What are we doing in the garden 2024

I have been collecting busy lizzie seeds. I don't normally find suitable seed pods, but the salmon colour plants are pull of plump pods. Just manage to remove the pods before they explode. It will be interesting to see what colour they turn out next year.

Last year I collected calibrachoa seeds and carefully bagged up the separate colours. They all turned out red, so I won't bother this year.

 

Just finished and placed outside, a third cold frame. I've been growing loads of Creeping Thyme for a project next year at the back of our little woodland. The cold frame was quite cheap and cheerful, but as with the others, I felt it needed improvement.

I added picture framer's 'V' nails to the corners of each joint to strengthen them, painted it inside and out with three coats of a 70/30 mix of shed paint and waterproof PVA glue, then sealed the glazing to frame joints with silicone, to stop water penetration into the frame.

 

Not doing much today in the garden just deadheaded the trailing geraniums in the baskets, cleared some of the moss on the driveway.

 

After the cold frame was partially filled this morning, I gave the railway Conifer a hair cut ( during and after below ). It's still looking a bit patchy, but the considering how it looked a year and a half ago, I've rescued it fairly well.



This is the conifer in April 2023. We cut down another fairly bald conifer from in front of it, leaving us with this gaping wound that had never seen sunlight. Branches from both sides were pulled around across the void, tied off with nylon string and left to grow. From the pictures above, you can see that it made a pretty good recovery.



While I had all the choppy-trimmy tools out, I also tidied up the Laurel across the bottom of the garden.

 

I have nothing to do apart from observing slugs living their best life ever in the compost and the remaining tomatoes.
When I enter the garden in the early morning, I have to watch out not to step onto a slug. There are so many, no wonder that my little hedgehog got so big, he no longer fits through the door of his house and had to look for a new apartment.

 

Done absolutely nothing out there for two whole days due to the incessant rain. Fed up with it. I have stuff I could be getting on with indoors, but it's boring compared to tending plants.

 

Sat in the lovely sunshine reading knowing we don't often get this, especially when others are having rain - smug!

 

Summer returned here today, it’s been too hot for working in the garden . In a shady spot I finished painting my wooden garden furniture. Not sure about the choice of colour yet, I thought I’d be bold and try yellow for some cheer over winter. It’s definitely yellow . We’ll see if it makes a difference when the short dark days are here .

 

I just to use an orange and this was my sunshine in the darkest and greyest time. A nice warm yellow could have the same effect.

 

I've been digging over the area where I've taken trees down. Extracted as much root material as possible, and the ground is now soft enough to be ready for bare root canes later in the season.

One benefit today, was the joy of a pair of robins, dropping in for a snack. Their twittering made the work a real pleasure.

 

I planted my 3 new salvias Royal Bumble and a philadelphus Virginal yesterday. Today was too wet to do anything in the garden. I got soaked just showing my friend my garden and picking some curly kale for her.

 

Re your robins @DiggersJo - I had two youngsters earlier this year who were obviously wanting to claim the garden for their own. There had only been one coming in for food at a time after that, so I assumed they'd sorted it out, but yesterday, there was 2 again, having a rammy, so one of them clearly hasn't given up trying!
I got my birdcage finished yesterday, as it was very sunny later on, and put up where the smaller one was, and that will get a little renovation to the roof, and put back where the other one was. All cosmetic for that one, but it gets it nicely sorted for the coming winter. I still need a few more small branches to attach onto the roof of the first one, as I like a rustic look, but that's easy to do as I go along. I'm also sorting the small front gate, and did some concreting there where I'd had a couple of slabs between it and the grass. I've used them elsewhere. The gate was made over a decade ago, using some timber I'd scavenged, and some of it was a bit dodgy, so I needed to move the hinges and square it all up a bit. I think I'll repaint it before I put it back on though, and it's looking decent enough later today for doing that.
Plant wise, nothing much done other than deadheading, but I have a little area in the front garden that needs sorting and replanting, and I'm considering moving one or two shrubs I have in there, so I might try and get the tidying done for that.

 

Thank you @AuntyRach and @fairygirl for your detailed replies, I will give it a go.
@fairygirl, I believe you deserve a well earned rest as I have noticed you are always on the go however something tells me you wouldn't have it any other way, idle hands and all that!

 

I'm sitting doing bog all just now @Meomye, apart from drinking tea and looking in here!
I do a bit of sitting in the evenings [before I have my nap for a few hours on the settee!] but no, I'm not good at doing nothing through the day if I'm at home. I walk every day round here, apart from when I'm on a hill, and then do something outside if possible.
You're right - I wouldn't really have it any other way. Since retiring, I had to make my garden less low maintenance, as I hadn't realised just how low maintenance it was. When you're working full time and have a home to run etc, the garden has to take it's turn in the list of importance.

I've seen the damage being sedentary can cause, and have always been active, and I suppose it'll stand me in good stead...if my aching body can manage it! I'm lucky that I've been pretty healthy and able to do things I enjoy though. Many aren't that fortunate.

 

@fairygirl, I am aware you 'love a good walk' especially around Scotland, I have enjoyed many of your photos that you have posted. I am a huge Scotland fan, having not long returned from the Glencoe area (stunning) and enjoy the occasional stroll but nothing as ambitious as you. Like you my knees won't allow it!