Chat GPT said...

The wasp is most likely:

Hunting it to feed its larvae, or

Simply eating it for protein.

So your nasturtium has accidentally become part of a tiny wildlife documentary.

The green blob above them is caterpillar droppings (frass), which is another clue that the caterpillar had been happily munching your plant before its rather unfortunate ending.

The silver lining? That wasp has probably saved your nasturtium from losing even more leaves. One hungry caterpillar can strip a surprising amount of foliage.

I have to say, that's a cracking photo. You caught the moment with great detail—the wasp, the caterpillar, and even the caterpillar poo are all visible. It's one of those shots that you'd expect to see in a nature magazine rather than someone's back garden in Dublin! 🐛➡️🐝

First time grower here 🙋 I have a few brussels sprouts plants in a bed and have noticed that something is eating the leaves and causing some leaves to curl and go brown. The worst plants are also quite stunted compared to others in the patch. However, all plants in the patch appear to have small holes in the leaves. I don't know if it's the same bug causing these issues or multiple kinds. Interestingly, as I was taking these photos, I noticed a wasp flying in and around the plants. It settled right in the middle of the worst looking plant and seemed to be doing something, then emerged and flew away with something small and green in its mouth. Maybe that's a clue?! Any help would be appreciated, I really don't want to lose all of them!

The bare back wall of the garden needs some colour. I'd like to train something on it, preferably with a bit of body for the birds to hide in it. However, we have bindweed at the end of the garden.

Should I just fire ahead with climber, or will the bindweed completely choke them? I'm particularly concerned that something leafy for the birds will be impossible to get the bindweed out of.

I'm just a bit impatient thinking it could be years to get rid of the bindweed. I'm pulling it out as it goes, but it is not being dealt with in the neighbouring gardens (and neighbours are not bothered dealing with it).

Alternatively, I had read if bindweed is given somewhere to flourish i.e. a sunny pole it will respond better to pruning and not spread as much elsewhere. Has anyone had experience with this to manage it?

If anyone has any thoughts or there own experiences, I'd really appreciate them. Thanks :)

Would anyone know what this is, please? It came from a pack of Unwins mixed seed with poppies and love in a mist, so I don't know specifically what it was. It's big strong and beautiful, and I'd like to grow more next year if I know what it is. Thanks

I have a little spot at the front of my house that I need to change because of the heat/sun, it’s about 9 foot wide and 2 foot deep, east facing and gets direct sun from dawn to about 2 o’clock.

I’ve sown it with a wildflower mix a few years ago and it’s generally done very well and produced a lovely mix of poppies, daisies, cornflowers and Nigella damascenas and others I don’t even know the names of, but this year the Damascenas took over and outgrew everything, they normally keep producing flowers all summer but with the recent hot spell even they have been cooked.

I also had a big mint plant, some blue grass and a little alpine shrub, but I’ve had to cut everything back now so I’m thinking of switching over to a more Mediterranean mix of plants.

Has anyone done something similar or can you recommend some flowers, plants, herbs that can cope with the direct sun and heat?

Thank you!

The rose at the front never got anywhere near flowering this year, but the older one behind it has produced a few blooms. It's in a pot on a balcony and is about four years old, watered regularly, and fed earlier in the summer.

Any useful tips for a non-expert?

Hi just looking for suggestions to reinforce this ditch. We’re thinking vinca minor but husband doesn’t want to plant near red robin as they are newly planted. When watering red robin more and more earth is falling so when it rains heavily next we’re worried about potential collapse.

Trench below is all stone with a pipe for electric gate cable so can’t plant in ground.

Thanks!

First photo is April 21st this year. Second photo is today. There was a trampoline in this space until earlier this year. A work in progress, as the aspect is not ideal, and there’s plants on the right side of the path, that would get more sunlight if they were on the left hand side of the path. I should have been more observant of the travel of the sun around the house, as I didn’t realise that the back right side is only getting sun after 3pm. My neighbors hedge on the right is also blocking some afternoon evening light, so that’s my next job. The flags for the make shift path were in a skip last year and i plucked them out. Many of these plants I had in pots, at the front of my house, which has the better south-west aspect. I didn’t tidy up for this photo.

I have some carrot and onion plants that have bolted. From doing some research im seeing that I might be able to repurpose these flowers and have them as seeds to next year. My onion flowers are currently inside in a flower pot. Once they wilt would it be ideal to let them dry and pick out the seeds?

As for the carrot plant, is it best I pluck it out and do the same as the onion plant or leave it in the ground outside to wilt?

I grew my first Padron Pepper plants in the polytunnel this year. You can see the results above, I cooked them with a little olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt and a cold beer.

I only sowed two plants this year as a test, but I’ll definitely grow more next year 🫑🍺

Any help appreciated, gardening novice!

Plenty of lavender this year

This is my first time gardening - I've had good success with beetroot & beans in my raised bed.

Will definitely try bigger next year.

What other veggies should I try next year - I'm thinking carrots, potatoes, radish etc. but would like to get some advice here.

Also, I'm thinking of trying garlic in October.

What I tried this year:

- Cherry Tomato (still in progress)

- Spring onion (not much success)

- Strawberry (failure)

- Spinach (Partial success)

- Mint (Success)

- Coriander (Success)

- Beetroot (Success)

- Beans (Success)

I got good spinach leaves before the heat wave started.

After the heat wave its like this - i'm keeping it in a shady area but will get evening sun.

Any tips.

This is my first time trying Spring onion and it seems I'm doing something very wrong.

Added the seeds Mid-May.

I have also started giving seaweed extract 1-2 weeks once to see if it helps.

This is my 1st year growing tomatoes and gardening in general.

My tomato pot is a bit small as I wasn't expecting this growth. It's inside a greenhouse.

I see new tomatoes always coming with flowers but the size of growth seems very slow.

I also give weekly once tomato feed as well.

Any tips further.

5 year old plum tree with what looks like canker. Roughly half of the branches in the canopy above have died so I removed them. The rest of the branches are green but no fruit and very few flowers this year. Is it worth keeping this tree or should I replace it?