How does your garden grow?

[Captain Willard]

My dahlias and sunflowers have done well but seriously need some rain. It’s been weeks now in the south east. 

[Section_31]

Any advice on  this?

 

Our apple tree toppled over, fat cunt had 180 apples on it despite being about 4ft. It uprooted itself basically, cut off from the roots briefly. I've put it back in the ground, trimmed it back and put a support thing in to keep it straight. Leaves are drying up and going brown now though. Is it dead or will it come back next summer or what?  

[dockers_strike]

18 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

Any advice on  this?

 

Our apple tree toppled over, fat cunt had 180 apples on it despite being about 4ft. It uprooted itself basically, cut off from the roots briefly. I've put it back in the ground, trimmed it back and put a support thing in to keep it straight. Leaves are drying up and going brown now though. Is it dead or will it come back next summer or what?  

Something similar happened to ours. It appeared the root system had got strangulated just under the ground and didnt spread out. One year when it had a load of apples on it, it just toppled over.

 

If the root system has been severely damaged, I cant see it recovering. Maybe best bet would be to take a cutting and start again? There again, Im no gardener!

[Champ]

2 hours ago, Section_31 said:

Any advice on  this?

 

Our apple tree toppled over, fat cunt had 180 apples on it despite being about 4ft. It uprooted itself basically, cut off from the roots briefly. I've put it back in the ground, trimmed it back and put a support thing in to keep it straight. Leaves are drying up and going brown now though. Is it dead or will it come back next summer or what?  

Water water water

[TheHowieLama]

If it came clean off old roots I don't think those are going to rejoin no matter how short the time - you might want to think about digging bulk of the old dead roots out - maybe diseased. 

[Champ]

How are everyone’s gardens surviving the lack of rain and what changes, if any, are you thinking of making to how you garden if this is how we’re going to experience climate change?

[Captain Willard]

15 minutes ago, Champ said:

How are everyone’s gardens surviving the lack of rain and what changes, if any, are you thinking of making to how you garden if this is how we’re going to experience climate change?

I’m away for 2 weeks and  fretting about my dahlias on my allotment. A neighbouring plot holder said she’d water them but I’m doubtful. It’s too stressful, next year I’m growing cacti. 

[YorkshireRed]

We’ve actually had a bit of rain in this part of Yorkshire, so things not as bad as elsewhere.
 

Despite the hours the wife puts into maintaining things, I actually think it’s design has made it reasonably resilient to the changing environment. I guess time will tell. 
 

No idea if this is relevant but she’s just purchased a rotavator. I’m pretty sure we don’t need this, but I’m afraid to ask. 

[KMD7]

16 minutes ago, YorkshireRed said:

We’ve actually had a bit of rain in this part of Yorkshire, so things not as bad as elsewhere.
 

Despite the hours the wife puts into maintaining things, I actually think it’s design has made it reasonably resilient to the changing environment. I guess time will tell. 
 

No idea if this is relevant but she’s just purchased a rotavator. I’m pretty sure we don’t need this, but I’m afraid to ask. 

You're fucked mate. Hard work that 

[YorkshireRed]

Just now, KMD7 said:

You're fucked mate. Hard work that 

I very much doubt she’ll want me to do it. That’ll be giving up the total control she demands over her garden.

 

The smart play will be to offer at a time where I have a high degree of confidence she’ll say no. 

[Karl_b]

4 hours ago, Champ said:

How are everyone’s gardens surviving the lack of rain and what changes, if any, are you thinking of making to how you garden if this is how we’re going to experience climate change?

Ours has done ok, we've managed to keep watering the veg plot from the water butts but today had to resort to filling up the watering can from the tap. The bit of lawn we have looks yellow and the borders are struggling a bit (they're relatively new so not well established). 

 

I've followed the lead of some of the landscape architects and plants people I know and work with in responding to the climate changing. Our garden is prone to ponding and we get lower than average rainfall, so creating something that is flood and drought resilient is our challenge. I've shared photos in the last of our garden when we moved in, it was a lawn with two trees. Half became the veg plot and half of the lawn that was left has slowly been replaced by either borders or, for a fair chunk, a wildflower meadow. The meadow is 2 summers old now and has been incredible this year; it's still holding up well with the recent dry spell and we've never had so many bugs and birds. 

 

The two borders we put in two years ago are fairly conventional but we're slowly putting in more diverse, resilient planting. I have another border to put in - probably next year - which will front a swale I dug last year. The swale and the borders have massively helped with the ponding, I'm hoping it's non-existent this winter. I've been given a planting plan from a colleague and have started growing some of the plants from seed to get a head start, on a low budget, for next year's planting. 

 

Edit - I also plan to get at least 3 more water butts next year to daisy chain off the ones we already have. Looking at connecting them to some sort of self-watering system for the greenhouse.

[Champ]

Experiences of this summer - the soil is like dust

I’m growing tomatoes in the greenhouse and I’m having to water them almost daily

The same for my pots

I’ve been developing a ‘tropical’ looking border which really should be kept watered. 

The watering was an enjoyable chore but I’m feeling increasingly uncomfortable that the planting needs so much water to thrive 

 

Looking ahead

I need to get more water butts

I’m wondering about trying growing my tomatoes outside 

As plants mature they will need less watering so maybe I’ll just keep an eye on things for now

More mulch in Spring

I let half the grass grow this year and plan to do the same with the other half next year and just leave a path through the middle of it. 
 

