Late spring garden tour & tips - plus what to do now for a mini meadow!

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  • čas přidán 6. 07. 2024
  • Are you feeling overwhelmed by your garden? Tips for managing gardening overload, plus what to do in a mini-meadow and in the 'difficult shady corner'. Plus weeding tips and how to spot self-seeding plants.
    0:00 Do you feel overwhelmed by your garden?
    0:29 The Middlesized Garden overview in late spring
    1:29 List of gardening jobs for late spring
    2:15 Low maintenance pots
    2:55 Jane Moore, head gardener at Bath Priory Hotel, and author of Planting for Wildlife amzn.to/3vC3AU2 and Planting for Butterflies: amzn.to/3taKIKe (note: Amazon links are affiliate, see disclosure below)
    3:24 'Chunk it down' - how to manage garden overwhelm
    4:27 Time limited gardening - 'chunking it down'
    5:24 Divide your garden into low and higher maintenance areas
    6:21 More low maintenance pot tips
    6:41 Two more weeding techniques for serious weeds like ground elder
    7:20 Nick Bailey's Instagram feed nickbailey3...
    8:35 Easy tips for identifying self-seeded seedlings in your garden
    9:44 What to do in your mini meadow in late spring - tips from Jane Moore
    15:30 How to make a mini wildflower meadow video: • How to create a mini w...
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Komentáře • 158

  • @milliegarrett8459
    @milliegarrett8459 Před 3 lety +14

    Considering how cold it's been, I'm reluctant to call it late spring at the moment!

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +8

      I very much agree. But I had to differentiate it from the 'Spring garden tour and tips'. Perhaps I should have called it 'Not the late spring garden tour and tips'.

  • @Sunny-uz9td
    @Sunny-uz9td Před 3 lety +7

    Alexandra, I am one of your many fans, I truly never miss an episode. So many good applications on your “chunk-it-down”theme here.
    Let’s count a few:
    each dispatch from your shed
    + each subscriber
    + each plant that thrives
    + each happy moment in the garden
    + each delicious home-grown herb
    + many more to be sure!
    = a year of happiness and respite in the garden; it was ever thus.
    In our family we say, one thing done is one thing less - applies to weeds too!
    Thank you, keep up the good work!

  • @thelatebloominggardener2479

    I live in Hawaii so we are quite spoiled because we have lots of warmth and sun. Thank you for all your videos! You inspired me to do a cottage garden and I’m probably the only one in my city that has a cottage garden! ❤️

  • @Neldidellavittoria
    @Neldidellavittoria Před 3 lety +7

    I do the fifteen minutes thing (or 30 mins. depending) for the house chores, hahah. Now after this break watching your lovely video, and lovely Lottie, I'll get back to what I was doing before.

  • @planttasticcookinggardenin1561

    I’ve had really good luck using newspaper to suppress weeds in hard to handle areas in my beds. It molds quickly to the soil as soon as it’s wet and breaks down on its’ own. Of course you will need to put mulch on it to hold it in place and hide it. I did use thin landscape fabric in my woodland garden to control wisteria, trumpet vine and poison oak, ivy and sumac (all growing wild in these parts 😅😩). It worked like a charm and it’s thin so I’m slowly tearing it away after a year. I will always have to keep a watchful eye as it pops up everywhere. Now when I’m digging I’m finding earthworms for the first time in this bed and the soil seems healthier as the plants are growing larger without all that vine competition. I know weed suppression can be a hot topic but fabrics really can work if seen as a short term strategy. Thank you for your wonderful videos!

    • @planttasticcookinggardenin1561
      @planttasticcookinggardenin1561 Před 3 lety +1

      Oh I’m in NJ, USA, zone 6b. We have lots of rain so many weeds, clover is a particularly difficult weed to control especially the type that is low to the ground, there’s just nothing to grab a hold of.

