What did you do in your garden today?

[Sean Regan]

Nothing needed doing in the garden today, "so it didn't get done."

The acer palmatum Taylor I'd ordered arrived yesterday and I've potted it out. I've already attached wires to it to straighten it out.
It's quite small, even for £25. But there's so few available there's little choice. They are always grafted ones at this size and some don't survive. I'd rather have paid three times as much for one of a decent size. The problem is that they are slow growing and won't reach a decent size for about ten years and I might not be around then.

The cyclamen we bought on three different holidays from a garden centre near Lostwithiel ten years and more ago, never disappoint.
They will eventually fill this little bed when they all come up. I topped up the soil/compost mix earlier this year, so some will be later.

 

[Marck]

The acer palmatum Taylor I'd ordered arrived yesterday and I've potted it out. I've already attached wires to it to straighten it out.

Acer palmatum 'Taylor' is a choice cultivar of Japanese Maple. I understand it is one in which the Spring color exceeds that of Fall. I hope you will post pictures of it's color changes throughout the year.

 

[Sean Regan]

Acer palmatum 'Taylor' is a choice cultivar of Japanese Maple. I understand it is one in which the Spring color exceeds that of Fall. I hope you will post pictures of it's color changes throughout the year.

This is the one we had previously, taken last year in June when we'd had it a year. As you can see another obviously grafted one. It went more pink later in the year. But it didn't survive the winter, the hard frost in April killed it off.

 

[Marck]

Egad, that must have been a hard frost indeed. I hope this time you will have a milder winter or a stronger sapling, if not both.

 

[Sean Regan]

Egad, that must have been a hard frost indeed. I hope this time you will have a milder winter or a stronger sapling, if not both.

I'll be putting the new one in the shed around November.

 

[Sean Regan]

Did quite a bit today.
I pruned the three quinces along the side fence to stop them growing too tall and too close to the azaleas and rhodos, because in a "straight fight" against them, the quinces would always win.

Then it was some mowing and lawn patching, still treating a few places where neighbours' cats have peed on the lawn.
The "hardware" is to stop Cyril the squirrel from digging holes in the bits I've patched.

It's the worst the lawn has looked in years.

I can't blame the cats for this area below a rhodo, as it's constantly in shade it suffers from moss. It's had the treatment a few weeks ago plus today a bit of topsoil and more seed. I'll try to tie back that rhodo a bit tomorrow to allow in more light.

I did I what I hope the last of the wisteria pruning, just the unwanted long strands.
If anyone has any doubts about the hard pruning of wisterias in January, like this.

You'll still end up like this after the second bloom has gone.

Then a "hoover up" with my new Grizzly garden vac.

I also mowed the front lawn and cleared up the fallen leaves from the "lollypop tree."
There's a lot more to fall yet before I can get into its annual prune, where I take up to a foot off it all the way round. Easy enough with a couple of long and telescopic pruners, no ladders required.

So I came in feeling I'd completed a good day's work, when in fact it had only been a couple of hours

 

[Marck]

Do you grow a colonial bentgrass lawn (Agrostis capillaris)? Its finer texture and brighter green reminds me of such lawns, though I rarely if ever see them grown in my local climate, except perhaps on golf courses.

 

[Sean Regan]

Do you grow a colonial bentgrass lawn (Agrostis capillaris)? Its finer texture and brighter green reminds me of such lawns, though I rarely if ever see them grown in my local climate, except perhaps on golf courses.

No it's bog standard grass but no ryegrass.

 

[Sean Regan]

Just an hour today, tied up the rhodos which were growing out towards the lawn, to some stakes. You can't see the stakes so they look OK. I'll remove the stakes and wire in Spring by which time the rhodos branches will have "re-set" themselves.
Went round to the empty house next door and dragged away all the convolvulus growing up the party fence which always tries to get through to our side between the waneylap panels to strangle our azaleas. This stuff was all over one panel of their fence, their patio and parts of what was their lawn. I'll be glad when the house is sold.
Accidentally found the instructions for one of my latest appliances. A little booklet in several languages, seven of the pages in English.
It dealt with operation and "'elf n' safety."

It's a two tread folding step stool!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Started to tackle the next bit of the horribly overgrown bed, all brambles and ash seedlings with the occasional hornbeam and holly. Ground is dry and hard, I am weeding with a pick-axe. Just had a tiny bit of rain, but all my water butts are empty, it could do with a good downpour, I have leeks and celeriac that really need it.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

@ Sean Regan, Pruned your quince ? Is it a Japonica ornamental? My quince tree is in fruit now, I prune in winter. I was looking at it yesterday planning what to do, after a couple of years it is starting to get a good shape. There were two in this garden when I came, but who needs two quince trees? I have found that two engineering bricks tied together with a bit of rope through the holes are great for getting the branches to dip, you can move them about easily, the bricks are heavier than normal ones, and the rope is thick enough it doesn't cut into the branch. I use the same thing on the plum tree, winter decoration Quince jam soon, the jelly is just too much faffing about.

 

[Sean Regan]

We've three quinces along our side fence.
Many years ago I drilled holes a foot apart in the concrete posts and strung strong garden wire laterally between them all. The quinces are tied to those. The branches are easy to train that way.
it's the same with the wisteria in a previous photo on this thread. Nothing is tied to the actual panels, so they are easy to replace when necessary. I just like these quinces to form a band along the top part of the fence. We like the blossom.

We've a red, pink and a white one, (can't find a photo of the latter at the moment).

I remove and bin all the fruit around this time of the year. I did it last week.

 

[Sean Regan]

Just checked the SD card on the trail camera. I still have it focussed on 'arry's house, just to see if he breaks his hibernation.
So I was surprised to see a video.

 

[Marck]

Are there two different species of rodent showing up in that video?

 

[Sean Regan]

Don't believe so I think it's the same one, I believe it's a field mouse. It's shown up on a video on the patio a week ago.