Does anyone know anything about gardening?

yes, it's ours. was a present from our neighbours (opposite side to the russian vine!) so i felt duty bound to plant it but I've never really liked it.

I read later (on here) that you are supposed to contain the roots. Too late for that, i'm minded to get rid of it.

Options to replacxe are currently:
Prunus × subhirtella Autumnalis
Crataegus laevigata 'Paul's Scarlet'
Philadelphus of some kind - maybe this one
https://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/philadelphus-dainty-lady-pbr/classid.2000022466/:

Honestly idk. I think it was either too much rain and clay over some wet winters. Or I cut a root and introduced infection. Or both.

Getting closer to my lawn being properly established and not a patchy, muddy mess. As said above (I think), I mainly want somewhere for mini_com to be able to dick about that won't immediately become a quagmire or garrote her with brambles and ivy (as it was when we moved in). The strip to the right of the path has been liberally seed bombed with random shit. Raised beds/planters will be introduced at some point too.

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Dahlia man on Peckham Park Road has a beautiful new variety this year

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Hope it's at least got a Cthuluesque name. Picked up a relatively cheap rose earlier in the year. I wish I had bought two, the scent is incredible. Nirp Parfum de Grasse.

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I have some of these at my allotment. It’s a bit of a thug as a plant, really grows big and bushy.

Cheers. I'll give that a try. I had the sprinkler on for ~ 2 x 5 minutes each day when it didn't rain but will try a bit more.

I overseeded and top dressed a week ago and the seed on the surface has already germinated (shoots about an inch tall). Sprinkler has been on for 20 minutes in each area (need to move it once to cover the whole lawn) every morning, with a top up later in the day if anywhere is looking particularly parched.

You'd be better off watering when the sun sets in the evening. Actually, 'evening' was a word too many....

If often gets both

I thought only golf clubs spent that much on water

Mine is no putting green, or even fairway, but it takes a lot of water to sort out what I started with.

Definitely sounds like mine is fucked then. I'd better go and buy some more seed.

I got a couple of kilos of this. Can't attest to it's hardiness, but it has come up ok in about a week.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00YB4YPKC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00

Don’t forget you’ll need to water the fuck out of it even after it appears to have established itself, as the roots will be young and very susceptible to being fucked by drought and heat.

Unless you absolutely can’t deal with the state of your lawn it would be better to wait until late summer / early summer.

I did most of mine late summer last year and spring this year. The most recent was a top up after some other work. But yeah, starting it from scratch now would be painful.

It’s looking ok out there I guess

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New acquisition

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Is that a banana?

Oo I was there yesterday, came away with some black elderflower, clary sage, tree spinach and some wormwood

Any idea what type of caterpillar this is? Just found it chomping the absolute shit out of our very young hornbeam hedging

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Oak processionary potentially?

Or possibly brown-tailed moth

Fall webworm moth caterpillar per Google lens.

I had a nest of them in my nettles, they chomp tree leaves.

Just looked at the colouring of the spots (blue and red) and Google reckons it's a Gypsy Moth caterpillar.