Topic: The RAWK Gardening Thread. (All Questions Answered)

[royhendo]

One of the random things that’s appeared is this. I’ve no idea what most things are but this one is a complete mystery. It’s shot up really tall. Little white pendulous flowers starting to appear...

[CHOPPER]

Dundee Bamboo.

Very rare.


Great name as well.

[royhendo]

Thanks man that’s perfect!

[Sarge]

On removing the Eucalypt... we got rid of a massive ground covering conifer in the Autumn last year (which was where the 1st patio went). Long story short everything in its vicinity has now gone absolutely ballistic, presumably cos of the extra water going around to share. There are things flourishing that you could barely see last year and a good few shrubs flowering that over two years had just sat there. Also turns out we have gooseberries in there we didn't realise we had. Take one big bugger out and it affects everything else it seems!

It would have fought off all those plants taking nutrients away from them so with it gone there is more for everyone plus the addition rain, sun and feeding that indeed leads to a better level of photosynthesis.

[John C]

Conifers are a killer Roy mate. They absolutely zap every bit of moisture out of the ground so I'm not surprised plants thrived when you chopped it.

[Sarge]

Conifers are a killer Roy mate. They absolutely zap every bit of moisture out of the ground so I'm not surprised plants thrived when you chopped it.

Yep they suck the life out of all around them.

[royhendo]

One of the random things that’s appeared is this. I’ve no idea what most things are but this one is a complete mystery. It’s shot up really tall. Little white pendulous flowers starting to appear...

Any ideas?

[Filler.]

Any ideas?

A posh Scottish bindweed?

Good to note how bad conifers are for moisture. Have always hated them so this makes sense.

[Sarge]

Do bamboo have flowers?

Bamboo flowering is a peculiar phenomenon. Bamboos grow vegetatively for a species-specific period before flowering, seeding and dying. Most bamboo plants flower only once in their life cycle. ... There is something mysterious about bamboo flowering.

No idea Roy the flower is doing me, but thats interesting.

[royhendo]

It's amazing how it's bulleted up into the sky. It's about 3 metres high by this stage, the thing. It is like bamboo an all.

[Sarge]

It's amazing how it's bulleted up into the sky. It's about 3 metres high by this stage, the thing. It is like bamboo an all.

Is it in a shaded area or full sun?

[Filler.]

Be very careful if it's bamboo. It can spread like a bitch (american accent).


Clawing thru our jungle. Blackberry canes 15ft high in there but have nearly reached an old damson tree in the corner which I think is ok. They don't like pruning but if they need one, now is the time thankfully. Some blackberry stems over an inch thick. Whole area including other gardens wild. Day off tomorrow so hoping I can get the kids to help me in the daytime like they helped (a bit) tonight. Tears with thorn pricks etc. Woman up girl!

I don't like anything that spreads out of control. Even creeping thyme. Tried for an age to get that going and finally did it the other year which I was very happy about (chopping it away from some areas but interested to see where it went in others) but the fucking thing gets covered by huge flies eating the nectar for a week or two. Fuck that. Scram! So won't mind taking a bit of it up later and sticking it somewhere else to see how it does there. If it dies? No flies.

[Filler.]

They used to have creeping thyme as lawns in Victorian times so was intrigued. Liked the idea of walking on thyme and the smell etc. I wonder if Jacob Rees Mogg mentioned the flies in his book?

[Filler.]

Kids go to bed too late in the holidays. Means I don't get to have a smoke and enjoy the last hour or so of daylight in the garden alone and in the quiet. Really is the best hour of the day. Same 6-7 or 7-8am. Missing 10:15 ends tho.

[Filler.]

Have also designed a perfect gig venue. Can see a pair of 80 ft high stacks of speakers housed in solid concrete behind Sleep out there one night.

[harryc]

Garden is now probably at its best with all the red and green bananas with lush leaves. Cannas flowering, some of the ground cover just starting to fade.
Palm trees standing proud a couple over 12 ft in height.

[royhendo]

Have also designed a perfect gig venue. Can see a pair of 80 ft high stacks of speakers housed in solid concrete behind Sleep out there one night.

We had big speakers in the garden yesterday - it was weird seeing folk walking around and having a boogie in amongst it all.

[royhendo]

Is it in a shaded area or full sun?

Full sun but in amongst an apple tree mate. I’ll post another pic. I realised there’s more of it a few yards away in a clump.

[royhendo]

So it’s a “Leycesteria Formosa” (Himalayan Honeysuckle) it turns out.

[Sarge]

So it’s a “Leycesteria Formosa” (Himalayan Honeysuckle) it turns out.

No way, thats a shocking pic, I have it in my garden it is lovely.

[Filler.]

We had big speakers in the garden yesterday - it was weird seeing folk walking around and having a boogie in amongst it all.

Enjoyed hosting my daughters 6th birthday party in ours recently. Took a few weeks to make it safe but still. Makes a difference!


Getting diggers in soon. Lots of prep action for them. A million things to do it seems. I can do this.

[Sarge]

Enjoyed hosting my daughters 6th birthday party in ours recently. Took a few weeks to make it safe but still. Makes a difference!


Getting diggers in soon. Lots of prep action for them. A million things to do it seems. I can do this.

Cant beat a nice garden, enjoy.

