Agree with Dew once swept off or wind dried then rotary is best this time of year. Wheels could cause tracks which will hold rain and turn to mud..

 

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Agree with Dew once swept off or wind dried then rotary is best this time of year. Wheels could cause tracks which will hold rain and turn to mud..

 

I am genuinely grateful for the advice, both of you. You're right about the wheels- tried that, me the fool!

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Some posters on another thread were chatting about mushrooms appearing in a lawn now, which is not the most frequent time of year for them, as the mycelium (the main plant body) seems to sense the conditions somehow from underground ( not just from what the trees are up to, which is true for saprophytic but not decomposer groups) and detects subtle changes in light, moisture, warmth and CO2 levels. However, it's not a rare occurrence and I have logged notable (& even edible ) species in January. The warmth of late autumn this year is, of course, notable, and increasing numbers of flowering plant species are blooming, including 3 rose types and 3 clematis types, in our gardens.

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There are possibly as many as 100 fully-flowering daffodils wagging in the darkness on the lawn of the local fire station.

Yesterday, a child in my school was chased by a wasp.

Funny how the spiders stopped spinning at the very time the nasturtiums died.

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Hazel catkins now scattering pollen - not seen that before until early January. Bumble bee was around today on our winter flowering honeysuckle.

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Hazel catkins now scattering pollen - not seen that before until early January. Bumble bee was around today on our winter flowering honeysuckle.

With the wind, moisture and warmth it bodes well for early-flowering wind-pollinated trees.

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Some of our Spring shrubs are trying to bloom already, I reckon the summer ones will follow soon at this rate, will this have a knock on effect when we do get to Spring/Summer?

I really don't know what to do with them.

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Some of our Spring shrubs are trying to bloom already, I reckon the summer ones will follow soon at this rate, will this have a knock on effect when we do get to Spring/Summer?

I really don't know what to do with them.

Depends on the shrub, Jonesy; some spring-flowering shrubs are well-suited to winter flowering- Mahonia and Viburnum included. When the leaves break from the bud on more tender plants, that's a risky time.

 

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The grasses on my lawn are now flowering; looks like a week of grass-growth ahead, at least. Wouldn't it be amazing (but not nice) if the pollen season started in December? 

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About to mow the lawn

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Although not strictly in my garden, the following flowers on my walk today (all of which grow in my garden) were in full bloom:

sweet violet

doves-foot cranesbill

hogweed

marsh marigold

lesser celandine

There were also flags (yellow irises) in strong stem, though not budding yet.

I've not seen the marsh marigold flower before March.

 

 

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Hi Nemi. I managed to cut the grass this week and am glad that I did - the mower could only just handle it. The warm winter has kept it growing. We have had primroses out, aconites, winter jasmine and even a clematis! The magnolia looks ready to go.

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Hi Nemi. I managed to cut the grass this week and am glad that I did - the mower could only just handle it. The warm winter has kept it growing. We have had primroses out, aconites, winter jasmine and even a clematis! The magnolia looks ready to go.

I had has much grass off my lawn as I do in May ....mental..........difference being the lawn is soaked

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Festive entertaining approaches and we've almost got a full-house (no spuds) on the vegetables: parsnips are a bit blotchy but good; Brussels and savoy doing well and ready and waiting; leeks (to go in a bacon, leek and tarragon side- seriously, you've got to give this one a go) great.

For Christmas Eve the celeriac is good for a celeriac and carrot salad but of course we have to buy the carrots. Anybody grow carrots into December?

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The first crocus, a purple one, is flowering in the middle of our crocus lawn.

I took advice fro others on here about mowing, and it worked.... but it's all up again.

Now to plan how to mow around the crocus. 

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Whats the best thing I can use to stop cats messing in the garden.............................help!!!!!

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Whats the best thing I can use to stop cats messing in the garden.............................help!!!!!

This problem drives me to distraction too. In the summer, I can't let the kids out sometimes, it's so bad.

All the posters on here will have their favourite; there are repellents that can be bought- chemical and electronic- but also some people make their own. The ultrasonic one can be costly although a company called Primrose does a solar powered one for less than a tenner, I believe. They cover a limited area. It sort of 'boxes' the cat's ears and in time they learn to avoid.

Some people use orange & lemon peel- but it's unsightly if you use more than a little & I can't say I've seen it work.

I use curry powder- cheap bulk stuff. They hate it. It's plant based so it won't do much damage and it does actually work while it lasts, but rain washes it in.

See what other posters think.

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Get a Labrador - they will eat anything! We have had 4 over the past 30 years - but we are now dogless and the cat poo goes unhoovered. The upside is that I do not have to be constantly clearing up after the dogs! There's no such thing as a free lunch. However....

You can get devices with movement detectors that turn on a lawn sprinkler briefly when an animal is detected. Might be worth looking into.

Roger

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Pyracantha clippings got thorns on ....

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This problem drives me to distraction too. In the summer, I can't let the kids out sometimes, it's so bad.

All the posters on here will have their favourite; there are repellents that can be bought- chemical and electronic- but also some people make their own. The ultrasonic one can be costly although a company called Primrose does a solar powered one for less than a tenner, I believe. They cover a limited area. It sort of 'boxes' the cat's ears and in time they learn to avoid.

Some people use orange & lemon peel- but it's unsightly if you use more than a little & I can't say I've seen it work.

I use curry powder- cheap bulk stuff. They hate it. It's plant based so it won't do much damage and it does actually work while it lasts, but rain washes it in.

See what other posters think.

Cheers for that

Curry powder seems the option

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