What are we doing in the garden 2024

I've been redoing my barrel pond and it's been niggling me that the water is a lot more cloudy than when I made my first one. It gets to about 9pm and I'm potting up the last of the baskets when it occurs to me that I should have put the plants in first, not the water. Worse still, I forgot to line the baskets with Hessian I don't think there's much I can do other than hope everything settles. It's due to rain more or less all next week so starting over isn't going to be an option.

 

It'll be fine @Februarysgirl . When you have to lift and split established pond plants, it's always messy, but it all settles after a while. Putiing new ones into a renovated pond of any kind is basically the same process.
I wouldn't worry about the hessian either.
I haven't done much at all out there in the last couple of days as we've been sorting younger daughter's new flat. After putting young or half hardy plants outside, removing another gazillion slugs, having a walk and getting a shower etc, it's a case of putting stuff in the car and heading over there. Grass needs cutting, but it'll have to be done wet - like @shiney , but that's not unusual here. Too knacked to do it yesterday after we got home.
Maybe tomorrow I'll get time to prick out some seedlings and pot on a couple of things....

 

After a short break in Cornwall (where we visited the Eden Project and Pinetum gardens, and had a look in the Duchy of Cornwall nursery as it was close to where we were staying.....pricey but interesting....) returned to find all but the two newest roses in bloom and lots of new growth in the borders. Had a deadheading binge, replaced two pots of tulips with dahlias grown from seed (much more successful this year than last), planted out a couple of seed-grown white osteospermums, hoiked out a couple of self-seeded geranium pyrenaicum Summer Snow that had sprawled everywhere (but left an enormous Bill Wallis that is OK for now but may need a good chop at some point), and have started the hardening-off process for my cosmos and zinnias, which are still too small to plant out in the face of a slug invasion but can sit on the shelf at the side of the house when hardened.
I think I will have to call Time on the two heliopsis that are showing no sign of growth (the third is up but fighting a battle with the slugs), and replace with maybe some of the dahlias or zinnias, and there are quite a few sunflowers to dot round the borders when they're a bit bigger (most are about a foot high now but I'm scared to plant them out!). No sign of last year's rudbeckia Prairie Glow, that's the second year they haven't come back, and I had no success trying to grow them from seed, so either I give up on them or just treat them like annuals, as I do love the effect they give! And I'm coming to the conclusion that monardas don't like my garden....only one out of the five is growing well, I've lifted and potted two, left one in the ground as it was showing signs of growth, and chucked the other one. Might have to grow the two new bare-root ones from Farmer Gracy in pots...... I have some lovely actaeas from the same supplier growing nicely in pots though, should be able to plant them out soon, along with one of the astrantias...the other needs more coddling....

 

Some of the cosmos has been eaten, even with the eggshells, picked up tonnes of slugs and put them down the drain in the road gutter.

 

Not sure if I will get much done today. Yesterday we spent a happy morning in the gardens at David Austin’s. Sister and I were given one of their gift boxes as a Christmas present from SIL and each box has a voucher for a rose. They must do very well out of those gift boxes as Sis bought three (I did warn her it’s a dangerous place to visit) and I’m still umming and ahhing over two. One job today will be working out just where the second might go..if I can dodge the rain showers.

 

Only managed to plant out some more strawberry plants in the polytunnel. Nothing outside as weather so bad.

 

Yesterday’s sunshine enabled me to help OH with the new shed. In between lifts and holds I managed to sow three half rows of different carrots, some beetroots, planted out some more parsley and toms all in the new raised beds. Lettuce plumping up and beans just starting the upward curl around poles. Painted shed door, two coats, in the afternoon and OH hung it later. Of course it rained in the evening, so a just-in-time job. Now have to persuade him to put up shelving. Today spent the morning at The Manor House Beaminster, (ngs open garden), picked up a centaurea “Jordy”, I think. Dark purple anyway. The Manor has some lovely purple and white themed small garden areas. Open again 15th June for the roses. Inevitably started to pour with rain as we got home. Went quickly to admire my new clematis sieboldii, just about to bloom Oh dear. Clematis wilt! Removed two six foot stems . New growth at base looks OK for mo. Off to sow some wall flowers. Undercover, in the greenhouse as it’s still pouring.

 

Just had time in between heavy showers to weed a small raised terrace bed. It's a job I can do standing up which is handy when everything is so wet, although I had to don rubber gloves to hoik the weeds out! Every half trug full counts! The hated bindweed and ground elder is absolutely loving the wet weather. As this garden is now a mature garden, I'm noticing more and more of both, along with ivy.

 

Hacked my way into the Westernmost wing of the Rosemary, filling the bin and some vases with the growth. The scent is overpowering but lovely In the past years I have left the cut branches by the gate with a label and explanation that it is good for cooking, rooting and barbeque, but there were never any takers



In my hacking frenzy I also cut back the Lonicera Henryi covering the bird feeder pole, probably much to the disappointment of The Mouse who has recently learnt to climb up to reach the feeder.

We are renting this house so I'm allowed to be charmed, rather than alarmed with a mouse in the wall



Pulled up established Buttercups by the fence (after cutting the flowers to bring indoors, they are lovely and last well in vase, glowing in the evening light) and for once blessed the 9 month deluge we have had. The heavy clay soil is now the consistency of a marshmallow so the Buttercups literally pulled out with full roots- no need for any tools.

Deadheaded the Roses and allowed The Child to cut one flower for her birthday bouquet.

Spent much of the morning watching livestreamed Fledgling show on the lawn. Sparrow chicks must be born teenagers, one sat on the bird feeder and instead of pecking the seeds between it's toes or from the hole, demanded Papa Sparrow to serve the seeds down it's beak. Just how lazy can one get?

Starlings are also out en masse. They are probably my favourite birds, tiny dinosaurs.

 

I went to move a large potted rose (rambler with clusters of small white flowers - unknown) and roots had made it down the drainage hole to the ground! That’s probably why it was looking particularly lush this year! Anyway, I snipped the roots as the whole point was to have in a pot so I can move it (or move with it) and I have cuttings at various stages to replace if needed. I hope it will be ok.

Potted on/up some Cyclamen as I wanted the pot for something else.

Stared at my tomato plants willing them on. They are behind this year and I blame the wet cold April plus the peat free seed compost which I should have mixed with perlite as it is dry on top and wet below - rubbish.

Potted on and resuscitated some bits in MIL’s garden.

 

Did a bit of collecting up dead weed killered grass from a small bed. Uncovered the overgrown iris.
Still recovering from going up and down step ladder, stretching and reaching to clean the roof of the conservatory. Every joint is sore.

 

Saturday shredding, pile reduced by 50%. Sunday greenhouse, putting up strings for tomatoes, examined pots with no growth and and emptied those beyond hope. Sorted out another load of insectiverous plants. Then picked broadbeans. Today back up to greenhouse and plant up dahlias into big pots.