Trowel and Error

[Cerise]

I just saw this reel (?) and I think this sums up very nicely how we both feel at the moment. :))

https://www.facebook.com/reel/499081879186328

Oh my god yes! Mine is going to be bindweed city by the time we get home! :cry:

[absley]

:fc: Cerise!

My final house guests this summer (parents on both sides, who will be v interested to see how the garden looks) are with us next weekend so I'm desperately trying to hold onto non-feral energy, which mostly means hoping the phlox doesn't go over and some of the asters come out, plus plenty of deadheading. I also pruned all my cranesbill geraniums back a few weeks ago in the hope they'd have a second flush - not yet but maybe...

Sounds like you've had a decent crop on various vegetable fronts, Goat, with your mostly garden meals. And I am 100% sure the chatting pointing folk would have been full of praise for what you've done - the photos have looked lovely.

[Mountain Goat]

How did it go with the parents and did the garden behave?? And how is the bindweed Cerise?

I spent all Saturday sorting out the garden, so much needed taking in hand. I pulled up the sweet peas (sadly but they were getting a lot of mildew and while there was new growth coming, it would be a case of keeping them going for a couple of weeks for not much reward) and hacked the catnip (side garden) right back, there should be a second flush later. My baby tree broke free of its support (! bloody wind!) so needed retying in a panic. Two hydrangeas out the front perished what seemed to be overnight from too much sun (despite being in the shade) - I couldn't believe it, I must have just missed their stress somehow during previous inspections but it seemed like they went from fine to half dead in 24 hours. They've totally withered and lost all leaves but I am hopeful that they will come back next year, there seems to already be some new growth. A few other less important things also gave up in the intense sun (there are spots on the side that really bake, I need to think more carefully about what can cope there - the whole area gets a lot of sun but there are micro areas that just have zero shade and also take the brunt of the wind).

But as some things are giving up, others aren't: the cosmos is shining now, the malopes are starting to be impressive, the zinnias are starting to do well (I don't really like them but from seed they're a cheap easy way to fill a spot I have no longer term vision for yet), the sunflowers are thriving, the heleniums are on their second flush so no longer look ragged. In the shady section at the front the astrantia and Japanese anemone are at least taking some attention away from the dessicated hydrangeas. The dahlias and rudbeckias are full of themselves in the back. So swings and roundabouts.

In the veg, I pulled up the last of the potatoes so I could squeeze in an optimistic last sowing of beetroot, spinach, radish.

I'm left with some gaps to plug I think (maybe some of the baby plants will put on growth now they're not shaded though) and unsure what to do, I think I need a trip to a garden centre for some cheerful bedding/annuals just to perk up empty spots for a month or two. I don't want anything £££ to plant at at this point when there's a good chance anything new will just collapse in the sun.

[absley]

Ups and downs here too, Goat. But I'm learning lots! :ella: I hope the hydrangeas are still sprouting new growth and come back; I need to feed mine (inherited) as it's in a huge pot, but it's done well this year.

Parental visits start today, and I'm mostly concerned with indoors/ food as the cleaner cancelled last minute yesterday.

The garden is okay though - everything is gasping for water/ gaps are emerging but there's a reasonable amount of colour and my usual strategy of getting the lawn cut, plus this time the gardener also trimmed the topiary-ish balls, means there is the illusion of it being kempt! :))

There are a few ripe plums for them to pick (and then I quickly need to prune and retrain the fan for next year) plus lots of blackberries and I'll pick some of the pink fir apples for dinner tomorrow. My courgettes continue to be munched (but my neighbour rescued me with a gift) and my tomatoes are also ripening now.

I'm quietly starting to make autumn plans, for when the ground is wetter and workable.

[Cerise]

Bindweed is rampant, as expected. So many weeds in general!

The cucumber plants (3) produced a few cucumbers while we were away…

[Cerise]

Oh, potentially stupid incoming question…

Are baby corn and sweetcorn grown on the same plant? If I leave the overgrown “baby corn” will it grow into a proper cob?

[baargain]

They're different varieties, I think, cerise. I think they'll just get big and a bit tough.

[Hazey_Jane]

Is it too late for my tomato plants to give off any fruit this year? They sit on a balcony with patio doors facing east / south east so they get daylight and sunshine until around lunchtime. Do I keep watering them?