  • @anneworks
    @anneworks Před 3 lety +11

    Thanks, this helps! I am a lucky bastard, because I don’t mind weeding that much, but as a novice gardener I am anxious about sowing and raising plants. My garden has so much I don’t like and want to change, like pebbles and this black plastic underneath showing through anyway. And fast growing evergreen hedges, too many shrubs, overgrown trees in a smallish garden (it’s huge to me, haha and I do love it even though it is thoroughly un-me!).
    Could you may be make a video sometime about slowly changing an inherited garden? For beginners? I think in the beginning the process is so much more important than the results. As I have some veg garden experience, I’m trying to sow flowers with mixed results. Very very happy that I splurged on bulbs in the winter and ordered a shipment of compost early spring. I feel I need to work on my basic skills and the basics of the garden first and not run off to the garden center and buy a bunch of plants. But I keep feeling that I should do a lot more than I am. Just not sure what and when.

  • @judymertz7670
    @judymertz7670 Před 3 lety +2

    I watched your video yesterday and "chunked it down" to a 15 minute timeframe today. I feel like I accomplished quite bit. Thanks for the tip.

  • @nemira123
    @nemira123 Před 3 lety +17

    My middle-sized garden is 3 years old (it was basically just grass and trees and weeds before that) and I've been developing a new section each year. This spring I'm having to excavate a long border that is 7' by roughly 28' which i have discovered is riddled with oriental bittersweet roots. The bittersweet unfortunately thrived in the rich compost i added last year for my newly planted shrubs, completely overtaking their root balls and bringing them to within an inch of death! So now I am having to dig out the whole bed to a depth of 1-2feet and pick out the bits of root fragments just like you described before I can plant the new shrubs and perennials i bought to plant there. It is an incredibly overwhelming task-- I heard a gardener describe double digging as soul destroying and that feels about right for this job. I've really had to practice the art of patience and slow perseverence... Thanks for the lovely video-- it's nice to know I'm not alone in feeling overwhelmed in the garden sometimes!

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +7

      Thank you! A very experienced gardener told me that if you layer mulch on top of your newly weeded bed, then any remaining weeds will grow in that top layer, which will make them much easier to pull out without further digging.

  • @meredith3588
    @meredith3588 Před 3 lety +9

    I love that you have a sprout of your Cotinus tree, that is such a beautiful tree in your garden. I also like the idea of having a definite border around your meadow - I have to do more of that in my yard.

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +2

      Thank you. I'm rather dreading cutting the border edge, but it must be done!

    • @meredith3588
      @meredith3588 Před 3 lety

      @@TheMiddlesizedGarden Ha, ha, dread is what I felt when you talked about Nick Bailey digging down his whole flower bed and you said you did that also. You have more energy than I do, Alexandra!

  • @conniekeshet
    @conniekeshet Před 3 lety +10

    Oh i loved seeing how your meadow is growing! Sounds so encouraging to have regular help and advice with it! Thank you for sharring with us the process!!

  • @gabindalin7914
    @gabindalin7914 Před 3 lety +5

    I use "eat the frog" at my house for those jobs that I know I procrastinate on, and sometimes it helps, haha. I like your honesty in that sometimes after making a list it can be even more overwhelming than it was before!

  • @sallystacey7126
    @sallystacey7126 Před 3 lety +9

    Really want to get going on a mini meadow in a neglected communal area at the front of my flat , so these tips were very useful thank you.

  • @Inloveofteags
    @Inloveofteags Před 3 lety +2

    I've been hooked to your channel for the useful information, inspiration, the short interviews from so many gardeners; experts in area of their individual interests and just for the pure joy of gardening. Looking forward to all your videos to come.

  • @regismonkton
    @regismonkton Před 3 lety +8

    Hello Alexandra. I live in Maryland, U.S.A. and, here, we've had a pretty droughty to droughty spring season so far, similar to how it's been for you.

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +4

      Apparently we're about to be hit with massive rain, but it's hard to believe. Just endless cold sunny days (quite nice!)

  • @jonathantaylor263
    @jonathantaylor263 Před 3 lety +5

    Another really useful video. Thanks. Just reaching for my pen and paper to start my list, short burst of tasks sound a much better approach. 😁

  • @adrabruzzese7610
    @adrabruzzese7610 Před 3 lety +5

    Thank you Alexandria. Great tips.

