WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2018

Similar here BigC....my neighbours have a contract with a lawn firm too. No idea what they pay but they often ask me what I do to keep my lawn green.
A lawn to me is imdispensable in the garden.....I understand why some don't want one or can't have one but if you can have a space of green then do it.

Picked several pounds of runner beans.....delicious raw as I pick them.

Crinum powelii and hymenocallis about to flower......nature is in great haste right now

 

Cooler day, damper day.....light rainfall this morning and both puppy and I loved it. Brighter now though

The sea temperature (18 degrees I think) is prob higher than the air temp today so perfect for swimming

No real gardening today but it is getting to the time when I am thinking of new plants for next year and what has grown well this year to repeat. Tithonia is a must. A couple of clumps have been in flower for a few weeks now and looking to go on a lot longer yet. Ok, in-your-face colour and perhaps not everybody's cup of tea but I love them here . Cleomes have done well, lovely colours and statuesque, but their thorns and propensity to self seed mean I prob wont grow them again.

 

Not much done in the garden recently but for deadheading and watering. I cut the beech Hedge and some cherry laurel last week. Potted on some foxgloves and bellis the other day.

I been think of plants for next year already as well Verdun. I am looking at some white Echinops at the moment, may try a euphorbia even though I've never really been a fan but will look good with lots more Alliums I am eyeing up. I've been look for another plant called Indigofera Pendula which I am struggling to find, I found one or 2 but the postage alone is £20 or £25 which is a lot for one plant.

I got a very welcome unexpected surprise today my Wisteria which didn't flower has quite a few flowers forming and will be opening very soon

 

1 day off work,ive enclosed one of my ponds and let my yellow bellied turtle free for summer finally.. The frogs are not happy!

 

Back from a swim in the sea. Lots of sightings of dolphins lately Very warm but forecast includes rain later. Possibly some rain tomorrow too at times but hotter again so I will get picking of produce done soon and get a couple of plants in.

Scent everywhere in the garden this morning.....from lilies, honeysuckles and even the last of the strawberries in the gh smelled like strawberry jam as I passed by A delicious time of year indeed

There were 3 or 4 sparrows...???...on thalictrum Elin too. Not hot on birdlife so prob some other small birds??? Must be after the seed heads

 

I joke not that today will be spent hand grazing the horse in the garden as his fields are bare. The grass in the garden ain't much better! The ground is so hard I doubt a fairly large horse will even make a print on the grass.I was investigating whether I could feed him the enormous leaves from my pathetic cauliflowers but unfortunately that's a no. Humans and equines can be affected in the same way.......too much gas!
The golf at Carnoustie is not far from where I live and the fairways on the course are identical to what we have. They must have put a shed load of water on the greens as that's the only green grass I have seen in months.
Lovely as this summer has been it will have ramifications. There will be little straw as the crops are very short and the price of fodder will be very high. I'm expecting the price of meat to rocket. We have Aberdeen Angus in the field next door and the farmer is already having to put out the remnants of last seasons hayledge for them and it's being scoffed at an alarming rate.

 

I might move the indoor Bonsai outside..I think it may do it some good now things have cooled a little.
Potted up some single little Viola's, yes they are still flowering well...The wife loves these and I wish I had a beer token for every one she has around the garden..they have kinda grown on me too if I'm honest...simple but nice

 

@BigC the violas look pretty.

 

Just pegged out some washing in the hope it rains

 

Started to dig out the stumps of two elderberry bushes that had been struggling for the past couple of years. It was a bit like a quarry and now I have enough rock for another rockery. To cap it all there is a large slap of concrete in there. I now know why the elderberries struggled.

 

Done a bit of pointing for mum this afternoon. Planted out some bedding begonia - antirrhinum - tithonia to fill some gaps. Dug up the spuds, Arron Pilot are what I am growing this year, was hoping for a bigger yield this yearbut not so bad filled a 3 gallon builders bucket and some spuds were very well sized 15cm long approx, I rarely watered them so I may of got more if I kept on top of them. Chips for tea .

 

Perchance I came across this loving couple,
So over the comming weeks I've decided I'm going to build these or at least one of the bench occupants (location:- spare bench at bottom of garden under a tall bush)...quirky garden sculpture and talking point methinks...I would like to build the two ..see how we go...Rounding up and purchasing suitable Terracotta pots as we speak....