[royhendo]

No way, thats a shocking pic, I have it in my garden it is lovely.

Yeah that’s it - we have another clump of them it transpires. Sorry about the amateur photography

[John C]

Enjoyed hosting my daughters 6th birthday party in ours recently. Took a few weeks to make it safe but still. Makes a difference!

Having a 6 year old means you sacrifice everything Rob. Prepare your garden for fun and isolate an area for a 16 foot trampoline. When she's 16 and fed up with it, it will take you a year to get the grass back to a prime condition. Joys.

[Sarge]

Yeah that’s it - we have another clump of them it transpires. Sorry about the amateur photography

Get you act together man

Its a lovely plant though.

[Sarge]

Having a 6 year old means you sacrifice everything Rob. Prepare your garden for fun and isolate an area for a 16 foot trampoline. When she's 16 and fed up with it, it will take you a year to get the grass back to a prime condition. Joys.

I'm having let sasy a disagrement with my wife on this exact topic, trampoline is still in my garden.

[royhendo]

I'm laughing at the current 'plastic is the big evil' chat everywhere. Our garden's a sea of nerf bullets, basically. Our dog eats them. Presumably everything else that can eat them does too.

[Filler.]

Having a 6 year old means you sacrifice everything Rob. Prepare your garden for fun and isolate an area for a 16 foot trampoline. When she's 16 and fed up with it, it will take you a year to get the grass back to a prime condition. Joys.

A year my arse. More like 5. 

[Filler.]

Missing the 9/10 pm end of days.

I'm laughing at the current 'plastic is the big evil' chat everywhere. Our garden's a sea of nerf bullets, basically. Our dog eats them. Presumably everything else that can eat them does too.

My lawnmower likes them too.

[Filler.]

Been told Coton Manor Gardens was profiled on tonights Gardeners World. Don't think that's happened before but I live an hours walk from there. Lovely garden with a special bluebells show in spring that I saw for the first time this year! Age. Was great tho. enjoy going there now. Their trained apple tree is a joy. Love to see fruit trees trained. Food? Food is shite.


edit: I do not want a Leicester and Chedder cheese baguette for 8 quid plus salad ta.

[Sarge]

Grass still flying out of the ground, sick of mowing it now.

[John C]

Grass still flying out of the ground, sick of mowing it now.

Hopefully yet regrettably it may slow down now mate. It takes me 40 minutes to mow my back garden and in recent weeks with the rain and a bit of sun it's been growing like fuck.

[Filler.]

I love mowing my lawn. Probably prefer having finished mowing the lawn tbf but..

I have a battery powered mower so it's more like hoovering at times but I still try to pretend to myself I'm mowing with lovely dark green/light green stripes by going in straight lines. It can be the last exercise some people have doing the mowing. Was for my mother and possibly my neighbour who's given up on it god love him - heading into the 90's. Been mowing my mother in laws too this summer since her husband died... so it'll be a big change for me.

Mowed the garden before we went away a few days ago. Felt like an adult for the very first time aged 48.

[Sarge]

Hopefully yet regrettably it may slow down now mate. It takes me 40 minutes to mow my back garden and in recent weeks with the rain and a bit of sun it's been growing like fuck.

Garden, more like a field, 40 minutes! Same here acros the river from you warm and wet weather helps grass grow quite quickly.

[rob1966]

We got around the kids wrecking the lawn issue by getting artificial grass, one of the best decisions we have ever made. Lad will play footy in the rain and not a drop of mud gets brought into the house.

Anyway, when my wife bought this house in 2006, there was this really scrawny, very small, pathetic looking Acer at the side of the house - I'm not a gardener but recognised it as my Mum had one. When I moved in, she wanted me to get rid, but I said no and replanted it in a corner at the bottom of the garden. 12 years later it is now about 9ft tall and about 10ft wide and hanging over the fences.

Any advice on when is best for me to cut it back and how to go about it? Thanks.

[Crosby Nick]

Garden, more like a field, 40 minutes! Same here acros the river from you warm and wet weather helps grass grow quite quickly.

You mowed your lawn yet Sarge?

[John C]

You mowed your lawn yet Sarge?

[Sarge]

You mowed your lawn yet Sarge?

No missus does.

[Sarge]

We got around the kids wrecking the lawn issue by getting artificial grass, one of the best decisions we have ever made. Lad will play footy in the rain and not a drop of mud gets brought into the house.

Anyway, when my wife bought this house in 2006, there was this really scrawny, very small, pathetic looking Acer at the side of the house - I'm not a gardener but recognised it as my Mum had one. When I moved in, she wanted me to get rid, but I said no and replanted it in a corner at the bottom of the garden. 12 years later it is now about 9ft tall and about 10ft wide and hanging over the fences.

Any advice on when is best for me to cut it back and how to go about it? Thanks.

The Acers will respond very well to pruning but prune whilst the tree is dormant, so December to February would be an ideal time of year. Look deep inside the braches more near the centre of the tree and any dead ones cut them off too. Make sure to prune back to a bud cutting just above the bud. If you leave any excess wood above the bud, the dieback could become diseased.

[John C]

Roy - saw this a thought of you. A pod about stone walls

https://rootsandall.co.uk/portfolio-item/episode-22-natural-stone-with-giles-heap-of-ced/