Earlier this week I cut the long grass and plan to develop it into a wild mini meadow with the addition of some starter wildflower plug plants

[DalyanPete]

Super hot here in Turkey but the water table is so high it doesn't affect anything. We have an artesian well connected to underground water so watering is free. God blessed this country with sun and water which I think was a bit arlarse on other countries who got errrr, sand.

 

[Babb'sBurstNad]

My soil's very poor, so I've taken to accepting that certain smaller finicky things are going to die off in my garden in this heat. No point fighting a losing battle if this is going to be a yearly thing. It's made me focus on what I really want to keep.

 

The Acers, black Elder, Worplesdon - in short any shrub or tree that'll grow to a size to offer the beds a little shade.

 

Water butts (6) are almost empty though. Come on rain.

[Champ]

1 hour ago, Babb'sBurstNad said:

My soil's very poor, so I've taken to accepting that certain smaller finicky things are going to die off in my garden in this heat. No point fighting a losing battle if this is going to be a yearly thing. It's made me focus on what I really want to keep.

 

The Acers, black Elder, Worplesdon - in short any shrub or tree that'll grow to a size to offer the beds a little shade.

 

Water butts (6) are almost empty though. Come on rain.

I’m seriously impressed by your water collecting efforts.

 

I’m now off to Google ‘Worplesdon’

 

Edit. It’s not what you meant to type, was it?

[Babb'sBurstNad]

57 minutes ago, Champ said:

I’m seriously impressed by your water collecting efforts.

 

I’m now off to Google ‘Worplesdon’

 

Edit. It’s not what you meant to type, was it?

It's one of these - https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/98807/liquidambar-styraciflua-worplesdon-/details

[Champ]

1 hour ago, Babb'sBurstNad said:

It's one of these - https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/98807/liquidambar-styraciflua-worplesdon-/details

Ahh, liquidambar. Why didn’t you say!

 

A man for a pinnate leaf

[Babb'sBurstNad]

18 minutes ago, Champ said:

Ahh, liquidambar. Why didn’t you say!

 

A man for a pinnate leaf

I believe it's palmate, but I'm no expert.

 

It was cheap at the garden centre. I really wanted a corkscrew Hazel. Had to leave mine at a previous house.

[Champ]

13 minutes ago, Babb'sBurstNad said:

I believe it's palmate, but I'm no expert.

 

It was cheap at the garden centre. I really wanted a corkscrew Hazel. Had to leave mine at a previous house.

I was describing your acer, black elder and liquidambar leaves as pinnate.

 

I’m now trying to work out which are pinnate and which are palmate…or maybe they can be both?!

 

Where’s @neko when you need him

[Champ]

12 minutes ago, Champ said:

I was describing your acer, black elder and liquidambar leaves as pinnate.

 

I’m now trying to work out which are pinnate and which are palmate…or maybe they can be both?!

 

Where’s @neko when you need him

What I was trying to describe are leaves with jagged edges…which turns out to be neither of the above but ‘laciniate’. Well, you learn something every day…

[Champ]

13 hours ago, Champ said:

Experiences of this summer - the soil is like dust

I’m growing tomatoes in the greenhouse and I’m having to water them almost daily

The same for my pots

I’ve been developing a ‘tropical’ looking border which really should be kept watered. 

The watering was an enjoyable chore but I’m feeling increasingly uncomfortable that the planting needs so much water to thrive 

 

Looking ahead

I need to get more water butts

I’m wondering about trying growing my tomatoes outside 

As plants mature they will need less watering so maybe I’ll just keep an eye on things for now

More mulch in Spring

I let half the grass grow this year and plan to do the same with the other half next year and just leave a path through the middle of it. 
 

Earlier this week I cut the long grass and plan to develop it into a wild mini meadow with the addition of some starter wildflower plug plants

How did I forget this…I’ve made a mini pond, more of a bird bath, I suppose, out of a plastic tray and a bag of cobbles. Yesterday I spotted little things swimming in the water and later on I spotted a bird having a good splash around in it. I’m absolutely delighted

[YorkshireRed]

The first apples from the young tree out the back. Not ready yet but I’m looking forward to sampling them in the not to distant future. 
 

 

[A Red]

I spotted this at the end of the garden

 

 

 

 

[YorkshireRed]

On 10/08/2022 at 14:35, Champ said:

How did I forget this…I’ve made a mini pond, more of a bird bath, I suppose, out of a plastic tray and a bag of cobbles. Yesterday I spotted little things swimming in the water and later on I spotted a bird having a good splash around in it. I’m absolutely delighted

This is pond four in the back, currently under construction. Three really, but one of them is on two levels. 
 

Some people are addicted to drugs or alcohol. The wife is addicted to making ponds. 
 

 

[Captain Willard]

10 minutes ago, YorkshireRed said:

This is pond four in the back, currently under construction. Three really, but one of them is on two levels. 
 

Some people are addicted to drugs or alcohol. The wife is addicted to making ponds. 
 

 

I’m the same. I’ve 5 ponds on my allotment. It’s healthier than drugs.