Does anyone know anything about gardening?

I’ve got a row of Lavender at the front of my garden. One of the them is very dead, not completely dead though.

I’ve noticed that there are weeds trying to grow through it and I’m tempted to remove it and put it in a pot on its own to rejuvenate. Does this sound like a terrible idea?

Just pull the weeds instead?

I’ve tried that before but more come up there. It’s like they can sense it’s weakness

anyone got solar lights in their garden ? recommendations ? are they all pish ?

back garden underway this week - will post progress pics when I get a chance. going at snail's pace for some reason

I have some old coffee grounds, they haven’t been used for making coffee, do I need to rinse them/brew them before adding to compost? On account of the caffeine in there.

Take some cuttings from the good plant and grow some strong clones. Nurture them and replace your iffy plant with a good one or two if it doesn't get it's act together. Have a strong word with it and tell it to buck it's ideas up a bit.

I've tried and failed so many times to grow decent lavender cuttings, but I get random seedlings sprouting up in the most unhelpful places!

I don't know if it works for lavender but it did very well for rosemary. I just got some new growth cuttings placed them in glasses or jars of water. Topped up and a drop of Baby Bio once a week and they produced good roots. I put a two in a each small pot and they were off. Far better than I could have hoped.

progress

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That’s going to be gorgeous when it’s done. What are you thinking for the beds? Any shrubs or trees going in?

left hand side back row: paperbark maple; silver birch; acer bloodgood
LHS front row: underplanting with grasses; maybe shrubs
LHS immediately to left of patio: bamboo hedge (fargesia rufa)
back bed against the wall: silver birch to screen off back lane
bed in front of the patio: small acers; grasses (to create enclosed feel for patio seating area in conjunction w/bamboo hedge)
RHS will be the path/grass

I don't have a list of the grasses/shrubs yet though - those are still to be picked/sourced

this is the rough scheme:

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Nice job. That an alley at the back? I was just reading about people doing up an alley like that:

https://twitter.com/uppingit/status/1409675482258280449?s=21

Moss Side, of all places.

yup - the neighbourhood uses them for an event every summer with bric-a-brac, bars, bands etc. pretty cool
https://bungoblog.com/society-events/bungo-in-the-lanes/

Front garden is coming along nicely. Should have some echinacea out soon.

Anyone else often get the wrong plants sent to them when ordering online? Seems to be a thing with Thompson and Morgan, quite often they'll send me something and it's either the wrong colour or something totally different when it grows (the yellow foxglove amongst the Suttons Apricots in the photo being an example).

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Some new additions to the garden

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And this rose.

Have started extending the borders after some solid forum advice! Will get a decent snap when the sun is in the right spot

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wow

Another for the poppy seed swap, I've got some of these small lemon ones popping up

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I'm replacing a couple of planters on my deck that are rotten and pretty slug infested. I figure it's best to start with new soil so as not to transfer any slugs over.

What's the best soil to use? Would some big cheap bags of potting soild from Aldi be too rich/not drain well?

I was going to line the slatted bottom with chicken wire, with a weed barrier on top to allow drainage. Then line the sides with some pond lining polythene that I have already. The boxes are about 120x35x30cm

I’d say it depends on what plants are going in but I’d lean towards a mix that drains better than straight compost.
The big pots I just did have a quarter each of topsoil, manure, compost and grit.

I would completely agree with that mix, forget slug transfer, the bastards will turn up anyway. The one thing I would add is to move the planters around your deck regularly, otherwise the deck will rot.

otherwise the deck will rot.

Gulp. That's another job to add to the list.

OK, June is Hydrangea month so I'll try and post a different one of mine each day.
First up is this lovely lacecap that I got a cutting of from a mate last year. It's really blossomed into something quite lovely. Grown quite a lot in a year. Probs at a foot and a half.

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They look cool!
So I’m seeing a lot of seed heads on poppies around the place. Can I harvest now and dry them or do I need to let them dry on the plant a bit first? Got a mental map of ones on verges and around our allotments.

You have to wait for them to dry on the plant. Trick is to shake them and if they rattle they are ready.