WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2018

Not a lot to show for a morning's work.... Well...Didn't start until eleven and finished by half twelve.

But at least it's done. I did both troughs, I was able to kick the bottom out of the second one, so it was well on its way to dropping out.
Two 2" X 1" tanalised rails with two cross pieces for feet did the job, plus a bit of wipe over with a damp cloth.

I don't mind if we get the predicted rain this afternoon.

You can just see on the right the end of "The Alley of Shame." Where non-performers or out of season plants go. They either recover or go in the green bin after being given a chance. There's eight down there.

 

Been up allotment and done some mega late (or super duper early) pruning to raspberries and blackcurrants. Came home, it start peeing down

 

Moved the blowaway greenhouse from kitchen to garden... finally!!! For an hour we were able to walk around the dining table without doing yoga. I have decided to leave the plants there overnight, the night should be reasonably warm.

Then I decided to start the begonias so we are back to having an improvised shelving in the kitchen to house them.

Repotted house plants and sowed some seeds from holiday and some dill. Admired my latest purchase, a Alocacia plant from IKEA, £3.50 on offer.

 

Thanks Jiffy, it was not possible the picture doesn't give a true perspective of its size and weight, i am quite a strong bloke and so is my neighbour but we struggled to move it, even if we could have got it out i would never have got it out front it needed cutting in bits,

Job done my pal called and chopped it into manageable bits, i will back fill the hole with fresh soil i cant see much nutrients been left here so a replenish should do it good.

 

Glad you are enjoying your pond Lucius.....now you can relax, right?

Busy elsewhere this morning but drizzle anyway, albeit warm drizzle. This pm was about potting on more plants....they are filling their pots quickly now. My daphne cuttings taken 18 months ago are now almost flowering size .....30 cm tall amd bushy....and I need to find the perfect spot for a couple of them.
Gazanias, mesembryanthemums and a couple of tender fuchsias kept outside (fleeced though) have survived those beasts from the east much to my surprise

However, another bedroom needed painting so made a good start on that too this pm

Excellent Martin.......now the best part. I filled mine with garden compost, garden soil, dried manure, etc. Plus fish blood and bone. It has become a lush planting area

 

Thank you Verdun i will pick some fish blood and bone up, most of this area will be a pond so i wont go to town on it,

Spoke to neighbour who owns the back fence about painting it and raising it a few ft with a frame for climbers to scramble up and she has no issues with it ,

I am surprised how much sun hits this spot later in the day its going to make a nice area.

 

Sorry Martin, I remember you did say it would be for a pond there. Sounds good to me

 

Went out this afternoon to a different garden centre. Parkers at Flixton.
Really only wanted a couple of hebes.
Bought these two, to replace one of those that died in the really cold spell a few weeks back.
They are a bit smaller than those we bought from Wyevale, but half the price!



We also bought this Sinensis Alba Wisteria.




We had this one (photographed in 2004) bought about fifteen years previously from Bridgemere. But it died of honey fungus or something similar.



We couldn't get another white one at the time as no one seemed to have any locally, so we settled for this. They do grow like weeds.




Anyway, when I got to the checkout I said that "it wasn't doing much, the buds are only just starting to show, when those of ours at home were quite big and if it doesn't perform within three weeks I will be coming back for a refund." This didn't go down too well with the girl on the till, so she called for the manager, for "a decision."
We had a pleasant chat and he agreed to my conditions, (well, fifty quid is fifty quid).

We also changed the Peace Lilies in our "hanging baskets" in the hall. The old ones were getting very woody and far too big.



Got it all sorted before the rain.

 

Thanks Verdun, that's the plan atm but anything could happen, i never realized how much sun these two trees was blocking,

Anything along this fence that gets its head to above fence height will have sun from morning/night i have four climbers i am hardening off so that's a start, the left corner i am working on atm gets sun late in the day the opposite side gets it early morning the new pond i have in mind might be better at the other side early sun would be nice for any wildlife wake them up quicker,

Its a bit of make it up as i go so we will see what happens .

 

Planted some sunflowers today i planted some direct and some in trays i bet the mice dig them up .

 

I planted some dwarf sunflowers last Sunday and one or two are already starting to poke through the surface of the compost.

 

Well you best get out and get some bigger ones bought you wont win anything with them .
TALLEST SUNFLOWER AND LARGEST SUNFLOWER HEAD 2018

 

I only wanted dwarf so I can put them in the beds or in pots.

 

Ive bought mixed Kaz some dwarf amongst them.

 

Along with others I have sown sunflower seed and also sweetcorn, French and runner beans, sweet williams, wallflowers and winter brassicas.