What jobs are we doing in the Garden today 2015

The only House in the neighborhood that has constant power surges.

 

We banned smoking in our house when we moved here 43 years ago Lost all our friends I also banned smoking at work, for staff and customers, in 1983. It saved approx. £3,000 a year in redecorating costs

We managed to get a lot done in the garden over the last few days. Mrs Shiney has cleared up Potty Corner (cut back, stored etc.) and I pressure hosed the area.





I also did another 500 sq. ft of pressure hosing (Ooh my back! ), edged some more lawns, made a new cover for the 5ft x 3ft propagator, we pruned some of the apple and pear trees, cut back some more shrubs and are generally starting to put the garden to bed.

Sarafi approved of the refurbished propagator as it's nice and warm in there with the new cover. It's just made of wire hoops and plastic sheeting and he's able to creep in under the edge. He's always very careful of the plants.

 

I had a wander down to the Wildlife pond and found a bank of Flag Iris had folded over into the water. So I found a large thick cane and stuck it into the bank. I had just enough twine to slip around the Iris and tie them back upright against the cane so that they were clear of the water.
After looking at my "Madame Lemoine" Lilac I decided to prune it back further as it was hanging over the lawn and would also, next year, shade the newly moved Hydrangeas. That led to me pruning back the Spirea Arguta to give me a bit more open border space. I made a large mug of tea and then wandered in the borders, wearing gloves, and pulled out one or three Nettles that were hiding. Wandering in the borders always leads me to thinking about moving this or that to plant into a better position and I think it's time to move the Acanthus spinosus which is in the centre of the "walk around" border and replace it with the Rose "Oranges and Lemons" which has been struggling to compete with a mixture of Kniphofia, Saponaria, Iris, Mallow, and Peonies, I think it'll do much better in the centre of the border so long as I keep the surrounding area open. I keep looking at my Acer Brilliantissimum knowing I will have to prune off the lower level of branches to lessen the shade in the underlying border and also to let me sit on my stone bench which is now covered by low branches.........but I'll hold my hand until the middle of November.