  • @heatherfletcher5157
    @heatherfletcher5157 Před 3 lety +14

    The expression, ‘chunk it down’ is known as, ‘breaking up the elephant’ in our house. It really helps to break big jobs into smaller ones ......

  • @christinepops5100
    @christinepops5100 Před 3 lety +4

    This was fascinating learning about the meadow, I'm really inspired to try making one! I love your videos Alexandra because I always learn something new. And your spring garden is lovely!

  • @einahsirro1488
    @einahsirro1488 Před 11 měsíci

    "Once I'd made the list, I felt even more overwhelmed." I laughed. I felt that.

  • @pastel.gnocchi
    @pastel.gnocchi Před 3 lety +1

    I just wanted to thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos. You are a huge reason as to why I was able to get my first Dahlia tubers into the ground yesterday. I have a lot more to learn (you can see in my profile if you're interested in a super amateur video), but I wanted you to know how much you inspire others. I have been saving up to buy my first home for 13 years, and one of the main reasons I wanted a home was for the garden. I finally purchased a home in December and have been frantically researching ever since. I would love to one day be able to sell a some flowers in my local community, you are truly an inspiration!!

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety

      Thank you so much - and I'm so glad you've got your garden! I'm sure you will be selling flowers in your local community.

  • @jennyyoung6750
    @jennyyoung6750 Před 3 lety +3

    This is such a helpful video. I needed it about two weeks ago actually. I think I'm on the end of the busy spring season & most of my garden is in order.

  • @penelopehammerton2907
    @penelopehammerton2907 Před 3 lety +4

    Thank you for another great video : ) always a delight to tune in.

  • @terrikim4992
    @terrikim4992 Před 3 lety +5

    I love your sweet meadow.

  • @helloplantlovers
    @helloplantlovers Před 3 lety +1

    I love the idea that meadow making is a slow burn! Great video as ever! Mx

  • @jwest4773
    @jwest4773 Před 3 lety +4

    It's been so cold and so very dry that I think that, in my garden at least, it's around three weeks behind. I keep a photographic record of individual plants, plus major sections of the garden, every year. It's handy to compare year to year. Apparently here in the UK we're in for a cooler than average May, except possibly for the fourth week.
    My worst weed problems at the moment are dandelions everywhere throughout my "lawn" and bindweed snaking under the fences from non-gardening neighbours.
    All ideas welcome!

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +6

      I agree bindweed is a nightmare, and we've been so cool that it hasn't appeared yet. We keep a 'daisy weeder' which may also be known as a dandelion weeder, by the back door and my husband rushes out in a fury about twice a week. For some reason, he is incensed by dandelions, although he doesn't notice any other weed. Regular pulling is the only answer to bindweed, but I doubt you will convince your neighbours.

  • @claireaartsen1724
    @claireaartsen1724 Před 3 lety +3

    Really helpful advice about wildflower meadow plants, thank you 🌸

  • @nordlys3432
    @nordlys3432 Před 3 lety +5

    Very good ideas, dear Alexandra. This late spring, however, is SO cold, that I still feel it's not even early spring, and I have to force myself to do any gardening. Seems to be same temperatures here in northern Germany like in Britain, allways around 0°- 10° C. ... shiver

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +5

      I totally agree. Everything has slowed down, although here it is quite warm when the sun is out, the temperatures drop as soon as the sun goes down. Quite difficult as we are meeting people outside, too.

    • @nordlys3432
      @nordlys3432 Před 3 lety +3

      @@TheMiddlesizedGarden that's it, Alexandra. Use to meet a girlfriend for morning coffee outside at the yacht habour, former fishing harbour. So cold 🤣😂

  • @vickimiller5496
    @vickimiller5496 Před 3 lety +4

    So helpful. And always charmingly presented.

  • @SMElder-iy6fl
    @SMElder-iy6fl Před 4 měsíci

    I love your very practical suggestions such as working in 15- minute periods.

  • @Josh_Stuchbery
    @Josh_Stuchbery Před 3 lety

    Interesting to hear that your having a late spring. I live near Melbourne and we're having a very mild Autumn. Today was glorious.

