popular What have you done today in the Garden?

Love the cute Squirrel shopper pic !!

Gosh what little devils ,how many do you get in your garden Pac?

We use to get a fair few in ours and they use to annoyingly dig holes everywhere to bury their Winter stash on acorns. 2 years ago our local Squirrels took an interest in the new tarpaulin cover on our caravan and shredded it to bits, we assumed they were using it to line their dreys with. So far this year I have only seen one little fella snooping around. Where are they when you need them!!

 

Well the squirrels are generally out to collect food this time of year. The seeds from all the plants, rose hips and berry’s seem to be their passion this time of year. They bury seeds that grow next season. Thanking these little cultivators for a job well done,. Because by spring I have all types of seedlings from weed-small trees and shrubs growing everywhere.

I have stopped feeding the birds because it seems the become the call of the squirrel when bird feeders are placed. I generally stick to feeding humming birds only.

We have chipmunks, grey squirrels ,and the Belding ground squirrels. It’s the Belding ground squirrels that have demolished many years of plants in my garden in just the last 2 years. Belding ground squirrels are responsible for high agricultural losses in the western part of the United States.
Artificial on the dangers and damages cause by ground squirrels.
Ground Squirrel / Home and Landscape / UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM)
https://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/ground-squirrel/pest-notes/#gsc.tab=0

 

A few people around here grow bamboo outdoors. It is quite invasive.

I once had a small bamboo plant in a vase long ago, got it at a mall. I liked it and did not know it would be invasive outdoors. However my cats killed it. I was going to keep it a houseplant. A friend or two have offered me bamboo plants, but I think I will pass. I have no idea where to plant them anyway.

I looked up about growing the Brown Turkey figs here in zone 6b. Some say they are hardy for this area, and others say they are not hardy in this area. At least so far, my fig tree is small, but it can attain 20 feet or so if in the ground. My ceiling is only 8 feet tall, so I will have to prune it!

I once rehomed a monstera plant (they resemble philodendrons) because it was around 10 feet or so tall and bending over. The pot was quite heavy too. The nice lady who got it had a vaulted ceiling in her house and a giant window for it. I am glad it went to a good home. I need to divide up some house plants this fall and find some new homes for some of them too.

I tried looking up about the poached egg flowers today. Some websites say they are annuals, and others say they are perennials. My seed for them did not grow, so will try them in the spring again. I saved some seed back.

My pumpkins are ripening, but they seem to be a different variety than what the first one is. I planted the traditional orange pumpkins--like the first one, at least that is what the packet said. Or maybe they were seeds from a store bought traditional pumpkin. The others are not like that, but they are pumpkins. At least they are ripening. And I found more ripening out on the vine/s.

The cucumbers are finally making some cucumbers. I have been eating some.

I was going to work outdoors today, but did house work instead.

I planted my carrot seeds in a nice neat row. They did not stay in that nice neat row. They are willy-nilly in clumps out there and not where I put them. I had even put a board on top of them like some suggest to keep them damp until they sprout.

 

Some bamboo plants in the garden can be extremely invasive. I planted a clump black bamboo it was a well behaved plant never wandered out of its designated area. I did a lot of research before planting bamboo. It was in my garden for 24 years and then the genetics signaled them all to flower at once in several areas and now it’s just a bamboo snow fence. I left bamboo 12’ high stay where they were . Some of the seeds have starts on them but not enough to brag about.

So unique monstera plants they can become a long member of the family. I have had an on again off again relationship with them over the years. Nice that a cathedral ceiling new home is now their forever home. We do luv our plants .

Nice garden for fall to have pumpkins and cucumbers and more . My garden has very quickly settled into fall as many trees and shrubs are showing fall color and leafs are drifting thruout the landscape. UHG !


I was out early this morning as we finally had some gentle light rain also a nice misty rain. Just enough to dawn my Oregon rain gear. Off I went mowing the pastures with glee , happy that the ground is wet and not a dusty nightmare to mow. It was so dry the pastures turned to dust. Amazing what magic one rain can bring life back and help green up the grass in no time.

I’m still working on clipping out branches on my poor beautiful lime green Italian Cypress. Clipped out more huge limbs just enough to open up the trunk for sizing up a technique to cut down the entire tree. The trunk is actually touching the corner of the greenhouse. I hear it squeak against the greenhouse when the wind blows . Kind of chilling cause it sounds like chalk on a blackboard. Tree specialists are scheduled to come out next week to cut it down and work on other trees that need limbs that touch to prepare for a safe winter and trees will be sail worthy for windy winter storms.

