What's going on in your garden (2023)?

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

My garden is wall-to-wall weeds right now - it’s been rainy every weekend in April so been hard to get anything done.

Norm the groundhog put in his first appearance of the year! He is cute, but I’ll have to set up the motion-activated sprinkler to keep him out of my vegetable patch.

I have to fence & net everything in because if the birds don't eat the veg and fruit (including garlic and leeks! ), then the possum (Aussie ones), kangaroo, wallabies, or my chooks will.

The same applies to the fruit trees. My herbs mostly go unnoticed in the borders but I'll need to get the olive trees netted over soon because they do have a small harvest on them this year.

 

[TastyReuben]

Time for a garden report:

First off, new hummingbird feeders, glass ones instead of those atrocious all-plastic red things.

Second, as you’ll see with some upcoming pics, MrsT has laid down the law on the flower budget this year, so no flowers in the back at all, and the planters up front have less flowers in them overall, as you can see here:

They should fill in over time, but I’m not too thrilled by the cutbacks.

These (empty) hanging baskets were $5US at ALDI, 14 inches across.

I had to hang them in the tree because once watered, there isn’t a shepherd’s hook made that’ll hold these, they’re so heavy. I wasn’t keen on the idea of hanging baskets in trees, but it seems to work. A couple of neighbors have already commented on them.

 

[TastyReuben]

On to the herb garden:

That’s thyme, basil, parsley, rosemary, dill, oregano, sage, and chives. The basil, parsley, rosemary, and dill never come back, but the others are starting their fourth season.

I just like this pic. I’m out to go trim those back, though. I’ve found the chive stalk, once it’s flowered, to be far to firm/tough to eat, for my liking, anyway.

 

[rascal]

I have to fence & net everything in because if the birds don't eat the veg and fruit (including garlic and leeks! ), then the possum (Aussie ones), kangaroo, wallabies, or my chooks will.

View attachment 99795View attachment 99796

The same applies to the fruit trees. My herbs mostly go unnoticed in the borders but I'll need to get the olive trees netted over soon because they do have a small harvest on them this year.

My wife would kill for that much land
You have.

Russ

 

[rascal]

On to the herb garden:

View attachment 99910
That’s thyme, basil, parsley, rosemary, dill, oregano, sage, and chives. The basil, parsley, rosemary, and dill never come back, but the others are starting their fourth season.

View attachment 99911
I just like this pic. I’m out to go trim those back, though. I’ve found the chive stalk, once it’s flowered, to be far to firm/tough to eat, for my liking, anyway.

I commend you on your herb garden.
Well done. Rosemary parsley and mint grow year round here.

Russ

 

[TastyReuben]

I commend you on your herb garden.
Well done. Rosemary parsley and mint grow year round here.

Russ

Thanks!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I commend you on your herb garden.
Well done. Rosemary parsley and mint grow year round here.

Russ

Parsley is a biannual plant, grows from seed one year, flowers and seeds the next and dies. I let mine self seed which helps to give the illusion of year long permanence. My mint (3 varieties) survive year round in a protected frost free spot (its a perennial plant though in not sure of it's frost tolerance level. None survive some frosts before dying back until spring), but rosemary is a tender perennial. Everyone locally lost all of their bushes last winter irrespective of age of the plant simply because of the conditions. I now take a few precautions when colder temps are forecast wrt my rosemary.

That said, I've still got aubergine and sweet potatoes growing in a very sheltered spot on my veranda. They should survive any minor frosts in that spot provided it is sunny in the morning, but I did move them onto the veranda before the first frost. They are not hardy at all.

 

[caseydog]

Parsley is a biannual plant, grows from seed one year, flowers and seeds the next and dies. I let mine self seed which helps to give the illusion of year long permanence. My mint (3 varieties) survive year round in a protected frost free spot (its a perennial plant though in not sure of it's frost tolerance level. None survive some frosts before dying back until spring), but rosemary is a tender perennial. Everyone locally lost all of their bushes last winter irrespective of age of the plant simply because of the conditions. I now take a few precautions when colder temps are forecast wrt my rosemary.

