What are we doing in the garden 2024

It works great for me (Indian sandstone on a north facing patio). But it takes time achieve the full effect, like 6+ weeks; it’s not an instantaneous clean but ultimately quite effective.

 

I have weeded round the outside of the fence. Then I hoed the beds in the front garden and planted two hellebores, aa clematis and a bergenia.
The clematis is a spare bit that I dug up to stop it smothering a rose. i have planted it in shade to grow through a privet hedge, so not sure how that will go! But it's very vigorous - I thought I'd lost it last year when I had a new fence but it's still there and producing loads of shoots from underground.

 

Thanks for that info @Athelas , I'm not known for my patience but I'll try very hard!!

 

Weeding, dead heading hellebores and Arum creticum, enjoying the sunshine and listening to the birds.

 

What are we doing in the garden? After doing some much needed weeding, I'm sat OUTSIDE in the SUNSHINE!!
Bit breezy mind.

 

My favourite thing to do in the garden @NigelJ and @Mrs. B. is to sit, listening to the birds and enjoying what sunshine we have.. with a cup of tea.
I bought a tray of Little Gem lettuce plugs, which I have planted to grow on whilst waiting for my seedlings to grow. I just hope the slugs and snails don't find them.

 

My favourite too @pattie . I really miss it in winter.

 

It looks like we may have a rodent problem in one of our Dalek compost bins, I took the lid off
to have a look-see and found what was either a mouse (hopefully) or a baby rat (eek) looking back at me. I did find rather a large dead rat nearby the other day (which I knew I hadn't poisoned) so the chances are it's a rat nest. Any ideas what I should do please? I do have some rat poison but unsure if I should put some down inside a compost bin - would it contaminate the compost? I don't mind mice so much although the compost bins are rather near the veg beds!

 

They might leave now you've disturbed the compost. You could try faffing with it regularly - poke a stick around in it or something?

 

Planted up my Norfolk Herbs haul, hoping these ones will survive. I don't have a GREAT track records with herbs... (r.i.p. countless thymes, oreganos and mints)
But the plants looked very healthy, so hopefully they'll be sturdy enough to withstand my eager affections.

I also direct-sowed a large pot with dill, marigold and tagetes. Hoping the slugs will show mercy and we're done with frosts

Potted up the final 2 dahlias, too! Desperately need more space for tender plants this time of year.

 

Careful not to get attacked. They can get very, very vicious when cornered.

 

It's a dalek, they'll run out of its bottom.
Wood mice do look like baby rats though, I hope you have them rather than rats.

 

You now need to secure the composter with a metal mesh from underneath. I had them digging tunnels and getting it. I emptied composter, added mesh in the bottom and sides (from inside) and returned compost back. Now when I emptied it completely, I lifted it, laid metal mesh, and then mounted composter on the mesh. No more entry from the underneath.

 

Here it is: Rat proofing composter

 

Haven't done any gardening the last few days but there has been progress. The geum I was worried about is now holding its own and flowering which is an enormous relief. So far, both scabiosa varieties have geminated as have both phlox, the ipomoea. the limonium and stocks. Just waiting now on the snapdragons, nicotiana, and ammi. Fingers crossed it won't be too long until they start peeking out.

@fairygirl I'd had them in to soak for about 36 hours and much to my surprise some of them had geminated. Happy days!