Horizon's Gardening Topic

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  • Cats are a curse, an environmental menace and they crap in your flower beds and kill as many baby birds as they can get their claws into. We have tried everything to keep them out, spikes on the wall, chicken mesh on the roof, the German Shepherd chases them ... keep coming back for a poop. We're at our wits' end as to how to keep them out.

  • Cats are a curse, an environmental menace and they crap in your flower beds and kill as many baby birds as they can get their claws into. We have tried everything to keep them out, spikes on the wall, chicken mesh on the roof, the German Shepherd chases them ... keep coming back for a poop. We're at our wits' end as to how to keep them out.

    We're in a fairly dense urban environment and cats are an absolute menace. In the rear patio garden that's got raised beds for annuals I use carpet tack strips painted black between the plants and pea sticks with black twine across the beds. About the only things I've found that work and aren't too obtrusive. Personally I'd prefer cats to be redefined as vermin so I could use the double barreled solution.

  • Mr Wing has an Indian colleague from work who loves to grow roses. She is in despair about the cats using her rose garden as a toilet. She says she has to work the soil there with gloves on account of the pooh and she has small children, so this is doubly annoying.

    In Australia, certain species have been made extinct, or are on the verge of this, solely on account of the presence of domestic cats since colonization. The Aussies have apparently instituted measures in some places to prevent people from allowing cats out at night as they decimate the wildlife and remove prey animals which creates the perfect conditions for the extinction of some native species.

    We now have escaped green parakeets in our area. They get into our conifer and literally cut it to shreds. The ground is littered with bits of the tree, which are now also falling into the pond. Grrr. When I first saw one I pointed it out to Mr Wing. "Oh, that," said he, "there are actually two of them in the reserve now." Recently he said he counted six in the nature reserve!" Aaargh. Something has to be done about them.

    I don't need to add that the nature reserve is full of people's cats as well, getting through the fences and killing chicks. :(

  • We're in a fairly dense urban environment and cats are an absolute menace. In the rear patio garden that's got raised beds for annuals I use carpet tack strips painted black between the plants and pea sticks with black twine across the beds. About the only things I've found that work and aren't too obtrusive. Personally I'd prefer cats to be redefined as vermin so I could use the double barrelled solution.

    I've put some of that green mesh stuff that you use to make climbing plants, climb, over part of my garden. The creatures hate it, as they get their feet caught up in it, but it looks awful.

    I will look about pea sticks and black twine. Never seen or heard of those before. Thanks.

    I'm not sure about the carpet tacks thing. If the cats get hurt in my garden, which I do not want, that would only add to neighbour "issues"...

  • I've heard about green parakeets in England. You actually have a number of threats to your wild bird population in London at the least and of course you also have the grey squirrel issue. I agree with Prince Charles that grey squirrels should be made infertile. I saw that on Sky News this morning.

  • Lovely sunshine today in London and pretty warm. The hurricane made a bit of mess of things yesterday with debris strewn around, so I decided that as the garden was already a mess, I would start my spring clean up ahead of schedule and create more mess!

    The major task was taming the ivy on my garage. Planting ivy was never my idea...;)

    When Valentines Day's comes, it's not just people who get frisky, but the birds do too and they love nesting in ivy. I've seen one or two go into the ivy over the last few days, so I've thought I'd better give it a good cut back while I can before they start nesting.

    Back lawn got mowed today too, first time since last Autumn and a bit of doddering around in the greenhouse to finish off.

    Normally, by now I would've started off some seeds but as my greenhouse is old and unheated and late frost can wipe the lot out, I haven't. My entire summer bedding was wiped out last year by a bit of cold in April. So all in all, for various reasons, it was a very bad year.

    But now I have heated propagators, so I'm not going to start any seeds off for at least another 3 weeks or so. I've got lots collected from my garden from last year in preparation. Previously, I have used a combination of bought plug plants and my own home grown plants for my summer display, but this year I will grow everything from scratch.

    Spring plants are showing their faces a bit after being blasted by the hurricane, so I'll take a few snaps soon of what's survived that and the cats and other creatures. Despite the cats best efforts, I still have a lot of forget-me-nots and they will show their faces in about six weeks or so.

  • My rickety old fencing seems to have survived Doris. I'm hoping the neighbour will put up her own fencing on the other side of the boundary wall as that effectively gives us an extra foot of garden space. There's some fence posts up against her wall so fingers crossed. She's such a fusspot.

  • Just got a error message then.... great! Can't even upload a photo to my own damn forum without something going wrong.

    LW, when you uploaded your photo here, what did you do, ie what button(s) did you press? It's all gone wrong for me, you can't even see the second picture properly and you should, it's a large pic from a digital camera.

  • After a wet day yesterday, the sun is back today and warm here in London, which means only one thing, out into my gardens I go!

    The front garden has had attention today. Lawn mowed and edged and the beds tidied up of debris. As with my back garden, the front is also dominated by forget-me-nots, but you wouldn't know as the creatures have destroyed loads of them. A pieris shrub is all brown where the cats have pissed all over it. Bit of work in my back garden too.

    Spring bulbs are coming out, so more pics to come when they look good. Also forget-me-nots showing their faces which is pretty early, but we have had a mild winter, so as long as it doesn't go really cold again, they'll be in full display before the month is out.

    I have two Camellia shrubs, and the one in my front garden is coming out into bloom now, with the one in the back garden not far behind.

    I have a small newish tree in my front garden which replaced a gigantic leylandii tree and huge (but lovely) golden flowering berberis. Its spring buds are starting too and should look very nice before the month is out. The other red berberis shrub in my front garden is also in full bud, but needs a prune. It doesn't come out vibrant red without a bit of a hack of it. A small rhododendron in my front is also in bud. It's a stunner. Pics of that May-ish time when it's in full bloom.

    Birds are busy finding nest sites and I always like this time of the year because you see both Mr and Mrs Blackbird together, whereas at any other time, Mr Blackbird has zero tolerance of other blackbirds, including the Mrs.... a bit like people. ;)

    Spring has arrived! :D

  • Windy and cold where I am today. Autumn is arriving. Leaves starting to fall. But as you are going into spring you will now be only one hour's time difference from me.

  • Sunny and warm today in London, so over the last few days I've been continuing the Spring clean up in my back garden. Both front and back gardens are largely done now.

    Many of the spring bulbs are out and the Hyacinths, in particular, are very nice and giving off strong perfume smells.

    When it gets really warm and if I'm at home, I have a laptop so will sit out in the garden and do forum and other internetting stuff outside.

    Spring and Autumn are my favourite times. I hate hot weather and I hate cold weather and one of the (few) benefits of living in London these days is the overall very moderate climate. Rarely get extremes in weather.

    Up until the two cold winters during 2009-2011, London experienced a prolonged period of very stable, nice warm weather without cold winters which lasted for about ten years. Basically it was t-shirt and shorts weather from mid February to mid November. Then since the cold winters, the weather has gone back to the traditional English style again. Bring back the Californian weather please, hopefully starting now!

    Seeds next and I have propagators to play with this time. Never used a propagator before. If you have any tips, please do post. Or any other gardening tips. I'm always learning (and forgetting) so all info welcome.

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