  • @caravanstuff2827
    @caravanstuff2827 Před 5 měsíci

    I love big garden's , but I'd never own one... I'll be happy with my court yard garden and pots...it gives me more time to visit national trust properties to enjoy someone else's effort around the country.❤️🇬🇧

  • @maryanna6302
    @maryanna6302 Před 3 lety

    Tremendous advice this time, thank you!I Particularly appreciate the tips on time management and how to keep a meadow presentable. Jane's advice reminded me how I've nursed a tiny columbine for four years and it finally grew bigger and flowered this spring! Sometimes waiting instead of pulling out a slow performer is worth it! 😊🌷

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +1

      Ooh, and maybe next year your tiny columbine will spread. It's quite a struggle to keep my nerve - at the moment the transition from lawn to meadow just looks messy, but I'm really hopeful that it will improve.

    • @maryanna6302
      @maryanna6302 Před 3 lety

      @@TheMiddlesizedGarden Good luck! As your climate seems to getting warmer and drier in summers, I predict that your wildflowers will increase through selfseeding and will flourish during the season. ☺️🌺🌼

    • @maryanna6302
      @maryanna6302 Před 3 lety

      And I do hope my columbine will spread, I'm placing cardboard to discourage the grass around it.🙏

  • @MyFocusVaries
    @MyFocusVaries Před 3 lety +3

    Thanks for the tips. Time to check my seedlings and pot some up. I don't have space for a meadow in my tiny size garden, but I'm enjoying watching your and the Garden Ninja's meadows progress.

  • @SMElder-od5cl
    @SMElder-od5cl Před 3 lety +2

    It is so hot and humid in Virginia in the summer that I get up and work in my garden until the sun comes up and then head for the air conditioning. Surprisingly, I really get a lot done that way!

    • @penelopehammerton2907
      @penelopehammerton2907 Před 3 lety +2

      How satisfying it must be to look back and see what you have achieved BEFORE sun up. Best wishes from England.

  • @66REDD66
    @66REDD66 Před 3 lety

    I absolutely LOVE your garden (and channel) and mixture of flowers and shrubs. ❤️

  • @kristinep9023
    @kristinep9023 Před 3 lety

    I love your garden. I live in Michigan, USA and I try to do weeding in the morning when I take the dog out to run around. He gets his exercise and I pull a few weeds.

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +1

      I try to do that, too, cup of tea in hand, which makes the weeding awkward.

  • @dogwhiskers8
    @dogwhiskers8 Před 3 lety

    Thank you ladies. Excellent advice and you've made me feel inspired not overwhelmed.

  • @catherineatkinson1729
    @catherineatkinson1729 Před 3 lety +2

    Your corner looks lovely with the table and chairs! Maybe a climbing hydrangea on the wall would be nice. Mine has beautiful cream blossoms.

    • @pansepot1490
      @pansepot1490 Před 3 lety

      Definitely. Now the corner looks too bare.

  • @inglishhomeandgarden8386
    @inglishhomeandgarden8386 Před 3 lety +2

    Chunking it down, is how I have to approach all areas of life! :)
    .
    I also think your mini meadows may look more 'intentional' if you, as you say,
    define the rose borders, and let them be a separate element.
    What if you mowed a frame along the edges of each bit of lawn,
    and left a 'medallion' of meadow on each side?
    I think no one could mistake that for an unkempt front lawn. :)
    .
    I've planted in various spring bulbs around our old apple trees,
    and there we leave the grass alone (until it doesn't look good anymore).
    I also plan on sowing, or planting in, daisies, and other meadow flowers.
    Thinking of creating a low, basket weave, willow fence around each 'apple tree meadow'.
    .
    By the way, if your spring is late, then our Swedish one is even more so.
    Cherries and apples are yet to blossom. Only the earliest Narcissi, and Scilla Siberica are in colour...

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +1

      Thank you. We're working on installing an edging around the meadow areas to separate off the roses, although as with everything it's proving more time-consuming than we had thought.

