WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2021

I wish it got everywhere here. I bought some 3 years ago, thinking it would self seed, but no. Shame as I quite liked them.

 

Why do you bother, then?

 

Geum TT always toppled over for me @Snorky85 bit of a pain backside really they never stand back up how you want them to .

 

Well I were expecting blazing red hot sunshine but its been hazy and a tad humid . I've been emptying the other large pot at the front door one of the barrels and some smaller pots , a bit of a tedious job . Potted up some of the bulbs they not quite ready to go over quite yet . Got fed up with that so watch the footy and tennis and went back out in the evening and potted the barrel up with dahlia David howard / petunia red velour and some trailing begonias . I wanted cannas for some of the pots but seen as they've snuffed it I've gone with mostly dahlias , So the two pots at the front door got Dahlia Thomas edison each I am trying salvias in them this year see how they do and added some trailing petunia Tye dye and Silver tidal wave . two other pots I planted up with my Brugmansia cutting with more petunias I am seem to of gone mad on petunias this year oh well I like them either way.
Sunday is feed day so everything required got a fed or a good watering .

 

I wanted to grow coneflowers and let them go to seed to feed the birds. In addition, I wanted unusual varieties so I purchased several different colours from a nursery. Yesterday a woodchuck stopped by and ate just about all of my new plants. Every bud is gone and many of the leaves are gone also. So today I turned my little bed into a miniature version of Alcatraz. The bed is not where anyone can see it, but still, I would have liked it more without the fence. I had spent so much money on plants I was forced to spend more money to protect them. In addition to the loss of the plants and money I lost a lot of time in buying and installing the fence.

Hopefully the plants will recover without further damage.

p.s. I forgot to mention that I had sprayed the area with animal repellent with an obnoxious smell but that did not bother the woodchuck.

 

Started planting out the pot marigolds around the path under the roses, got about half way do the rest tomorrow, later do some watering.

 

Finally got around rebuilding the beans frame, so the beans are finally out. It is not quite a ShineyFrame(TM) but it will do.
Several courgettes and squashes also found their way to the garden, but I am a bit worried the squirrels will dig the fresh soil out, to hide their dumb nuts. Last one I found was actually a whole peanut, religiously hidden at the bottom of huge hole in one of my tomato pots, I wonder where they found it. When they are not digging, they trash my strawberries. They have been a bit of a pain of late.
I chanced one mint in a large bottomless pot. I expect it to grow quite large but I hope it will not spread to other areas of the garden.

Looking at photos from last year, I am so late. The only thing I managed to plant early as usual are the main tomatoes and tromboncini. It is kind of funny because I started the seedlings very early this year, and I have less plants. But then the broadbeans were mightly late, so I delayed swapping them with summer plants in the hope they would give me more beans.
Next year, late or not, I will take them out by the first week of May.
Anyway, there are only a few main things left to do and then I can sit and watch it all grow.. Perhaps..

 

Outside at 6.00am yesterday. Decided to tidy up two of the baths. Started by weeding them first, then added a layer of fresh top soil and planted in a few extra self seeded plants that I found just looking around the garden, some fleabane and more toadflax. Also, put in the milk thistle I was given by a friend. I was careful when removing it from the pot and with replanting into the bath but it had a major hissy fit and went very limp and floppy within half an hour of being moved . I didn't think thistles were so delicate. Haven't checked yet, but hope it perks up.

Later on I found a small bed in the conservatory. It wasn't not in there as doors and window open. Beea was crawling on floor and seemed very weak. I put it on the geraniums and moved it around a couple of times. It drank a lot, but very slowly and was quite lethargic. Not sure I was able to help much, but didn't know what else to do .

 

After 3 weeks in the UK looking after my Mum, and pottering in her garden, I’m now back in Belgium, and another 10 day quarantine.

Fortunately the garden has blessed me with at least 10 days worth of gardening, planting and weeding to do! Hubby kept all the pots alive, and mowed some paths in the long grass from No Mow May …. We’ve decided to keep it long - as the swaying grass is quite hypnotic. I will cut down segments through different times of the year, to try to encourage wildflowers.

So far since my return on Saturday night, I’ve:
- found the edge of the patio bed
- weeded the patio bed, to recover the hydrangea, clear under the acer, find the path through to the roses, and find the orange thyme.
- deadheaded the roses, and the rhododendrons, as the plants look so much better afterwards
- edged the lawn along the patio, and the soakaway, and weeded the soakaway gravel
- put up framework for the mangetout peas, and tied them in. They’ve gone from looking @ messy 6” tall, to an orderly, hopefully easy-to-pick 18” tall. Did the same for the French beans (although they haven’t really taken off yet)
- stared at where the runner beans should be growing away, but not a beanlet to be seen. Either I forgot to sow them, or all 16 beans failed to germinate?
- weeded all three raised veg beds, including around the strawberries. Found 5 strawberries!! Made a netting cloche cover for the plants, so I don’t have to share so much with the blackbirds
- weeded the gravel along the back of the house, tying in the honeysuckle and hop stems as I went
- weeded some of the herb garden, but loads more to do there
- re-mowed the grass paths, and put some new ones in around the island beds, so that I can get there and edge them, and weed the beds
- started to cut the dead passionflower stems off the trellis work, being very careful around the wren nests, and then weaving in the honeysuckle stems. Still got about 4/5 to go!

I think I will have enough gardening still to do until I’m released from quarantine on 22nd!!

 

Just watering and staking after work. My Foxglove Albas are great in the back, over 5ft and bright white and not quite so Alba in the front. In fact they are nearly strawberry pink in the front Well, the seeds were free (I'm still kidding myself that "free seeds" with an expensive magazine are truly and honestly a free gift )

Sorry about the rubbish pics, the light was funny. Anyways, my take on English Garden: Foxgloves and washing line complete with assorted pegs

 

Planted out some more pot marigolds and Snapdragons and watering.

 

Early this morning I moved a heuchera from the spot I put it in about a month ago - the other plants around it grew higher this year and were shading it too much.

And then spent most of the day on the road going to suppliers for business stuff. Stopped at three garden centres in between pick ups because I had checked online for availability of a tall plant stand and found they were in stock and in my budget £15. Well they weren't in stock at all three when I got there so I got stubborn and decided to make a temporary solution. 4£ and some leftover paint. I'm calling it, "Plinthe a la Madame Bouquet".