WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2018

SCORCHING again! yay! Been to the tip and took all the hebe cuttings etc. Another neighbour gave me some cuttings of a pretty trailing plant from her hanging basket - so planted them.

Might just sit and sunbathe this afternoon and enjoy it! :D

 

Weeded the rockery, why is it grass will grow anywhere but where you want it to?

Sorted out the new clematis, spread out the different branches, rather than let them strangle each other. Here's a couple, we've over a dozen around the garden half new half established.







The wisteria we bought on Sunday, that I thought might not do anything, is showing signs of life. They were hidden behind a rack of plants in the garden centre up against a fence. But it's in full sun up against the garage wall so that's obviously helping.

Opened up the tea house door as it was very hot in there. Over 70F. Must remember to close it tonight.
I've put the lamps I use as heaters in my jukeboxes on their timer, so they are off for most of the day.
I've opened the vent in the roof. It's just a heavy "box lid." The vent bit is two halves of an old dishwasher cutlery tray, fixed to a bit of 3" X 2" so air can get out and pests can't get in during the night.
There are two air vents with insect screens in the bottom of the back wall of the building. I've removed the polystyrene covers I put over them during the winter.






If it gets really hot I can turn this on too. I installed it last year so I could reduce the heat in there without opening the door and so let the curious fox cubs who lived under the building get in.
A week after I put it in they left home!





Gave the paths and patios another dose of "Wet n' Forget." The first application did seem to get the grout between the crazy York stone blocks cleaner. But York stone's a bit porous, so it made no impression on it. I'll give it a couple of weeks, but if it isn't working, I'll do what a was going to do, jet wash it as usual.

Just a bit of warm weather and sun has brought on our acer palmatums in leaps and bounds.






I've dragged this Conference pear in its big tub to the edge of the small patio so my wife can see the blossom from the French windows. Glad to say the bees have found it.




These are our azaleas in the side bed next to our patio. There must be over dozen in there and they seem to "thrive on neglect." Lots of buds as usual.

 

No gardening, too hot, so I found a secluded spot and stripped off, got loads of freckles now - "all over"

 

I shoveled a path to the greenhouse and did some watering.

Would you kindly send some of that heat over here please!

 

Tempted to do mine again too. Also got yorkstone and the wet and forget has had limited impact, so will give it another chance and see if it gets the black lichen stuff off. If not i'll be jet washing also.

 

Sowed carrots, spring onions, beetroot, radishes and parsley. Lawns mown, dug up a huge phormium and divided it. Runner beans germinated and peas growing apace. A lot of mist around today but hot sun did burst through at times. Lovely weather

 

28c and hot sun, Spring has made a big arrival. Just watering today.

 

I quite like jet washing, I find it therapeutic.... Well for the first half hour.. then it becomes a pain.

I have "system." With the patio, I do one stone at a time.
With the drive which is green ridged concrete I divide it into three lanes, marking out three adjacent squares with a border of about a couple of feet or so across and two feet long. Then clean one "square" at a time. Then "draw" more squares. This means I get an even "depth of clean," it tends to end up patchy otherwise.

 

Meh.. got too hot to potch and move plants about so not much changed except I did move a spirea to the middle (although looking at the pic it's leaning right..), planted 2 pieris that I spotted while passing the local handyman's this morning and plugged gaps with primrose that were lying about. Got rid of some things too. It'll do for this year.



Two things I have learned though, I will never plant achillea in my life again.. and that bed is more alkaline than I thought!

 

I had a tidy up in the topless greenhouse. I moved the begonias out of the living room. It was too hot to do anything heavy.

G.

 

Weeded manured and planted 86 seed potatoes in the vegetable garden. I'm now officially dead.Bits of me I didn't even know I had, hurt. Not sure I like this gardening malarkey!

 

Back in from a successful slug n snail hunt. Not for the squemish but the most effective control for these blighters. Done now and for next few weeks the population and the damage consequently caused wll be drastically reduced

 

Overcast but dry this am but this afternoon . Planted my 3 new grasses by the pond. Gave them a good soak after. And watered my pots at same time.
Moved one of my newly awakened to soft release pen. He's been awake for several days, eating, poo'ing well, so he's ready to go. He was not at all amused at being woken up.

Cut grass in cat's run and then put cat into run.

Sorted out large belfast sink out the front. Can't decide what to put in it.

Deadheaded almost 70 daffs.

Weeded this

I was thinking of planting Heleniums here growing up through grasses. @Verdun what would your recommendation be for grasses please? I have 2 Heleniums. The mound is approximately 4 metres long.

 

Not much done in the garden today...instead cleaned in the home and windows, then relaxed on the back in the shade reading...my god it was hot

 

I dunno all this sun must be melting some grey matter