    • @inglishhomeandgarden8386
      @inglishhomeandgarden8386 Před 3 lety

      @@TheMiddlesizedGarden Looking forward to seeing that.

  • @naomiweaver1855
    @naomiweaver1855 Před 3 lety +2

    I am working on my beds and meadow - I’m in coastal plain North Carolina, States, zone 8. I’m learning to plant what native plants grow locally to support butterfly and bee populations. It is a whole different thing than planting “general” native things, per states. Our native insects, etc. are in dire straits. Still, I grow lots of roses - none of them native. I’m interplanting them with natives - and putting a sign in my front lawn that has a bee on it and says, “Pollinator Work Zone.” I’m in a neighborhood with one inch high lawns, so this is my, “None of your business,” signal. It’s none of their bees wax what I grow. In fact, I think it’s a matter of aesthetic and consciousness. And aesthetic is a shifting thing.

    • @pansepot1490
      @pansepot1490 Před 3 lety

      You’re lucky you haven’t got complaints or fines from the city council. I have heard of quite a few such cases. Being mindful of the environment and preferring natives is great however one doesn’t need to be all that strict in an ornamental garden. As long as flowers produce pollen local insects don’t mind if they are native or not. I have a couple of hybrid hellebores (with big simple flowers) and I was surprised to see them visited by bumblebees in February, which is very early for pollinators in my area.
      An expert even advised (always talking about gardens) to prefer non native if they produce more pollen and cover a longer season. Providing alternative food sources at times of the year when there’s less availability in the wild can even be more beneficial than just planting natives.

  • @dawndawn6946
    @dawndawn6946 Před 3 lety

    I’ve been doing this this spring. I am a list maker and that list is so long come spring that it’s discouraging. I’ve started planting plants in try beds and weeding around them at the same time. Previously, I’d spend days weeding and then amending and then needing to recover before planting. I’m much happier this year!🤣

  • @itsallaboutlight
    @itsallaboutlight Před 3 lety

    Glad this was a somewhat longer video. I enjoy your videos. Thank you for posting.

  • @davidc1490
    @davidc1490 Před 3 lety

    Your dog is so beautiful and transforms your garden into a magical place! And s/he was snacking in the video to help with the weeding! What a wonderful dog! :)

  • @mellfraze8112
    @mellfraze8112 Před 3 lety

    "Chunking it up" really is the best advice. 15-20 minutes here & there is the only way I can get stuff done in my garden while raising kids & homeschooling.
    I love the idea of a mini meadow but we get far too many nasty & aggressive weeds around here so I'm working on faking it with carefully chosen perennial grasses & flowers that are easily distinguished from native weeds. USA hardiness zone 9 in Northern California means I can grow a lot of things mentioned in Middle-sized Garden videos but my season starts earlier (by quite a bit) so I am making plans for next year. I really appreciate this channel😊

  • @jeanneamato8278
    @jeanneamato8278 Před 3 lety

    As always great tips. No matter how long we’ve gardened we still make mistakes. My saying for my mistakes is ‘compost happens.’

  • @DeborahCaldwell77
    @DeborahCaldwell77 Před 3 lety

    So realistic for what we are going through here in the tiny capital of Maine, USA. Thanks.

  • @WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

    Hi Alexandra - I got directed to your channel as someone said you might need help/advice with the meadow area. I have been creating wildflower meadows for over 16 years now, from small gardens right up to acre sites. Happy to offer advice so that you have a lasting meadow and one that needs the least maintenance :) Best wishes, Joel

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +1

      Oh, thank you! I think we spoke last year when you launched your book. I'll get in touch via email!

    • @WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton
      @WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Před 3 lety

      @@TheMiddlesizedGarden Great - look forward to catching up - keep safe, best wishes - Joel

  • @NatureShy
    @NatureShy Před 3 lety

    Thank you. I enjoy watching every video you put out. Really enjoyable to watch, and always so helpful. We’ve been working on a mixed cottage/wildflower rock garden in the back garden, and a loosely themed and mostly native sub-alpine rock garden in the front garden. Between all the preparations and hardscape being added in, it’s rather hard to keep up with simpler tasks like weeding and seed starting/potting up. But the 15 minutes a day method really helps, though I don’t have a specific thing I choose to do in that time. I just go outside almost every day for at least that amount of time, and do whatever I encounter (like weeding, transplanting, plant pruning, etc.)

