WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2022

Just checked my phone and no, it doesn't appear on it. I tend not the use the phone much, apart from being away from the house as I feel it puts a strain on the eyes.

 

I cleared the weeds out of the plastic Blow-a Way house that had Tomato Blight last year and put them in a Black sack. Sprayed the inside with Jeyes Fluid.

Some of my young Tomato plants are flopping in the heat, so they have been moved into the shade.

As I type this it's coming over cloudy

 

Rain was forecast this afternoon so earlier I did some planting - sweet peas, salvia and cerinthe. I moved around some verbena bonariensis and crocosmia to make room, then direct sowed some red sunflowers, nigella, godetia and campanula.

Managed to finish it all in time before the heavens opened and I could get back indoors to enjoy the Nadal/Alcaraz match.

 

My Berberis darwinii arrived so I planted that in the hole I prepared yesterday. I also spent some time washing plants! Yes, you read that right. The birds have covered a half dozen plants with mud from foraging about under the bird table and though still alive, they were never going to flourish. I have stopped feeding the birds at least until my border recovers, but probably until the onset of the cold weather again.

 

I've always used my phone and I've been ok with it, but when I had the cataracts I was struggling a lot.

 

My wife had me washing the leaves of the rhubarb and move the plant because birds were pooping on it, can't understand personally she has custard on it anyway.

 

Did some more weeding and helped hubby cut the grass in the front garden.

 

Yesterday I couldn't do much on the balcony but I did get out the 2 big pots full of Dahlias from the last 2 or 3 years. I didn't bother to empty out the pots to see if the tubers had survived another winter. They survived the 2 previous ones with no harm so I might discover a shoot or two in a few days time!

Today I repotted 2 Geraniums I'd grown from overwintered cutting & a Fuchsia, ditto! I watered practically all the pots & troughs & hanging baskets which took me the better part of an hour or perhaps a little more!

 

Dead headed hellebores, weeded. Moved cucurbit seedlings to greenhouse from heated mat, covered to protect from sun. Pricked out seedlings, watered in greenhouse and moved plants out of greenhouse to free up some space.

 

I emptied a neglected concrete trough on the Dining Patio of a self-seeded Lantana and Jasminum beesianum the roots of which an ex-member Mel (an Olympic rower) gave me years ago. It has never done well in the full sun position. In their place I put three cuttings of Pelargonium "Appleblossom Rosebud" I took off my one I've had for years. The double red Trailing Geranium has been there for years so I tidied it up and left it to fill out.

T'other Half replanted the Lantana with his other two and a good root of the Jasmine in a shadier part of the garden. That is us done in the garden today as it was already 22c when we were out there.

 

Added another Eupatorium cannabinum and a Veronicastrum virginicum 'Album' to the back of my border the day before yesterday, which means the back row of the border is now complete, at least for this year! The eupatorium is still looking a tad ropey, probably due to the fact that it was a little taller when transplanted, but it should soon recover. Now I just need to complete the middle and front of the border and quite a bit of it is already done. I'm giving myself until June and then I'm not doing anything further to it as my fitness/weight loss need prioritising. Another job that needs doing next week but will only take a morning is finishing the edging around my Acer 'Garnet' and underplanting it with Viola odorata, but my edger's buggered so I've just ordered another much better one from Burgon & Ball.

Nick

 

Sowed my climbing french beans in the root trainers. Eight varieties, what a nutter!

 

Sorted out my cold frame relegating some stuff to the old plastic frame which is a pig for me to reach. I am expecting another 72 plug perennials at the beginning of the week so I need to make space.

 

I have no idea where we will plant them. It looked like I was losing most of the first 72 I ordered so I thought I would have another go. However, most of the first batch recovered and were planted out. I think I will have to plant perennials, like you plant Alysum and Lobelia, to get them all in!