Number 19, Are You Out There?? - 26/27.6.10

This entry is for you, T and G, to help you work on your garden,

INDEPENDENTLY.

Gloves on, scruffy clothes on, grass cut,  lawn edges trimmed, gardening head on - CHECK!

THE GARDEN PLAN

Only 2 of the three sections of this garden are shown, but all instructions should be used for the entire garden.

All images can be blown up - double click on them, or copy and blow up elsewhere, if you're not T and G, full copywrite law applies 26.6.10.

The basic schedule that will keep the garden under control and looking good at all times is this, roughly:-

Every 2 weeks (min) for 2 hours.

cut the lawns. Makes it look smart and keeps down bamboo and ant hills.

Trim/strim the lawn edges.

Weed and tidy the borders.

Cut back dying flowers.

Tidy away niggling muddles.

Every 3 months (min) for 4 -6 hours includes the winter jobs below.

Prune back all invading shrubs.

Winter - once, possibly twice. Gives you a smart garden for 6 months.

Prune back all invading shrubs.

Cut back the trees.

THE 5 JOBS TO BE DONE IN THE GARDEN.

Job 1.

If it covers the ground and fences and looks like any of this, stuff, rip it out. 

AND PUT IT STRAIGHT INTO A BIG BAG.

Job 2.

Now rip out any bulb tops that look dead and scruffy.

And while you're down there, pull out weeds. These ones are a particular problem,

get out the roots and tops. Pull off as much bindweed as you can, as often as you can.

WEEDS: The rule is simple, if it isn't a flower/shrub/tree, it is a weed. 

A weed is 

ANY PLANT IN THE WRONG PLACE.

Finish this part of the job by RAKING up as much debris as you can. 

Shove everything you don't want into a bag.

Job 3

SHRUBS: Prune these back after flowering. If they don't flower, prune them anyway! Keeps it neat.

WHAT IS PRUNING?

This can be complicated, but we'll keep it simple. Treat all gardening like flower arranging; 

IF IT'S NOT WHERE YOU WANT IT, CHOP IT, OR PULL IT. 

The BAMBOO (no photo) must be cut down as soon as it pops up in silly places. If it's in the lawn the mower will take care of it.

The thicker, young shoots can be used in Chinese cooking - Bamboo Shoots, try it!

This shrub, above and below, spreads like Topsey, so cut off all you need in order to get the look   you want. Ideally a bit of space all around, even in a wild looking plant, adds an air of order.

These dual coloured bushes - Euonymus - are used to add formality to the borders. They indicate, to the idle onlooker, that everything here is just the way you want/like it. That is, you've chosen to clip these, and chosen Not to over clip those!

Use shears, or even electric hedge trimmers to create a tight shape.

Job 4.

TREES.

There are 6 main types of tree in the garden. 3 must be kept under strict control as they can take over.

1. The Willow: cut it back when it becomes annoying. New growth can be shaped to form an arch over the gateway.

2. The fir (below): you can just see the edge of it to the right of this shot. It should have its' head chopped off every year to keep it lowish. We've missed 2 years and it shows. It needs about 2m off.

3. Growing between the Willow and the Fir (above) is one of 3 LILAC trees in the garden. All Lilacs put out SUCKERS - long roots, just under the surface, that pop up small trees every now and then. These shoots MUST be ripped out, roots and all where possible. Failing that, cut off any small plants you see coming up near the main trunk.

The ideal with Lilac is to have a tree, not a bush.

4 and 5. Copper Beech and Silver Birch. Any time between the leaves falling off and regrowing is a good time to prune these trees. They can become MASSIVE. they should be kept under strict control. No taller, or wider than they are now. Less is good. Use a PRUNING SAW to do this.

6. Ash. We do not want any of these on the premises. They seed themselves freely, grow rapidly and have roots to match. Pull them out on sight, when still less than a foot tall. Any bigger, cut them down, and keep cutting them down, probably forever.

Bag up tree stuff, wood in one bag, leaves and twig in another. The wood can be chipped and put onto the beds as a MULCH; a thick, weed suppressing layer, or simply passed onto someone (us?) who has a fire/wood burner.

When you've finished you will have waste. Either compost it, or take it to the tip to be composted.

Job 5

Either mulch all the beds, or dig them over.

NOW

Drink tea/coffee/wine/beer, you've earned it!!!!