  • @jenniewilliams1668
    @jenniewilliams1668 Před 3 lety +2

    I love your 15 minute breakdown - this is how I think I naturally work, though sometimes I have to push through. You've inspired me on the meadow.
    Warmest regards
    Jennie

  • @carmenbailey1560
    @carmenbailey1560 Před 3 lety

    I have done sections of my garden,but usually pick the easiest section first, then run out of desire to follow through. So last year I actually brought out a timer with me and gave myself one half hour./ or one hour no more. This worked better because I didn’t get overwhelmed all in one day. Thanks, always enjoy your videos. 👍❤️😊

  • @laurenb6451
    @laurenb6451 Před 3 lety

    Thank you for another lovely video. I always tell myself, “The most difficult dance starts with one step.” I just do one thing until something starts to feel stiff, then I switch activities! And before that I “procrastinate” by going around, deadheading, and doing some little things. Instead of landscape fiber I use 5 sheets of newspaper with a couple of inches of free mulch from our town on top.When this breaks down it enriches the soil and I add more on top.

  • @docmarmalade5224
    @docmarmalade5224 Před 3 lety

    Thank you

  • @uneparmilesautres
    @uneparmilesautres Před 3 lety +2

    Thanks. This video offered me to identify "knautia" wich growth in my meadow, brought by wind or birds.
    I love it, and wanted to multiply .
    It helps.
    Just like many of your tips.
    (Please pardon my english, I' m a french gardener)

  • @cockatielnation5425
    @cockatielnation5425 Před 3 lety

    I've got lists for lists! As soon as I finish one list I need to make another!

  • @beverlyschultz9276
    @beverlyschultz9276 Před 3 lety

    I really appreciate your comments about getting overwhelmed, I’m just getting to that point. I’ve been spending 3 to 5 hours a day in my yard and it is looking good. This is my first year of actual gardening end it has been lovely. I’m hoping to set up irrigation over the next week or so. I grow a lot of annuals from seed and have purchased about 25 different perennials from some lovely well experience gardeners through Facebook. I’m looking forward to actually sitting in my garden with lots of blossoms around me.

  • @evanmc.7557
    @evanmc.7557 Před 3 lety +1

    Same conditions in Michigan

  • @donaldauguston9740
    @donaldauguston9740 Před 3 lety

    LOVED this video. Thank you for posting! DA

  • @tristagt835
    @tristagt835 Před 3 lety

    Great thanks

  • @BeautifulOaks
    @BeautifulOaks Před 3 lety

    That’s great news that you tackled that shady corner! I tried my hand at a meadow garden by tossing a lot of red clover in my grass to give it a green carpet look and later a red when it flowers but only about ten sprouted. Well, what little did grow will help the grass grow greener and improve the soil when I mow it. Maybe it will take a few years before the red clover spreads into a carpet, like the cosmos did in their planter.

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +1

      Interesting!

    • @BeautifulOaks
      @BeautifulOaks Před 3 lety

      @@TheMiddlesizedGarden since I hardly use the postage stamp grass, I figure the clover could benefit the bees.

  • @laurencepatmore4134
    @laurencepatmore4134 Před 3 lety +1

    Really interested in the progress of your wildflower garden. I've started one this year but took up turf first. I've got a nice patch of mud so far but hundreds of seeds have started to germinate.

  • @rainrabbit9209
    @rainrabbit9209 Před 3 lety +4

    Have you found a fire element for your yard? Maybe that dark corner in the back could host a firepit? I see brick firepit built up against the corner, utilizing the corner. Would be lovely.

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +1

      I would like to do that, but I think we're probably just planting it up for the time being to see how it works. A fire element really is something I'd appreciate but just at the moment, we can't agree on what.

