What are we doing in the garden 2024

Received an email to say my raspberry canes are arriving tomorrow. Hurriedly re-dug where the bare root canes are to go, plus constructed a wigwam for the others.

Cut down many of our Japanese anemones, and spent the afternoon digging out roots. I've got a long way to go!!

I've run out of containers to store the garden waste. Bin doesn't get emptied until Monday, and I've got more than enough to fill it twice over.

I did have the pleasure of the robin swooping down for titbits.

 

Cut back the elder which we do every 3 or 4 years. Amazing how quickly it grows back.
Then into the kitchen and made some sweet potato, aubergine and onion pickle. Will need to do some more tomorrow as still more ready. Have to say the veg aren't ours but very reduced from a supermarket.

 

Just spent a couple of hours in the garden this afternoon, planting some bulbs. 15 cyclamen coum and 28 camassia. Still got another dozen camassia to put in. That should keep the buzzy things happy in the spring!

 

Despite leaving the lawn till late on to mow it was still very wet and it took ages to clean the mower. Then it suddenly went dark.

But I did "enjoy" mowing over the mole tunnels. They did flatten a bit - it was like walking over lumps of foam rubber. The mower was wobbling all over the place. The mole is gradually working its way across the lawn and luckily it hasn't done any proper hills.

Yesterday I bought two bunches of wallflowers at a discount. They were quite bad, but I like a challenge. Only £1 a bunch reduced from £4 I think.



I gave them a good clean up and removed lots of yellow leaves and stood them in water.



They have now perked up fairly well and I have since potted them up in pots as there is no point planting them out if the oak trees are going to dump their leaves on top. They have funny roots - stick out sideways so it's difficult to pot them up. They have now had a Phostrogen feed.

A lot of trouble for 20 plants at 10p each but that's all I could get. But they're OK.

 

That’s a lovely bargain @cactus_girl , I like wallflowers but do think they always look a bit sorry for themselves at this time of year.

 

Removed another two dead shrubs, in this case both buddlejas, like the two dead shrubs removed yesterday they were relatively easy to get out the ground as a lot of the roots were pretty rotten and so a couple of blows from a spade severed most of them. Once removed the stumps were carted down to the stumpery to provide a wildlife habitat as they slowly rot down.

 

Yes @Butterfly6 they do look a bit bedraggled. But come spring they are most welcome and there may not be much else flowering. I haven't had any for some years. To buy them in packs of six in soil was too expensive. And to get them loose is just lucky.

 

Pity about your buddleias @NigelJ . Useful for that wildlife though. Every cloud...
Not sure I'll do much today. Had to take some stuff to daughter that she'd left behind after her visit on Thursday, then collected leaves from the pavement round the corner - much to the interest of the neighbours across the road. Had a nice wee chat with them and they said I could always tidy the ones in their garden for them. Not sure what I'd charge them though
Did some general tidying of spent stems on the Ligularia in the afternoon, potted on some small cuttings I'd taken in summer, and tidied some of the dahlias I've lifted. Hoping they'll dry off well enough to stor properly soon. Not much apart from that, and watching the birds stuff their little faces.
I might try and construct a cage for more leaves today as there's such a plentiful supply just now, and the wind hasn't been strong enough to shift them all away. It's just a question of finding a space for it that isn't on full view. They aren't the most attractive things in the world.

 

I agree @cactus_girl . Mine are looking very similar to yours but I am reassuring OH that they will be worth it come Spring

 

@RowlandsCastle i am delighted to have my front garden territorialised by one pair of robins and the back is patrolled by another pair. Whenever i am in the veg plot i am conscious of being watched and if i break the soil surface they cant wait for me to clear off and investigate , usually perched on the corner post of the plot , and much closer if i am not getting on as quickly as they want. Wrens and tits are particularly busy investigating the borders at the moment , every stem seems to be being checked and analysed . Despite the constant leaf fall the trees close by are packed with leaves and when we finally do get some frost there will be a cascade . The garden is still quite colourful , i cant believe new dahlia flowers are opening and the colours of veronicastrum , salvia , callicarpa , fuchsia with the mix of autumn leaves are an unexpected bonus.

 

We had front and back garden Robbins a couple of years ago. Only getting back garden ones at the moment though.
As I said after a long plot session on Thursday, yesterday was back gardens turn. After the obligatory dead heading and leaf clearing we tackled a bed just below the patio. A bit late I know but among other things I lifted a clump of flag Iris that had gone bare in the middle, haven't replanted them all yet. We hoped to do it today but we have that fine drizzle the Scots call smirr. ( I'm sure @fairygirl will correct my spelling if it's wrong)
We also managed to plant out a Euphorbia and a little Iberis, but we have too many things in pots, trouble is we see things we like, and then try to find space afterwards, we know it should be the other way around but there it is.

 

Sounds as if it could have been a field vole; which typically are not as wary of humans, and often sit and watch.... a slightly disturbing occurrence!

 

@shiney You are a , man of means !