What are we doing in the garden 2024

I spent the day weeding and tidying up an area planted last year. Most of the herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees have come through alright. A different story when it comes to the tuberous, stoloniferous plants put in over 60% of these have disappeared. Planted some half hardy annuals, salvias, Dahlia excelsa and a couple of perennial fox gloves. Rescued a Zingiber that was really struggling, this is now in the greenhouse. The Hedychiums in the same area are all growing away well.
End of last week I picked up Zanthoxphylum laetum which I have been after for a couple of years; the nursery owner mentioned how late his Dahlias were in his main dahlia tunnel.
I've only had one dahlia flower this year so far, although the others are now producing buds.
Interestingly a number of other plants are also lagging, the Amorphophallus in the greenhouse are just leafing up, normally the leaves are full sized by now. Others such as Impatiens tinctoria came through early and are the largest ever; also one of my hydrangeas has flowers much larger than most years.

 

This past spring I sowed some mixed Sempervivum seed, I got good germination and pricked out a half trayful stood outside the greenhouse a few weeks ago the whole lot have been grazed off by molluscs.

 

It's disheartening isn't it @NigelJ ? The slugs have been even worse here this year - I can't remember them ever being so bad. I always have to take precautions, and it's why I grow very few susceptible plants, but it can be very difficult. It's why I gave up on Hostas a long time ago. When I started growing dahlias again a few years ago, after a long gap, I was reminded very quickly of the reason why I'd stopped growing them!
I got most of the shed jobs finished yesterday, so today I hope to sort out the adjacent bed, which has been heavily trampled, and maybe get the Fatsia and honeysuckle replanted. I can empty the rest of the 2nd compost bin and add it to the area. Then I'll see what else can be planted in various areas, and maybe get round to trimming that hedge -at last. Grass needs a wee trim too.
Plenty to keep me busy, but I might have time for a seat and a cuppa and watch all the birds' antics.

 

Finally! I have repotted 2 of my tomato plants into their final pots. They are undersized for this time of year, spindly, whimpish, one has several flowers on it but I do not hold out much in high hopes for a crop.

 

I just hadn't expected sempervivum to be munched, still got the rest of the seedlings.
I also noted yesterday that Amicia zygomeris, normally around 5 ft tall by now, is about a foot tall this year hopefully with the forecast warmer weather it will buck it's ideas up.

 

No - I wouldn't have thought so either @NigelJ . I have quite a few of them, all in pots of grit, and the slugs don't seem to bother with them. Too busy eating everything else though!
Some things are bigger than usual here - I think mainly because it's been so warm over spring, and they've gone a bit daft. The amount of rain through spring/summer is nothing rare here, but the warmth through winter and spring is certainly different.
Something else I may have to consider for future planting. Every day's a school day with a garden.

 

@NigelJ, I have mentioned previously that one of my Semponiums was completely destroyed by baby snails. I think the babies will eat whatever is nearest to where they hatch.

 

I enjoyed cutting some slugs and a giant snail in half when moving pots around in the greenhouse.

 

Sempervivum Aeonium cross sounds as weird as a Mangave, Aeoniums always strike me as a lot more delicate than Sempervivums. Definitely weren't baby snails, it were full size snail now ex.
I have other sempervivums dotted around rockery and stone walls and never had any of these munched, ripped out by blackbirds oh yes.

 

We have a very long privet hedge on the road side of our home. It has been difficult the last few years to cut it with all the problems of shoulders! So we employed a young person who was doing gardening work for others in the village to cut the hedge. Big mistake. Not cut back enough and in 2 weeks the growth was back to what it had been. Cost us a lot of money. Not again. So now we are doing a small bit at a time...bit like the Forth Bridge....but at least we are doing it properly. Pity that the drivers don't respect the need to slow down and not try to run us over on a one car lane.

 

Planted my Syringa 'Bloomerang Dark Purple'. This flowers mainly in late Spring and then intermittently until mid-Autumn, so it should provide some nice colour and fragrance after the winter-flowering shrubs and before the perennials in my Summer border start flowering.



This is how it should look eventually...

syringa bloomerang dark purple - Recherche Google

Nick

 

Love that colour Nick.

 

Thanks Vicky, it'll have my Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile' nearest to it with the slight purple tinge in the center of the flowers so they should complement one another nicely!

 

I’ve not done much despite the good weather today. Shuffled a few pots so the best displays are on the patio step and re-potted a mint so I can have that pot for something else. I’ll give the pots and hydrangeas a water later.