What’s going on in your garden (2026)?

My tomato seed opens a bit bigger. This weekend I have time to sprout my tomato seeds and pepper seeds(they take forever), but indoors only.
Today I trimmed my Royal apricot, with all the chill problem this year, according to a local nursery we only got 10 hours chill, I was very happy to see my very first apricot bloom. No bloom, no fruit.
That’s what happens to my longan tree 2 years in a row, no blooms for some reason.
This morning I also grafted Washington Navel oranges to my Algerian Fremont. I think my husband and I are getting tired of splitting out the seeds, so whatever we have left in the house I will make fresh squeezed citrus juice for lunch.
 
It’s less than a week but it looks like my Shangri La graft took, I saw emerging green buds, exciting, satisfying too.
I didn’t use the best equipment but somehow it works.
 
It’s so hot here, some of my fruit trees are blooming, Hood pear, Red Atomic nectarine, Desert Delight nectarine, Golden Dorset apple, some blooms on Royal Blenheim apricot.
I’m a little worried, not sure it will be good for my fruit trees.
 
We ripped out the entire row of bromeliads (about 20 mts) next to the wall separating us from our neighbours. The end part of the wall had a nasty crack in it, and that crack has got bigger.
After ripping out the lot, we found 4 huge holes, where the rainwater had eroded the earth, and the wall was down to bare bricks (no cement protection). The tropical ivy which covers the wall had begun digging its roots through the wall, thus weakening it even further. I do NOT want the wall to collapse, so we're also ripping out all the ivy. Good; I hate the stuff because it grows way too fast and has to be trimmed back at least once a month. Wife loves it because it's green:D
Short answer is, we'll have to build a concrete drainage canal (don't know the technical term) down the side of the wall and reinforce part of it with two small columns. Once that's done, we can replant the bromeliads in a more decorative and aesthetic way.
Al this lot, and a few metres more:
Bromelias 23.JPG
 
karadekoolaid said:
We ripped out the entire row of bromeliads (about 20 mts) next to the wall separating us from our neighbours. The end part of the wall had a nasty crack in it, and that crack has got bigger.
After ripping out the lot, we found 4 huge holes, where the rainwater had eroded the earth, and the wall was down to bare bricks (no cement protection). The tropical ivy which covers the wall had begun digging its roots through the wall, thus weakening it even further. I do NOT want the wall to collapse, so we're also ripping out all the ivy. Good; I hate the stuff because it grows way too fast and has to be trimmed back at least once a month. Wife loves it because it's green:D
Short answer is, we'll have to build a concrete drainage canal (don't know the technical term) down the side of the wall and reinforce part of it with two small columns. Once that's done, we can replant the bromeliads in a more decorative and aesthetic way.
Al this lot, and a few metres more:
View attachment 141305
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Good call on ripping out the ivy. It looks beautiful on walls and buildings, but it's terribly destructive. My wife sets certain plants every summer around our house that grow vines that she loves to watch climb, yet I've explained to her the obvious detriment of those for years to no avail, and so I have to covertly trim them every week so that they don't grow under the siding and destroy the brick or plywood sheathing. It's not a hill to die on, so I just flick open my pocket knife regularly.
 
Just picked a huge beetroot and a big bunch of parsley for lunch, luckily I have my sister’s sharp knife, but I still cut them to smaller sizes.
This morning I check and it seems like my 2 Raja Asian pears are taking, the buds seem to be swelling and break through the paraffin.
I’m stoke. Luckily last year I bought a brand new pair of secateurs for $5, it seems to be working better than the expensive version from Home Depot.
 
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SoCalZone10 said:
mechLuckily last year I bought a brand new secateur for $5, it seems to be working better than the expensive version from Home Depot.
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Once upon a time.someone told me not to buy expensive secateurs, but to buy those really cheap ones they use in florists, He was right. Basic tool, but very effective.
When I was in Cinci a few years ago, my son got me to buy a Swedish pair of secateurs that were (supposedly) mechanically designed for less stress on the hands, wrist, fingers, etc. Completely useless. :D :D
 
Yeah, my daughters got me one for ergonomic. Not sure I still have it or not. Not completely useless.
 
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I've got a cheap one that works very well and once a season I take a diamond file to it for sharpening. During the season the blades stay immersed in 90% alcohol when not in use so they're clean when I go trimming or harvesting so as not to spread disease. Sometimes cheap works.
 
Barriehie said:
I've got a cheap one that works very well and once a season I take a diamond file to it for sharpening. During the season the blades stay immersed in 90% alcohol when not in use so they're clean when I go trimming or harvesting so as not to spread disease. Sometimes cheap works.
Click to expand...
My husband does file mine occasionally, but I’m swamped with things to do and at the moment forget where things are, especially after he moved things after the rain.
 
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