What are we doing in the garden 2025

@Busy-Lizzie i find if i dont sow chillis by the end of January the plants havent got enough time to mature and produce a good harvest. I use a heated propagator and then transfer into unheated propagators in the conservatory on a bright window sill to keep the chitting potatoes company. It seems to work reasonably well. There is a perennial decision as to the best time to sow and our variable seasons in this country create headaches for us all , dry winter >wet summer>wet winter.
Of course you are gardening in France and England- there must be massive differences in timing and what can and cannot be grown in those two locations

 

@Robert Bowen, there are differences of course and now that 2nd OH lives in Norfolk, thanks French inheritance laws and Brexit, it is harder than it was to sow seeds, depends when I'm where. At my old house in France where I lived for over 30 years and had a greenhouse with heated mats and propagators it was much easier and I sowed loads of seeds, but I never started before March. I don't like chillies, but I grew lots of bedding plants for my pots and lots of vegetables from seed. I didn't grow many perennials from seed. I used to buy them in the UK and take them back to France, split them to propagate. That is now forbidden.

 

My past GH some years ago, end of March. The heated mats, electric propagators and more plants were on the staging on the other side. I used temporary shelving on one side as that side would be for tomatoes etc later.

 

Just moved a 3 year-old Clematis montana. Took as big a root-ball as I could, just hope it survives in its new location. Its old location by the back fence was gradually getting obscured by rapidly expanding Thuja trees (necessary for privacy reasons) so I guess I should have given it more thought at planting time. If it survives where it is it will have a 10' tangle of Cotoneaster simonsii to scramble up and hopefully have its flowers facing our patio doors.

 

Be Warned!This is not Costco. It's a fake site

 

Is it??
I thought it seemed a bit cheap and the reference to the Continental UK.
Sorry @ViewAhead I didn't notice.

 

No worries! I hadn’t had time to examine the pros and cons, read reviews, consider maintenance, count the pennies in my bank account, etc, yet. I’m not one to make instant decisions.

 

This afternoon I have trimmed the edges of both lawns which now look a lot smarter. I removed a leggy Euphorbia which hadn’t redeemed itself after being given a second chance and then moved a medium sized grass, Calamagrostis brachytricha, into a better sunny position where its flowers can be appreciated from my lower garden later in the year. I topped up the bark mulch on my main border and cleaned the steps under the Rowan where the birds like to throw soil from the bank nearby . It was cold but at least there was no wind or rain and there was no one else out in their garden so it was quite a pleasant afternoon .

 

I was reading about ‘ skeleton flowers’ earlier. A fascinating plant where the flowers become transparent when wet and turn back to white once more when they dry. Has anyone grown them , looks like they are a Japanese woodland plant.

 

I was reading that too @Robert Bowen. Someone in my gardening club in France was talking about them on Facebook. She had seen them on FB and posted the picture.

 

Ooh, they look sweet. I wonder if slugs think the same?

 

Slow and steady, @shiney. Backs have a habit of “remembering” any movement they don’t approve of for days, in my experience. Really frustrating at this time of yr when a decent slot opens up in the weather schedule and the race is on to get things done.

 

@LunarSea An enthusiastic pruner would be itching to get going on that project. Look forward to some photos when its in full flower