WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2017

Really enjoyed looking at the photos of your lovely garden Armandii well done. I too don't do bare soil but your garden looks a little more tamed than mine! I never seem to get the spacing right for my herbaceous borders. Every year without fail I look at them about this time and think I can squeeze more plants in the spaces...wrong, the spaces disappear within weeks and the beds are then too crowded. 1 border has a path splitting it in 2. Last season the path disappeared and was not negotiable which really was taking the proverbial! I have spent the last 3 days reducing the planting to hopefully not have a repeat performance.
I love your disappearing bench. I have an ancient bench which is quite close to where I have some Ivy growing, I think I'll move the bench closer!

 

Oh, what a sad story ARMANDII. But how wonderful that you have managed to create a living tribute to your wife. I'm sure she would be very proud of you if she could see what you've achieved and how dedicated you must be to the garden. What an inspiration you are!

I tend to do the same, buy something based upon the way it looks or smells and then wonder what I'm going to do with it. One day I might actually know what I'm doing

 

@Mowerman i never realised about the way Lesser Celandine spreads.The problem is that Mr Kandy likes the plant for the flowers so will have to see what he says about getting rid of it

The garden centres are starting to sell wild plants to gardeners to make money by telling them that the bees love the flowers which encourages us to buy them

We also have the wild Ivy growing up one fence panel in the back garden and through my picket fence in the front garden.This plant comes from the fact that my neighbour two doors down covered his picket fence with the stuff and the birds have eaten the berries,sat on my fence and pooped out the seed which has germinated and is now spreading through my borders and up my lilac and other trees.I have a constant battle with pulling that lot out.If you drive anywhere in the countryside every tree in the hedgerows are smothered in the stuff.I know it is a good source of food for birds and bees but I do hate the way it takes over the trees

 

There are some forms of Lesser Celandine "Brazen Hussy" is one that are less rampant. The problem is that the little bulbils break off very easily when the plant is disturbed. Regular cultivation keeps it out of my veg plot. Both lesser celandine and Allium triquetrum produce these small bulbils which survive domestic compost heaps both of these I deal with by putting in a bag and then dumping into a water butt for 3 months. Interestingly neither of these were a problem in Essex drier, hotter summers? Round here the Allium triquetrum has displaced the wild garlic from the base of hedgerows over the past decade or so.
Now back on topic, today planting onion sets, checking seedlings and continuing to work on the new fruit area; continuing to dig this over and putting raised beds in place.

 

Just been outside and moved two Primula Wanda plants that were trying to grow in my North facing border and as they haven't done much I have now moved them to where they will get a bit more light and sun and as I already have primroses in that bed which are thriving they can only get better

I have also dug up some Aconites from my South facing border and popped them into the North border as there are none in there so they will add some colour next spring

Also have dug up some Forget Me Nots as they are getting a bit rampant and have now counted five plants of Lesser Celandine so the small patch has just been dug up and binned.Found another patch of Three cornered leeks growing at the base of another shrubby tree so have had to carefully dig the bulbs out without disturbing the roots

I also think some bulbs and seeds get trapped in the tread on the soles of Wellingtons and welly shoes,so that
So that might be how they are getting spread around the gardens.
As the birds are all chirping it is the signal for me to go elsewhere so that they can have a feed so I have come indoors for a cold drink and to type this up

 

Oh how dreadfully disorganised @ARMANDII I've NEVER got quite to that extent always having a plan in my head of where something is going to go before acquiring.....Did I see something large pink and fat just fly past the window?. In from watering a few of the pots of plants I have waiting for available spaces and thought I'd count them out of interest and I've only got 71. If and it's a big if I pot up all the plants I have just removed from the overcrowded beds for a charity sale in about 6 weeks that number will rise to about 1071. Oh god my whole body is aching even at the thought!

 

Not a lot of outdoor gardening going on here as it is 1F or -11C.

My indoor growing areas however are crowded. I now have 13 hanging pots scattered about my dining room which have flower seeds germinating. I also have several propagator units filled with soil blocks in my kitchen and dining room. My indoor growing units in the cellar are chocker block. One of the tomato plants is quite tall - approximately 2'.

I am getting the hairy eyeball from OH every time he has to maneuver my obstacle course so I'm hoping the temperatures rise to at least around freezing by the end of the week to make it affordable to run the heat in the greenhouse and move some of the cellar crowd out there and then put the dining room denizens downstairs to the replace them.

Come the spring, there's space for everything. I keep two of my border type gardens as perennial gardens and the rest are all annual only therefore a clean slate to play with every spring. Whenever that comes along ....

 

several degrees below freezing today etc. so just usual shopping/errands etc.

 

Not in the garden but on the plot me and the old man have been digging, making new edges, put more weed membrane down, pegged it, moved the 1000L water container down from the top empty plot.. my god I struggled, we turned it over and put two planks through the pallet that's been bolted to the bottom and lugged it on our shoulders.. had some fun doing that! Not! Banged my knees on it a few times! I fixed a plank inside the shed and screwed some hooks in for tools, quite happy with my DIY! Someone has taken the plot opposite me, turns out it's a lady I went to the Xmas meal with! Trip to the tip tomorrow, more digging, more edging and putting guttering up on the shed.. forgot to take pics! Think my father is enjoying it as much as me

 

Hi All,

First thing I sowed some broad beans. Then I started on the green house staging.

Then I added the slats.
As I use the border of greenhouse to grow in I will need to move them out when not in use, so made them folding.


Need to build the lower shelf and pot a coat of preserver on. Also need to just add some edging to stop the plants from coming of the edge. Then need to make one for the other side of GH and clean shed.


Rusty