That said, I've still got aubergine and sweet potatoes growing in a very sheltered spot on my veranda. They should survive any minor frosts in that spot provided it is sunny in the morning, but I did move them onto the veranda before the first frost. They are not hardy at all.

Around these parts, mint is eternal, and ever expanding. Plant one tiny seedling this year, come back in five years, and you won't be able to find your house.

CD

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Around these parts, mint is eternal, and ever expanding. Plant one tiny seedling this year, come back in five years, and you won't be able to find your house.

CD

Something must eat my other than myself and the chooks then. It doesn't manage to get into the lawn much more than 2 foot from the wall of the house, which is the border edge for the lawn... a row of bricks stop us from cutting closer to the house with the mower so we let it grow to its hearts content. 5 years have got it from 3 plants (1 of each variety) covering no more than 12-15 foot by 1½-2 foot. So I've no idea why it isn't growing that much. It even has a section that gets more water than the rest of the lawn negate the gutter always overflows at that point as well as a soak away being just to the side of it (in the lawn).

To be honest, the wild rocket had taken over better than any of the mint plants! That escaped the veg plot and invaded the lawn ages ago. The chooks keep it in check when hubby hasn't mown the lawn. They love the rocket, they are much less keen on the mint. And the strawberries are doing better than my mint. I must find out why!

 

[TastyReuben]

Around these parts, mint is eternal, and ever expanding. Plant one tiny seedling this year, come back in five years, and you won't be able to find your house.

CD

I think I just about have it eradicated. This would be its fourth year as well, but every time I see it, I pull it up and cuss a lot. I didn’t see much left this time around - the oregano is choking it out.

 

[caseydog]

Something must eat my other than myself and the chooks then. It doesn't manage to get into the lawn much more than 2 foot from the wall of the house, which is the border edge for the lawn... a row of bricks stop us from cutting closer to the house with the mower so we let it grow to its hearts content. 5 years have got it from 3 plants (1 of each variety) covering no more than 12-15 foot by 1½-2 foot. So I've no idea why it isn't growing that much. It even has a section that gets more water than the rest of the lawn negate the gutter always overflows at that point as well as a soak away being just to the side of it (in the lawn).

To be honest, the wild rocket had taken over better than any of the mint plants! That escaped the veg plot and invaded the lawn ages ago. The chooks keep it in check when hubby hasn't mown the lawn. They love the rocket, they are much less keen on the mint. And the strawberries are doing better than my mint. I must find out why!

Mint here is extremely invasive. I don't use it, except on rare occasions, so I don't want to bother with it.

CD

 

[caseydog]

I think I just about have it eradicated. This would be its fourth year as well, but every time I see it, I pull it up and cuss a lot. I didn’t see much left this time around - the oregano is choking it out.

That reminds me, my oregano is coming back from the dead. It is patchy, right now, but it is alive.

(surely, you've seen that movie)

CD

 

[TastyReuben]

(surely, you've seen that movie)

Yes, that one I’ve seen many times!

 

[rascal]

Mint here is extremely invasive. I don't use it, except on rare occasions, so I don't want to bother with it.

CD

Mint is confined to a shady back part of the garden. I make mint sauce every year. About 12x 300ml bottles.
We eat a lot of lamb so.....

Russ

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Mint here is extremely invasive. I don't use it, except on rare occasions, so I don't want to bother with it.

CD

I'm aware it is invasive. However I also use a lot of mint periodically.

But this mint isn't invading anything. I actually have to cut it back periodically to force new growth instead of flowers. I wish I knew why. Perhaps despite the very wet winter and spring, right up to Christmas, it is in a spot that's too dry for it? No idea.

I've been given some watercress seeds. No they are going to be a challenge! I'm seriously considering trying to grow them in an old wheelbarrow (without a wheel) but I know watercress much prefers moving clean water. If I owned a dam with an outlet, I'd sew then in that, but I don't. You can't buy watercress in Australia and it is one of a few things that we'd love the have growing. (We used to live not far from the UK's main watercress growing area.)