I thought this would be a really bad year for aphids. I decided to do absolutely nothing - I even resisted the fondle of death! The birds have taken over the job. The roses are pretty much clear. I haven't even seen any on the artichoke. That's usually being farmed by ants by now.
Was dropping one of my kids to his Saturday jobs this morning and noticed a plant sale on the high street. Went to have a look but I had no cash, so umm'd and ahh'd about going back home to get some but glad I did! Came home with all this for £11.50
Have just returned from a day-long scything course at Seed Savers, with a scythe adjusted to my height and reach, sharpening stones, and enough tuition and practice for me to believe I might be able to scythe our wildflower meadow in a couple of months' time. And given the amount the lawn has grown during No-mow May, I might be scything that too...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Probably right, @KT53... I've only ever plastered one wall, and it ended up a bit on the rustic side.
It really helped having a whole day's scything course, with a small number of us so we could get individual tuition, and improve our technique by doing a lot of practice. Being able to sharpen the blade properly is really useful too. And now I can talk knowledgeably about peening ponies...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
I think it was Monty Don who was using one on his meadow a couple of seasons back. He was struggling with it so I suspect the scythe wasn't sharp and he didn't have the technique either. He was really hacking into it and basically getting nowhere fast.
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I decided to do absolutely nothing - I even resisted the fondle of death!
The birds have taken over the job. The roses are pretty much clear. I haven't even seen any on the artichoke. That's usually being farmed by ants by now.
It really helped having a whole day's scything course, with a small number of us so we could get individual tuition, and improve our technique by doing a lot of practice. Being able to sharpen the blade properly is really useful too. And now I can talk knowledgeably about peening ponies...