  • @katharinedavis4947
    @katharinedavis4947 Před 2 lety

    Thank-you that's helped me make some decisions, I'm having a lot more trouble with my back this year , so making some plans to minimise work , or raising it up into pots nd raised beds .

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 2 lety

      I sympathise, my back has been terrible earlier this year so it's certainly been harder to garden.

    • @katharinedavis4947
      @katharinedavis4947 Před 2 lety

      @@TheMiddlesizedGarden Thank-you. I thought it was just gardening, then I got a new bed . When the old one was being taken away I saw it was completely broken down , all the slats were hanging off . I thought I just needed a new mattress ! I think the new bed and very firm mattress is putting my back right . I wonder the physiotherapist didn't suggest it ! K

  • @katharinedavis4947
    @katharinedavis4947 Před 2 lety

    I bought red campion plant two years ago , they self seeded all over and I'm digging up seedlings and distributing them all over . I shall later have to weed them out judiciously i expect, and sow some later as I absolutely love them . I'd like to find some more self seeders as they fill up the garden and save me work and money. We had lovely annual poppies but they've disappeared ! And have selfseeding aquilegias . Hollyhocks getting established and I hope they will self-seed. K

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 2 lety

      I did a blog post on this (it was before I was doing much on CZcams so no matching video) with 25 self seeders, which may help: www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/the-25-best-self-seeding-plants-to-save-you-time-and-money/

  • @pinkpeony2056
    @pinkpeony2056 Před 3 lety +3

    Hello, Alexandra. Your garden is looking lovely especially the tulips with the euphorbias. I appreciate all the tips you give; however, if I were to limit my weeding to your15 minute suggestion, the garden would be overrun in no time at all. Have you noticed that weeds grow faster than cultivated plants? A week hence will be my 16th anniversary living here in this rather remote area. Over time I have learned to recognize the weeds which of course change over the seasons but never ever stop so I end up weeding in January weather permitting. I will however adopt making a list because procrastination is all too easy. Thank you for another informative video.

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +4

      Thank you - and I think it is very much a question of garden size - my main problem is that I can't make myself do even 15 minutes weeding a day sometimes and then it really does get out of control. But you're right, weeds are always with us, and maybe it's better not to worry about them.

    • @pinkpeony2056
      @pinkpeony2056 Před 3 lety +3

      @@TheMiddlesizedGarden Wasn't it Gertrude Jekyll who compared weeding to meditating? That is what I try to do so now I off to do some very serious meditating! Bye.

  • @karenvknight6516
    @karenvknight6516 Před rokem

    I wanted this to be longer! More about the pump, etc. Please re-visit this topic.

  • @tara5742
    @tara5742 Před 3 lety

    I have cedar or some type of evergreen sapling sprouts that I just can’t “weed” out. I’m going to put it in a pot and see what happens. So, for me, waiting too long to weed does bring some surprises like you said, but also more responsibility haha

  • @SMElder-od5cl
    @SMElder-od5cl Před 3 lety

    Alexandra, I would like to see a video on small shrubs which do well in pots. There has to be more than boxwood!

  • @shanecharles1299
    @shanecharles1299 Před 3 lety

    Helpful video; I especially liked hearing about wildflower meadows and the wax and wane of different species over the years.
    Can I ask what you do with old compost from pots when you replace it with new?

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +2

      I just throw old compost either into the garden compost heap or into the back of a border, on the grounds that it will slowly assimilate with the other elements of the soil. I don't know if that's very scientific though.

  • @annewillmott3091
    @annewillmott3091 Před 2 lety

    Is it too late to seed a small area of a bank in my garden with wild flower seeds. Directly into the bank grass. The bank is quite sunny.

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 2 lety

      If it is lawn grass then it is probably too vigorous and the seeds may not survive. This video should help: czcams.com/video/akVORa8BPG0/video.html

  • @helendavies2742
    @helendavies2742 Před 3 lety

    What do you feed your tulips with ?

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +1

      this is not a very scientific answer....anything I have to hand. Tomato fertiliser or all-purpose fertiliser!

