[Help] Gardeners Question Time.

[jevs]

50 years' ago this week, I started as an apprentice on Brighton Parks Department. Half a century ago. Where's that gone?

On the 2nd August, it was 40 years ago that I started....and i'm still there loving every minute of it!!!

Coffee soon Jack?

 

[Jack Straw]

On the 2nd August, it was 40 years ago that I started....and i'm still there loving every minute of it!!!

Coffee soon Jack?

And long may you be doing so.
I'll ring you soon to see if t'kettle's on Chuck! HELLO!!

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

There's no fooling you Monty!

I'd trust [MENTION=435]Stat Brother[/MENTION] more than Monty after seeing how he treated Dicksonia treeferns!

 

[WATFORD zero]

On the 2nd August, it was 40 years ago that I started....and i'm still there loving every minute of it!!!

Coffee soon Jack?

43 years ago I started on Hove Parks and Gardens, Seafront bowling greens, Adelaide Crescent and Finally St Anne's Well. Couldn't cut it though, only lasted 4 years

 

[Jack Straw]

I'd trust [MENTION=435]Stat Brother[/MENTION] more than Monty after seeing how he treated Dicksonia treeferns!

We can all learn from Stat!

 

[Jack Straw]

43 years ago I started on Hove Parks and Gardens, Seafront bowling greens, Adelaide Crescent and Finally St Anne's Well. Couldn't cut it though, only lasted 4 years

That's the trouble with you youngsters. No stickability!

 

[Coldeanseagull]

Nine weeks ago, I packed up working...cos I didn't want to do it any more. That's after doing various stuff for over forty five years.
I've never worked so hard these last nine weeks!
What's that got to do with a gardening thread you ask? Nothing really, I just wanted to tell people I'm sleeping in and doing what I want to....which is catch up on so, so many jobs. Actually, yes garden related because all the jobs involve my garden.
I've discover that after years of crastinating, I could've gone pro

 

[Super Steve Earle]

End of the month it's 50 years since I started work. Retired from the same company 4 years ago.

Anyhoo, here's the thing. I live on a privately maintained estate, so we manage the grounds ourselves. We have a green lung strip of meadow skirting the housing running from woodland to trees by the school. We do not cut the Meadow during summer, so it is long dry grass at the moment, good for the environment and the bugs etc. On the other hand, is it a fire risk during a heatwave? The dilemma is, do we cut it 6 weeks early and reduce the fire risk or take our chances and protect the environment.

 

[Weststander]

End of the month it's 50 years since I started work. Retired from the same company 4 years ago.

Anyhoo, here's the thing. I live on a privately maintained estate, so we manage the grounds ourselves. We have a green lung strip of meadow skirting the housing running from woodland to trees by the school. We do not cut the Meadow during summer, so it is long dry grass at the moment, good for the environment and the bugs etc. On the other hand, is it a fire risk during a heatwave? The dilemma is, do we cut it 6 weeks early and reduce the fire risk or take our chances and protect the environment.

Drought or no drought, the advice is often to initially cut meadows by the first half of August.

 

[Jack Straw]

End of the month it's 50 years since I started work. Retired from the same company 4 years ago.

Anyhoo, here's the thing. I live on a privately maintained estate, so we manage the grounds ourselves. We have a green lung strip of meadow skirting the housing running from woodland to trees by the school. We do not cut the Meadow during summer, so it is long dry grass at the moment, good for the environment and the bugs etc. On the other hand, is it a fire risk during a heatwave? The dilemma is, do we cut it 6 weeks early and reduce the fire risk or take our chances and protect the environment.

If all the wild flowers have set and shed their seeds, cut it down to nothing and clear away the cuttings. Then keep it mown until the winter, and let it loose again next year. Monty Don did exactly this in his wild flower area on last week's Gardeners' World.
It could be a fire hazard, so this would help to eliminate the risk.

 

[Stat Brother]

If all the wild flowers have set and shed their seeds, cut it down to nothing and clear away the cuttings. Then keep it mown until the winter, and let it loose again next year. Monty Don did exactly this in his wild flower area on last week's Gardeners' World.
It could be a fire hazard, so this would help to eliminate the risk.

Only cos I told him too.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Any tips on how to trim a climbing hydrangea? My house is resembling a Hobbit hole.

 

[Jack Straw]

View attachment 150803

Any tips on how to trim a climbing hydrangea? My house is resembling a Hobbit hole.

That's wonderful! Looks like you've got a Virginia Creeper too. It looks like Parthenocissus tricuspidata, which is a self-clinger.
I would hang on until the leaves have fallen off of the Virginia Creeper so you benefit from the wonderful autumn colour and you can then see where the branches are.
If you can get a cherry-picker up to the house, I would hire one of those, and completely remove the VC and leave the Hydrangea.
If you like the VC, perhaps cut all growth above the guttering and around the windows, but you would need to do that every year or two. Just hope it hasn't clung on too enthusiastically!
As for the Hydrangea, I would cut it level with the underneath of the upstairs windows. It's nowhere as vigorous as the VC, so shouldn't give you any frequent problems.

 

[Stat Brother]

I'd burn it too the ground.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

View attachment 150803

Any tips on how to trim a climbing hydrangea? My house is resembling a Hobbit hole.

Wow, contrary to Stat's scorched earth policy, I love that! What a wonderful atmosphere it must conjure!

 

[Jack Straw]

I'd burn it too the ground.

Monty to the rescue!

 

[Winker]

This beasty has made a home by my pond, it's a wasp spider:

 

[Winker]

Yardlong Bean anyone? Growing in my greenhouse:

 

[Stat Brother]

More new colour in le Jardin du Stat

 

[wellquickwoody]

More new colour in le Jardin du Stat

View attachment 150981

Calla (with L’s) Lilly, or Arum lily?