What are we doing in the garden 2024

@shiney You are definitely my sort of gardener , i plan things each day and never stick to it but generally do one thing i intended but the rest of the day the garden influences me to change tack. Good to see you have a good relationship with the robins , maybe trying to tell you to get a move on before the cold weather kicks in !

 

As rain/frost is forecast for this week I decided to start digging out the soil behind the dodgy sleeper wall while I had the chance, the time and the energy! Also dug up yards and yards of white bindweed roots but there's no hope of getting it all out as I've small shrubs I don't want to disturb. I did dig up and move a prostrate rosemary which was definitely in the way.

The chappie who's going to come and relay the sleepers and do a small flight of steps for me so I can safely access the top of the sleeper bed, is sunning himself in Malaga (22c) right now but left me instructions to do what preparation work I can whilst he's away.

 

The only thing I did today was replant some of the flag Iris that I had lifted yesterday. I mixed the mulch into the soil in that area,so they would have good soil contact but not too deep. Tomorrow I need to get some more of the tender plants into the greenhouse before the predicted frost arrives.

 

Hectic day in the garden today, mad rush to dig up the rest of the dahlias and other tender plants. Hosed the dahlia tubers down and stacked for drying off tomorrow in gh, I'll pack them in boxes with woodchip this year. Got a windowsill full of jam jars with salvia cutting and the spare room with plants. I don't like the sudden change in weather.

 

I think I did something out there yesterday, but I'm struggling to remember what it was!
Oh yes- moved the potentilla. Just dug a hole and plonked it in. Didn't water because of the frost that was coming in. It'll be fine. I did have to clear up the mess from a persistent offender that comes in, which I wasn't amused about. How it can manage it when there's a sloping grid of branches on top of this area, I really don't know.
I won't do anything properly garden-y, as the frost will probably linger all day, so it'll be indoor jobs, maybe pruning any wayward pr damaged branches around the plot, and just checking the bird feeders are full. Daughter brought some apples home from work so I've got one speared into the ground for the blackbirds. I'll do a fat ball feeder fixed at ground level for them too.

 

Hi,

Setting off to the supermarket early this morning the car was frozen with ice even the doors were difficult to open; I was worried about damaging the door seal; do the shopping then fuel the car and back home.

I think I've done enough in the garden today having fed two neighbours cats Dudley & Gems also put mealy worms out for the robins; two more cats Harvey & Aspros will no doubt be wanting a fuss and a feed later; Aspros is a pure white Greek cat; I don't think he understands what I say to him; we don't have a cat of our own any longer due to vets bills one bill alone costing £720 (ouch) but still spend over £20 weekly feeding neighbours cats; we like our little friendly furry & feathered visitors.

I'm planting myself at the keyboard and in the recording studio today; it's too cold to play out.

Kind regards, Col.

 

I have been snooping around the garden.
Explored my winter flowering honeysuckle and found buds forming, better than that, I found some tiny flowers open,deep in amongst the foliage in the middle of the tree. My pink and white camellias are in flower, found a single primrose and a bud and a spray of flowers on the Sophora which I thought had died.
Very satisfying.

 

@Retired, I do think it's very unwise to feed your neighbours cats unless you have asked their permission and found out if the cats have any health issues. Some cats I believe can get diabetes or have other problems and you don't want to encourage the cats to get overweight.

Sorry if this sounds harsh but I would have been very cross if someone else was feeding my cat.

 

I've been getting more of the tender plants into the greenhouse. Trouble is it's nearly full already. The really precious things go into the propagator at 6-8 0C the rest has to take it's chances on the open bench. I used to insulate with bubble wrap and heat, but it's too much faf/ expense now. The Lemons have their own lean too shelter under the S facing kitchen window, and we put a couple of things in with them.
As my dear father always said, they have two chances, survive and grow or do the other thing and end up as compost.

 

I've given the privet hedge a trim this afternoon. It didn't need much taking off, just neatening up to keep it tidy for the winter. Then I swept up the trimmings along with fallen leaves from neighbouring trees - that'll all go in the compost heap, probably in several stages mixed in with the kitchen waste because there won't be much soft green stuff to go in now that it's cold enough to slow down the grass, which had it's last cut of the year (probably) on Saturday, although I might do some more edge trimming to neaten it up. Then I pulled some ivy and brambles out of the hedge bottom to go in the green bin for the last collection of the year.

 

I did some leaf removal this afternoon, they were wet but they’ll soon be frozen! In anticipation of the lower temperatures I wrapped the trunk of my tree fern with horticultural fleece and put some in the crown where I could already see the early stage of some new fronds forming. I like optimistic plants . I then moved a pelargonium into the garage which stays at around 10 degrees over the winter as it is integrated into the house. There are also two large windows so it’s a good place for overwintering plants. Just before the rain started I put a thick mulch of compost around two recently planted bare root roses, removing all traces of bark, according to the supplier’s strict instructions - it can harbour diseases .

 

Hi,

No problems with the neighbours or their cats being fed by us @lizzie27 in fact just the opposite; they can go on holiday in peace knowing their cat won't be slimming.

Kind regards, Col.