  • @marymary5494
    @marymary5494 Před 2 lety

    👌💕

  • @RoseMary-vs3io
    @RoseMary-vs3io Před 3 lety

    👌👍

  • @kerryjean2223
    @kerryjean2223 Před 3 lety +1

    I have never changed the soil in any of my pots and I buy the cheapest potting mix with no additives by way of fake fertiliser or wetting crystals.

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +1

      That's interesting!

    • @pansepot1490
      @pansepot1490 Před 3 lety

      I myself almost never change the soil, unless it’s for repotting in a bigger pot or pruning down an overgrown plant.
      I think (just an idea) the phormiums suffering may be caused by build up of salinity or something similar caused by fertilizer.

  • @lesliekendall5668
    @lesliekendall5668 Před 3 lety +1

    I don't know about needing to change the soil in potted plants. The reason I don't put perennials in pots is because the roots will freeze if not taken inside over winter. And "somehow" I've become to old for that. My only nemesis is dandelions. And it's been a very dry Spring here, too, especially since last year's 2nd wettest on record. My last frost date is May 8th although who can know anymore. Idaho, USA, 7a.

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety +1

      You must be colder than we are - we so rarely freeze, but thank you for pointing that out. Funnily enough our frost date is also 8th May....even though we're on the other side of the planet with quite a different climate.

    • @planttasticcookinggardenin1561
      @planttasticcookinggardenin1561 Před 3 lety +1

      I’m in zone 6b, NJ (colder). I use resin pots for my perennials and leave them out all winter. They look beautiful and won’t break if they freeze. My bonsai pots are another story ugh, 2 of them froze this year as they are ceramic (it did take 3 winters to break them though)

    • @lesliekendall5668
      @lesliekendall5668 Před 3 lety +1

      @@planttasticcookinggardenin1561 Thanks for the tip!

    • @lesliekendall5668
      @lesliekendall5668 Před 3 lety

      @@TheMiddlesizedGarden I've been searching for the Yellow rattle seeds in the US. My goodness, the only UK company accepting $ says because the post is so sketchy now, they're not shipping except in the UK and Ireland. And the one US supplier only sells a packet of TWELVE HUNDRED seeds! I didn't need quite that many. 😁. And the only other option I've seen is to cardboard and topsoil over the lawn. I must say....that isn't going to happen. Any other suggestions for getting the wildflowers to survive the lawn situation?

    • @lesliekendall5668
      @lesliekendall5668 Před 3 lety

      @@planttasticcookinggardenin1561 Well, well, they certainly want blood for those resin pots. You'd stare in amazement if you knew how little I live on each month. You might even laugh thinking I'm joking. Thank heaven this 1910 bungalow is paid off or I'd probably be in my truck. 😆

  • @great-garden-watch
    @great-garden-watch Před 3 lety

    I watch and love all your videos. I just realized i do not understand your house! The front garden looks tiny and the back looks huge. I can’t work out the shape of your entire plot of land.

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety

      Thank you! I'll try and come up with a map in future videos - the front garden is the width of the house, but the back garden is L shaped so only the first 40ft is the width of the house and then it doubles after that. I think it's possibly that the front garden looks a bit smaller than it really is, but the back garden looks bigger?

  • @ronguille9721
    @ronguille9721 Před 3 lety

    You could "chunk it down" for me by taking a breath once in a while! Good grief!

  • @yvonnemolloy7476
    @yvonnemolloy7476 Před 3 lety

    Alexandra, I think you speak far too fast and the videos move along so quickly I don’t get a chance you look at the beautiful gardens. It’s all a bit fast and frantic. I was looking at your video of the different garden styles this eve and it was all way too fast paced and quick. Do you need to race along hardly catching your breath and taking a pause. It’s not relaxing or enjoyable speeding along at that pace

    • @TheMiddlesizedGarden
      @TheMiddlesizedGarden  Před 3 lety

      I think you have a very good point, and thank you for making it. I've slowed down a bit since the earlier videos, but will continue to keep an eye on this.

    • @shine388
      @shine388 Před 2 lety

      If you struggle to keep up you can slow down the videos by setting the playback speed to slower. Hope this helps