[Cosmopolitan]

I would. I would cut off any flowers though so they focus on growing the tomatoes that are there already.

[Mountain Goat]

Have they formed any? I'd chop off above the top set of fruit yes. But, if there's no fruit by this point I think it's unlikely any will form now. If there are some, they will likely ripen fine.

[Disco]

What they said and also pinch out any side shoots.

[Demelza]

I didn't do the side shoots on my tomatoes this year as I was away and it's made me realise what a difference it makes. I do have quite a lot of green tomatoes still (on my very straggly tomato plants!) and given the weather, I think I'll just pick them all and make chutney. I had one bean plant this year (it was the only one left after a scout fair) and that has been brilliant – so many beans!

Everything else seems so overgrown now. I need to check the best time to cut various plants back, as we need to replace/increase the trellis in most places. Will see if we can get some raised veg beds in place over the winter as planned too.

[Mountain Goat]

Everything needs a good tidy here too. We got absolutely battered by wind and storms a few times, and I lost whole cosmos plants, my dahlias got bent and lost all their flowers, and everything just slumped. Even my tree had to be re-tethered. I've also been madly busy with working evenings and having people to stay almost every weekend so I've got behind on various jobs.

We've got tonnes of tomatoes and courgettes and I've hardly bought any veg for months which is great (just things like onions that I didn't grow but do need). Also I cut down my broad bean plants that finished ages ago, I just hadn't got round to it, and found three more tomato plants under there??! I don't remember planting them but I had so many seedlings that maybe I just got fed up and shoved them in there to see if they could survive. They've been utterly neglected (not much light, no staking, no side shoot pinching) but still have quite a lot of tomatoes on them. :lol: My peppers are now ripening too.

Your cucumbers, Cerise! I've had enough cucumbers but not loads, my plants are shoved in at the end of a row and have been fighting for space, next year I'll take more care of them.

I need to really get on with a load of deadheading at the weekend. Things are generally looking a bit tired and untidy and I'm quite looking forward to the bit where everything gets tidied up and gardening becomes mostly planning for next year. One definite plan - support things better, early on. Especially my poor hydrangea Annabelles.

Also it's September and one type of dahlia has not yet flowered (it's a late variety and it has buds, but this is getting silly) and one type of Cosmos (Dazzler), which is in multiple spots, hasn't yet flowered either (lots of buds, again). What a weird year. It's been so hit and miss in terms of what has flourished and what has just not coped at all.

[Cosmopolitan]

Loads of my dahlias didn't flower until October the first year I put them in, but they were still amazing. Worth waiting and keep feeding them

[Mountain Goat]

Oh interesting, thank you! Yes this one is new, will keep feeding...

[Derek Nimmo]

Mine has gone a little manic again too, it's like spring all over again! I have calla lillies ( ) and a second flush of roses going strong. Also, my wisteria - only planted a couple of months ago - is going crazy, but I'll chop it in the hopes of getting a lot of flowers next year.

PSA in the meantime, did you know that you can eat both fuscia flowers and berries? The latter are really rather lovely, like blueberries (ish).

[Mountain Goat]

I did not know this!!!

I noticed yesterday my (new) roses had new buds on them. I had underplanted both of them unwisely so they had barely been visible for swarming cosmos/salvia (won't do that again) but since one of the cosmos carked it in a storm, that rose has got more light to it and is now in bud again.

I didn't know you had got a wisteria, I remember you getting your buddleia wisteria lane. You'll be full Bridgerton, swanning about eating quasi blueberries.

Oh my first Dazzler (the shocking pink/red Cosmos) finally opened yesterday. Welcome to the world, what time do you call this. (also do people still say shocking pink??)

[Derek Nimmo]

I said "shocking pink" only yesterday (when referring to my hair colour c2018 :)) ). So a sample size of one says yes.

I didn't know you had got a wisteria, I remember you getting your buddleia wisteria lane.

You have a very good plant memory! Alas it is RIP as the torrential rain of...well, most of this year, did for it :cry: The real deal is in very fine fettle though.

[Mountain Goat]

Well, at least one person knows what I mean. :))

Oh no! RIP buddleia wisteria lane. It's been a year of weather, I think I've lost (or at least upset) plants from every possible weather condition except snow, but including hail.

[Cosmopolitan]

I still say shocking pink too (even if my phone autocorrects to shocking oink ???) but I've had some very good dahlias this year.