What are we doing in the garden 2024

The day started grey and drizzly but has improved somewhat now. So far I've potted on some sunflowers, pricked out the last lot of cosmos, tidied up the "potting shed", and risked planting out a few ammi Green Mist, Poached Egg plants and limonium bonduelii in among the roses....they should be hardy enough but the experiment is whether the slugs/snails will leave them alone....I have plenty of spares!
Still itching to cut back the narcissi leaves....and the alliums are beginning to look very scruffy even before they flower!
Oh, and there's early signs of new growth on at least two of the monardas I was going to junk last week!

 

Raining here. Have washed a few pots while sheltering in the garage, but that's probably it for today.

*reaches for latest library tome - Four Chancellors and a Funeral by Russell Jones *

 

We had an enjoyable cup of tea sat in the sun and watching our nesting Great Tits excitedly bouncing around the box knot garden. Less enjoyable was finding a box moth caterpillar on the knot when I investigated a little while later. I’m hoping though that our nesting family will keep them in check as I only found 1

 

Trimmed back the pampas grass. It "flowers" in the winter, but the wind snaps off the grassy stalks. Trimmed it back at the bottom too so I can mow the lawn without lacerating the mower. Even with gloves on it's so easy to get lacerations on the wrists. Getting the stuff in the green bin is an awful job too. Glad that's done - not sure I even like it.

 

Yes - I knew you were at some altitude @ButtercupDays , but it's one of those things - I'm never sure what sort of height I'm seeing wheatears at! They're quite common up here on hills, but I know I don't see them at any great height - ie over 2,000 feet or so. I can't even remember where I was the other day when I saw that one, but I know I wasn't that far from where the car was, and you're at a reasonable start height with that wee hill - around 750 feet or so.
It's the same with the meadow pipits - they're so plentiful, and it's just lovely to see them, but I'm not really thinking about the height I'm seeing them at.
I managed a photo of a ring ouzel last year when I was on one of my favourite hills ,Stuchd an Lochain, up in Glen Lyon. He sat very nicely while I did a small video too. Near the summit, so just over 3,000 feet. They're present at even greater height in the Cairngorms too.

I see they've charged two people re the Sycamore Gap tree.

 

I took the winter protection down from the BoP and protea today.
Always nice to get that down for the summer.

 

Just a quick post for now, "what are we doing in the garden" has taken an odd turn for me in the last 10 months. I volunteered to do a bit of DIY in our local community garden and 10 months on here I am as garden manager (unpaid) the bulk of things are a bit daunting at times but onwards and upwards as the saying goes

 

That's a lot smarter than the community garden that is around here.

 

Just got in from a slug hunt in the garden. They were decimating the violas! Hopefully tonight’s work will slow their attacks down a bit!

 

Last night was the first night I was able to sleep through. As announced on Monday morning, I was half past 5 in the garden, and had finished at 12 o'clock, walked 3.3 miles in my 10x8 meter garden. I had two nights not slept well because my legs had muscle cramps. It was my first full gardening day since my accident in September.
I had taken out all plants that cause trouble in the future and/or expanded in size dramatically.

• Ox-eye daisies (I had grown them from seeds, far too many, and had moved some already in April to the north side fence)
• Yarrow plants because they have a habit of having deep roots and spreading
• a Hollyhocks that I had bought last year at Buscot Park,which was in the right place, but leaning in a 45 degrees angle because of the heavy winds that bounce back since our neighbour erected the new fencing and leaves all higher plants in a 45 degree angle,
• the Rudbeckia, what a relief. When I bought 3 years ago 2 little pots of Rudbeckia, I had the following year two huge plants quadrupled in size which were merged into each other. I gave half of it to a neighbour but what was left, doubled in size inside one year. If I hadn't taken it out, I would be constantly busy with reducing its size every winter and I don't want this any more.
• An Euphorbia that never grew since it was broken in half by a storm,
• Hot Poker, which also quadrupled is size,
• Catmint on one side of the entrance which was maltreated by all cats and damaged the Pulsatilla next to it because the cats sat on it, and finally,
  
• a French Lavender by the greenhouse that I had bought last year, but which never grew properly and when I took it out, I saw it never created roots but stayed in pot size.

I started planting at half past 7.

• I planted a Spiraea Snowmound where the Lavender and Holyhock used to be in front of the greenhouse hoping it gives also a wind protection. Let's see how it works out, of course, I didn't check with the internet what the shrub looks like and that it requires annual pruning, I may replace it.
• Continuing the theme from my old bed, I planted a Deutzia and dotted the Hardy Geraniums and a lovely looking Geum 'Totally Tangerine' around it where the Euphorbia in the middle along the middle path used to be.
• Filled the space in front of the bench and by the entrance,
• and finally, I planted some of the annuals that I had grown and had survived.

I had finished at 10 and it took me 2 hours to clean the greenhouse but I'm now really happy how everything turned out. I had a good moment with the planting, and the results will be seen later on.



The now good looking entrance.


Where the Euphobia and a row of lavender used to be. I had taken out the lavender in March because they 4 out of 5 had died.
The Deutzia will have a size of 1.5x1.5m and is surrounded by Geraniums. The Cornflower behind will be moved after the flowering has finished in Autumn time more backwards and the gap filled with Geraniums and Astrantia later on.



The view from the bench.

 

@simone_in_wiltshire, Spirea Snowmound is a very easy-going plant. You don't really need to prune much. After about 3 yrs, just take out a couple of the oldest, woodiest stems and do the same in each subsequent yr. Ten minutes work max!

 

I'm now in OH's cottage in Norfolk. The garden is looking quite good and lush, about 2 or 3 weeks behind my garden in Dordogne. There are sycamore seedlings everywhere, I've starting pulling them up. I don't want this village cottage garden turning into a forest!

I have lost a hardy fuchsia, 2 others are fine. Also lost a couple of perennials but the salvias are growing. Slugs have been eating some of the clematis especially my new Betty Corning that I bought at the Hampton Court Flower Show last year.

 

@ViewAhead Many thanks for your encouraging words. When I saw the untidy look of hanging branches with white flowers, looking like a sheep that needs shearing, I was wondering if I can prune it more to my taste.

 

I replenished the bird feeder. Potted up my new Green Globe artichoke off set and watered seedlings in the conservatory. I checked the greenhouse to see if my weedkiller treatment was kicking in, which it is. So satisfying to see the bramble wilting.
It was really hot in the sun.