What are we doing in the garden 2025

Bright sunny day, but cold wind. So decided to do jobs in the sunshine. Cleaned the moss off the garage roof, both sides and cleared gutters. Swept up and then hoed through the gravel between myself and neighbour; swep up again. Trimmed off some dead bits and lower shoots on a couple of firs.

 

Spent time on the "seed tray shuffle" in the greenhouse. Throwing out pots where contents have failed, tidying up the organisation of others in order to JUST squeeze in the next trays. Spring is the trickiest time in the greenhouse!

 

Just cut down a Photinia 'Red Robin' that we planted when we first moved here. It's grown to 12 foot high by the boundary so I've taken down the tallest limbs (one was 10 foot long). I'm hoping that it'll now sprout nearer the bottom so that we can again enjoy that lovely red colour.

 

I have been diligently protecting my osteospermums from even a hint of frost since Nov, carting them to and from the garage if the forecast has been below 3 degrees. Even forked out for a trolley in the Homebase closing-down sale to assist with this. All has been well till now. Nearly the end of the cold weather and the largest one has taken on a distinctly wilted look! One yr, I lost a couple due to an unexpected frost in mid-April, which I was not pleased about.

 

Digging.

After digging out the future gravel path, I was left with heaps of soil that now needs to go against the fence so that I can trace out the future pond and start to... wait... digging it

About 30 bucketfuls have been loaded, carried and emptied. I'm a hero. I'm also just a tad tired and sore and stiff .

Sowed the Tomatoes during our weekly family Skype with the help of The Child (not sure if she got the sarcastic tone when I complemented how well she lifts a spoonful of seed compost...) and for a good measure, half filled some fruit trays and sowed various free lettuce seeds, cornflower and nigella to go into the cold greenhouse and porch.

As my new garden is literally an empty rectangle all blooms are welcome.

 

Today I reduced another Griselinia by a foot in height to make it easier to trim without falling off a ladder . I then decided to reduce the height of a bamboo, a Fargesia, that was getting untidy. During the process I realised that it was shading a Camellia which has been making its presence known at nearly six foot tall now, with its first flowers this year, a rather attractive white. When it was smaller I thought it was an offshoot from my neighbour’s laurel hedge on the other side of the fence but was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t. I didn’t plant it and am not sure how it got there, possibly revived rootstock.

To reward the Camellia for its determination, the Fargesia was then removed. It had been planted in the wrong place anyway, before I knew better, and always looked a bit thirsty and lax. Digging it up wasn’t as bad as I anticipated, a plus for a clumping bamboo! I then divided a small Phormium Cream Delight, and put one of the halves where the bamboo had been, leaving the Camellia to enjoy some new morning sun and make more progress.

I finished off by raking a few patches of moss from the lawn, much easier now that it’s a bit drier. I always seem to do more in the garden when bin collection day approaches .

 

I put the mower over the grass, it has grown so little, barely got a quarter of the catch box full. Ironically though the North facing front garden is much smaller, the grass grows there more than the back. I think it's too cold and (dare I say) dry for the grass to grow that much yet, but certain clumps gow more than others, so it looks better now.

 

Bought 3 more Alpines at the garden centre, only £2.50 each and the Bees showed me which ones to pick . I was going to put them into the old car tyre I've painted, but can't decide whether to or not. Could put Mint in it or maybe a summer annual . Carried the tyre around the garden trying to decide where to put it. Will decide tomorrow. Put 1st coat of paint on outside of garden gate ( going to need 3 and the fence panels probably, 3 too ) and 2 coats masonry paint on last section of wall. Screwed loads of screws into fence panels to attach wire or string to for creating climbing frames for climbing plants. Put 2nd coat of masonry paint on outhouse.

 

I potted on some dahlia seedlings that have been doing well on the kitchen windowsill. Managed to get the little pots into another tray with a lid that just fits nicely on the sill so they will continue their growth on there for a little while longer.
Planted out a new Bergenia after taking out some old root tubers which have suddenly perished this last winter and planted out two new clematis. Fingers crossed now that we don’t have any frost soon. It’s been an odd day weather wise, some sunny periods with odd sudden showers.
Did notice that the newly mown grass has started growing again and looks to be in need of another mow soon.

 

Did a bit of weeding.

 

It's just been too cold to be in the garden. But I have been watching the magpies pulling the moss out of the lawn. That's so good of them. There must be something tasty underneath. I then go around collecting the moss up.

 

Excellent idea. I did a tiny bit myself - it's so much easier removing dandelions now versus when they are bigger and have that really deep root.

 

I quite like dandelions! Pretty flowers in a long succession, fabulously fluffy seed heads. I swear if they were tricky to grow we would all be hankering after them.

 

I wish I did too @ViewAhead But, while I like the seed heads and find the flowers OK, for most of the season they don't have those and I find the foliage and shape really ugly. I hate the little buggers I really like clover because that one has beautiful soft foliage. I also think chickweed is rather cute, but I do remove that one because it spreads a lot. Very easy to remove, unlike dandelions.

 

I’ve just been to open the greenhouse door and my, is it cold. However, I am delighted to say that some more of the weeny tiny seeds I showed last month, have started to germinate. They are fascinating as they are smaller than a pin head, tiny wee things. Sunflower seeds are romping away and freesia in full bud on multiple stems.( one of my favourite flowers).
I returned to the house to sound of a radio blaring from next door who have builders/roofers in to repair some ridge tiles. Why do they always have to their radios so loud? They must be deaf.