No bedding plants, no hanging baskets, just a lot of rhodos and azaleas and perennials. Mowing the lawns is doddle, no edging to be done, as there's hard surfaces, bricks or flags between them and borders.
But it still takes me several hours a week to keep it all under control.
I regularly check on all the wooden features in our garden and on Saturday I noticed the bottom tread on the steps to our thirty-four old summerhouse I built, was a bit rocky, so I decide to replace it. I had a bit of 9" window sill left over from another job, so I went to Wilkos and bought a new mat for both steps. I decided to do this on Sunday, but found when I ripped off the mat on the top step, there was some rot in that too.
Of course the wood yard was closed, so I couldn't get any more wood.
But "I'd started so I decided to finish." I cut the small area of rotting wood out with a jigsaw and there was enough left over from the new bottom step to cut and let in a new bit. I gave it the exposed wood a dose of Cuprinol. The repair doesn't notice as it is under the mat.
I cut the new mat in half as I had the old one and glued and stapled the two bits to the treads and repainted where necessary.
Job done!
I took this photo this morning.
Would you believe I'd hoovered up all the leaves that fell in our garden from next door's tall silver birch trees yesterday?
There's as many again today, but it's raining so I won't bother for a few days.
Raked up all the stuff I'd strimmed off the paths between and around three of the veg beds and composted it. Harvested the four huge marrows which grew from courgettes and put them in the shed to dry off a little. Watered the cucumber and tomato plants which are still growing in the greenhouse, and have fruit growing and ripening on them.
Doghouse Riley , can’t see the joins so job well done Cut the lawns last week and started trimming hawthorn hedges and bushes Started putting plant pots in g/h for winter . Greenhouse nearly tided up Going in garden shortly for a couple of hours
Mowed this lawn, fortunately, my old Flymo Ultraglide has a big fan at the back to blow the cut grass into the box, but it's just as good for picking up fallen leaves from next door's silver birches. Later in the year I'll raise the blade and just use it as a leaf collector. Then used my Grizzly blower/vac to collect the rest on the path and on the three patios. The leaves on the five wisterias are begining to turn, they'll be more work eventually.
I do blow those that collect at the front of the long border, to the back near the fence and let them rot down. No room anywhere for a compost bin.
As usual an hour later there were more leaves so it's a never ending job, every few days.
Got into the rose patio and did a bit of pruning of those roses which were finished, scraped out the few weeds starting to grow between the flags and sprayed between the edges with weed killer.
Much as we love this big tree in the front garden, particularly when it's all pink and pale green in the spring.
It's a right pain at this time of the year when it's shedding its leaves. It will be getting a "tuppeny all off." I'll prune a foot off it all round late in the year, as I have for over ten years, to keep it from getting too big. Boring job, but with a Barnel telescopping pruner, no ladder required.
Raking them up from "the neighbour's cat's toilet," behind it, is needed every few days or I'll run out of "green bin capacity."
Finished tidying up greenhouse and potted up some self seeded grasses for my nieces gardens Going to strim the stream bank at side of garden tomorrow , not much more to do in garden
Just about to clear the last bits from the greenhouse, will have to bag it as hubby filled the bin with grass mowings and cutting back the bushes overhanging from the neighbour. Will pull the beans too, as they are done. That will finish this years growing season, except for a few carrots and radishes. Talking carrots I didn't realise woodlice will nibble on carrots! 🤔
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Cut the lawns last week and started trimming hawthorn hedges and bushes
Started putting plant pots in g/h for winter . Greenhouse nearly tided up
Going in garden shortly for a couple of hours
No, just putting the idea out there...
Going to pot up some self seeded grasses for nieces new garden as well
Going to strim the stream bank at side of garden tomorrow , not much more to do in garden
Will pull the beans too, as they are done.
That will finish this years growing season, except for a few carrots and radishes.
Talking carrots I didn't realise woodlice will nibble on carrots! 🤔