Martin's New Garden

Hopefully tree man will have a stump grinder

If the tree man severs the roots, leaving "arms" and cuts through the trunk above ground, lever out the stump and roots, turn it upside down and you can have a stumpery. https://www.rhs.org.uk/garden-inspiratio...our-garden

I have a "stump" in the front garden. We pulled it out of the ground using a trolley jack!

Well, the tree man finally came! It only took him a couple of hours to cut down the trees just above ground level and to clear away all the debris. It's given the garden a lot more light, so I'm looking forward to filling the space now.

I was planning on getting the tree roots out myself, but on second thoughts I've asked a man with a stump grinder to come round and have a look.

   

   

I spent a few hours clearing up today, including removing some smaller stuff with my little battery powered chainsaw. I'm impressed with how well it coped. It handled this stump no problem:

   

I'm keen to get the patch behind the stumps, between the rhododendrons and the greenhouse, cleared this weekend so I can plant some daffodil bulbs. And some more Rhododendrons, maybe!

I'm intrigued by the above ground root in the 2nd photo. Do you think there's something solid below ground that's stopped it going downwards?

I'm intrigued by the above ground root in the 2nd photo. Do you think there's something solid below ground that's stopped it going downwards?

Yes, it ran along the edge of a path of concrete slabs. I've taken up the slabs now, hard work but essential whether I get them ground out or dig them out myself.

Thanks Martin, Shows how determined a tree can be when it wants to grow where it wants!

Well, the stump grinder man was supposed to come yesterday, but he cried off because of the weather. Still, it was a chance for the granddaughter and me to build a little snowman!

   

The grinding got done today. I'd built a ramp out of spare decking boards so that he could get his machine through my garage, which worked fine. Here he is in action (blurry camera phone zoom):

   

And here's the "after" picture:

   

Tomorrow I'll rake up most of the shreddings and put them in a compost bay with the chippings from my new shredder. Then I guess I'd better make a start on filling and levelling. It might take me most of the winter because I intend to use the soil from the pond I haven't dug yet. But I need to at least do the patch where that bag of daffodil bulbs in the garage need to go in.

Onwards and upwards!

The last couple of days I've been out working on the garden again.
I've ordered an apple tree, a pear tree and 5 canes each of summer and autumn varieties of raspberry.

So here's a bed ready for Glen Ample:
   

And one for Joan J:
   

I've also started digging and levelling the big bed where the Rhododendrons are. I've laid some turves to mark the edge of where the lawn will eventually be and planted the first new Rhodie, a nice white one...
   

If the weather stays fair I will get more done on this over the weekend. Fingers crossed.

Earlier in the week I dug up one each of my Chrysanthemum varieties and got them onto a heated propagator ready to take cuttings in a month or so:

   

On the left of this picture are some little modules with onion seeds in, not tried these before but on Boxing Day I thought I'd have a go, Charles Dowding style.

More to come soon, I have to crack on. Spring is coming!

My fruit trees arrived from Blackmoor, in excellent condition, and are now planted. There's nothing to see on the raspberries, because I cut them down to ground level. But here's the Braeburn:
   

And here's the Conference (a bit blurry, sorry):
   

I finished a rough dig of the patch where I used to have trees, destined to be lawn. There was A LOT of roots in there.
   

This is the patch. I'll leave it like this until the weeds start growing, then I'll do a final levelling and get the seed in:
   

And the whole lawn, for context:
   

Meanwhile, the Chrysanths and onion seedlings are coming along nicely:
   

Next jobs: fix up the shed, sort out the front garden, tidy up the neglected apple (etc) down the bottom of the back garden, start tackling the hedges. Better get a wriggle on, it'll be spring before we know it!

Who's standing on the plinth in the 4th photo, Martin? I don't recognise him!!