WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2021

I haven't been on here for a while, couldn't keep up with it

We've had some lovely weather here lately and I've done a lot in the garden - mostly cutting back and tidying.
I've also moved two large Clematises (didn't think it would be such a struggle getting them out of the ground !) and a Pieris, Griselina, a large Bergenia which split in two as I was taking it to its new position, a Rose' Peace', and I still have a skimmia to move soon,
and I've also moved some raspberry canes that had 'migrated' out of bounds, to somewhere better where they won't be in the way.

I had a cheap polytunnel which had seen better days, the cover had perished and the frame gone rusty so I took it down. I don't think I want another one, they don't last long and the wind blows them from side to side .... so I've decided to construct a home-made 'greenhouse' using wood I had stored in the shed (I knew it would come in handy one day ) and polycarbonate sheets which I'm going to send for.
I don't suppose it will look very posh but it's for my cacti and all they want is somewhere dry and warm

 

Shower dodging mostly so far , but have managed to tidy/weed the east patio beds.

I have made up a tumbler of mixed seeds that can be directly sown now ( a concoction taken from 6 pkts ). I will now go out and sow them in the patio beds.

 

I also have a 6ft long piece of timber left over. I thought that it was the back roof trim - but found out that you are not supposed to put roof trim of the rear slope of a pent roof.

I'm guessing the bag of fixings and trim are generic - hence why there are a load of bits left over - the instructions pamphlet was not specific to the potting shed. Not that I read the instructions anyway - I mean it's a floor, 4 walls and roof - what could possibly go wrong.....

 

Planted up two plant pots for mums bday and then did rust converter on one anderson panel.

Went to LB garden centre and bought some half price RHS Apta plant pots which are now discontinued. I'll have to do some potting on tomorrow.

 

Very nippy out there today so didn't get as much done as I had hoped.

Cleaned and refilled the bird feeders and within seconds of replacing them a couple of Nuthatches came down to feed, so I spent a few moments watching them.

I did manage to brave the cold long enough to tidy up the Column Apple Tree border that is also on the east patio and I've again sowed an annual seed mix, made of double Poppies ( Supreme ....pink) and Nigella Moody Blues.

 

Mostly fine day today but frost over night like most of the week and its supposed to be colder in the coming days . I've been out in the garden for a while mulching and feed the roses and I give the rhubarb a good mulch as well .

I need three pots to plant up the rest of my dahlias, I found some candidates which had some plants in a blueberry ( never fruited ) so I planted that on the garage site. I dug up a clematis I got given from Richard he's called if I remember correctly he holds the national collection of viticella clematis, unfortunately I wasn't keen on the clematis it was a newly bred seedling plant so didn't know the colour etc . Anyway I planted that clematis on the garage site to grow up some pear trees, I replaced it with another clematis Walenburg I had in a pot which was round the front that didn't do so well scrambling up a buddleia , the buddleia that is no more now . And I got my 3rd pot from repotting a salvia into a smaller pot , so I got all my dahlias potted up now until some others turn up tomorrow hopefully called Waltzing Matilda . I've ordered some more seeds from nicky seeds not used them before.

 

Late last fall I bought a few packages of Echinacea seeds to try. First I soaked them in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water overnight to give them a boost of energy. The seeds sprouted in under 24 hours and have been growing under a LED grow light in a tent since then. Today, I up-potted them and moved them into another tent with a large 400 watt HSP grow light. I hope I will not have to repot them again before they go into the garden. I was surprised to find a Chrysanthemum growing along with the coneflowers. It is in the back left corner and it has three or four buds ready to open. I love the smell of Chrysanthemums as they will fill the tent with their fragrance. The grow light heats the tent to 80F with the humidity at about 50% and the light is providing more than 3,000 footcandles. At night the temperature drops to about 60F so the conditions should be ideal for coneflowers.

 

Looking good @hydrogardener

 

Just finished lugging in 22 bags of muck, MPC, soil improver and top soil into my garden

 

Nothing today had to do some baking and it was too cold outside.

 

You're right there....it's flipping freezing even in the sun today. But I have braved it and partially cleaned up another ( big) border today.. ...now to defrost myself in readiness for my........JAB!

 

I planted up a hardy Gardenia - fingers crossed this lives up to its reputation, or at least just lives - then thought about relocating a couple of Peruvian lilies. It got a bit cold so I went inside to have a cup of coffee and a biscuit. I'll resume thinking about it tomorrow and might actually get around to doing it too lol.

Best wishes to everyone and their gardens

 

We haven't had any sun and it's going to get colder and very windy next week.

 

Thank you, and you.