WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2018

Is it any good at cleaning the carpet

 

I've had a measure up of the guttering on the garage. It's had that cheap narrow stuff from B&Q for about thirty years, but it leaks in several places and has been flooding our new clematis roots, it also has to cope with the moss falling off the roof. As it's asbestos panels. I'm loathe to touch it. Anyway the birds like to dig around in it.


I replaced the pergola some ten years ago, but had the sense when I made these special brackets to accommodate full size guttering passing through them if ever I felt inclined to replace it.


I'll be going to a local plumbing wholesaler after lunch to get it, fortunately plastic pipework etc., is still as "cheap as chips." I'll leave changing it until the week-end. As I haven't the time. My new leccy piano is coming at lunchtime and later the replacement fridge/freezer from Miele. It's golf tomorrow and shopping late afternoon when I come home.


"So much to do, so little time."

Edit.
2 X 4mtr lengths of guttering, a host of brackets, a joining piece, 2X end stops, plus the outflow, 2 X 45 degree bends, down pipe and a spout, just thirty-six quid.

 

A job i must do this year on the summer house i started building 3 years ago .
Summer house project

 

That looks like a big job and an expensive one. But I'm impressed with the design.

 

Sat out in the garden on this lovely sunny day, with a cup of tea, listening to the birds singing and the gentle splashing of our new little water feature.
No jobs planned for the garden now other than enjoy it, until May/June time when we will have more time (and money lol!) - we are expanding our border and adding lots of new lovely plants so that's something to look forward to. Otherwise, just continuing to water and look after all our seedlings ready to plant out when they're ready.

 

I had a change of tactic. I started sifting my pile of soil again. I decided that at the speed I was going I would still there at Christmas. Instead I forked over the whole area and shovelled it all into the barrow. If there are any weeds they will show themselves eventually. It's amazing how quickly the pile goes down when you get stuck into it. I will have to be careful not to take the soil down too far at the opposite end.

It's warm out there so I'm taking a coffee break.



G.

 

Just about finished painting now but bags of rubbish needed to be taken to recycling centre. Loads of documents and papers burnt too.....shredder decided to pack up. How do we accumulate so much stuff???
Potted on agastache Black Adder.
Mainly sunny here, bright and feeling pretty warm.

 

1 of 3 Agastache Black Adder seem to have survived, I had expected a higher mortality rate if I'm honest

 

Managed 4 hours in the garden today, although around 1 hour was spent drinking coffee and chatting to the buns, piggy and catty, who were also in the garden .

I tipped 2 bags of compost onto 1 of the mounds by the pond and raked it through before planting some of my newly accquired grasses into it, along with a mexican fleabane and a lilac aubretia ( which is actually a deep cerise pink ). Can't decide what else to plant with the grasses. Potted up 2 of the new pond plants and put into pond. I had my arm in almost to my armpit and when I withdrew it it was bright green .

Planted some snakes heads fritillarias under the willow tree. Moved one of my £1.99 lilac saplings that I bought last year forward a foot or so from its previous position. Strimmed an area of grass where the new beech hedging is going to be planted and began covering it with old rugs and weed membrane. Moved one of the hog houses to the boat seat in front garden.

 

Now the sun has come out I'm stuck in Birmingham for the weekend at a conference for work On the plus side, I'm hoping to stop off at Ashwood Nurseries on my way back home; I've heard a lot of positive things but never been passing at the right time beore now.

 

Its been glories sunshine all day, got back early today and got stuck in to many jobs, I am very behind to where I should be for the time of year. Had to come in when it started getting dark.
First job was to plant the raspberry canes 7 in total - Joan J - Erika - Polka - All gold. Mulched after with woodchip.
Moved pots around the garden where I want them to flower.
Relegated nearly all the perennials in the GH outside where they belong.
Moved strawberries out of GH
Removed the top layer of compost in the GH tomato border and filled up with Homemade Compost just need to add a bit of manure. I will remove all the compost next year.
Fill up the veg trug with H -M compost
Emptied the of the HM compost into a bin so it can be used later.
Emptied the other compost bin into the one I've just emptied which seemed to take forever.
Potted on a couple of tiarellas
Condemned some fuchsia and other plants to the bin which haven't come through winter.
Planted my spuds - aaron pilot
Planted the pansy, they come in polystyrene tray, the roots had grown into the polystyrene so made a mess after breaking them all up.
Tidied up the agapanthus dressed / feed them, did the same with some lilys , more to do though

Think thats about it, still need to do lots of work on the lawn and prick out many seedling.

Raspberry canes and strawberry troughs I planted up the other day. Next years compost in the first bin, I've started filling the larger bin with this year waste up until march next year. Might have to do something about that compsot bin its got a bit of a lean on it

 

Uncovered 2 of my bigger treeferns today to give them some air. A nervous moment as the straw appeared wet and sweaty but thank heavens both had healthy new knuckes under the straw.

Covered them back up again just in case winter fancies biting again .

Gave the orfe in the pond their first feed of the season. Boy were they hungry for their Cheerios. Maybe i was a bit slow to start feeding again but considering it was snowing yesterday and parts of pond were frozen i think timing was ok?

Restocked the wood store with logs for next year. Not the best but will be ok i hope. A good day. Lawns still a mossy bog though..

 

How about planting corydalis flexuosa there lucius? Matt forming, almost evergreen with delightful blue flowers in spring and into summer? Easy and reliable too if kept reasonably moist. Goes well with grasses