[Zeno~SPARTA~]

This is the dull diary of what goes on in my garden.

This week I have trimmed the sides of about 50 metres of privet hedge. I have a petrol hedge trimmer so its doesnt take a long time, although I dont have the knack for leaving a smooth finish, but at least it looks tidy. The harder part of the job is clearing up and disposal, usually burning. I will have to build a composting area, it will need to be huge because there is so much debris. That will be a project for the autumn, I will also need to buy a shredder. Trimming hedges is a never ending task in my garden

We had a go at trying to get grow some things from cuttings. So far we have tried olive trees and Laurel, The Olive cuttings all died, the laurel is fairing much better, we are trying to encourage root growth in water, we'll see how they do. I have grown fig trees from cuttings, they are so prolific here they grow just by sticking cuttings in the ground and watering them for a little while.

My Apricot tree came under attack from termites (I think), I never really paid attention but now that I am actually walking around the garden a lot I noticed that half the base was gone and there were holes all over the place. I bought some spray from the local farmers cooperative, mixed some cement and brought a branch to make dowels with and a cordless drill. I sprayed the damaged base of the trees and cemented it (a big sideways V had been eaten away). I then sprayed the holes and blocked them with cement or dowels. Then I drilled six holes around the base (about a metre up) and sprayed them then blocked the holes with dowels. During this process i saw a lot soldier termites but hopefully the workers and larvae all died inside. My fruit trees were planted about 15 years ago and I have already lost a couple, I dont want to lose the apricot tree as it has produced some delicious fruit.

I weeded one of my flower borders, I didnt plant any flowers but I do have crysanthemes (they flower in November). I have a layer of pine bark on the bed but will remove everything and cover the ground with a sheet, then replant and add the bark again, that should reduce my weeding workload.

We trimmed two lavender bushes and made bundles of the cuttings, I have about eight lavender plants but only two flower. Lavender is very popular in provence and where you see many fields of them.

I pruned the dead rose buds of one of my rose bushes.

I removed all the water lillys from my fish pond, because I think something in them is killing my fish, so for now they are in containers outside the pond so I can test my theory. I have been losing one or two fish a day since I bought some more fish for the pond, they die around the lillys and I saw a snake actually pushing a small fish out of the water. I believe it hides around the lillys. If the fish stop dying I need to figure out how to eliminate the snake. If they keep dying I guess the new fish I recently bought had an illness that is killing both the new and old fish.

Anyway these were some of the joys of the last week in my garden.

[IDAN~SPARTA~]

Interesting get us pics of the problematic issues.

[peter~SPARTA~]

I would suggest you to buy gas blower/vacum/shreder for yor hedges debris. This is very cool lightweight tool . First you blow debris to one spot then vacuum/shred. Require a little practice but works like charm.
If you have hedge next to lawn its even easier with correct type of lawn mower.
Just blow all leafs and bio mass on the lawn and pick it up to bucket using lawn mower. It suck like vacuum and shred everything nicely. Of course it will work only when you have smaller trimming debris (requires trimming work more often). This most painful to pick up.

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

LOL, I have done that trick with my mower, though I dont think it shreds enough (I will check next time), but I still need a good shredder and a better blower. I have an electric flymo blower/vac, but when it blows there isnt enough pressure to get the debris from the top of the hedge so I need to rake the top which makes it untidy (not to mention the reels of electrical cord I need to use it). A petrol blower is next on my shopping list followed by a shredder.

[custard~SPARTA~]

If you really are going to compost all those clippings a shredder/chipper would be ideal (I have a Masport one), but unless you spend thousands on a self feeding monster of a machine it takes a long time to do.

Use some more of your concrete blocks to make two compost bins, one filling one composting. You don't have to turn the contents for it to compost properly but it will take about six months if the compost parts are small, 12 months if they are not too big except some things like pine needles and some kinds of leaves they may take up to 18 months.

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

The problem is scale, my garden easily generates 1 cubic metre of debris a week on average (that is conservative) and I mulch over half the grass (dont use the collecting bin). I need to research how to compost in more detail.

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

Some old pics of the garden (2001, it doesnt look this good now)









An RX8 weekend chez moi

[Hajimoto]

Zeno are you busy next weekend? I need to have my hedges leveled off like that. WOW meticulously level trim work man. Nice job.

Just so you know I have deleted these photos from my HD Cache so my wife never see's them.

[adder360~SPARTA~]

wow looks more like a park than a garden lol!

[Denny]

Very neat and trim. Gotta get off my duff and get to my yard.
Sheesh.

[Halli~SPARTA~]

What a busy week... haha makes my back hurt.

I would guess that the new fish had the problem and the fish use the lilley pads as protection because the fish are weak.

As for the snake it's probably eating mostly frogs and could be a good thing to have around as a natural predator.

[Forrester]

Zeno I take it the first pic shows your gest-house, and the last one the toys for us boys? we're coming over strait away.....

[Cent~SPARTA~]

LOL WHAT A PAD!!!!!

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

Todays work







I now have clearing up work for the next couple of wweeks

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

It's amazing how thick and strong those things can be for mere bushes.

[Halli~SPARTA~]

Zeno~SPARTA~, on 12 August 2010 - 11:25 AM, said:

Todays work

Your Fired!!!.......................haha man you ain't never gonna get them roots up without a truck.

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

Then I'll dig down and cut them below the surface. That hedge blocked the view of the garden from the house, getting rid of it also reduces the amount of maintenance. I will clear the mess away and plant some low shrubs there.