WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2022

Sowed some beetroot seeds and a bit more weeding.

 

This morning I potted up more impatiens and moved some of my dwarf dahlias out to the greenhouse as they were getting too big for the downstairs set up.

It is still kinda cold - just getting up to 48f and windy but I pushed myself to get on with sorting out the low flow irrigation that runs through the raised beds. I had originally tried to get away with "curving" the pipe around but it was really a sloppy job so I decided to put in elbows where necessary to tidy up the way it lays out. Got those main lines done and may start getting the 1/4" secondary lines set up with the best type of sprayers for the job. I'm enjoying an old midsomer episode and this station has long (5-7 minute) commercial breaks which are pefectly fine for completing a section at a time.

And while I am puttering, my spaghetti sauce is simmering in the sun oven. So fun to have free cooking

 

We had a very busy day. Both my wife and I are exhausted. First, the CEO wanted to move the waning daffodils from the tubs on the path into a permanent position in the garden. That meant digging a lot of holes in the borders. She then wanted to move Rose “Chandos Beauty” as it wasn't doing at all well beside the old Azalea. So that was another hole.
I then went off to prune back a Verbena and while there decided to fettle three uneven stepping stones. No sooner was that complete than two Lonicera “American Beauty” arrived and while Madge planted one in the shrubbery I planted the other in my garden.
We had just stopped for lunch when the courier delivered a Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer' Tree we had been waiting months for so we had to go out and plant that. Luckily I had dug the hole months ago and driven in the support stake before backfilling the hole with well-rotted manure, so I only had the soft manure to lift out.
Once we had finished that another courier arrived with 100 summer bulbs and corms and 10 bare-root plants. Enough was enough. We will leave them until tomorrow so instead retired indoors and opened a bottle of Champagne. I think we deserved it.

 

Spent over an hour on the Front of House Patio tidying up the various pots and was sure I felt a couple of rainspots in the air.

 

Potted on 20 tomato plants, don't know if i'll keep them all yet.

 

Yesterday I bought 3 bare root Strawberry plants, walked to the shed and noticed a fence post was loose, tried to fix it and hit my finger the blood was coming through my gloves.

Ok, so with a plaster on my finger, I filled a trough with compost and then couldn't find the Strawberry plants..................After a lot of swearing I did find and planted them.

 

Another extremely tiring day in the garden for both of us. I bought an improved plinth for my water butt so first I had to drain it down. Once it was out of the way I had to clear the area for the new larger base which required lifting some daffodils. I prepared the base then covered it with an inch of Postcrete and levelled off the plinth. Once the plinth was level and in place, I watered the Postcrete and it quickly set. It was then just a case of replacing and reconnecting the water butt. However, I then had to dig a new soakaway to line up with the new tap position!
That took me to lunch and the delivery of five Creeping Phlox plugs. After lunch, we quickly potted them up and then started on a load of bare-root perennials, bulbs and corms that arrived yesterday. We planted out Polianthes and Bearded Iris in large pots. Of course, after they were well watered the CEO decided they would be better in another part of the garden. Cue much sweating and swearing.
I then planted five different Hostas in my part of ship. Although I had another 100 bulbs and corms to plant out I was done for the day. Once everything was tidied away it was Lager time.

 

I planted 2 tubs with sweet pea plants.

 

Looks great @Loofah .

 

I've not done anything today, other than the daily chore of sweeping pigeon droppings off the balcony & taking a few photos of things that are flowering now.

Yesterday however I did put some tomato seedlings in pots as well as pot up some Geranium cuttings.

A couple of days ago I potted up some Dragon Tree cutting that had been rooting in a jar of water in the kitchen for the last month or so.
.

.

.
So I've now got myself another half a dozen Dragon Tree plants!

 

No I haven't done anything either except put all the plants and seedlings out to enjoy the weather, now have to put them all back!!
The only other job I had to do was clear all the Hedgehog droppings from the lawns before my friends arrived. They're certainly very active now, it's the males that emerge first, so they're probably busy getting themselves into shape in readiness for the females.

 

My mate has been busy carving and painting some wooden fence panels for his up and coming wedding. What he has done is something else, I was well impressed by his workmanship.

 

That's amazing @gks

 

They are very artistic and I love the colours. Well done "mate".