On a lighter note - hows your garden?

[Tangled Metal]

We had a few examples of why leylandii need to be kept trimmed back and down, ours had been topped I think but it was huge best part of a metre across at the base. That one got chopped down. The others are / were smaller. 50cm bad of b the other we chopped down. The third is still there.. the big one has left a space but other trees seem to be filling the space 6 months later. The light hitting the bottom of the garden now is amazing. We now have sun on our patio right into the evening until sunset. Before about 2pm and it was blocked by the leylandii.

This leaves us with a 50cm wide plus copper beech in the middle of the upper garden. We have had the lower branches cut away to open it up. That's helped sun through layer into the evening as well. I have this theory that it's an offspring of the copper beech planted early 1900s by the local girl guides group. That tree is metre wide I think. There's a string of copper beeches all along the row of houses from that old tree at the end of the row of houses on the public garden area either side of the pavement there. The copper beech trees are up the hill a bit in the gardens of the houses. I think ours is the third smaller one but the biggest of the younger trees. Whether true I like the idea of could be the offspring of this local, significant tree. Of course ours is the nicest in leaf colour and shape. Lovely indeed!

[al_yrpal]

TM photos would be nice. Sounds pretty challenging! But more gardening probably means less cycling... ?

Al

[al_yrpal]

Drought! Not a drop of rain. Pond has gone down a foot. However the foxgloves are doing great... Having to water a lot.

Our ducks are back. Think raising a family failed. But, we have had a Blue Tit family in the nesting box. No sign of our bats yet, guess it is too cool.

Al

[rjb]

We had blue tits beginning to nest in our garden until the great tits took up residence in their box some 20 feet away. The blue tits then went off elsewhere. Were they worried about competition? any experts here? The great tits have now flown the nest.

[Jdsk]

We had blue tits beginning to nest in our garden until the great tits took up residence in their box some 20 feet away. The blue tits then went off elsewhere. Were they worried about competition? any experts here? The great tits have now flown the nest.

"Facultative interspecific brood parasitism in tits: a last resort to coping with nest-hole shortage":
https://link.springer.com/article/10.10 ... 015-1972-3

discussed in:

"Great tits and blue tits battle by laying eggs in enemy nests":
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn ... emy-nests/

Jonathan

[rjb]

Thanks Jonathan, very interesting reading. The tits were in separate boxes with the entrance hole specific to the breed intended, so they weren't laying in each others boxes. I thought this behaviour was restricted to cuckoo's but now see it's not exclusive.
I've just emptied the blue tit box ready for the next brood. Only moss inside, no sign of occupation. The other box the bigger great tit is a bit more involved to access so will have to wait a while.

[peetee]

Early this year I made efforts to clear my front garden and plant it with spring bulbs and wild flowers. I’m also propagating a selection of flowers including cosmos, aquilegia, marigold and verbena with mixed success.
We have had several weeks of dry weather now and at least two more hot ones forecasted. We’re also still under a hosepipe ban so I think I need to pop out and buy a sprinkler head for my watering can.
Given the conditions would anyone care to suggest the right course of action for the daffodil bulbs that are now well over and beginning to look rather pale and lank. Lift and store, maybe?

[al_yrpal]

Just clip the tops off and leave them to reappear next spring. They might divide and you will get some more

Al

[pwa]

We have a bit of a worry at the moment. A neighbouring garden is uncared for whilst the house is being sold, and it has been invaded by caterpillars that form protective webbing on their host plant whilst they strip it of leaves. A small tree has absolutely no leaves left and is covered with the web. They have started on another bush/tree in the same garden. The caterpillars themseves are very small, thin dark coloured things, but in huge numbers. I just hope they don't do too much more damage and don't hop over to our garden.

[pwa]

On another topic, we have had a couple of weeks of dry weather, often sunny with a breeze, and things have dried out. Temperatures have been in the mid twenties (c) on some days. At least ten more days without serious rain are forecast. Fortunately I have had the composted material from the two compost bins to spread on some of the beds, so rather than digging it in I have left it as a mulch to protect the soil beneath it from rapid drying after watering. The blackbirds have been doing their best to chuck it all over the place. The garden pond is now fed by the two gutters from the garage roof so when it does eventually rain we will see the level rise quickly.

[Jdsk]

We have a bit of a worry at the moment. A neighbouring garden is uncared for whilst the house is being sold, and it has been invaded by caterpillars that form protective webbing on their host plant whilst they strip it of leaves. A small tree has absolutely no leaves left and is covered with the web. They have started on another bush/tree in the same garden. The caterpillars themseves are very small, thin dark coloured things, but in huge numbers. I just hope they don't do too much more damage and don't hop over to our garden.

Do you know the type of tree and can you add some photos?

Some of these are notifiable.

Jonathan

[pwa]

We have a bit of a worry at the moment. A neighbouring garden is uncared for whilst the house is being sold, and it has been invaded by caterpillars that form protective webbing on their host plant whilst they strip it of leaves. A small tree has absolutely no leaves left and is covered with the web. They have started on another bush/tree in the same garden. The caterpillars themseves are very small, thin dark coloured things, but in huge numbers. I just hope they don't do too much more damage and don't hop over to our garden.

Do you know the type of tree and can you add some photos?

Some of these are notifiable.

Jonathan

Access is difficult. My daughter pointed out a few of the caterpillars on the back of our garage, just before she painted it. That was before we looked around the corner and saw the defoliated tree. The tree, along with most of the caterpillars, is out of reach. It looks like it has been decorated for Halloween. Nobody visits the garden. I could get in there without breaking locks, but don't have permission.

I didn't study the grubs very closely at the time, but I think they were thin and no more than 10mm long, mainly very dark in colour, perhaps almost black. If I had known about the tree I'd have taken a pic of them. I am thinking that they might be a variety of ermine moth. A similar case here, but our caterpillars seemed a darker:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... s-57356372

[al_yrpal]

Sadly had to have our 50ft Larch Tree felled. It had slowly died and was a danger. Next job is to clear our pond which has become slightly overun with too much reed growth. Theres a gash in the liner that needs fixing too. Must get it ready for our quacking pals who will doubtless arrive for a Spring residence.

Overgrown reeds

Al

[Paulatic]

Sadly had to have our 50ft Larch Tree felled. It had slowly died and was a danger.

Al

Was it Larch disease or old age?
Every larch around me has now been felled barring one they’ve missed in the wood behind me. I shall watch it’s continuing life with interest.

[al_yrpal]

Very mucky job...drained the pond saving the fish wildlife and plants, mended all the holes in the liner mainly Heron pecks. Tons of sludge removed! It will take several days to fill it. Spoke to the water co who will not charge sewage charges if I send them before and after meter readings.