Does anyone know anything about gardening?

I thought I had tadpoles in my water butt, but it looks like they may actually be mosquitos. My OH is allergic to most insect bites, so probably going to er on the side of caution, but equally don't want to loose all the rain water for my blueberries.

Will any amount of bleach I put in the water to kill mosquitos, be too much for a plant?

Get these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Summit-responsible-solutions-110-12-Mosquito/dp/B0000AH849/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=mosquito+repellent+for+ponds&qid=1650818118&sr=8-3

Do you want to keep any of the existing plants? I'd be tempted to adopt the nuke from orbit approach which I used when I redid my garden - kill everything off with all purpose weedkiller, dig in lots and lots of well-rotted manure, and then lay membrane down with a covering of your choice, except on the veg plots. Then add new plants where you wish.

It’s wet and very compacted. I planted some lavender, rosemary etc in a narrow bed and my wrist still aches from how much of an effort it was.

Nope don’t want to keep anything, it’s mostly bare arid earth anyway. Have been looking at more organic / no-dig ideas so will hopefully avoid weedkiller and just go heavy on manure, membrane and compost.

Anyone ID this? Got a few that seem to have self-seeded since autumn but don't see the parent plant anywhere nearby so possibly arrived with other seeds or compost.

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Get two mates round for a digging party and run it all through one of these. Then add back in a ton or two of soil improver, plant things, profit.

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It's tough, because if the soils too wet it weighs a tonne and is hard to work, but if it gets too dry it goes like rock. You've got to try your best to pick a time to work it when it's as right as it can be.

My 2p would be to work at it in sections. However, I would definitely just kill the bindweed with chemicals. Alternatively you can set up a daily routine of cutting everyone you find off at the base and allegedly it will run out of energy and die. The problem with that is everything on the boarder will pop up some shoots into next doors to keep going and it'll still come back somehow next year. So I think accepting one year with chemicals to take back control, then maintaining it in a more sustainable manner is better.

In terms of overall suggestions of where to start, the best move is probably not what you want...

... but it's to do very little for the first year.

Until you know what's there, where the sun moves, where the shadows are cast from surrounding trees/fences/buildings, where you'd like to sit, where the wind blows your bbq smoke, etc. it'll be hard to know what to do.

So just get the ground prepped. Plant some veg in bags and planters. Then observe.

dig out roots. remove rubble. rotovate. rake. remove more rubble. dig out more roots. add manure. add compost. add more manure and compost. rake again. maybe add some sand if it's really heavy clay.

so basically what @Silly_Savage said.

Any idea what tree this is?

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Sycamore?

Yep, I asked this too, they seem to get everywhere within a 30m radius of the parent tree it seems.

We get the occasional sycamore and birch seedings cropping up in our quite rural garden. We have two oak trees but only noticed one little oak seedling appearing in the last 3 years.

I got "bought" a horse chestnut tree in one of our local woods as a present, Milton Rigg I think, have collected conkers for a few years from it and despite various goes with fridge / freezer stuff never had anything germinate. I guess nature plays a numbers game with thousands of conkers / acorns being wasted to produce another new tree...

Some weeds / vegetables can break up clay.

As much as I dislike the sorrels growing in the back garden, their roots break it up.

So perhaps a sorrel seed party this year and then kill it off makes digging easier?

Some plants do perfectly well in wet and poor clay. If you want a garden magazine garden that won't be possible though... vetch, buttercups, alder, dandelions don't score high ;)

Hydrangea Black Steel!!!

Saw this at the spar what a name :))

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That's look amazing!

Yep definitely sycamore. We have a couple at the end of the garden on the other side of the wall and clear hundreds of seedlings every year. As 'weeds' go they're easy to pull up though.

There’s loads of them near me. I was thinking could I turn them into bonsai but doesn’t seem that they are a great fit

drain cover

nice work 👌

I've got the Pink Ball Black Steel and it's a lovely thing.

Do they have it in blue?

Yep they do.

You can get them online at jparkers :)

(Also yep the zoolander blue steel look comes to mind and it's a missed marketing opportunity :p

I checked online it looks they have dark flower stems hence the name.

No room ATM I love good hydrangea.

Here's mine from last summer.

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Anyone?