Did a bunch of other side tracking stuff, ya all know how that goes. Bring in and rolling up miles of hoses. Clearing the garden beds of cut perennials… And oiling my garden tools , recharging batteries and cleaning them up for the next project.



Pic of my Italian Cypress just 2 years ago before the Belding ground squirrels had a grand party throughout the tunnels around the roots.



Cut out lager limbs today. It dwarfs the greenhouse. It was just a tiny seedling just 2’ tall when I planted it.

 

Did did a bit of tree pruning of the trees next door, of branches which will end up hanging over our side fence and block the light.
I and the neighbour on the other side of that garden, did prune the trees on both sides, but we needed a tower and a saw.
Today it was easier, as the new growth is all long thin branches, so I was able to cut them down with my telescopic pruner.

I'll give the rockery a bit of a go over tomorrow. It's looking a lot better than earlier in the year, the plants have spread quite well and there's only a few weeds and not many spikes of grass.

 

That's kind of you @Doghouse Riley to help out your neighbours with tree pruning, I know you benefited a bit too but I bet they really appreciated your kind deed.

 

Yesterday checked on the daffodils that were in the 2 large pots at the back, most of them had rotted away so put new daffodils in and the old polyanthus.
The smaller ones at the front i planted last years hyacinths.

 

Logan very nice idea and will be gorgeous color around your home . If I did that the squirrels and chipmunks would have a huge party digging in every single pot.

which one looks guiltier?

 

Thank you Pacnorwest
I think that the 3rd one is the guiltier, don't have much trouble with squirrels but sometimes foxes.

 

Hmmm hard to say Pac
no.1... looks to be sneaking up unaware that he's been spotted.
no.2.... looks confident and is brazenly executing his plans.......to gobble up all the food and doesn't care who spots him in action.
no. 3....is my fave......look at his innocent little face ..' Who me..? no way just doing my daily stretches '

 

Damn...six miles ?? With a driver ? You must wind up in the rough...on another golf course. Hows your short game

 

Quite busy for a few hours.
I went to B&Q and bought four heathers, hard to find pairs of the same colour, let alone same size.
These were the best of them. I also bought some bigger pots for them and some topsoil and compost.

I do any potting up on the small patio in front of the shed. I've a large old curtain I put down on the patio and do the work on that.
When I've finished, I just have to shake the curtain over a border, so there's no mess to clear up,



The heathers are destined for the troughs on the main patio, when the present residents are finished. I've some larger older heathers to go in the middle of each trough.



I got into the rockery and removed a few weeds and some grass. I'm letting it do its own thing, sort of letting the plants, "fight it out for space amongst themselves" and it doesn't look bad. The new phlox I bought earlier in the year have filled most of the gaps.





The lawn looks the best it has since last year. The temporary darker patches are where I've watered in some iron sulphate to hopefully prevent any moss forming.



I got into the little bed under the wisteria and removed a few plants and spread out some lily of the valley which were all up one end.



The dahlias I bought for the troughs either side of the tea-house steps did not do very well so I've cut them back and put them in the space between the side of the tea-house and the side fence for now and removed the troughs.



I gave the troughs a good scrub down and inspected them for rot, but as I expected, there was none. I've put them in the garage for now. They might get another coat of paint during the winter, just to "tart them up a bit." I'll probably get four hebes for them in the spring and put them back.



These chrysanths by the front door are still going strong. I've a large heather ready to take their place once they've finished.

 

More clipping , trimming and mowing . Today using my favorite ratchet loppers made quick work outta clipping off the bamboo .
Remember the bamboo story ? They timed out thru genetics, they flowered then died all at once … Got them all lined up & trimmed down . “Time for a Game of Pickup Sticks.”.

Meet The ‘Good’, ‘Bad’, and the ‘Ugly’ !

‘Good’…bamboo works for fencing and plant stakes.




‘Bad’… Cut bamboo left in the ground - Tripping and toe sprainers.



‘Ugly’ … Dirt mounds everywhere… gophers spotted…next door … Not my pastures…! No no no , not my place.

 

Pac— I so enjoy your posts.

 

Thank you Sjoerd … What ? My goodness could you be bored now that veggie season is kapoot !.. Ah-ha ! The joys of constant garden management and maintenance !… I’m tired ready for some down time… nap that is.