Does anyone know anything about gardening?

Crispy Acer? Didn't like 39 degrees. I assumed it would rejuvenate of its own accord. It has not. Prune? Plonk it in the boarder? I already water frequently. It's larger sibling also went crispy for a while but has rallied.

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Mine does this occasionally in hot summers. Keep it well watered and it should be fine next year but it won't uncrisp or grow new leaves this year. Think the advice with Acers is never to prune outside of winter as they can bleed if pruned when the sap is up

The idea is: a carefree jumble of lots of pretty little flowers growing wherever they like - combined with some scary Jurassic weirdoes

(really just my excuse for it all being too busy, untidy and chaotic)

Sadly most of the flowers not doing well in the heat/drought currently

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Looks great.

Thanks. I'll resist the urge.

Can anyone recommend a decent garden hose (~30m)?

I'm in Edinburgh which is not (yet) subject to a hosepipe ban. If you heard a voice scream "Oh no!" at around 7:30pm last night that was me the moment my expandy hose exploded. The sound carried for several miles.

I won't buy another expandable hose though it did have its advantages: it was lightweight, it never kinked, and it came with a spray gun and connectors, both of which I needed at the time. I'm hoping to reuse them with the new hose. The downsides are a) you can't use an expandable hose with a sprinkler, and b) it has a very slight tendency to explode. I had it for 4 years which isn't too bad going I suppose.

There so many different hoses on the market. Even if I went with the obvious choice of Hozelock they have several different ones on the market. What exactly is a 'starter hose' anyway? Is it for beginners who've never watered a plant before?

Which ever Hozelock is the right length. Ideally the one in the wall mounted container if you have the cash.

Gardena also make excellent kit. My folks had a collapsable one that lasted a good 20-30yrs.

What exactly is a 'starter hose' anyway?

The levels don't refer to your watering abilities, they related to your buyer grade. Most people on here would typically be looking at semi-pro to pro-buyer products - see Japanese shears and Rapha totes (sorry musettes).

Looks really good.

What's the big plant front and center in the last pic?

Higher grade hoses will kink less and be able to deal with higher pressures, but be heavier and pricier. My Gardena Classic seems better than any Hozelock I've used in the past, especially considering the water pressure I have now (I think about 8 Bar!). How long a hose do you need and how often are you coiling / uncoiling it? The 'pro' level hoses will be a pain to coil on a small reel.

I have the Gardena Classic too. My Hozelock got eaten by the foxes.

Retractable hozelock ftw. I don’t know how I lived before it

So lush. Such a nice garden. Plenty of height, lots of interesting foliage. You’re winning at life

It's a tree echium, I've got three and this is their second year so they were meant to flower, but they haven't done that, they've just grown enormous.

Lottery as to whether they'll survive the winter but if they do, they will surely flower next year. They are cool as foliage plants anyway though

Very kind. Failing hard at most other elements of life currently but the garden gives me lots of pleasure

If you’ve got a nice garden you’ve got something very important already.

My constant battle is getting my wife to agree to make our flower beds bigger, because they are full. So I’ve started planting seeds in the edge of the lawn to start making the beds bigger.

They used it as a chewing toy? :/

Yes, I left it out on the lawn last year connected to the sprinkler and it got chewed through. :(

Same thing happened with mine this year. I'm not sure why.

It appears that you have no issue growing things near the echium. Is that right? Mine have always seemed to kill everything near them.

Finally... are yours grown from seed? I had to go to an open garden in peckham last year, to get mine.

Not grown from seed, bought as small plants.

Not had any issues with them growing amongst other things, apart from they have got so huge that they are shading things out. There are some nice little euphorbias under one of them that are now completely in the dark so I'm not hopeful.

Do yours just outmuscle nearby plants or do you think they are one of those things that put out chemicals which suppress other plants? (Can't remember the name for this behaviour)

I'm not sure why.

My guess is the very cold spring we had (here anyway) discouraged them from flowering.

As above, 30m or 25m at a push.

How often I use it will depend on the weather. Last year I hardly used it at all. This year - a lot! Not sure I can accommodate a wall mounted reel. The tap is in a very narrow carport built for 70s-sized cars and I often collide with the boiler flue when squeezing past. Also if I left a hose outside permanently someone would probably knick it sooner or later. I'm sure I will miss the expandable hose but they are notoriously fragile and mine did well to last 4 years.

Hosepipe bans: What you need to know

BBC News

What are the rules of a hosepipe ban?

Don’t use a hosepipe to water plants or clean your vehicle
Don’t fill – or clean - a swimming pool, paddling pool, pond or fountain
Don’t use a hosepipe to clean windows, walls, paths, patios or decking
Don’t use a hosepipe to cool off in the heat
But you can use other water sources, like using your mains water supply but with buckets or watering cans instead of hosepipes, or using stored rainwater from a water butt.

What’s the penalty during a ban?

Anyone found not following the rules could be prosecuted in a criminal court and fined up to £1,000, under section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991.

What’s allowed during a ban?

Using a hosepipe for health and safety reasons
Watering newly laid turf for the first 28 days
The watering of newly bought plants for the first 14 days
Watering plants that are grown for sale or commercial use or that are part of a National Plant Collection or temporary display
Filling or maintaining a pool in which fish or other aquatic animals are being reared
People who are paid for car washing, window cleaning and graffiti removal can still use hosepipes
Operating water features with religious significance
Filling new pools, or those with religious significance
To prevent or control the spread of disease or invasive species
When was the last hosepipe ban in the UK?

The last official hosepipe ban in the UK was in 2018. Before that, there was one in 2012.

How long will a ban last?

A hosepipe ban will end when there’s enough rainfall to fill affected reservoirs.

Why are hosepipes so bad?

Using a hosepipe to water the garden uses 1,000 litres of water an hour.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-62499531?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=62f5e86f21e03625cb4a3d15%26Hosepipe%20bans%3A%20What%20you%20need%20to%20know%262022-08-12T05%3A43%3A11.803Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:290beb66-84b3-4ef9-82c4-5e3f4faf9eda&pinned_post_asset_id=62f5e86f21e03625cb4a3d15&pinned_post_type=share

It seems more like chemical suppression. Twice I've grown two, 30cm apart and one of the two always dies suddenly when they're about 1.5feet high. Who knows!
This is my 2020 effort from my old flat. Apparently 3 year flowerings are more likely to be record breakers!

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Went to Wisley late last summer and ever since, have wanted a Paniculata Hydrangea.
I had said that I'd have not get any more as I've got 14 in the ground and 15 cuttings in pots however in a moment of madness last week, ordered this wonderful Hydrangea paniculata Vanille Fraise ('Renhy'PBR) specimen from Signature Hydrangeas in Kent.
Now where to put it :) In the pot in the shade till Autumn to nurse it through I think.

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Looks good, you have a big slope at the back of your house?