WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2023

I done a bit today before the rain, lifted the last of the tender salvias embers wishes and Love & wishes which have both been brilliant been flowering since June non stop . Hacked them back and potted them up in some old compost and brought them in the house I don't want to lose them , I have a spare room where I turn off the radiator.

Quite a few plants have come into the house Ensete - brugmansia - fuchsia coral and other salvias , I am going to try some in the GH as well sheeted over with fleece or bubble rap but Haven't got round to that yet Dahlia need digging up which will hopefully be weekend after a hard frost.

The farmer Gracy sales caught up with me the other day . Then a got enticed by a Garden Illustration subscription £25 for 6 month but it had some little Niwaki Nips and a foldable pruning saw which looked really cute . I don't need either items but it will give me something to read over the winter .

 

Hi,

After many days of rain and the last two days of high wind today is beautiful; the sun is shining the patio is at last dry but in the shade it's perishingly cold with the light breeze; the car was displaying 5.5C.

Having felled and logged the tree yesterday I've now run the full load of brash to the tip and carted the logs down to the driveway; I need to phone our neighbour with the woodburner to let her know there's a load of logs for her to collect. Once again the garden is clear of debris until I resume pulling ivy out but I think one more trip to the tip will be the last for a while. It's so cold up the garden I'll leave the tree stump until the weather warms up a bit; 10C or above will be fine for me; I'm getting soft.

The rotavator engine head gasket has arrived so I can resume work on the restoration; it's all coming together at last; I need a short rest from all the heavy work I'm feeling tired; it's been a grueling morning.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

I cannot offer you anything like these wonderful photo’s seen in your gardens changing colour during the winter months. It makes me sad in a way that I haven’t got anything like it in my very small garden- but at the same time it brings me joy when I view them in the comfort of my home so “THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT”

I haven’t been able to do very much as legs are not very trust worthy at the moment …. but I have managed to move my succulents “with the help of my son” into my cold frame.
If you remember I talked about having one built a few months ago for my tomatoes next year “I sent a rough sketch of one which must have caused many of you to roll your eyes”

Nevertheless the cold frame is now in place on the patio at the side of the patio doors, backing onto a high wall with a holly bush at the other side. The back of the cold frame is treated wood / both sides and top are clear 3mm acrylic sheeting and the front has a see-through heavy duty tarpaulin which hangs down to the floor - this is held in place with several screw- hooks on either side of the frame which can be then attached to the tarpaulin to secure making the inside nice and snug during the winter. (which is ideal for me as I can easily roll the tarp back onto the top of the roof when checking on the tomatoes next year)
A neighbour asked where had I purchase the cold frame, so with a straight face added “it’s bespoke" and was built by ourselves (non-DIY people)
(in fact it was my hubby and I was the forewomen or should I say onlooker

The pots have been raised up of the ground to enable air to circulate around them and I have wrapped my succulents in a double layer of garden fleece. At the moment the fleece is being used as an overcoat to still benefit the occasional rays of sun we are still having. Succulents seem to be very happy as they have gained in height and looking healthy.

Using a cold frame for over-wintering is new for me, but what I do know is that the cold frame is in the best sheltered position, away from winds and heavy rain and if necessary; I can cover the frame lightly in a damp course membrane hubby had left over in the shed for the very cold nights ahead of us.
“I’m thinking they may be just as warm as me in my thick Oodie” - even warmer still if I put straw on the ground.

 

@Grandma Sue perhaps also some polystyrene to stand on + the straw might be beneficial too.Looks very good though ..clever hubby and not forgetting the encouraging onlooker too

 

Moved all the tender plants into the greenhouse , still needs a bit more organising but for now at least they're snuggled up undercover.

 

Hi,

Well done @Grandma Sue; you're an inspiration.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Thank you Upsydaisy for mentioning putting something over the concrete, it should of become obvious thing to do with me mentioning the damp cause membrane for over the top of the cold frame. I'm glad to say hubby attended to it this afternoon, while I added a single layer of fleece to cover the tops of the plants as it is bitterly cold here tonight!

 

Actually the ground is a "heat" source on cold frosty nights..

 

Thank you Colin, I still have plenty to learn

 

Hi,

You're most welcome @Grandma Sue. I too still have plenty to learn but unfortunately I easily make the same mistake a number of times; I can put this down to a senior moment these days.



The heavy rain and high wind have now given way to frost; just what I don't want now I've placed a big order with J Parker's. I'll give the garden a rest today; instead I'll put the heating on in the studio and enjoy a violin practice also later I'll resume work on the rotavator restoration.

Hopefully we'll get days with a temperature at or over 10C then I'll clear the area of ivy runners and roots getting it ready to receive new plants. What I really want to do is rotavate the meadows so I'm keen to get the rotavator running.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

I panic dug up all my dahlias yesterday, washed them and put them in my cellar to hibernate! I also wrapped my verbenas in well from my workshop. I'm hoping that this will help them through the winter. I lost them all last year.

 

Spread the rest of the compost from my main bay. Still have a full dalek of half decomposed stuff that I will use on the greenhouse beds in April probably. Turned my other compost pile, was pretty warm and fruity smelling in the centre, no wonder some rats had made a home there.

 

Hi,

That looks excellent @shiney; very well done to Mrs Shiney.

With only 5C forecast for today I spent the morning indoors even enjoying a violin practice for a change. After dinner I was fully charged and it had turned into a beautiful sunny but cold afternoon. Not wanting to waste this afternoon I headed up the garden with the trolley jack then came back down for the tools; it seemed like a good time to tackle the stump from the tree I felled on Wednesday. Our friend collected the logs this morning so only the stump and roots now remain but not for much longer.


I've had the trolley jack under and this part is now free but the back still needs releasing from its roots. It's bigger than I thought.

3:30 and the sun was sinking fast making it too dark to carry on for safety so I've quit for today; tomorrow should see the stump out then just the roots to get out; it's fun living here. I hadn't noticed the cold whilst working but locking the hut I couldn't feel my fingers. I hope this is the last big stump I'll ever take out.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Not much done in the garden today, but I emptied the kitchen compost into the compost bays, hubby took a trug-ful of leaves down to the leaf-clamp, then gathered another trugful from on top of one of the acer’s branches, also for the clamp. He picked the last of the yellow pear toms, and removed the plants from the pots for the compost bay (with me running after him to rescue the self-sown verbena boriensis, which I transplanted into the drive bed.
Meanwhile I pressure-washed the patio, so the bluestone paving looked blue, rather than slimey grey-green. We then picked the medlars, and set them ready to blet in the garage.