[Help] Gardeners Question Time.

[Coldeanseagull]

Zantedeschia elliottiana

 

[Stat Brother]

I'm in a whole world of pain here, aren't I?

This is the wild garden, as I prospect for a digging start.
As you can see the weeks rain gets me about 2 inches then I either hit rocks or solid clay.
(I couldn't even break the surface 2 weeks ago)

Any advise that consists of 'bin it off until after a month of rain' would be gratefully accepted.
It currently feels like digging now will be maximum effort for minimum gain.





Do I dig this up or make a pot out of it?



The final 'f*** you'

 

[LamieRobertson]

Amazing the difference a week makes .the grass in Buckingham Park Shoreham has been looking like a well worn cricket strip
..passed by today and it’s a lush green

 

[Jack Straw]

I'm in a whole world of pain here, aren't I?

This is the wild garden, as I prospect for a digging start.
As you can see the weeks rain gets me about 2 inches then I either hit rocks or solid clay.
(I couldn't even break the surface 2 weeks ago)

Any advise that consists of 'bin it off until after a month of rain' would be gratefully accepted.
It currently feels like digging now will be maximum effort for minimum gain.

View attachment 151023

View attachment 151024

Do I dig this up or make a pot out of it?

View attachment 151025

The final 'f*** you'

View attachment 151026

Hang on until at least October when the ground should be much softer for digging due to rain. I would advise incorporating as much well-rotted compost and horticultural grit as you can afford. Otherwise, it will all bake again and you'll be back to square one.

 

[Stat Brother]

Hang on until at least October when the ground should be much softer for digging due to rain. I would advise incorporating as much well-rotted compost and horticultural grit as you can afford. Otherwise, it will all bake again and you'll be back to square one.

I'll hold off then, although my head is starting to head back indoors to carry on where I left off the decorating.
It would be good to finish outside sooner rather than later - bloody climate change!


Instead of that I spent the afternoon digging over the lawn area again.

A much easier task, it looks decent now.

 

[Jack Straw]

I'll hold off then, although my head is starting to head back indoors to carry on where I left off the decorating.
It would be good to finish outside sooner rather than later - bloody climate change!


Instead of that I spent the afternoon digging over the lawn area again.

A much easier task, it looks decent now.

If there's just a few clods of "pottery" clay, dig them out and get rid of them.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

I'm more of a 'no dig' gardener. I'd cover the whole lot in a good four inches of well rotted farmyard manure, eventually, any soil life will drag it down

 

[Weststander]

I'm more of a 'no dig' gardener. I'd cover the whole lot in a good four inches of well rotted farmyard manure, eventually, any soil life will drag it down

That would be the advice from any of the R4 GQT team, every time.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

That would be the advice from any of the R4 GQT team, every time.

Lifes too short to be go digging holes!

 

[Jack Straw]

Lifes too short to be go digging holes!

You youngsters. Afraid of hard work!

 

[Coldeanseagull]

You youngsters. Afraid of hard work!

I've done all the double digging, trenching and general ground work associated with getting animal droppings into the soil to last many lifetimes. The same effect can be done with mulching heavily...or so I've found.
Heavy soils can benefit from mulching with coarse sand as well as muck

 

[Stat Brother]

I'll chuck a load of grit then shit over the area this weekend - then walk away.


Happy dayz.

 

[Stat Brother]

Alternatively I could just wait for it to wee-wee down for 12 hours straight.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

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.

Many thanks for your input and recommendations. I've got a tree surgeon and cherry picker booked in for October.

 

[Jack Straw]

Many thanks for your input and recommendations. I've got a tree surgeon and cherry picker booked in for October.

Excellent. Photos of the completed job would be much appreciated.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Excellent. Photos of the completed job would be much appreciated.

Will do. Thanks again

 

[Weststander]

[MENTION=396]WATFORD zero[/MENTION] have you now seeded drought damaged lawn patches?

I've ordered seed, it's meant to be drought tolerant.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Ah yes, gardening. I'm looking at sowing grass in a week or so.

I've never done this before, is it likely to succeed at this time of year in the Brighton area?

Do I need to get a hurry on, or wait for it to have rained a bit? Thanks in advance

 

[WATFORD zero]

[MENTION=396]WATFORD zero[/MENTION] have you now seeded drought damaged lawn patches?

I've ordered seed, it's meant to be drought tolerant.

I haven't. Thanks for the reminder. I'm on it

And if you've ordered drought tolerant seed, then my back garden will probably be under water by the end of the week

 

[Weststander]

Ah yes, gardening. I'm looking at sowing grass in a week or so.

I've never done this before, is it likely to succeed at this time of year in the Brighton area?

Do I need to get a hurry on, or wait for it to have rained a bit? Thanks in advance

I've done it about 6 times over the years, 4 were complete flops, seed isn't cheap. Usually because an un-forecast dry spell arrived and lasted for months.

The ground's now moist enough, so do it just before the coming rain .... Friday and Saturday look wet.

R4 GQT advice:
1. Remove all moss and weeds.
2. Break up surface to a fine tilth.
3. Sow at 15g/MS. I'm going to try 5g/MS, three times, to give an even spread. By hand.
4. Lightly rake over.