What have you done today in the Garden?

How nice it is to see this posting, Riley.
It is good to see Camellia's that “work”. My neighbour man at the allotment complex has tried several times but they always died…now he has died as well.
I admired his not willing to give up.

 

Atmospheric river continues to deluge us. Lots of trees down. I volunteered yesterday and will today. Then it depends on the weather and my energy. There are downed trees to cut up.

 

Daniel—Our folks philosopher once said, “All disadvantageous happenings have their advantage. I was thinking that fallen trees chopped into segments would make good bee hotels with a bit of drilling with different-sized bits.
Chapeau to you for your volunteer work. Are you sure that you are not a Tennesseean?

 

Nothing today it's raining again.
Good to make bee hotels.

 

Cleared more leaves today. Just a couple of hours as the light was going and it was starting to rain.

Those under the azaleas in the front garden. These are mostly those from the two viburnums. Strange plant. No leaves now but lots of blossom coming out.

The main patio is clear of leaves and bits of wisteria prunings. Raining now.





I've cleared most of the leaves under the plants in the main border of the back garden. By selective pruning over the years, I've made a narrow passage between the planting and the back fence. So can work my way along it.
The "green bin" is jammed full now. So I can't put any more in until Wednesday.





Then I tackled the big acer. I covered it with several pieces of netting and ran a strong wire around it at the bottom. Then dragged it down with more wire. I can never get it completely symmetrical as the big branches put up various amounts of resistance. Bend them too much and they will snap, as it's hard wood. The idea is for it to be contained within its round brick border as far as possible, as otherwise its shade means I get moss.







I'll remove the net and wire in late April when the branches have "set." I can then "let it get on with it." I've done this twice before in the last 20 years.

 

Riley.. what a lovely , beautiful, gorgeous, sunny,garden. Magical precious garden…
Just looking at these pics from 2020. Just looking at your pic makes me feel HAPPY.

netting around the dwarf acer , does the netting train the branches to grow in the dome shape? Never thought of that..neat idea.

 

Today I was more ambitious. I planted two onion bulbs, which will be in their second year and should bloom, next July. That way I'll be able to save my own seeds.



I also cut scion from various fruit trees, to use for grafting in April. Until then, they'll be in sealed plastic food bags, in the fridge. Most of my fruit trees have been subjected to my Frankentree mad scientist experiments. This time, I want to re-work a nonproductive stone fruit tree with various varieties that I know and like. A couple of apple trees will also be modified with different varieties.

Then the big project - these fallen timber bamboo needed cutting up for various projects. I love the usefulness of bamboo. It's part of my cycle of life gardening. It provides shade for the chickens. They fertilize it. Some is harvested for garden projects. When that eventually goes bad, it is cut up for kindling for the woodstove. Then the ashes replenish the soil.

Anyway, these fell over. So strange, almost no roots!



I think it's odd, there isn't even a visible rhizome from the parent plants.

I cut them into approximately 8 to 9 foot lengths. Each plant gave two such lengths, one much thicker than the other, but both usable.

I moved them to the protected garden.



Some of the sturdiest looking ones were set aside to built a new trellis for a developing Espalier apple tree.



Then I cut away the old trellis, rebuilt it with the new bamboo poles, and re-tied the tree to the trellis. It still needs some training and pruning, but now all of the scaffold branches are in place for a semi-formal, four-tier espalier. The lower two tiers are Zestar, and the upper two tiers are Rubinette.



My supervisor wasn't all that happy about me working all afternoon in the rain.



He said it was time to go inside, so we did.

 

What a good workday you had. The bamboo canes are impressive. They ought to last foe a few years.
Well done.
And for your supervisor— comisserations.

 

Daniel… So many impressive projects . Luv the idea of taking your own scion for stone fruit trees. That possibly will grow fruit in how long once applied to root stock . How long til fruit on these Frankentree experiments. Fun ideas.

your bamboo looks beautiful. They are usually so tightly rooted together that a wild horses can’t get them apart. Yet if proper weather conditions exist..cold windy weather will generally loosen one which turns into a continued fall one after another. All mine are still dead sticking up with no leaves absolutely getting ugly. I was hoping that they would fall from the atmospheric river..ice/snow storm recently. But not one fell. Maybe I will have to put the horses to work. Won’t be the first time they have helped me pull up shrubs or trees. Heck they helped pull out the tractor stuck in the clay mud.

What’s your supervisor’s name? he’s a beautiful pup I can see he is so loyal in his eyes. And you know all he’s thinkin about is when are you gonna stop the gardening and feed him dinner, snacks and play ball….

 

Hello GRUMPY Rufus! Always love seeing you Buddy.


That Bamboo is very cool Daniel. Outside of my world of reality. Glad you got outside

 

@Daniel W well done with all of your work. Do you have to dry the bamboo before using them for projects?

 

@Pacnorwest the grafts usually start bearing in one to three years, depending on the fruit variety. I don't know what will grow. My neighbor gave me the tree, which she grew from a seed. It might have been an apricot or pluot. Some stone fruits graft easily on others, and some don't, So I am a mad scientist LOL.

My supervisor is Rufus. Here he is supervising today, while I clear the next bunch of bamboo that fell over in the chicken yard.



This is how they looked this morning before cleared them.

And afterwards


Then I cut some willow for weaving.



Then the saw attacked my finger - without provocation, I might add . So I decided to quit (and wash the wound, and add polysporin and bandades).

Sometimes, my gardening is like this, with me as the Black Knight and the various tools and implements as my attackers.



I'm not the most coordinated guy, LOL.

 

@Logan, I think it's usually better to dry the bamboo, but for the trellis it will just dry in place. I haven't had any problems with that before.

 

Daniel to have stone fruit in three years .. will keep my fingers crossed for the ‘Mad Scientist’.
That’s what I like about your posts you are unafraid to experiment in horticulture.

That reminds me of the new apple by Wa. State University called the Cosmic Crisp.
https://news.wsu.edu/news/2021/01/12/cosmic-crisp-wa-2-whats-next/

 

That's good Daniel