WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2022

I laid a sheet of very thick vinyl over the living room carpet. And I've got my hanging pots brought inside and sitting on the vinyl to thaw. And I have also brought in the large pots that will receive the canna. And also to use in an experiment with 4 o'clock tubers. I want to see if they overwintered for a quick start to the new season.

Once the hanging pots are thawed and watered, I will sow the annuals in them. Salvia, coloured nicotiana, lobelia.

In about 7 weeks, the ground outside may be thawed enough to start digging and preparing the soil for this year's new plantings.

I now have about 140 soil blocks sown and hopefully there will be successful germination in most of them and they can then move into prepared seedling pots.

Today's soil block sowings will be hollyhocks.

 

Had to join you in moving operations indoors, Lori - albeit no vinyl protection, just last Saturday’s Times spread out. Weather took a grey cold turn and grinded and bore it out to plant some over-wintered Sea Lavender, and dead-leaved the seven greenhoused Eucalpytus Citriodora, who definitely did not enjoy their second winter here. Their worst is over now hopefully.
Indoors, compost frenzy of potting on cornflower to freshen up the wildflower bit out front, salad leaves, coriander, basil, applemint and cauliflower, seeded and trayed. Ran out of windowsill space, so onto unused table tops now. It’s only for a few weeks till everything’s cleared out of the greenhouse, and all inside goes out.

 

@CanadianLori , you didn't leave the 4 o'clock plant roots outside, did you?

 

Yes, last summer. I was digging them out as I normally do with the annuals every fall and thought, hmmm, looks like it might come back! I'm thinking about maybe trying that with potato vine this coming season.

Edit: I'll post a pic later.

 

Time will tell... 4 o'clock tubers thingies

That is just a bit of shredded paper which I used to store these and the canna roots. Just spritzed it with water to store. And now it will go in the computer bin for Friday's pick up.

 

I meant outside during the winter.
Obviously not, just some warmth and moisture should get them shooting.

 

Yesterday I noticed the first greenfly this year mostly on rose bushes, and gave them a spray with SB plant invigorator, which isn't harmful to beneficial insects. Then today when I went out the first thing to greet me was bird song, which has been absent for a long time, and then some open purple crocuses, then I noticed a hoverfly hovering around my flowers, the first hoverfly I have seen this year, so happy that my hoverfly friends are back they dealt with a lot of greenfly for me last year.

Lovely sunny day.

 

Yes @JimmyB, there's not much further north I can go in Britain apart from the islands.

Reared in the south east of England I spent 24 years on the island before retiring here to the Highlands in 2016 and love it!

It takes a good year to settle into the IOM and Ramsey's a tough gig at any time - never could take to it. TT? My family, past and present, male and female, have biking in their blood.

I have an old thread here on GC about the island if you feel the need for a haunting.

 

My mornings ( if bright) are now spent moving all my germinated seedlings into the greenhouse. The only problem is that it's pretty full up already so extra makeshift staging is set up every morning.
It's a bit tedious but well worth it to get good light levels.

This afternoon I concentrated on a border that I started revamping last Autumn. I had got rid of a lot of plants that had become untidy looking, and I began preparing it to become home to more Dahlias.

So today I began tidying it up after the Winter. We had 3 sets of double planted Hypericum, they had been there a long time but at the time we didn't realise how much they grew and spread !!! So today we removed 3 leaving just 3 single plantings.

Now the border looks quite bare in comparison to how it use to look ,although one of the Apple trees and a Pear are still there.

I'm excited and eager to get going on it, planning isn't one of my strong points and most of the time it's a case of dig a hole, plant up and cross my fingers. This time I am trying to achieve a more organised chaos look.


You can see 1 set of the double planted Hypericum ( we cut hard back each year) inbetween the 2 fruit trees.....and my finger too....

I had planned to continue the remaining half of the border tomorrow .....but our eldest has just phoned asking to be picked up from the station as he thought he would pay us a surprise visit!!. So the border may or may not get finished tomorrow.

 

Oh forgot..I also sowed some more Cleome ( I live in hope of at least seeing one seedling!) and Salvia Blaze Of Fire this morning too.

This is my favourite time of the gardening year, busy but I love it!!

 

In awe @CanadianLori , where do you find the time and energy?! It all sounds so exhausting and in the cold too brrr! Well done you :thumbs up:

 

Saliva?

 

Oops...edit, edit!!!

 

I think I made a post in the introductions forum that by rights should have gone in here!

 

I wouldn't worry about it @Balc. It's your choice either to ignore it, ask admin to move it for you, or post it again here.