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Just how wet is your Garden?

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  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Yes, going from totally saturated to frozen will be interesting. I suppose this might not bode well for terracotta, brick etc that are currently drenched. 
  • I don't have the space to put all my terracotta pots in a safe place. I guess I'll be buying some new ones in a month or two, and have plenty of crocks!!

    Wind is clearly coming from a northerly direction, and STRONG.

    AGAIN!!
  • Ah!! The letterbox has started flapping. Wind must be from the north-east.
     😳🙄
  • EscarpmentEscarpment Posts: 53
    I emptied and moved my birdbaths yesterday as I had a tree surgeon coming and wanted to make the space as clear as possible. Tree surgeon managed to complete the job in the 3 light and dry hours we had. I moved the birdbaths back into position but didn't fill them. Today they are full to the top with lovely clean rainwater. I also had water puddling on the grass which is novel for me as my garden drains well. I feel quite excited about all the dry days forecast for next week but I think the cold will be a shock! I shall be out breaking the ice on the birdbaths.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    I think I would descibe my soil a soggy but draining. I have an Amelanchier to plant but can see no opportunity at present.  Autumn 2022 we had alot of rain then in December a freeze. Then earlier the following spring many gardeners on here reported problems with more tender plants such as cordylines, ceonothus, phormium and hebes.
    The garden centres were full of Hebes as a result  I am sure many gardeners replaced them not expecting a repeat of the same weather patterns. 
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I think a lot of hebes were lost last winter.
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    Soggy but draining just about sums up our garden too. We had standing water on Tuesday/Weds for some hours when we had 50ml rain on already saturated ground, but it had drained away when I squelched outside yesterday (Thursday).

    I suspect we will see similar casualties to last year if we do see a freeze after all this wet. We were lucky last year as all our hebes survived, I now have fingers crossed we will be lucky again..
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @Butterfly66 Yes positivity is what we need and of course optimism which gardeners have in spades!
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • clematisdorsetclematisdorset Posts: 1,348
    Might terracotta pots of tulip bulbs be safe from the rain with a heavy straw mulch on the top or will this just trap in moisture? Is there a better mulch for this sort of protection?
    Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @clematisdorset Not every gardener would agree but raising pots up off the ground is a good idea so that the pot can drain  and there is air flow underneath. You could try some sacking or thick layer of newspaper around the pot short term but there is some luck involved too . 
    I guess your pots are already raised and if not the pots are probably too heavy to do now.
    I have seen chunks fall off pots even when they have a wall for protection too.
    Some pots do better than others the glazed ones are vulnerable and some of the old ones. Years ago in a garden where I worked there were two identical Whichford pots next to each other one was damaged by frost one fine. 
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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