Does anyone know anything about gardening?

Following previous discussions I'm looking to get a holboellia latifolia and clematis armandii.

Given they are meant to be rapid growing it doesn't seem worth paying a lot for larger ones but the only ones I can spot of each (online and the garden centre I went to at the weekend) are £25-£30 range. Am I missing something with these?

£17 for the clematis here
https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/clematis-armandi/classid.863/sku.PL00001551/

£13 for the holboellia
https://www.qvcuk.com/hayloft-plants-holboellia-latifolia-in-9cm-pot.product.736990.html

For reasons I don't understand, climbers are generally priced like shrubs not annuals or perennials, so you won't see them for £4 in a 9cm pot

Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii

Mine are flowering and sending out young shoots, I'd be concerned if yours is doing nothing

It's an unusual plant in that essentially each stem is biennial - growing out of the ground one year, then flowering the next and dying after that.

You are meant to cut back the flowered stems when they're done in summer-ish, making space for the young growth to take over and then flower the next year. If you cut everything including the young growth back, you might have fucked it

I would still hold on for a bit and see, just in case

hm, there was no young growth, it was all looking brown so I cut it all back!

Was it a few years old? It's only meant to live 4 or 5 years iirc

They are cheap and fast growing if you want to replace

I’ve got a climbing hydrangea, the flowers are white. If I muck about with the ph of the soil and add some colourant could I get it to change colour?

My euphorbia are all in full swing, keep your eyes peeled for seedlings because they self seed like crazy.

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Probably not.

The blue ones should be able to be shifted to pink. But I'm pretty sure white ones are white.

I'm gutted our climbing hydrangea died when I planted it. So odd. I should have just left it in its ugly shop pot.

For reasons I don't understand, climbers are generally priced like shrubs not annuals or perennials, so you won't see them for £4 in a 9cm pot

Cheers, this was the bit I was missing. Tthe only other climbers I've bought did cost £3 in a little pot (although that was from Morrisons) so didn't realise that wasn't the usual pricing.

Managed to make a start of leveling the lawn to patio transition yesterday. Rolling the grass back was harder than I expected.

The rain from last night almost filled the gravel trench. Helpfully it's shown how much the water pools where the stepping stones were, so I'm going to try and dig out some of the clay in that section and add gravel.

Overall though I'm not convinced it'll make a difference and wish I'd won the argument to connect up a drainage pipe to the drain.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to add gravel channels to soak water to a spot on the left and create a bog garden there.

Also adding a bed roughly where the chairs are now should give a spot for excess water to pool.

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I think I know the answer to this, but wouldn't mind some input.

We have a little gravel seating area, and plan to turn it back to green, as life it too short to maintain gravel. Ideally I'm going to try and establish a creeping thyme lawn and some other things.

Currently there is about 10mm of gravel (and soil wash) with a weedproof membrane underneath. Scraping it back the Membrane looks in good condition.

Should I just leave it all in place and plant over the top?

I can't see any downside to having a bit of membrane under a thyme and grass lawn, and it might limit next-door's bindweed. But am I missing something?

At the moment there is about

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Sad times, it would have been a year and a half old when I cut it back in autumn. It doubled in size, flowered then died.

Has anyone made a successful ladybird house? Any dos and donts? I'm sceptical of the youtube videos.

I've ordered a pack of larvae for a pot out the front that's dripping in aphids and their honey. And wanted to encourage more for when our hibiscus gets infested once the buds come out.

Ironically I found one in the compost tardis the other week, but I think that's just because there was too much dry brown matter. Less so now.

I’ve never made a ladybird house but I did change my approach to bastard aphid last year and experienced a ladybird bonanza. Previously I would laboriously spray plants with neem oil and horticultural soap but last year I let nature do its thing. To begin with the aphid were clearly winning and munching the hell out of the new growth. Sometimes I’d go on a squishing mission or give badly afflicted plants a hose blast but after a while the ladybirds really kicked in and policed the problem. I noticed this week that each euphoria stem seemed to have its own ladybird in residence so maybe they’re a natural hotel?!

Yeah I keep meaning to get the neem oil out, but just havent got round to it. Tbh I've always found the whole measuring out of such a weak solution of a grim concentrate a fucker too.

I've previously had success on my hibiscus with the lave so just went for it again.

Hoverflies also munch on aphids.

There are instructions online to make a "hoverfly lagoon" they can breed in. So if ladybirds don't come, they might.

I have very few ladybirds not sure why...but loads of hovers chomping up the aphids.

Oh no that’s such a shame. I’m going to plant outs at the front of the house. Hopefully it will survive

I have one of the larger compost bins rather than a hot box but these are good for mixing up the contents

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Darlac-GF6529-DP788-Compost-Aerator/dp/B0028YOOE4/ref=asc_df_B0028YOOE4/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=230204386967&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7512919250287836067&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006706&hvtargid=pla-422864071836&psc=1&mcid=5ad23d3a0dd632a38e6291da5959a1da&th=1&psc=1

It seems I have just retired from landscaping, never mind, the Magnolia is magnoling magnificently.

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larger compost bins

Definitely better value if you have the space

It seems I have just retired from landscaping, never mind, the Magnolia is magnoling magnificently.

Through your choice?

I fucking hate magnolias, the plant equivalent of a chiffon blouse.

It came with the house and I don't hate them, I certainly wouldn't prune it at the roots.

Nope, a wee problem with my spine leading to a nice little week in hospital and an appointment with the neurosurgeon in 2 weeks time. There could be 10 bikes coming up for sake.

Sorry to hear that. I hope the prognosis is good.

Sorry that's tough, best wishes for the road ahead.