Does anyone know anything about gardening?

We got some fungus gnat specific nematodes from Nematodes Direct a few weeks ago. We used them on indoor rather than outdoor plants, but has totally sorted the problem.

Watered down washing up liquid in a spray bottle and dousing the aphids is another way to get rid of them.

Hoverfly larvae also chomp them, they need pots with rotting leaves etc. to breed in. Look up "hoverfly lagoon" to make them a habit.

Not many aphids yet but it's been shite weather here, rain and cold.

Hmmm....

Not sure this will pass the aesthetics test. I think I may have a fairy liquid blasting sesh.

What the fudge are these blue things. For the life of me I can’t remember what I’ve planted

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^this post needs pics

It could pass as a nice little soliloquy. I've had the same thought.

Sozza my b. I was taking the dog for a walk at the time of posting and didn’t even think to add the picture

Camassia I think...

I thought that I put some in somewhere but none of mine have come up. Well done!

That checks out, I did put some Camassia in a while ago. Need to put more in next year. I love blue in a garden

Thanks

Goblincore aesthetic? ;)

Mine just pop up in the pond sink, but I barely have ladybirds so it's good the hover represent.

Nest of luck for getting rid of the aphids.

Definitely camassia

Azaleas looking ridiculously vibrant

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Geranium Parade Pro Plugs 120- £23 delivered, mixed colours:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235319970906?

This leafless stack of sticks is a big Japanese maple. If it's not leafed up or obviously I'm bud by now, it's dead isn't it? Bit mysterious, it has been around forever and I'm not sure what could have killed it over winter - certainly not the cold.

I actually don't love it, it was too majestic to cut down, but doesn't fit the rest of the garden very well at all, so not unhappy if it's spontaneously given up

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quite a few different things in that pic - nice amelanchier - so it's hard to tell if the acer is dead.

looks like there might be a life shoot near the bottom?

mine has been in leaf for several weeks now so i'd agree that something is up with yours.

The little shoot at the bottom of that pic is actually coming from the amelanchier

Another photo of the possibly dead acer. Looks like possibly it started making buds but they stopped before swelling. It was very shapely of branch, but in leaf a bit of a giant red mound

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Ah right - I see. Yeah, looks pretty dead. Wonder what did for it?

Here's mine - only had it a couple of years

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Waterlogged?

It's on a slope so drainage is usually acceptable despite clay and high rainfall in the west. It's also been fine in the same spot for many years (it was already that size when I moved in 7 years ago). But it was exceptionally wet this winter... so maybe

It has had leaf scorch by about August/September the last two or three years in a row, from such hot dry summers. Possibly it just gave up

Either way - dry or wet - I'm going to chalk it down as another climate change casualty, albeit not one I mind that much. To be replaced with more suitable plants

My bad, ignore...

With lighter evenings and my OH away for work, I've tried to finish off the attempt at drainage and starting on the mini bog garden.

Unfortunately all bog garden tutorials use pond lining with holes in. So I'm just going with what I think makes sense.

I've dug a bed out down to the clay. Made sure its a proper layer of clay, smoothed and compacted it. Next I'll chuck a load of mulch in the bottom followed by top soil and some compost (see diagram)

The random ridge in the middle is a gravel trench I ran from the other side of the lawn to move water across (I hadn't decided on the size or dug the bed at that point). The idea is water will drain from the right of the lawn to the bog garden, as will the water from the from the gravel trench and the gravel in my woodland area.

Still need to finalise my plant list. They need to be wildlife focused, and not need too much sun. Ideally native if possible.

My only concerns are those bottle brush things in the adjacent bed which my OH loves but spread, and the creeping jenny. I like the creeping jenny, but worry about it suffocating the other plants.

Also the lawn is such a fucking state right now. But fingers crossed by next year everything will be lovely.

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those bottle brush things in the adjacent bed which my OH loves

This is persicaria bistorta, I love it too, but it certainly does spread. It's a knotweed relative. It loves damp soil too

Cheers, that's good to know what it's called.

It's very handy for that spot as it's fine with being totally waterlogged over winter and having little sun.

Given how dense is gets I'm thinking I'll just cut it back into a slightly more curved shape and try and use irises to match the height and also be able to get out ahead of it earlier in the year.

I've got almost 100 plants on my long list that I've got to have a look through to work out what to put in there. Although once I've done a bit of filtering it shouldn't be too hard.