I know the OH will run and hide when he reads this but a gal has to have a plan, and my restricted mobility has meant I have had plenty of thinking scheming time to formulate ideas into a concrete gardening ‘plan of action’ for 2019.
So my #SixOnSaturday for this week are six gardening projects for 2019.
The ‘To Do’ list is like the building of Rome: It does not need to be completed in one day, next week or even next month. Over the next year will do just fine.
In no particular order of preference/urgency:
1. Dig up the Agapanthus and replant in pots…
These plants are at least six years old and have only flowered once. The rapid growth of the yucca and palm tree has meant the agapanthus are now in shade for most of the day.
… and remove weeds
I have tried to extricate the weeds with a hand trowel on numerous occasions, but the weeds are as stubborn as the night is long and they quickly return. There are a couple of succulents buried in with the weeds so the whole lot needs to be dug up, weed roots untangled before I replant the succulents.
2. Waterfall Rockery
This is quite a challenge due to the fact this area has no sun during the winter months but morning to midday sun in the summer which can be intense. I want to either raise the planting area of the rockery area to give it more depth so I can have interchangeable plastic pots according to the season, or buy one feature terracotta pot to match the existing pots. (I’ve put a black plastic pot to mark the location for now)
3. Replace Hedge
We planted this hedge about nine years ago to screen the pool. Comparing ours to other hedges in the local area which are over 6′ tall and are a rich burgundy colour, I bought the wrong variety. It is not a happy hedge and needs replacing. I am considering planting an Elaeagnus ebbingei ‘Limelight’ Hedge which does not mind partial shade, coastal gardens and grows rapidly. It also has small white fragrant flowers in Sept AND grows in dry conditions. Or even an edible hedge…
Any other suggestions welcome, please.
4. Raised Vegetable Garden Needs TLC
A picture saves a 1000 words. My vegetable area is a mess. Because of my knee I can’t dig or climb up onto the raised area to remove the weeds and dig in the fertiliser. I don’t think I have ever felt so frustrated and helpless. Hindsight is wonderful: I should have divided the area in two so I could access the complete area from ground level.
I’m sorely tempted to scrap the area and build a chicken run. I’ve always wanted chickens.
5. Herb Garden
This area needs a complete rethink as they are not happy herbs, especially the lemon thyme. Maybe I will grow the herbs in pots and position closer to the house.
6. Dig out old compost bin
… and dispose of contents. I was stupid and added piles of melaleuca hedge cuttings. I have since been advised they are too oily and will create havoc with the PH levels if I add to my soil. I am also leary about what is lurking in there… the snake I met earlier in the year has to live somewhere!
So my six for this week are projects for 2019. Is gardening your passion? Why not join other gardeners over at The Propagator’s Blog
What are your garden plans for the coming year?
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I wonder if you can grow Griselinia littoralis there. It makes a lovely evergreen hedge in coastal gardens. Good luck with your gardening plans. Karen
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I did enjoy all that discussion and advice. We are in Cornwall so conditions will be different. We have Agapanthus both in the ground and in pots . We read that they like to have crowded roots and so like pots but they grow in profusion all over the place in Cornwall.
We had the same hedge problem and came to Pittisporum which is light and a lovely screen only needing cutting a couple of times a year.
Now to make our list – you have inspired me! 🙂
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Agas normally grow well here. I think mine failed because of the lack of sun but you make a good point about them needing crowded positions they they will be perfect i pots. Hubby has already dug them up for me and I’ve planted in pots and moved them to full sun.Fingers crossed.
I’ve not considered Pittosporum. I’ do some research at the local garden centre.
I seem to remember Cornwall was humid close to the sea, yes?
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Yes, humid and temperate. It doesn’t usually snow or have very hot summers but we did have snow a couple of years ago and last summer was amazing from the holiday point of view , worrying in terms of climate changes…
There are several varieties of Pittosporum. We have the purple/black one in the front and a very light variegated one in the back. I’ll put some photos on my blog, perhaps join Six on Saturday! 🙂
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I like the idea of the purple black pittosporum. That would add the colour I was looking for with the hop bush.
Please join six on saturday. I have come to look forward to reading other gardening blogs and it’s a great way to connect.
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I have done! Loving the stuff I’m reading, lots of practical advice and humour! 🙂
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Lots of great plans. I love your waterfall rockery idea although I wouldn’t have a clue what to plant there in those conditions. Love the fact that you are making plans…..I love a good plan!!
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If I don’t have a plan I drift from one day to the next. 😦
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Sounds like we’ll both be busy!
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Yep, I can lose myself in the garden for hours!
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Me too!
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You will have a busy 2019 with your gardening plans. These days I’m planning to make a huge compost pile in my garden to use it for my new fruit plants.Other than that, I’m thinking to make a fish pond in the front yard.
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The Propagator made an excellent post on the science of compost heaps, have you read it?
Fish, pond. … I look forward to reading your progress. Will it be formal or natural?
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As Fred said – beware the powdery underside of the Eleagnus leaf. I hate pruning my shrub because if it. I have a similar length list for the Non-Gardenerbut haven’t actually shown it to him yet!
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Hmmm… I am going to pass on planting Eleagnus it does not sound a good match for my needs.
Great advice SoS garners. You have just saved me from another disaster.
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Shed reorganisation is the plan for next year! Have you considered no dig for your raised vegetable bed, it produces better results than dug beds. I hope you are soon fighting fit for 2019
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Hi Brian, I am not sure what you mean by ‘no dig’. 😦 Please can you expand on your suggestion. My raised bed has a concrete base with drainage holes at sides. It has a base because the hedge roots were invading the bed and the soil became unusable as it was one mass of roots.
