Gran/Grandads Gardening Corner

Thanks Nellie. I shall have a look. I'm crossing fingers, toes and eyes that it will recover over the winter. Don't really want to get rid of it,but, on the other hand, that would be a reason to go garden shopping!

ourKid1
You do sound as if you have quite a problem there I would be worried by the state of the plant you describe.

I joined the Gardeners World Forum a couple of years ago. It is a really good place to get gardening advice .

You need to log in to post (as does gransnet) but there are a lot of very experienced gardeners on there who are always happy to advise on such things. I have found it extremely useful for identifying plants or weeds etc .

It is worth trying.
www.gardenersworld.com/forum/

Yes, shysal very pleased, as is DH, it was money well spent and thanks for the tip about it.?
We used all ours (on 2 lawns) but will do it again next year.

Could do with a bit of gardening advice, if this is the right place to ask ...
We have a willow tree in our garden which grows like the proverbial weed and needs frequent taming. Yesterday I approached it brandishing my secateurs and a small saw and realised that several of the main branches were black; several of the others were showing signs of becoming black and some were sticky and red. Is this an infestation, a fungus or something else?
I have now cut it right back, leaving the few healthy branches (it usually grows back very quickly) and sprayed the remains with a multi-purpose bug killer, as I thought that wouldn't do any harm.
Any thoughts? Should I just dig it out ask MrOurKid to dig it out, or wait patiently till next Spring in the hope that it will be ok?
Thanks for any ideas.

lemongrove, I have applied the second half of my bag of Mo Bacter to my lawn, hoping it will prevent or munch up any moss which might be thinking of appearing. My grass has been the best ever this summer, and is still a bright emerald green. Money well spent and no scarifying needed. Have you been pleased with yours?

I was wondering the same about the seed pods on my white wisteria. Lovely long pods this year. I will try and see.

There are seed pods on my camellia. Would they grow if I planted them?

I have stopped all plant feeding now.

Very good I should think. Go for it .

My Acer has seeds every year , today I planted some in a pot of compost , what are my chances of them germinating ?

Thanks lemongrove. The corner I have in mind is shaded but sheltered quite well from wind.
Will now investigate viburnums.
Ps should I now be stopping all feeding ?(tomatoes plum-tree and geraniums)

shysal - broad beans and onions are planted here at this time of year. The last time we planted broad beans they were eaten by mice
Also winter salad leaves, and possibly a few potatoes for xmas. Depends on your climate and your soil.

Yes, an acer would be fine, is it out of the wind in that spot though?
Buddleia get enormous,roots too much for a pot.
You can have certain bamboos in large pots, graceful and evergreen and do well in shade.
The smaller viburnums, like Spirit do well in pots and the shade and are evergreen with flowers.

I have taken over a small square of our communal garden. 4 square planters of spring bulbs are ready to install. I'd love to find a small shade-loving tree/shrub to grow in a large pot.
Would like buddleia or maybe an acer but the area is in shade and I don' t think they'd be happy.
Any suggestions?

I can scoff shallots straight from the pickle jar, but a heavenly mix with some cheese and buttered baguette.

'lemongrove', I don't pickle the shallots as I can't stand the taste of vinegar! I grow the larger banana ones which are good for cooking and roasting, and soften more quickly than onions.
Yes it has been a good year for apples. There are many boxes outside houses in my village to help ourselves, picked not fallen. Lots of juicy blackberries in the hedgerows too - yum!

Hasn't it been a great year for apples? ???

Pickling- picking them is ok!

I'm hoping to grow small gherkins next year. I had great success with cucumbers, so they should be ok.
Picking shallots makes me cry.?

shysal do you bottle/pickle the shallots?Nothing nicer than home grown ones.?

Perhaps sow spring onions, garlic winter lettuce chard?
Newly mower !, nellymoser agree with you about easy maintenance . But also can't resist plants . Have a few waiting to be planted out. A new Salvia etc etc.

Just watching GW and I live in the south, everything that they are looking at is finished in my garden what a difference compare to even just a bit further north. No doubt Cornish grans are even different.

Having harvested my onions and shallots, I have a bare piece of soil in my veg patch. What could I plant for the winter? Brassicas get eaten by the deer. Not too keen on broad beans but could sow one row.

Thanks for all the advice!

Luckygirl You could get either a later or earlier flowering clematis and a winter flowering one as well as a wisteria which has beautiful leaves and gorgeous flowers. Do your research and get the right ones. That would give you a good span of flowers during the year.

We have just started off a Rosa Kiftsgate to climb up our enormous damson tree, I just hope that we can still pick the fruit without too much difficulty in the years to come! Eventually I might be too decrepit to care of course.