What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2020

It's not the only small distillery hiding away here in the Highlands. If I could afford it I'd buy you a bottle to try.

That's never going to happen and nor is rejoining the EU. Ms Sturgeon has got her head well and truly buried in the sand to think otherwise.

 

Been a lovely day so I've been cutting out the flowering canes from the blackberries, should have done it last autumn but the weather was wet all the time.

 

Not much gardening done today - as I’ve been struggling emotionally with the lockdown, and more importantly, the threat that has caused it....

But I did get out and sit by the pond a few times.
I did a poop-scoop after the dog.
I cleared up all the sticks and twigs from pruning out the dead growth from the Kilmarnock willow and the bigger acer.
I deadheaded the daffodils.
...and sat by the pond some more....

 

Didn't manage to get much done today, just sowed some Malva moschata f. alba seeds in one of those 'awkward' areas that most of us seem to have, the only other thing that grows there well is hardy geraniums, but I prefer these there. Got an OK display last year but a tad gappy, and didn't realise how regularly they needed deadheading, so they went to seed after 2-3 weeks! Was pleased to see a pair of Brimstone butterflies flying around and a couple of 7-Spots on my laurustinus, they definitely don't seem to have heard about social distancing guidelines!

You couldn't have picked a lovelier one to sit by Sian, it's the nicest I've ever seen of its size and blends wonderfully with your garden!

Nick

 

There is something in my pond. I netted it whilst trying to remove blanket weed this evening. I think it's a Newt . If it is that explains the disappearance of the Tadpoles . Not sure how I feel about this, somewhat dismayed and upset I think as we put the Tadpoles into the pond. So, I could do nothing, I could remove the remaining Tadpoles and try to keep them in a makeshift pond or I could evict the Newt. If I evict it there is the possibility it will come back. I have no idea how it got there in the first place.

Gardening wise I did a bit of weeding around the Willow tree and gave one of the bird baths a good scrub out with a wire brush. Think septic soak away might be blocked so have started digging exploratory holes to uncover the pipes.

@Sian in Belgium sorry to read you're feeling a bit down. Difficult times all round at the moment and likely to get to worse before better. It all feels a bit surreal to me at the moment. Big hugs to you, hope you and your hubby stay safe and virus free.

 

Sorry, but I'm supporting keeping the newt who has naturally found a suitable habitat over the artificially introduced tadpoles, who would have introduced themselves if your pond was appropriate anyway.

Nick

 

I agree with the others, @luciusmaximus ...

The newt(s) have found your pond, which is what you wanted. Give it another year, maybe less, and frogs and toads will find it too.
For what it’s worth, we have frogs, toads and news (smooth and palmate) in the pond. The frog and toads have laid some spawn, but it hasn’t even gone comma-shaped in the jelly, but still there are lots of newts. So the newts may well not be the reason the tadpoles have disappeared?

 

Worked on the narrow border (AKA The Nightmare Area where the heavy clay is worst) at the bottom of the garden. Finished weeding it and added the six ajuga. The Fuchsia 'Mrs Popple' (collection of twigs on the left) and Eupatorium cannabinum (twig on the right) will add height along with the laurustinus. Now all that remains to be done is to add the Lonicera japonica 'Halliana' to the far right to grow through the wire. Bee house is now mounted on the outhouse and waiting for some residents!

PS Forgot to add that two of those bugles were the most root bound plants I've ever bought online, won't be using Crocus again!

Nick

 

Managed to get the leaves pulled out and put in a brown bag. They had dug in next to the fences and smothering any efforts on the part of the grass to grow. It is still fairly cool here (36f high today) so still not much I can do out there.

 

Trimmed the front garden hedge. Had to quickly dive into it for cover - as a police helicopter flew over...