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This is the website of the uk no dig guru. Independent research has shown that yield is higher with no dig. Our garden is ornamental, it has never been dug.
https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk
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That lot should keep you (Or your OH!) out of trouble for a while. Good luck with all your plans.
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Yep, the OH is the muscle and I am the brains 🙂
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That’s a hedge? Perhaps I am not looking at the right subject. I do not know enough about what grows there or what is available there to make recommendations. Why do agapanthus go into pots? I put some in pots before I needed them somewhere else, but I know they did not like it. They grow like weeds in the ground. I never wanted to offend them.
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LoL… yes, that is meant to be a hedge. Other people use Dodonaea viscosa ‘Purpurea’ – Purple Hop Bush ( Purple Hopseed Bush) as a hedge and it grows well. I also think there is a problem with mine due to the lack of sunlight as other plants have grown around it.
The Agapanthus are another victim of wrong plant in the wrong place. Because my garden is relatively small and the house built in the middle of the plot I’ve discovered frowing plants in pots offers greater flexibility.
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Yes, I believe that hopseed is visible elsewhere in the pictures. It is not a good formal hedge, but makes a nice screen for informal applications.
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Yes, a screen is a better word than hedge. 🙂
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Oh, hedges are nice. I prefer hedges. I just think that hopseed is better for an informal screen than a formally shorn hedge, and is probably more compatible with your style of gardening.
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This looks great! Sending you lots of positive energy for each of your projects. With the vegetable garden, I so support you in doing a chicken run instead. It sounds like you’re more excited about it – and why not do something that’s fun for you? 🙂
Blessings to you. Happy New Year!
Debbie
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Hi Debbie, it’s not the chickens so much it’s getting someone to look after them when we go away. 😦 It would be an interesting challenge.
BLessing to you for a positive 2019 😉
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Oooh I see! Well, good luck if you decide to do it!! 🙂 Thank you for the blessings – I’m smiling right now. ~Debbie
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Sounds like s good way to end the year with planning gardening and yard maintenance for the coming year.
I’m sorry to hear about your knee, bless your heart.
I wonder if where you have your stepping stone path through the garden, maybe you could have someone dig it down to the ground and make a sunken path through the garden, splitting it in to 2 manageable sides?
Thought I’d throw in my 2 cents. It makes me sad that you can’t comfortably garden. It’s such a stress relief and you get to eat healthy veggies as a bonus.
I hope you and your husband have a very Happy New Year!
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Thanks, EC. Hopefully the operation will help. We will see, EVen so, the error on the raised veg patch was a silly one and something I need to rectify as I am not a mountain goat 🙂
Happy New Year and hope to see more of you on the blogosphere in 2019 🙂
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Agapanthus are like weeds here – they grow everywhere. I should ship some over 🙂
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They should grow like weeds here… but for some reason they don’t like my garden. 😦 I think they are amazing plants and particularly love the blue
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Just got the last of my agapanthus potted up, but came with warning that may not get flowers in the first year. I like the look of the rockery. Pots look good in it.
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Good luck with the agapanthus, I don’t think mine flowered well because they did not get enough sun. Fingers crossed for both of us, yes?
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You have a busy year ahead. Has your OH read this yet?!
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HaHa… the OH had not read it until just now and was going to reply to your comment.but is technically challenged. LoL
I did make some of the jobs really simple, yes?
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Hmm, the hedge task sounds a tad tricky!
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Great plans for 2019! As for the hedge of Elaeagnus ebbingei, I have one that I have to prune 3 times a year. You should know that it gives small white flowers that smell good and that this hedge is a paradise for birds (so many nests inside). Just a point, all the leaves produce a volatile white “powder” that could fill your pool filter … I hope the pool is not too close.
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Thanks, for the tip, Fred. I was not aware of the white powder. I need to rethink!
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Especially with young leaves. If you have neighbors who have a hedge, look at the leaves in the spring, just in case. (maybe it’s right here, but I’ve already heard about it too)
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Given the choice I would NEVER plant a hedge.
We have a low – 1.6 metres – stone wall that divides our property with the neighbour on our east side.
It seems the previous neighbours were not satisfied with the wall and decided they wanted more privacy, so at some point in the past planted a Chinese Privet.
It grows like wild fire, and intrudes onto our property and at some point in the year invariably grows so tall that it begins to block out the light. I kid you not! This means the annual round of asking Ben to cut his damn hedge!
Unless one is inclined, hedges are more trouble than they’re worth.
I would go for a locally sourced stone wall, 1.8 to 2.0 metres high. End of problems and it looks good as well.
As for the chicken run.
We have 5 hens, but they are not confined to a run, and do their own thing around the garden.We have 2200 square metres so they are not intrusive. I am in the minority view as a far as ”Hen Management” goes, but I am pushing for a proper run rather than total free range. Watch this space! 🙂
The hens will definitely sort out much of your weed problem but they can scratch at other things as well. They also ate the leaves from every cabbage I had planted! I was not amused.
Once they start laying you can expect a daily clutch of eggs. Ours usually produce four or five which is ample for the average family.
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Hi Ark,
A stone wall is not an option. 😦 When I say hedge it’s more of a decorative screen. Nothing high or intrusive. We have a melaleuca hedge on all boundaries and it is a pain in the arse. However, we keep it well maintained and it is cut every three months.
As for chickens. After my experience of free range hens and their poop (which are like mini landmines) which trod into the house… I would keep mine penned. But the chances of me having chickens are virtually zero due to having someone to tend them while we are away. 😦
I will watch out for your chicken post update. 🙂
Happy New Year!
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