What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2020

I'd decided to strim and mow the front lawns today but the weather thought differently. Light showers this morning so I abandoned the idea and finished off top soiling and grass seeding the last of the patches on the back lawn. The rain stopped but by then it was too damp to work on the other lawns.

 

Not much done today really it has rained on and off so got a little weeding done in between showers. I have discovered 2 Alder leaf beetles one on a hibiscus and one on a Laurel. After reading up on them I saw a pic of what sort of damage they can do I think I may have disturbed them off one of next doors hedges when I trimmed them last week. One of their plants looks like it's been obliterated by them anyway I'll keep my eye out for them the puppy has been bringing massive snails in the house and crushing the shells which has been awful over the past few weeks ( I struggle to even pick a snail up let alone a crushed one) YUCK! So another trip to the vet to buy a spot on treatment to prevent lung worm. Anyway every time he's got one now I've given him a little treat if he drop them ( sounds good) but now he's bringing them in all the time and dropping them at the treat draw. I've had to buy low fat treats so he doesn't end up a barrel

 

Not a good day then Jasmine. Let's hope your puppy grows out of his liking for snails.

 

Not really @Sheal I've been gardening for a few years now so have never had to consider the issues around having a dog. I had this lovely image of me pottering whilst the dog followed me around. Kind of like Monty does. I don't know what planet I was on.

 

Did a load of dead heading yesterday and managed to get it in the Green wheelie bin. Hope they take the bin...it weighs a ton!!!

The suppressant and bark chipping I did up at Lincoln seems to have done the trick with the weeds. Shame it doesn't solve the problem with weeds on the drive! I think a mega dose of old school roundup will be the only thing to stop them resurrecting.

when I got up to Lincoln today I was so pleased to see our "not-so-friendly" farmer had finally cut down the weeds at the entrance to the field next to our house. HOORAH! first time in 5 years. I'm going to put a selective weedkiller on it to get rid of the damn nettles etc and then sow in some wildflower mix. That will be much better! The only trouble is now blimmin dog walkers were bringing their dogs in there to poop! I was eagle eyed watching to make sure they had poop bags!!




Ooh and check out the kniphofia! Beauts!

 

Collecting seeds from annuals and moving pots of agapanthus to their winter quarters. I've cut off all the remaining heads and am drying them. I cut cosmos for the house - definitely my favourite annual. They were late in flowering but are making up for it now and are better than ever.
Gathering acorns from next doors overhanging oak tree and giving them back. They are the worst neighbours: all their trees (chestnut, oak and sycamore) are planted right on the boundary and their laurel hedge has not been maintained in the forty five years since it was planted. We cut our side but at one time the hedge (?) encroached 15 feet into our garden.

 

One of my golden retrievers picked up a snail when he was being house trained and brought it in but I managed to get it off him. It was so long ago never had trouble with lung worm or ever thought about it. I used to think that I could garden with a goldie around me but now they stay in the house, so much easier.

 

I think I'm going to have to do the same @Logan at least until he gets a little older.

 

Potted up some hardy Fuchsia cuttings that I took from my parents garden a few weeks ago. Separated from parent plants and potted up some Strawberry ( runner) plants. Potted up some Wallflower cuttings that I took at the end of June.

 

You will get your wish of pottering with you're dog following - eventually. What breed is he? That makes all the difference on how quickly he will settle down.

 

@Sheal that would be nice.... He's a chihuahua. (Never had this breed before) he isn't what was said on the tin and I love that about him. He digs big holes for his bones, gets full of mud. Eats spiders, wasps any insects really, flowers oh and his favourite snails. He won't wear a collar (very stubborn) but he's very clever and has been easy to train so far. He has a lovely temperament with the children we care for which was why we got him really. He's been amazing for them. I've just got to watch him like a hawk in the garden

 

Yesterday was more deadheading (lychnis coronaria is one of the few plants that does well on our soil, but has gone over now), and weeding the gravel edge to our soak away near the door. Interesting to see that a creeping thyme had planted itself in the gravel edge. On the strength of that, I took some more sections from where it is doing well, and planted them in the gravel...

I’m playing catch-up on GW at the moment, after being away for so long. A few weeks ago Monty was cutting back his sage, after it had flowered. Mine isn’t starting to show any buds yet, never mind flowers! I suppose I tend to cut mine back hard in early spring, leaving one branch until the rest grows new leaves (for culinary use), which must set it back.

Yesterday afternoon I was changing the plaster on my sore thumb. (I did go to A&E in the end, but the skin had started to heal, so they weren’t willing to lance it, despite the swelling and infection - just tetanus shot and antibiotics). When I came home last weekend, I sterilised one of my sharp craft blades, and lanced both sites, as there had been a strange second swelling showing pus.... Pressure relieved, at least for a few hours, but only a tiny fragment of foreign body to be found. Anyway, yesterday afternoon the 1 cm length of dried everlasting pea stem “popped” out. Hopefully things will settle, and the infection will finally clear. Note to self: wear gloves when dealing with dried stems!!

Today I’ve topped up the pond, harvested some more cherry toms, my first yellow scallop squashes, some courgettes, and tied in a young honeysuckle plant. Now to go and do the weekly food shop!!

 

How brave are you Sian!!!!...I can't even remove a stubborn splinter.!! I wrap the area in a plaster with antiseptic cream over it for a few days... and ( touch wood) it seems to always work.

Hope it all settles down now, sounds like it was quite a nastie!!

 

@Sian in Belgium that's great news about your thumb.

 

Potted on the rest of the wallflowers, got 473 plants, pitty that i didn't do enough to get to 500, well maybe next year.