Haven't lost a plant in ground yet...but should this happen, I can be quite 😀 ruthless....if a plant lets me down, despite my best attentions, quite sure 😉 I can find one to replace it! However I have a perhaps surprising faith in my garden. It seems to help out when I make a mistake. Also have great faith in my Westland bio life soil improver...if the Irish can't make something 😉 grow.....
Really appreciate silver surfer...I also keep tropical fish....and find neon tetras just as you describe! Seem happy for ages...then just die, for no apparent reason! Nature has it's little aberrations...but just as zI shrug my shoulders with neons, and replace them, so if daphne's die..well that's a spot 😉 for something else.l As half Ruskie maybe it's easier for me to be clinical...and yet we're a sentimental people too. Every plant gets my best attention...but I recognise a lost cause. Let's wait and see😊
Sunday mates and I shifting loads of heavy paving slabs to make room for these shrubs
I am rather worried that you have lifted slabs. The ground under it will be VERY compacted. The ground will be devoid of any worms, bacteria etc having been underneath slabs for X years. I recommend double digging to aerate the soil and to introduce masses of compost/ rotted horse manure /leaf mould into the bottom of the trench to give it organic matter for bacteria etc
Many thanks...but many of these slabs were the base of a rotten old shed that was just plonked on top of them, and believe it or not there were great holes 😀 underneath which I tried to even up with old bricks as a base for container plants... Now abandoned that idea...but do take your point, and will ensure the soil is properly sorted before planting. Have last remaining container plants (olive tree and mugo pine) in conservatory for winter, and have made room for as many of the 6 ordered shrubs as may be necessary. Trust me everything will go in the ground, only when their spot has been properly prepared. Small pots will overwinter, and whole project ( apart from initial lifting tomorrow) will be to my own steady pace.
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However I have a perhaps surprising faith in my garden.
It seems to help out when I make a mistake.
Also have great faith in my Westland bio life soil improver...if the Irish can't make something 😉 grow.....
Nature has it's little aberrations...but just as zI shrug my shoulders with neons, and replace them, so if daphne's die..well that's a spot 😉 for something else.l
As half Ruskie maybe it's easier for me to be clinical...and yet we're a sentimental people too.
Every plant gets my best attention...but I recognise a lost cause.
Let's wait and see😊
The ground under it will be VERY compacted.
The ground will be devoid of any worms, bacteria etc having been underneath slabs for X years.
I recommend double digging to aerate the soil and to introduce masses of compost/ rotted horse manure /leaf mould into the bottom of the trench to give it organic matter for bacteria etc
Then plant your shrubs.
Now abandoned that idea...but do take your point, and will ensure the soil is properly sorted before planting.
Have last remaining container plants (olive tree and mugo pine) in conservatory for winter, and have made room for as many of the 6 ordered shrubs as may be necessary.
Trust me everything will go in the ground, only when their spot has been properly prepared.
Small pots will overwinter, and whole project ( apart from initial lifting tomorrow) will be to my own steady pace.