Mr Grinch's Garden

Lovely day today although sharp frost this AM. Pottered. Got rid of the first lot of Marigolds that i sowed in March. Rotted off no life so out they went. The later ones i sowed in a propagator have germinated no issues. Will wait another week then prick them out.
I bought two Verbena bonariensis for the back of the border so these will go in tomorrow. Still waiting on those red Rudbeckia to get going in their pots before planting them out. Two are just showing, the other no life yet.
Still have loads of space left for new plants but do not really want to buy anymore.

G

 

I take it you dont want them Jane ?

Had a mad moment yesterday. There's a part of the border that i haven't really touched since i originally planted in 2006. The Helenium at the back were getting rather tired and not doing well due to it being a relatively dry spot and the goodness in the soil used up, so i decided to dig up the three helenium (or what was struggling on) and re-plant adding my last potted up Helenium from another part of my border. Easy i thought, well an hour later i was still digging the bind weed out. I managed to get a lot out but some is coming through from next door so it will grow back but im hoping that ive kept it at bay for 5 years or so. Will have to watch for bits ive missed and dig them up when they poke through the surface.

The Helenium what were left were pretty small and just holding on so ive added loads of compost and re-planted.

G

 

wow another glorious day. Positively hot in the sun.

Ok, i said i wasn't going to buy more plants and i did today. Three Gaillardia, i love these plants. I also mulched another corner.

Im thinking of moving my baby Taxus from the back to the middle of where its situation. Might be more of a focal point.

Need to mull over it with a cider tonight.

G

 

Yes Armandii, i've done loads of moving this spring and a lot of digging up last autumn. I'm never happy, always tinkering. Thats just me im afraid.
I think i am getting better with my placings, the older i get but its still work in progress.

There's a Weigela im not happy with, a Hosta i fill needs dividing, a Taxus that would look better somewhere else but it takes me ages to decide where and when i move it.

G

 

The problem mulled and moved this morning. The Yew was moved to a more central location and the yellow Helenium divided and moved. Three plants to where the Yew was at the back any the other three divided plants moved to another spot.

Its amazing how much the plants are growing now especially since we have had a bit of rain over the past 24 hours. All of my four small tree's are bursting into leaf which im relieved about as they made the winter. All of the Hornbeam are leafing up, everything is growing.

Tulips. I love them but my garden doesnt. My soil is too heavy. I probably get about a 30% success rate when planting these and this year is no different. A few have come up and they look lovely but i fear pots are the only way forward for them.



Tree's leafing





Look at the Kerria in the background. An amazing flower. I first came across these last year in an old friends garden, indestructible he said but i was taken by the golden star like flowers, so i bought one and planted hoping it would make the wet soil and winter, it did and its flowering. Will be a few years before its a substantial shrub but it handles a good chopping, so easy to deal with.

I have my hired help coming tomorrow to give me a hand in making a start on the play area/kids veg patch. We will be destroying tomorrow, knocking the wall down and cleaning them up. Will also take up a few slabs that arnt level and run a pipe from the play area into the drainage trenches i dug last year.

Had a quote for a new lawn, digging up old, excavating, laying a layer of crushed ceramic, then top soil and new lawn. I was shocked at the cost, but ive seen this crushed ceramic in action on other lawns with drainage issues and its amazing. I dont think im going to convince Mrs G to go for it though.

G

 

Apparently you lay it first over the existing soil (after about half a foot dug out), a few inches think, then top soil on top so the grass actually doesn't have that much of top soil to get its roots into. Enough but not excessive. The drainage is then excellent but also the turf is VERY firm and does not sink because of these crushed ceramics. At a guess i would think it would grow very well but may need a bit of feeding throughout the summer.

G

 

Tell me about it. The quote wasnt cheap BUT if it does the trick and i have a hard but perfectly flat lawn that grows well, doesnt sink or squelch then it maybe worth it. Thats what im telling Mrs G anyway.

G

 

A very hard day yesterday. I thought it would be easy taking this up but it wasnt. Loads of tons sent to the dump aswell. A very tired Grinchy.






G

 

Phew Mr Grunchy. Not all gardening is fun is it? Still very waterlogged isn't it? Is that due to lack of drainage?
Jenny

 

Yes Jenny.

The water had gone by today so my drainage trenches throughout the grass has worked. The problem was that the water couldn't get to those trenches so i will put a pipe from the new bigger play area/veg patch into those trenches. That should siphan the worst off.

G