the back garden all it needs is a good mow, and maybe a scarify to get rid of some dead bits.

[Rockrose]

I have vowed this year to get my gardens sorted but it’s such a task!
I have 3 gardens plus a large walled orchard and walled patio!
I will start in February when I’m fully well with the hacking back, I know it’s probably the wrong time to do it but I’m will to sacrifice the loss of blooms etc for a year . I also have a fushia bush that is ancient needs a good seeing too so I will probably start there

[spathiphyllum]

well i have 4 plus an even larger wall!!!

;P

[Rockrose]

It’s really such a chore

[woofgang]

I have got quite a few new shrubs and saplings to pot on into 20 and 35l tubs, including a mimosa which is already in a 50l tub ands going into a 100l tub. brambles need cutting back all around the garden ansd the tortoise pen needs a general tidy up. My seeds (potimarron squash and specialist runner beans and peas among others) were boughtearly ands are in store ready to be planted. Going to late plant peas again this year as I had such an excellent crop last year. I use pea Terrain as it is bred for succession planting and the flavour is excellent. My garden smells delicious at present, mimosa, sarcococca, winter jasmine, petasites, viburnum and mahonia are all in flower and there are loads of buds on the camellias and the christmas roses....daffs are well up and garden hyacinths are just showing bud tips. Given the hot dry summer, a good showing so far.

[Tilly2]

Rockrose, can you hire a gardener to help you with some of that hard work?

[spathiphyllum]

hit me up baby

[Rockrose]

Tilly I could but when I have enquire in the past the amounts quoted are eye watering.
I figure if I do a little each weekend then it won’t be so bad.
It will help if I can buy a replacement charger for the hedge trimmers that would save a fair amount of time.
The hardest and time consuming is taking it all to the dump

[spathiphyllum]

you know RR, every one of my customers has said, the worst part about gardening is the disposal of old material / cuttings. The majority of them are over 70 but even the younger ones apparently feel similar.

I find it therapeutic and keep most of the waste for the allotment.

[Prudie]

I guess it's not available everywhere but we find the £40 pa we pay for council fortnightly garden waste collections an absolute godsend. Our bin is nearly always full.

[Rockrose]

Prudie we have that but it is free, however given the amount of garden waste that will be produced the bin will not take it on top of the lawn cuttings

[vulcan42]

\\ I also have a fushia bush that is ancient needs a good seeing too so I will probably start there//
Rockrose, be warned, in 2017 I cut a fuchsia to the ground because it cut out half of the light to my front window. In 2018 it grew back so much it cut out all the light to my front window. :o)

[Old_Geezer]

Plans yeah. Sigh at the weeds, put in lots more plants, wonder why they don't do well, then wonder what happened to them come 2020.

[Robinia]

No plans as such, more optimistic aims, it all depends on weather, energy, finances. I've a very tall holly that needs reducing and I'd love my cryptomeria cloud pruned but I couldn't do it myself and it would cost a fortune to have it done/maintained professionally.
https://www.modelvillagegodshill.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IMG_3684.jpg

Other than that I'll be happy with good health and weather so that (with a little help sometimes) I can keep up with it.

[woofgang]

I have my concerns here....loads of things showing green shoots and cold weather forecast :(

[Robinia]

I know woofy, same here. The weather's looking pretty harsh for the next couple of weeks :(

[rowanwitch]

Have two, possibly three gardens to redesign and part build this year. I am looking forward to it as both are predominantly for wildlife. One is huge and will mostly be slash and burn and then some replanting the other is a complete rip out and start again. If I take on the third they want pretty flowers and a lawn. I think I am going to be busy....

[Old_Geezer]

Given the mild winter so far, ought one tackle cutting back the roses now, in January, or wait until Spring really arrives ?

[woofgang]

Wait OG the bad weather isn’t over yet. I don’t do mine until at least march and I live in the south.

[woofgang]

I have suddenly got snowdrops everywhere including places where I never planted them which is lovely. I think a garden is really mature when things like snowdrops and wild cyclamen start spreading....mind you only been in this house for around 35 years so its early days really!