WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2018

just cut down, bagged, and dug roots up of two 6 foot Hemlocks. we women rule. husband to scared to do it.

 

@shiney all I can say is you must feel worn out the both of you and I hope everyone as a smashing time and your blessed with the ….work you've both done :bigthumb:

 

Too wet to play golf or do any gardening. But I did watch three adult frogs trying to jump through the glass of the French windows, for a time. They were quite persistent.

 

Another nice day but cooler. Last year I cut back some overgrowth in the front area to create a seating and small planting area. It's been a bit neglected so today I finished off the weeding and prepared the planting area. There is already a large fern there so I planted my newly bought Ferns next to it. Got a pink Astilbe and blue Cranesbill in but still need something else.

Last autumn I bought a small Pieris. It's been sat in its original pot by one of the baths and every time it threatened to die I watered it a little. Finally got around to planting it today, albeit in a large pot until I can make garden space for it .

Sat on patio this afternoon drinking a glass of water and noticed a Starling chick watching me. No tail feathers, gawky and curious in the way Starling babies are and seems to think I might make a good surrogate mum . He/she is able to feed independently and fly a little.

 

Sounds like you've been busy mate ...done nothing but pour down here

You know your Pieris plant I have two on the back garden I did have 3 gave one away matured and it was left to die ...keep it in the pot you might think it to big but the roots do take space quickly and just layer the top with some of your gravel from the back and watch it mature.

You could have gave it a worm Lucius

 

I love Pieris it's tough and so good for bees when it's in flower. I inherited one with the garden, which is in the front and receives regular bashings from the weather. It sulked a bit when we had the snow and the beast from the east but it's bouncing back slowly. It'll be ok in the pot as very large. No where to plant into the ground yet.

Anything that's tough and stands up to the coastal weather is a bonus. I bought a blue hibiscus 2-3 years ago for 99p. I did put it into a slightly larger pot than the one it arrived in but then it got left to it's own devices, just watered when I remembered. I thought it had died a couple of months ago but decided to stick into one of the baths and it's alive .

I did give the chick some suet pellets, which were quickly devoured

 

Very, very warm already....will be another scorcher . Back from the beach ...
cool and refreshing. Mist rising over the sea and towans...magical

Very warm too overnight and everything is growing fast now.

Lucius, will an astrantia fit the bill ? Some excellent whites would complement your astilbe and geranium or consider the beautiful variegated Sunningdale Variegated. Or maybe a white anemone like one of the Swan varieties?

Planted a group of tulbagia violacea, ophiopogon nigrescens and delphinium summer blues last evening. Agastaches Mandarin and Gold too. Not much expected to do in the garden but another row of lettuce will prob go out.

Helping with a few changes to my niece's new build garden. Although a gardening novice she has some very clear ideas of what she wants there. A triple "minimalistic" brief based on foliage, white flowers and scent. We have been extending her patio area and moving back a retaining wall to a raised lawn area; already the new shape and obvious extra space looks good. We are checking out composite decking there too.

 

@Verdun the Astrantia looks lovely, not sure it would like the new planting area though as only gets full sun around midday for a couple of hours or so. I will have a look in hardware store later on to see if they've had any new deliveries. I don't recall seeing anything like it. I'm somewhat disillusioned with online sales so it will have to be whatever I can get locally. You may recall I've had a bit of a battle with a pink Anemone. Three times now I have dug out bits I missed first time round and it's still growing back . I'm concerned the white swan could also run rampant . There's lots of things running rampant at the moment . I suppose I could contain it in a buried pot, although the planting area is not that deep.

 

Lucius, couple of important points

The astrantia loves shade/partial shade. Astrantias will fade away in hot, sunny dry spots. So......???

The anemone I suggested is not one of the familiar japanese "rampant" types (that I would never plant here) The Swan series, a relatively new hybrid......Wild, Ruffled, Dreaming and Elfin, I have them all, ......are well behaved, bushy, absolutely stunning and flower for months. Beautiful white flowers with blue reverse to the petals. Mine are just opening and will continue through to autumn. They are miles away from the other anemones. The tatty, invasive, straggly jap anemones usually grown and flowering only in late summer/autumn cannot compare with the "Swans". I will post a picture in a few days when the flowers are out.

I never plant anything remotely rampant here; if its a plant I am not sure of then I research it and test it.

Oh! A job I need to do today is divide pennisetum Villosum. If you havent grown this....bit tender in some parts....then check it out. Lovely, voluminous, whitish caterpillar like flowers from mid summer to autumn.

 

Hello Lucius...Pieris are lovely but stunning plants especially when they change colour and also the pearl drops that form...mine sulk through heavy rain and snow but they're excellent on picking themselves back up

The blue hibiscus are and the deeper the blue they're richer looking in my eyes

Oh bless mate giving it pellets...it will come regular from now on I suppose

 

Shaped My Ilex Golden King.
Got some room now to plant something else next to it.
I'm thinking a Hardy Fuchsia or possible a Dryopteris atrata fern.



I had some help today.

 

@Verdun I have it Astrantia Million Stars. Hardware store had a delivery yesterday and four purple Astrantia and one white Astrantia were included. I was tempted to get a purple one too but then spotted two Cranesbill that I don't have. I did have a very quick google of Astrantia after reading your first post this morning, but in a rush as usual. I just read it liked sun and partial shade - thought that meant more sun than shade . No Anemone White Swan just the Japanese variety. Astrantia has been planted .

Bought another Cuckoo plant at hardware store to go in the belfast sink. Quite a lot of algae blooming in there at present. Potted it up and popped it in. Not much room left for the water now

@Gail_68 I haven't seen the Starling chick today, hope he ok. I have looked for him/her around the garden. Roger was in the garden earlier and he saw parent Starlings chasing off that Sparrow hawk from their chicks way to go little birds . So brave of them to attack it. Extra suet pellets all round for everyone.

 

Pushkin it looks how you've done it like a ball shape but snip those two pieces on the left of the picture that are slightly hanging

I would add an Hardy fuschia there to contrast against your king and bring more beauty in that spot ...well that's what I would do anyway

 

Ah, that's an excellent variety lucius.......dont let it dry out and it will be superb i have several different ones here