What are we doing in the garden 2024

Cut some more of the old blackberry canes out and tied in the new, started on the Loganberries.

 

I did some watering on the balcony as most of the plants never get any rain on them as they are some distance from the railings.

 

Yesterday it had been raining so today everything is very wet so nothing today in the garden.

 

Despite a day of heavy rain yesterday and intermittent drizzle this morning I have be able to start clearing and preparing another border earlier and just going back outside to complete it. Then I will sow a couple more trays of seeds , check on the Sweet Peas and plant out couple of trailing Begonias.

 

Just leaf removal and dragging to the woods etc. Lots more to do. Lawn areas done. My snow drops are blooming.

 

Hi,

Surely I'm not in Yorkshire; the sun is shining and it's not raining. This morning it was bitterly cold and still cold this afternoon as I've just rotavated the top meadow. Apart from being cold which I ignored once I got rotavating it's been nice to get into the garden.


Rotavating under way.

Top meadow now ready for wildflower seeds. It's hard work fighting the steep slope but gives me an excellent workout.

Rotavating completed and the wheels just being cleared of soil build up. This Howard is 70 years old still doing a good job.

The soil was still rather too wet but the Howard Bulldog restored rotavator has done a decent job; the new tines I made and fitted have now been fully tested; making a better job than the worn out old tines. Next will be to rotavate the middle meadow then both meadows are ready to have the wildflower seeds broadcast. Things are looking up at last.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

As the Tulips are all emerging now in their tubs I thinned them all out and and got rid of half the compost and added fresh. The new baby bulbs I repotted to mature this year in readiness to produce blooms next year....

It has got quite cold out here now so after finishing my coffee I'm packing up for the day.

 

Managed a 9-5 today...at last! Probably comes under the heading of 'pottering', but cut out all the fruit tree suckers, weeded, cut back old foliage on tender plants, drowned the latest coypu (3 in 4 days), yanked out countless bramble, briar rose and ivy pests, tidied up the raised bed by the ponds, glyphosated the boundaries, finally got around to taking some photos and pruned a few Lagerstroemias. It's amazing the motivation that a bit of sunshine creates

 

I spent half an hour going the pots of Cyclamen on the balcony railings. I removed lots of dying & dead leaves as well as tiny green caterpillars that stick leaves together. Removing the caterpillars is a job I've already done at least 3 times this winter. Unfortunately 2 plants were in a very sorry state & as I tugged out leaves I pulled off the growing buds as well! In the end I removed all the pots from their rings & put them on the balcony floor.

 

Hi,

Change of plans for today. First place I visited before 7 o,clock this morning was the petrol station to buy petrol for the rotavator; then down to Morrison's and finally round to Aldi before returning home.

I wanted a very early start getting the shopping out of the way; entering Morrison's it was fine but cold; leaving Morrison's it was sleeting; leaving Aldi it was snowing. Yesterday I rotavated the top meadow this morning I wanted to rotavate the middle meadow before the snow arrived this afternoon; the cold at 1.5C I could ignore.

Revised plan is now to do some relaxing baking and enjoy playing my violins.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Nothing today it's been raining all day.

 

Ditto here as well!

 

Hi,

Garden snow covered; roads covered in slush; black hole as I type; it doesn't get much better than this.

Yesterday I baked an apple/banana cake from a video on YouTube; the top of the cake was like rubber; the inside of the cake wet and unbaked; no more banana baking for me.

With the garden out of bounds unless I want to go skiing I think I'll bake a mixed fruit cake today and try to wear my violins out.

Yesterday whilst at Morrison's I bought a box of "Ready Brek" this is recommended by meadowmania to mix with the wildflower seeds to bulk up the seeds ensuring a more even coverage; I'm sure the birds will love porridge with the seeds.

Kind regards, Colin.