Does anyone know anything about gardening?

A few years ago we cut down a huge eucalyptus, so I figure I should try and grow some replacements. Got an oak that's no more than two foot high, a couple of cherry plums that have seeded off the big one. Also an unknown spiky branched fruit tree (the fruits are a bit like a yellow plum). And another random down the back.

a couple of plants have established themselves, just wondered if these are worth keeping
does anyone know what these are ?

it's not a nettle a mint or a lemon balm
and

First one looks suspiciously like a dead nettle, can't remember name of second, both weedses.

i chucked in a few packs of random wild flower mixes butterfly mixes and bee mixes last spring , pictures of the dead nettle look flowery so it might be from one of those packs, just establishing itself, might take a couple out and leave one or two

both weedses

.."if you like it, it's not a weed!" 🙂

I tend to work by the rule of 'did I plant it there?' and if the answer is no then 'do I want it there?'

Two no answers and it's a weed that gets removed.

I'm trying to convince my other half that the bit of ground between the pavement and our drive is a wildflower meadow

Tell her it's good for bees etc.

First rain for ages. We had 13% usual April rain before today.

pics aren't working Harry

1st March

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Today:

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nice. I hate planting grass in the spring but sometimes you have to. so much better to plant in the fall to get it started. then it takes off in the spring and you get a better bed.

The client brief for this small, narrow garden of a terraced property
in north east London was for greater privacy whilst retaining an area
large enough for hosting guests. At the core of the design process was
sustainability.

All the finishing material and soil, apart from the lightweight soil
for the green roof on the shed, was either recycled or from the site.
Water recycling was also part of the sustainable design. The green
roof acts as a water harvester, connecting to the tallest raised
planter to help irrigation. Water is also harvested from the house
roof to form a water feature, counter-levered to the eastern boundary
fence line and connecting directly into the pond from which the
overflow is connected to the lower bog garden raised planter. The
raised planters create interesting levels and screening, framing the
main seating area to the back of the garden. The fencing utilises
different timbers and sizes to create a staccato effect for added
interest and contrast. The tropical planting scheme softens the hard
landscape elements and provides year-round privacy.

https://www.baliawards.co.uk/environmental-impact-best-use-of-recylced-materials

A few years ago I went rogue with a tub of red cedar fence paint and painted many things including my wife's Alexander Rose love seat (no laughing at the back).

Almost immediately I regretted it but have only just got around to sanding it down again

Full red cedar below. The paint stripper was totes ineffective so I had to get the electric sander(s) out

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Let the sanding begin

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First chair and the integrated tables treated with three coats of wood protector and a final layer of linseed oil and its back to looking good again.

Second chair is now also sanded since this pic but I've run out of linseed oil now. Its on order

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Good work.

That red cedar everything look wasn't the best.

Paint on timber furniture or decking is a particular hate of mine. Whenever I am asked by a client whether they should treat a decking I have just built I say "yeah, tell it that it has lovely eyes and take it out to lunch". Paint always bubbles and flakes, decking oil (even with a tint) is the way to go.

Does anyone use drip irrigation or a soaker hose? Pros/cons or suggestions?

Only drip I'm afraid - going to a single line/orchard of fruit trees . Works well. Very robust - I think my folks' one must be coming >10yo by now and is moved inside to out and back a few times a year.

I think they have different use cases.

Does anyone know what's up with this?

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Not gardening, but I like this idea a lot:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/01/not-just-weeds-how-rebel-botanists-are-using-graffiti-to-name-forgotten-flora-aoe

What I didn't know:

In the UK it is illegal to chalk anything – hopscotch, art or botanical names – on paths or highways without permission, even if it educates, celebrates and fosters interest and knowledge in nature.

This looks like a law ripe for revision ... not that there aren't more important things to be getting on with, and obviously it could just be ignored instead.

I imagine the law would originally have been aimed at sloganeers of certain political persuasions.

In the UK it is illegal to chalk anything – hopscotch, art or botanical names – on paths or highways without permission

lol

sloganeers of certain political persuasions

Indeed, who these days remembers the threat posed by The Chalkists?